Operation Counterweight – The final list

WILLIAM A. JACOBSON AUG 15, 2012 11:35 AM

Operation Counterweight, the electoral strategy for the rest of us, is intended to help provide a counterweight to conservatives being sold out in two ways.

First, we must elect more conservative Republicans.  Second, we must hold the House majority and take back the Senate by a sufficient majority that we are not beholden to the weakest Republican links as in the past.

There are so many important races that it would be impossible to list all of them, and doing so would be counterproductive in a swarm environment.

With the exception of the Scott Brown and Allen West races, I have tried to select races which may not get national attention and fundraising, which again makes our efforts more significant.

We have selected four Senate races and 10 House races.  Most of them are in the Northeast.  There is a logic to that.  With the red tide sweeping much of the country, the most productive gains are to be made in blue territory.  We want to bring the fight to their territory.

Here is the list, with brief explanations (the link to their names is to their websites, where you can donate).  I will be making donations to each, and I hope you will join me.

Senate: There are many closely contested races around the country which will decide the fate of the Senate, but most if not all of those will receive national attention and fundraising.  I have chosen to focus on two special cases (Brown and Mourdock) and two long-shots in small states where relatively small amounts of additional money and attention really could help make the races competitive.

• Scott Brown (MA) – hello, hello.  What can I say that I have not already said.  Progressives have made this race their No. 1 priority other than Obama.
• Richard Mourdock (IN) – we helped him defeat Richard Lugar, one of the weakest Republican links and Obama’s favorite Republican.  Now let’s prove that we can help him bring it home.  Mourdock is even or slightly ahead in the polls, but still trails Joe Donelly in cash.  More here.
• Barry Hinckley (RI) – he’s running against Sheldon Whitehouse.  I have been clear that this is a long shot, but we have to win one or two long shots to achieve the counterweight we need.  Whitehouse is not personally popular and I still believe that this could be the surprise of the year.  More here.
• Dan Bongino (MD) – another long shot who is worth the effort, running against Ben Cardin.  Bongino has been working hard, and in a small state an upstart who is good on the stump can exceed expectations.  More here.

House:  I have chosen to focus on districts which will be competitive and in which we either can protect an recent incumbent or flip a seat.  The Cook Report ratings of these races (as of August 2) are posted below.

• Allen West (FL-16) – they target him with SuperPAC money and DWS’s mouth, we defend him.
• Mia Love (UT-04) – we were among the first to recognize Mia’s rising stardom.  Now let’s help her to defeat incumbent Jim Matheson, who plays a moderate Democrat on television.  Love is behind in the polls and fundraising, so she needs our help.
• Brendan Doherty (RI-01)(my home district) – a chance to flip a reliably Democratic district because of the deceit of former Providence Mayor and current congressman David Cicilline who hid Providence’s fiscal problems when he ran in 2010.  More here.
• David Rouzer (NC-7) – a chance to flip an at-risk Democratic seat against the vulnerable incumbent Mike McIntyre.
• Georgia-12 – primary runoff on August 21.  We will support whoever wins to run against vulnerable incumbent Dem John Barrow.
• The Upstate NY Group (more here and here), the improbable but true heart of Operation Counterweight, a chance to protect gains in 2010 and also pick up a seat or two.
  • Chris Gibson (NY-19) – defend freshman congressman.
  • Matt Doheny (NY-21) – defeat Bill Owens, who never should have been in this Republican District but for the debacle of Dede Scozafava undermining Doug Hoffman in the 2009 special election
  • Ann Marie Buerkle (NY-24) – help defend this freshman who has fought hard against the Obama administration in what will be a very tight rematch with former incumbent Dan Maffei, who she defeated in 2010.
  • Maggie Brooks (NY-25) – help defeat vulnerable incumbent Louise Slaughter.
  • Chris Collins (NY-27) – help defeat Kathy Hochul, who eeked out a win in the special election because a fake Tea Party candidate ran third party; Dems claimed the Medicare issue gave Hochul the win, but that was not the case.  Hochul has more money, but this is a Republican district.

Honorable Mentions:

• Nan Hayworth (NY – 18) – is in a tight race but in a better position than others in the Upstate NY Group.
• Chip Cravaack (MN – 08) – a prime target for MN moonbats.
• Jackie Walorski (IN – 02) – running for Joe Donnelly’s old seat.  She lost in 2010 by a small margin.
• Ricky Gill (CA – 07) – only 24 years old and a rising star.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY