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SSP Daily Digest: 4/10

by: Crisitunity

Fri Apr 10, 2009 at 11:49 AM EDT


* MD-HD-30: Progressive blogger and founder of Think Progress Judd Legum is running for a seat in Maryland's House of Delegates. MD has an unusual system whereby the top three finishers in each party's primary all face each other in the general election, and the top three from that pool all become delegates for that district. The 30th HD went for Obama 52-48, but a few years ago, an out-of-step, conservative Republican snuck through in the third slot by just a handful of votes. Judd (whose blog is here) is taking on this malefactor. We wish him the very best of luck! (D)

* NY-20: The see-sawing continues: at the end of counting yesterday, the semi-official BoE tally had Scott Murphy up by 8 votes. The four counties that hadn't returned full results for paper ballots, though, were four of the pivotal ones: Saratoga (Tedisco's base), and Washington, Warren, and Essex (Murphy's base). The Albany Times-Union puts Murphy's lead at 34, including some additional numbers from Essex. The Hill, as of this hour, is reporting a 46 vote lead for Murphy as more absentees seem to start trickling in.

* SC-Gov: Rep. Gresham Barrett, one of the House's most forgettable members, posted surprisingly strong fundraising numbers in his quest to become South Carolina governor: $371,000 in the first quarter, with more than $1 million CoH. He faces a crowded field, most prominently AG Henry McMaster, who raised $287K.

* CA-32: Here's a strange twist in the CA-32 special election: another Chu has filed to run. Betty Tom Chu, a city councilor and former mayor in Monterey Park, jumped in as a Republican. (She used to be registered as a Democrat and holds nonpartisan office.) There are rumors of bad blood between the two Chus, but this may not necessarily be a dirty trick to sabotage Judy Chu. Although it's an all-in-one-field primary (where the top vote-getter from each party advances), Betty Chu will have an R next to her name, helping somewhat to differentiate her from Judy Chu. The real confusion may be in the general, which could therefore be Chu vs. Chu.
Crisitunity :: SSP Daily Digest: 4/10
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SSP Daily Digest: 4/10 | 43 comments
Chu v. Chu
I'm not worried about the general election if it ends up being Chu v. Chu.  The R/D distinction will easily carry our Chu to victory here even if some voters inadvertently vote for the wrong one and narrow her margin of victory.  But, this really could hurt her in the primary.  If she loses votes to the other Chu, it could make the difference between winning and losing the D nomination for her.  
PIII KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Sorry.

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01
[ Parent ]
Or a Chu-Chu train?
Sorry, I'm having too much pun.

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01
[ Parent ]
Same-name opponents
Virginia did have Warner vs. Warner in the 1996 Senate race, leading to "Mark, Not John" bumper stickers that made people wonder if they were making a biblical allusion.
[ Parent ]
What about the campaign of Dudley Dudley?


Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
[ Parent ]
NJ-03 in 2006
Sexton vs Saxton

26, male, Dem, NJ-12
[ Parent ]
MD-HD-30
What a strange system they have.  Do you get only one vote or do you get three?  Presuming you get only one vote, there's a lot a strategy in who to vote for.  If you know the person you like best is likely to finish in the top 3, then you might want to vote for your second favorite choice.  Seems like in a district that is evenly split, there's likely to be one D, one R, and a fight for third place.
I'm fairly sure you get 3 votes
Vermont has a similar system.

28, Unenrolled, MA-08
[ Parent ]
Illinois
Illinois used to have a similar system where each district elected two members from one party and another from the district's "minority."  The orginal Richard Dailey was elected to the state legislature as a "Republican" to fill the third spot from one district.
[ Parent ]
New Jersey
has this system too. Each district has one Senator and two Assemblymembers. Senators are elected in a normal-type election.

Assembly- four candidates, two Democrats and two Republicans, run as a "ticket" and the top two vote getters win the two seats. Most of the time it's the two Democrats or two Republicans, though sometimes it could be one and one, as was the case from 2003-2007 in the district that includes Atlantic City.



Liberty Avenue Politics - a place for politics in Southern Queens

[ Parent ]
No offense
everyone but I think those are really stupid ways to do governance....  Why on Earth would a state set-up a system like that?  I dont see any benefits and its really just making it more complicated than it needs to be.  Feel free to point out any benefits as I'd like to hear them.
[ Parent ]
OBEY
Hot diggity dang!
Who did he just rip a new one?

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01
[ Parent ]
It's actually from 2006
But amusing and fits the 2008 republican budget just like it did the 2006 budget.
[ Parent ]
I love David Obey
Let's clone him or download his consciousness to a computer so he'll aways be in Congress speaking sense.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
[ Parent ]
Take that, talking head of Richard Nixon!


party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01
[ Parent ]
Couple Georgia Races
State Senator Seth Harp, a Republican representing the 29th District (Northern Columbus area), is running for Insurance Commissioner.  He had previously stated that he was going to run for something, just didn't know what.  He specifically said Insurance Commissioner and Attorney General.

I find it interesting that he picked Insurance Commissioner.  For one thing, it's a lower seat on the political totem pole in Georgia.  There are also other announced Republican candidates (like fellow State Senator Ralph Hudgens) for Insurance Commissioner but none yet (that I can think of) for Attorney General.  So, either he's expecting a relatively big name (or multiple big names) to enter the Attorney General race on the Republican side or he doesn't think he can beat State Representative Rob Teilhet, the only announced Democratic candidate for Attorney General.

By the way, we may have a shot at Harp's seat.  It'll take a lot of work, but we don't exactly have a lot of prime targets in the state senate.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.

I think the GOP will nominate Preston Smith (R-Rome)
For Attorney General. I really hope Teilhet can beat him though, my Rome friends are not too fond of Preston but with him vacating we should try to contest that district as well which has of some of the last Democratic state representatives in North GA. I think  Rick Crawford would be a good fit here http://www.legis.state.ga.us/l...

RE: Harp

I do think we can take that district perhaps State Representative Carl Epps (D- LaGrange) could be a promising choice http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/... or Debbie Buckner (D-Junction City) http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/...  

[ Parent ]
Crawford doesn't live in that district
He lives in Cedartown, which is in Bill Heath's senate district.  Crawford does represent part of Smith's district, though.

Smith has been rumored and it would be nice to get rid of him.  There is a nice bench in Floyd County (ie. sheriff, district attorney, school board members).  I figure the Republicans would probably either run State Rep. Katie Dempsey (excellent chance at that seat!) or State Rep. Barry Loundermilk (no chance in hell at that seat).

Also, check out the 2010 Ga Race Tracker:

2010garacetracker.wetpaint.com

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.

[ Parent ]
Buckner and von Epps
Buckner doesn't live in the district, unfortunately.  Epps may work.  However, the votes in his district are split almost 50-50 between Meriwether County and part of Troup County.  Epps won both but did significantly better in Troup.  Unfortunately, most of the Troup portion of his state house district is not in the 29th Senate District.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
[ Parent ]
Damn I liked Buckner better
Because I worry that rural whites won't be willing to vote for a black candidate like Epps (however his district doesn't appear to be majority black). But who knows with Baker at the top of the ticket maybe Epps would be a good candidate.  
[ Parent ]
I'm really liking the idea of Epps.
Actually, taking a look at the racial makeup of Troup County on the Census website, it looks like Epps would be trading some 70% plus white areas for some heavily minority areas (including several areas that are majority-minority, although he does gain some even more white areas).  

Epps generally overperformed Obama in the Troup precincts, including some signficantly. And if you consider that the Troup portions of his State House are heavily white and yet he won it handily, then that may give indication that race will not be that much of a problem.   Plus, one doesn't see the name "Carl von Epps" and think black.  

Like I said earlier, Epps won Meriwether (completely within both the 29th senate district and his house district) and can do well in Troup.  To win this district, our candidate needs to outfox any Republican in Muscogee.  I think Epps can do it.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.

[ Parent ]
Well I'm glad I stumbled upon him then...
I think his son is a student at UGA (where I'm at) and I know him through a friend so maybe we can talk his pops into running for the state senate. Then though what about his house district?  
[ Parent ]
Probably very competitive
But I think we'd probably win.  Meriwether looks good for us and Troup looks good.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
[ Parent ]
I've sent e-mails to the DPG Recruiting Coordinator and to the Troup County Democraty Party Chair


Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
[ Parent ]
Awesome
I'll see who I can reach out to. Let's get this ball rolling.
[ Parent ]
Just talked to a Harris County Pol...
Who seemed to think that the County Commission chair from Troup County (La Grange) would be a good fit. Said that he was well respected in the Columbus area for his business ties and just generally a good guy who the necessary connections and a good profile. Here's what I dug up:

http://www.lagrangenews.com/pa...

[ Parent ]
The guy's name is Ricky Wolfe...
N/T
[ Parent ]
Interesting
It's nice to know we do have a bench here.  I e-mailed the Harris County Democratic Party Chair as well.  I'll also get with the Muscogee Chair and Jane Kidd.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
[ Parent ]
Thank you for finally admitting
that rural Southern whites are racist.
[ Parent ]
Some are some aren't
I don't think ALL of them are I just understand the difficulty in electing a black representative to any non-black plurality or majority district. However, Jimmy Carter's home is in this district and it is an area historically known for being racially progressiveness and that combined with Epps' history of electoral success leads me to believe he could disappoint naysayers like you.  
[ Parent ]
Jimmy Carter lives in this district?
Didn't know that.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
[ Parent ]
For the record...
Gresham Barrett came thru with Inauguration tix when many others failed us. His aide was darn nice too. I'll never forget him...
Bad Pun Alert
Between the Chus it's hard to choose

26, male, Dem, NJ-12
It's electrifying to pick-and-choose between these two.
Sorry, I'm probably making even more people groan.

party: Democratic, ideology: moderate, district: CT-01
[ Parent ]
Also in CA-32, Rafael Nadal has filed as a Democrat.
Businessman Rafael Nadal that is:

In addition to front-runners Gil Cedillo, a state senator representing Los Angeles, and Judy Chu, a state Board of Equalization member, the Democratic slate includes: Francisco Alonso, who is retired; former Solis deputy district director Benita Duran; independent filmmaker and actor Stefan Lysenko; attorney Nick Juan Mostert; businessman Rafael Nadal; and financial analyst Emanuel Pleitez.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.co...

Well
I wonder how many people will vote for him thinking he's the tennis player.
[ Parent ]
I thought the same thing.
Like all the people that voted for someone named David Archuletta in Montana (I think), thinking it was the American Idol singer.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.
[ Parent ]
In Florida
You won't believe how many people I've come across who voted Charles Bronson Florida Agriculture Commissioner because they thought he was the famous actor.
[ Parent ]
And in California for
Arnold Schwarzenegger.............
[ Parent ]
See Texas Senate 2000, 2006 and 2008 D Primaries
Gene Kelly. In 2006 the run off campaign was Radnofsky sending out mailers titled "The Dancer is Dead." It would be better if Gene Kelly was more than some old man who would at least campaign, set up a website, give speeches, or interviews.

26, Male, Democrat, TX-26
[ Parent ]
and speaking of singers
LA-06's Michael Jackson name helped pick off a few votes from Cazayoux
[ Parent ]
Pick off what demographic's votes?
Pedophiles?
[ Parent ]
SSP Daily Digest: 4/10 | 43 comments

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