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2014 Election Tag

Posted by Amy Miller on September 12, 2014 17 Comments
Rasmussen Reports has released new data showing that just 63% of likely U.S. voters know which political party controls the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Twenty percent (20%) mistakenly believe Democrats control the House, while 17% are not sure. Similarly, 18% think the GOP is in charge in the Senate, but 19% are not sure. ... This is even less awareness than voters expressed in March of last year. Remember, too, that these are respondents who are the likeliest to vote this November and so presumably are more politically aware than most other Americans.
Less than sixty days out from the midterms, and 47% of our most well-informed voters have no idea what this election is about. No wonder the media gets away with murder every time they report on Congress. I've written before about the dangers of pulling away and limiting conservative outreach to voters we're reasonably sure are comfortable with our platform. Polling data like this should only serve to reenforce that idea; unless we are reaching outside of the bubble, we're leaving valuable votes on the table:
Women and those under 40 are less aware of who’s in charge of both congressional chambers than men and older voters are. Republicans are more aware than Democrats and unaffiliated voters, but a sizable number of GOP voters don’t know which party controls which house of Congress.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on September 07, 2014 9 Comments
As I noted in my June election report, Governor Jerry Brown will be facing Republican challenger Neel Kashkari in California's gubernatorial race. There one and only debate between them was held Thursday. Prior to the event, conservatives in California were wondering if, given the fact Brown holds a tremendous lead in the polls, Kashkari would decide to throw caution to the win and aggressively attack Brown's recent record in office. After a slow start, it appears that the answer was yes:
Gov. Jerry Brown's long-shot Republican challenger blasted him for failing to do enough to land a Tesla battery plant Thursday during the only scheduled debate of this year's governor's race, a testy, hour-long exchange.
It appears that was a winning approach, as word of Kashkari's excellent performance spread through the world of social media on Friday.

Posted by Amy Miller on September 01, 2014 10 Comments
It seems like even the most staunch democrats are waking up to the realities of Obama's America---especially the political realities. Republicans need to capture 5 of the 6 most competitive Senate seats in the 2014 midterms to regain control of the chamber and end Majority Leader Harry Reid's reign of terror against Republican legislation. This means unseating at least three incumbent Democrats in states that Mitt Romney swept in 2012, and national democrats are nervous at the prospect. Why? Because Barack Obama is a toxic commodity. Via Politico:
Six years ago, Obama’s massive campaign organization helped to sweep several Senate Democrats, now the most endangered, into office with his appeal to unite political factions. Now, he’s an attack line. Across the country, from Alaska and Colorado, to Louisiana and North Carolina, Republicans are citing how often the Democratic incumbent sided with the White House on votes in Congress. It’s a tactic Democrats used to great effect in 2006 when they wrestled back control of the Senate by linking every incumbent to President George W. Bush, who was even more unpopular than Obama. “He’s going to be an anchor on each one of these Democrats all the way through,” said Guy Harrison, a media consultant for the Republican Senate nominees in Arkansas, Colorado and North Carolina. “They’re trying to grasp every life preserver they can, but the anchor of Obama is still going to pull them down.”

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 23, 2014 15 Comments
Democrats had high hopes of holding the Senate seat in Montana after Max Baucus resigned to become U.S. Ambassador to China. Emphasis on past tense, "had". The NY Times reports, Montana Democrat’s Thesis Presented Others’ Work as His Own:
Democrats were thrilled when John Walsh of Montana was appointed to the United States Senate in February. A decorated veteran of the Iraq war and former adjutant general of his state’s National Guard, Mr. Walsh offered the Democratic Party something it frequently lacks: a seasoned military man. On the campaign trail this year, Mr. Walsh, 53, has made his military service a main selling point. Still wearing his hair close-cropped, he notes he was targeted for killing by Iraqi militants and says his time in uniform informs his views on a range of issues. But one of the highest-profile credentials of Mr. Walsh’s 33-year military career appears to have been improperly attained. An examination of the final paper required for Mr. Walsh’s master’s degree from the United States Army War College indicates the senator appropriated at least a quarter of his thesis on American Middle East policy from other authors’ works, with no attribution.
The Times includes some nifty graphics:

Posted by Mike LaChance on July 13, 2014 12 Comments
Before the 2008 election, many liberals insisted that if Obama didn't win it would be because America is a racist country. Now that Obama has won two presidential elections and almost a decade has passed, many liberals are still insisting that America is a hotbed of racism. In fact, according to a new report from Alexandra Jaffee of The Hill, Democrats are planning to run on racism in the 2014 midterms:
Democrats push race issues Democrats are injecting race into the 2014 midterm elections amid fears that a drop-off in minority voters could severely cost them at the polls this fall. Democratic leaders in Congress and administration officials have suggested GOP opposition to policies ranging from immigration reform to ObamaCare are, at least partly, motivated by race. More broadly, they’ve suggested conservative Tea Party criticism of President Obama is based on the fact that he is black. Democrats reject charges that the rhetoric is a concerted political calculation on their part as they try to retain their Senate majority and make gains in the House. “You turn out voters by demonstrating your past performance and what you’re promising to do for a constituent in the future,” said Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. “I don’t call that race-baiting. I call that a political platform.”

Posted by Laura Gundersen on June 23, 2014 3 Comments
UPDATE ELECTION NIGHT: ------------------------- In Oklahoma’s Republican Senate primary race on Tuesday, June 24th, T. W. Shannon (R), a member of the state House of Representatives since 2006, will compete against James Lankford (R), Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional district Representative since 2011, to take over the seat of Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), who is retiring. The two will face other lesser-known candidates as well, and if no candidate obtains 50% of the vote, there will be a runoff in August among the top two. Shannon, favored by the Tea Party, has received backing from Ted Cruz and Sarah Palin, among others, and is also endorsed by the Senate Conservative’s Fund and the American Conservative Union Political Action Committee. Shannon was Oklahoma’s youngest Speaker of the House at age 34, and was the first African American, southern Oklahoman elected to the legislature. Though he has some big-name support and an impressive background, Shannon had less campaign money than Lankford. Shannon prides himself on his belief in preserving American liberty and values, and focuses heavily on the impact in his life of his faith and family, and how these factors have led him to develop an even stronger desire to fight to reestablish American freedom. Shannon outlines his positions on a variety of issues on his campaign website. He places a priority on his commitment to defending the Constitution, and returning power to the people. He also is a pro-life supporter of the second amendment, and is an advocate of strengthening our military, stating that “President Obama's planned cuts to our military forces will place our country in grave danger” and “America is safest when our enemies know we are prepared to defeat them.”

Posted by Bruce Carroll on June 10, 2014 12 Comments
After a lot of speculation and angst by conservative voters in South Carolina, today is Judgment Day for Lindsey Graham. Over the past year, SC grassroots activists have attempted to organize with the goal of defeating Graham in his re-election bid.  The problem always came back to the lack of a serious challenger to the incumbent Senator. Graham was first elected to Congress in the Republican Wave of 1994.  But the voters who watched O.J. Simpson huddled in the back of his white Bronco 20 years ago are not the demographic force of the electorate today.  South Carolina has a very eclectic mix of Republican voters:  Establishment/old school, Tea Party patriot grassroots groups, Christian conservatives and a libertarian streak that gave Ron Paul some hope in the 2012 South Carolina primary. Unlike the McDaniel/Cochran Senate race in Mississippi, none of these odd fellows in S.C. were able to coalesce behind a single candidate to go up against Graham. However, South Carolina is very interesting as it is one of the few states left that requires a 50%-plus-one vote in order to avoid a runoff election.  Most runoff states have a lower threshold of 40%. The main competitors to Graham are S.C. State Senator Lee Bright from the Greenville-Spartanburg area of Upstate South Carolina.  Bright was well-postioned in the crowded field as the only elected official with some statewide name recognition to challenge Lindsey Graham.  Bright also brought together a number of the numerous Tea Party and patriot grassroots groups throughout the state.  However, he never seemed to be able to gain momentum statewide or make a compelling case as to why he was a good alternative to Graham.  Bright struggled with fundraising throughout the contest, but recent polls suggest he may finish in second place to Graham in voting today.

Posted by Mike LaChance on May 18, 2014 9 Comments
Republican Lee Zeldin is running for congress in New York and is an Iraq War veteran. That didn't stop the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from accusing Zeldin of being a coward. Alex Pappas of the Daily Caller reported:
In a post on its website, the campaign arm of the House Democrats is asking whether Republican Lee Zeldin is being cowardly about Republican Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget. “Over a month after his House Republicans passed Paul Ryan’s reckless budget, Congressional Candidate Lee Zeldin is still too scared to admit how he would vote for the plan, even though he wants Long Islanders to send him to Congress,” the DCCC said in a release. “Even though every member of Congress had no choice but to vote yes or no weeks ago, what’s taking him so long to decide? There’s only one answer: Zeldin is either woefully uninformed, willfully ignorant or a coward.”
Zeldin responded on FOX News. Comments and video via NewsBusters:
Well, you have some liberal Democrat hack who is hiding behind his Twitter account, stuffs his face with cheese doodles, sending out press releases on DCCC letterhead, shameful attacks. And the fact is Nancy Pelosi, Steve Israel, Tim Bishop, they've never served a day, and I think when I was sitting at the door on that Blackhawk and the drill master hits the back of your head, and you do what's so unnatural, jumping out with your parachute, here you are, fast forward to today and you have these Democratic hacks out of Washington who want to change the subject and fling insults, saying that I'm a coward. It just doesn't fit.
Here's the video: Democrats now are retreating from the claim, as reported at Newsday:
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