Swing State Project – Page 697 – Campaign and Election News

MN-03: Ashwin Madia Wins DFL Nod

MN Publius and MN Campaign Report have the scoop: State Sen. Terri Bonoff is dropping out and endorsing Iraq War vet and attorney Ashwin Madia for the DFL nomination in the open seat race to replace retiring GOP Rep. Jim Ramstad.

Though the writing had been on the wall for a while, Madia’s out-of-nowhere performance against Bonoff (long perceived the front-runner), has definitely been a stunner. Madia will move on to take on Republican state Rep. Erik Paulsen in the general. With a PVI of R+0.5, this seat will be hotly contested by both sides this fall.

LA-06: DCCC Ups the Ante

It’s not a huge bill, but the DCCC just increased their expenditures in the LA-06 special election by $35,000. The expenditures include nearly $4,000 in field organizing and an additional $32K media buy.

The new expenditures put the DCCC’s tab in this race to nearly $145,000. We saw on Thursday that the NRCC is willing to drop some cash on defending this R+6.5 seat — to the tune of $110,000. It’ll be interesting to see how this escalates as we approach the special election on May 3rd.

KY-SEN: Greg Fischer Makes His Move

A lot has happened in the Democratic Primary for the Senate seat of Kentucky. Already, we have seen Greg Stumbo and Andrew Horne step aside. The consensus now seems to be that Bruce Lunsford should be the nominee for Kentucky’s Senate race. However, it seems another candidate has stepped foward as a true Democratic voice in this race. Now, it seems Greg Fischer is making his move in this race.

First, Greg Fischer has showed that he can raise funds. One of the main reason I believe that Lunsford was recruited was because he could self-fund. However, this story shows that Fischer can self-fund too, and raise seperate funds to boot:

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Greg Fischer says his upcoming campaign finance report will show that he’s collected more than $500,000 from donors in addition to the $510,000 of his own money he has pumped into his bid.

Of course, Greg was encouraged by the numbers:

“Dollar by dollar, voter by voter, momentum is growing stronger in every region of the state. We are confident that our campaign is positioned to defeat Bruce Lunsford on May 20,” Fischer said in a statement. “Voters are beginning to realize I am the real Democrat offering real change.”

http://www.gregfischer.com/ind…

Fischer is going to begin running T.V. in the state soon, about a month before the May 20 primary. I think when Kentucky Democrats get to know him a little better, they are going to like what they see.

Greg has also spoken out for a sane policy in Iraq. He recently took McConnell to task on that issue:

In 2002, Mitch McConnell handed President Bush a blank check for operations in Iraq – a war that was ill-conceived, ill-advised and terribly mismanaged. We have now been in Iraq longer than we were in World War II. To date, there have been more than 4,000 American military casualties. Over 30,000 U.S. soldiers have been injured. By the end of 2007, the war in Iraq cost American taxpayers more than $500 billion. Kentucky’s share of the bill: $3.5 billion – money that could have been invested in our economy, built 358 new elementary schools, provided 593,000 Kentucky students with college scholarships, delivered health care benefits to 970,000 Kentuckians, built miles of new roads and bridges or saved thousands of homeowners from foreclosure.

Today, Mitch McConnell still supports President Bush’s never ending war in Iraq, while continuing to play partisan political games and obstructing every opportunity to reach a bipartisan plan to end the war once and for all in Iraq.

Greg Fischer believes it’s time to bring our soldiers home from Iraq in a swift, safe and responsible manner. Our brave men and women have done everything we have asked of them and are still fighting a courageous fight. They put their lives on the line for us everyday and we owe them and their families an end to this war. Washington has failed them.

Although Greg will fight to begin a responsible draw down of our forces in Iraq and end the war, he knows we need to refocus our efforts in Afghanistan where Al Qaeda and Taliban are experiencing a resurgence. That’s where Osama Bin Laden and the real war against terrorism is and needs to be fought.

He has endorsed A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq found here:

http://www.responsibleplan.com/

Greg also believes we must respect our returning heros. He endorses the G.I. Bill for the 21st century:

For our returning Veterans, Greg will make it a top priority to ensure that when veterans return home they are treated like the heroes they are. He will work to provide them and their families with benefits designed to meet the needs of today’s soldiers and their families. That is why Greg supports the bipartisan G.I. Bill for the 21st Century.

The G.I. Bill for the 21st Century would repeal unfair tax burdens on military families and provide Veterans with the benefits they deserve; affordable health care, education and job training, strengthen our support for our men and women in uniform, and improve benefits for our National Guard and Reservists.

Most importantly, it will modernize and enhance the GI Bill Education and Job Training Programs to provide the full cost of tuition and fees, and a living allowance for 36 months of schooling, for those who enlist for four years of active duty military service. They have fought to defend our freedoms. They have fought to defend our families. Our Veterans deserve it.

The G.I. Bill for the 21st Century has been endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA), the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

http://www.gregfischer.com/ind…

After the disappointments of the early primary season, I think that Greg Fischer as emerging as a serious candidate. He has shown his ability to not only self-fund, but to raise funds as well. Most importantly, he is showing that he can be depended on to fight for a Democratic vision for this country.

I hope Kentuckians and Americans will get behind Greg to defeat Bruce Lunsford, and then Mitch McConnell in the fall. Although he is a political newcomer the last month is showing him to be a serious candidate who can make a serious run at Mitch McConnell. Best of all, he will do it as a Democrat.

Find out more about Greg Fischer here:

http://www.gregfischer.com/

Support Greg Fischer in his fight for Kentucky Democrats here:

http://www.actblue.com/page/go…

We can still have an awesome Senator from Kentucky so please join in the fight for Greg Fischer!!

Weekly Open Thread: What Races Are You Interested In?

Check it:

I’m brown like Sherrod and I’m young like Don

And I got more bling than Moseley Braun

In Senator Shaheen I will take pride

And in the Udall Boyz from the West Side

I’m supporting Warner, M., not Warner, J.

And we’ll increase our posse on election day

November ’08 is the time to shine

For stone-cold inauguration in 2009

So put your checks in the mail and don’t be cheap

And wave your hands in the air ’cause you care so deep

FL-25: Sign the Petition, Call on the Republicans to End the Redbaiting

Sign the petition and help spread the word.

Another article in today's Miami Herald expresses the continued desire for Republicans to scare and divide the South Florida community.

On Thursday, those stances prompted the Independent Venezuelan American Citizens and 18 graduates of Garcia's old high school in Miami — several with Republican ties — to call on him to ''renounce'' Rangel's support. Outraged Cuban Americans have also been blasting the two men's connection on Spanish-language radio and blogs.

''We want to alert Joe that he's making a mistake,'' said Ernesto Ackerman, president of the non-partisan Venezuelan group. “If you're in a community with a majority of Latin Americans, you have to think about who your allies are going to be.''

Garcia, who is Cuban-American, says he has ''profound disagreements'' with Rangel on foreign policy, but notes that Rangel, who chairs the influential House Ways and Means Committee, could be a key ally in securing federal dollars for the district.

''My job in Congress will be to represent Florida's 25th congressional district — the most poorly federally funded district in Florida — on revitalizing our economy, bringing better jobs to our community, improving education for our children and providing tax relief for middle-class families,'' Garcia said in a statement. 'My history of fighting on behalf of human rights in Cuba and Latin America exceeds my opponent's limited `one-note' accomplishments.''

We need to stand up with Joe and say enough is enough of these tactics.

In South Florida, Mario Diaz-Balart has decided to use fear-mongering and redbaiting tactics against Joe Garcia to scare up votes. Tell Diaz-Balart and the Republicans to stop.

In 2004, the RNCC sent out fliers calling John Kerry a friend of Castro and a communist. Now they're back at the attacks again, this time aimed at Joe Garcia who's taking on Bush rubberstamp Mario Diaz-Balart in the 25th district for Congress. First the Diaz-Balarts called him a Castro-sympathizer, then they called him a communist on talk radio shows, now they're calling Charlie Rangel and Joe Garcia “left-wing extremists” in the Miami Herald. Diaz-Balart said Rep. Charlie Rangel, Chair of the important Ways and Means Committee who decides if money should go to the district is “appeasing our nation's enemies. Left-wing birds of a feather, tax and spend together.” With these statements, Diaz-Balart has jeapordized the entire district's ability to receive important money from Washington, all so he could get a few votes. This is the kind of partisanship that prevents progress, that we need to end in Washington.

We need to help fight back for Joe and tell the Republicans that enough is enough. We won't let them scare up votes this time and distract the real attention away from Diaz-Balart's poor performance for the district, including his votes for more war in Iraq, calling the SCHIP children's health care program an “attack on the Cuban American community”, and his failure to protect the Everglades or revitalize the economy.

We know who will really bring freedom to Cuba. Joe was a leader of the Exodus Project and has spent his entire life on work reuniting Cuban families and fighting for Democracy. He opposed the Bush/Diaz-Balart restrictions on family remittances and he wants to allow Cuban families to have the power to bring about real change by making sure funds meant to help them establish Democracy in Cuba actually reach them instead of partisan interest groups in Washington.

Please sign the petition, pass it on, and take a stand. This time we will be united for change.

Barth raises $330K in 1st quarter – WV-02

Cross posted from West Virginia Blue

From an email:

Wow, what a great start for our campaign for Congress!

As you know, a top-notch Congressional campaign is an all-consuming undertaking for any candidate who is in it to win it. I promise you I have been working as hard as I have ever worked in my life to earn the support I’ve been getting from people like you. Together, we will give West Virginians in the 2nd Congressional District a stronger advocate in Washington. I’ve made visits to nearly all the counties in the broad 2nd District – many of them more than once – and I can tell you that there is a palpable excitement and energy for change. I’ve been meeting and talking with people in fire halls, community centers, senior centers, churches and private homes.

Over and over West Virginians tell me they have become disillusioned by years of Bush-Cheney policies that simply don’t reflect the needs of rural America in general, and working West Virginians in particular. It is your views, your ideas, your concerns – and your support – that continue to energize me and drive my campaign forward.

I wanted to take a moment to update you on the progress of our campaign to restore West Virginia values to the 2nd Congressional seat in Congress. The all-important FEC first quarter reporting period ended on March 31. Our filing will show that the campaign has collected just over $330,000 in contributions from people like you.

The first quarter reporting number is a critical barometer of a campaign’s vitality. We are setting very high expectations for our campaign, and so far we are meeting and exceeding them. We had six fundraising events around the state in the first quarter, including one that was hosted jointly by Senator Byrd, Senator Rockefeller, Congressman Rahall and Congressman Mollohan. I am so proud to have their support, which has provided such a boost to the campaign and to peoples’ confidence that Democrats are working hard to regain the seat. People from across the entire state have been mailing contributions to our campaign headquarters and donating with their credit cards on our website.

In addition to the support of the entire West Virginia Democratic delegation, the Anne Barth for Congress campaign has also received endorsements from a variety of organizations, including the West Virginia AFL-CIO, United Mine Workers, United Auto Workers, Communications Workers of America, the Southwestern District Labor Council, United Steelworkers, Teamsters, the West Virginia Education Association, the West Virginia Sheriff’s Association and the American Federation of Government Employees.

These organizations are a vital part of our communities, and I am honored to have them as friends and supporters. We expect more endorsements from organizations to be made public soon – and we’ll keep you posted.

Through all of this busy campaigning I have received a lot of good press, in small town weeklies, larger daily newspapers, and regional television stations. I have also appeared on radio stations across the district to get my message out, and continue to enjoy building relationships with members of our state media that the voters rely on in their communities to keep themselves informed and up-to-date on the issues.I was especially gratified to receive the endorsement this week of the state’s largest daily newspaper, the Charleston Gazette.

I have also participated in several Meet the Candidate events around the district, as well as forums and debates, with my primary opponents at West Virginia Wesleyan in Buckhannon and the Young Democrats Convention in Charleston. I enjoy these exchanges and look forward to debates with them at the Jefferson County League of Women Voters event on April 17 and the Berkeley County Democratic Association event on April 21.

Though I have many years of experience in the political realm, being a candidate is a new experience for me. I continue to learn more as I travel and meet with constituents. While serving in Sen. Byrd’s office for 21 years, I never lived in Washington, I always continued to live and work in the 2nd Congressional District, and that is one reason I am running – I understand the needs and concerns of the people of my home district. And I have learned from my experiences on Sen. Byrd’s staff how to get results for the people of West Virginia in Washington.

With your continued support and involvement, we can win in May – and again in November. Please stay in touch with our campaign, visit our website for updates at AnneBarthforCongress.com, volunteer when you can and make a contribution if you are able.

Change is coming for the people of West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, and together we are driving that momentum for change.

Thank you for your support and encouragement – and please keep in touch.

Barth is off to a tremendous start, especially considering she got into the quarter late. That’s got to be making Bush Republican Shelley Moore Capito nervous.

Jake Stump has the story in the Daily Mail:

Her campaign finances outpace those of her primary opponents. One of them, former South Charleston mayor Richie Robb, raised $2,475 from January to April, and has $10,835 cash on-hand, according to his latest filing with the Federal Election Commission.

A financial report for a third candidate, Thornton Cooper, was not available.

Political observers expected Barth, who entered the race after state Sen. John Unger dropped out right before the filing deadline, to have a tough time raising money because of her late start.

Incumbent Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., had $643,865 cash on-hand as of Jan. 1.

snip

“We have very high expectations for ourselves as a campaign, and we are meeting those marks,” said Ned Rose, chairman of the Barth campaign. “Our fellow West Virginians are also expressing their high expectations for Anne by contributing so generously. I can assure them all one thing — nobody will outwork Anne Barth. She is a tireless campaigner and a dynamic individual.”

The interesting thing will be whether campaign donors who’ve backed Capito in the past will continue to give, or if they’ll see she’s a lost cause. My guess is she’ll receive some contributions, but keep in mind she angered many of her fellow Republicans in 2006 by not contributing to other races. In fact, she was still holding fundraisers the weekend before the last election, a sure sign she was worried about Mike Callaghan. She ended up buying herself a landslide because Callaghan, among other flaws with his campaign, had run out of money and was unable to answer a last minute barrage of misleading attack ads from Capito. In addition to having a very focused campaign style, Barth is going to have enough money to go toe-to-toe against Capito at the end.

LA-06, MS-01: GOP Drops Some Coin

With the DCCC dropping $111,000 on TV ads and literature in the special election race to replace GOP Rep. Richard Baker, the NRCC has followed suit with a $110K buy of its own against Democrat Don Cazayoux.

The NRCC’s ad (viewable here) hits Cazayoux on taxes and also mocks the spelling of his name. DavidNYC offers his take:

Making fun of his last name strikes me as remarkably tone deaf and buttresses the claims that the staff at the NRCC – long considered a very good shop – really has gotten a lot weaker. This reminds of when the Club for Growth ran ads against Olympia Snowe calling her a “Franco-Republican” (she likes to raise taxes – just like the French, get it?), despite Maine have a very large population of French descent.

As for the tax hike claims, the ad in tiny type has a running list of bills (which Cazayoux presumably voted for) that allegedly contained these tax hikes. If these claims are bullshit, Cazayoux should demand the ad be taken off the air. (Remember, the threshold is lower for non-candidate ads.)

Meanwhile, quietly concerned about the open seat race to fill the vacant seat of MS-01 (previously held by Roger Wicker, who was tapped by Haley Barbour to replace Trent Lott in the Senate), the NRCC also logged a $12K expenditure on a poll of the district. Depending on its results, we may see the GOP pour some more resources into this race to bolster GOP candidate Greg Davis against Democrat Travis Childers, who is running a hard-charging campaign for the R+10 seat.

Even without a pair of wins here, the fact that the NRCC is bleeding resources on a string of red seat special elections is priceless.

1Q Fundraising Results Thread vs. Mothra

Eight luscious Goya nectars:

VA-Sen:

Mark Warner (D): $2.5M raised; $4.4M CoH

VA-02:

Glenn Nye (D): $252K raised; >$220K CoH

NH-Sen:

Jeanne Shaheen (D): ~$1.2M raised; ~$2M CoH

FL-21:

Raul Martinez (D): >$615K raised

Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-inc): >$600K raised, >$1.4M CoH

KY-02:

David Haire (D): >$200K raised

KY-03:

John Yarmuth (D-inc): ~$250K raised

MN-01:

Tim Walz (D-inc): $352K raised; $1.02M CoH

PA-05:

Bill Cahir (D): $121K raised; $99K CoH (the report says otherwise, but it was obviously a tabulation error)

PA-15:

Charlie Dent (R-inc): $167K raised; $616K CoH

TX-07:

Joe Culberson (R-inc): $297K raised; $271K CoH

PA-03:

Kyle Foust (D): $61K raised; $43K CoH

Mike Waltner (D): $55K raised; $39K CoH

IL-13:

Scott Harper (D): $134K raised; $103K CoH

AZ-08:

Gabby Giffords (D-inc): $467K raised; $1.67M CoH

PA-11:

Lou Barletta (R): $185K raised; $154K CoH

1Q Fundraising Results Thread | Son of… | Revenge of… | Raiders of the… | Alien vs. Predator vs… | Grandson of… | Return of…

FL-25: Joe Garcia and DFA Respond to Diaz-Balart Attacks

While Joe Garcia has been actively reaching out to voters across the 25th district of Florida with a plan that will unite the South Florida community on bringing about the kind of change that will enact universal health care, bring a responsible end to the war in Iraq, tackle climate change and protect the Everglades, and revitalize the economy, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart has been busy pandering to right-wing groups with outlandish statements.

Just two months into the campaign Bush rubberstamp Mario Diaz-Balart has already put his campaign to the level of using fear-mongering, redbaiting, and Rovian style tactics to scare up votes. The latest attacks come from yesterday's Miami Herald in a story in which he attacks both Joe Garcia and Rep. Charlie Rangel as left-wing extremists. This comes a month after the Diaz-Balarts called Joe a sympathizer and friend of Castro.

Joe Garcia, the FDP, and South Florida grassroots supporters are pushing back strongly against these outlandish statements.

Here's Joe's message to supporters:

I'm disappointed but not surprised. When my family and I decided to enter this race, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart promised to run a campaign based on the issues and his record in Congress. That was a debate I was excited to have.

But we always knew that the better this campaign does–the more supporters we attract, the more events we hold, and the more small-donors who give–the more negative and desperate Mario Diaz-Balart would get. We just never thought he would sink this low, this early.

I've already strongly rejected Mario Diaz-Balart's claims, but I'm comforted in knowing that I'm not alone in this fight. I've got supporters just like you, standing up and demanding change.

…

Diaz-Balart has based his career on intimidating his opponents and accusing them of being Castro-sympathizers. He can't pull that stunt on me. I've spent my entire life working for human rights in Cuba. When he was trying to find his legislative office in Tallahassee, I was already meeting world leaders and walking the halls of Congress on behalf of the Cuban people.

My opponent wants to run a negative campaign based on using the sensitivities of Cuban-Americans for his political gain. That is wrong and it's the kind of dirty politics we need to move beyond in South Florida.

…

While Cuba is an important issue in our community, South Floridians also want better jobs, lower taxes and an end to the Iraq war just like all Americans. It is about time we had someone in Washington that can lead on these issues.

Not only are his attacks rediculous, but they will only hurt the district by ensuring Diaz-Balart is the last who will receive appropiations help from Rep. Rangel. This is part of the reason data shows Diaz-Balart ranking 406 out of all 435 members in terms of performance for their districts. It also helps explain his vote against SCHIP, which denied 14,500 children living in the district health care, but guaranteed tax cuts for tobacco companies who have contributed thousands to his campaign. At a time when the economy is on the decline, the 25th district needs someone who is going to be able to work with members of Congress and get progressive legislation signed into law. Clearly Rep. Diaz-Balart is more concerned about getting re-elected on one-issue than the concerns of the people of South Florida.

Today DFA and Joe Trippi joined in with the following email message:

You and I have seen this attack before.

Yesterday morning, the Miami Herald quoted Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart calling Joe Garcia and his supporters “left-wing extremists.”

“Joe Garcia continues to align himself with left-wing extremists. The latest to join the ranks is Congressman Charlie Rangel,” reads a statement from Diaz-Balart's campaign.

“He has a long and well-known history of supporting a radical left-wing agenda including supporting higher taxes on working families and appeasing our nation's enemies. Left-wing birds of a feather, tax and spend together.”

I know we will not just stand aside and let these attacks go unanswered. Let's show this Bush-Republican machine what we can do when “birds of a feather” really flock together, contribute $20.08 to Joe Garcia right now.

http://www.actblue.com/...

During our Dean for America days together, we learned to always fight back.

Now, I'm the Senior Advisor to Joe Garcia's powerful campaign to take back south Florida. The early endorsement of Democracy for America led the way in bringing us a national spotlight, and helped us grow our people-powered, grassroots campaign. DFA members provide us with boots on the ground and the small-donor, financial support to back them up.

Joe Garcia has already strongly rejected Mario Diaz-Balart's claims. We can reject them by showing our people-powered support for Joe Garcia today. Contribute $20.08 now:

http://www.actblue.com/...

We know that the more this campaign grows — the more supporters from across south Florida and the country that get involved — the more negative and desperate Republican Rep. Diaz-Balart will get. This is just the beginning. And while these tactics might have worked in the past, they won't work this time. At least, not with your strong support.

Working together, we stand for a different kind of politics.

-Joe

Joe Trippi
Senior Advisor for Joe Garcia for Congress

Joe Garcia for Congress

LA-06: DCCC Drops $111K

Boom goes the dynamite:

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE

Great American Media

Purpose of Expenditure: Media Buy

Name of Federal Candidate supported or opposed by expenditure: Louis (Woody) Jenkins

Office Sought: House of Representatives

State is Louisiana in District 06

Amount Expended = $92177.00

Allan B Crow &Associates, Inc.

Purpose of Expenditure: Media Production

Name of Federal Candidate supported or opposed by expenditure: Louis (Woody) Jenkins

Amount Expended = $6842.11

Mission Control, Inc.

Purpose of Expenditure: Literature

Name of Federal Candidate supported or opposed by expenditure: Donald J. Cazayoux

Amount Expended = $5750.00

Mission Control, Inc.

Purpose of Expenditure: Literature

Name of Federal Candidate supported or opposed by expenditure: Louis (Woody) Jenkins

Amount Expended = $5750.00

Bear in mind that this ain’t no chump change. The Baton Rouge media market is ten times less expensive than Chicago’s, where the DCCC bought time for ads opposing wingnut Jim Oberweis.

Chris Cilizza has a copy of the ad hitting Jenkins.

UPDATE: The NRCC is up with an ad of its own, also using taxes as its main message. No word yet on how large of an ad buy this is.