Progressive Democrat Issue 91: MIDWEST FOCUS: Iowa and Indiana
Last year I focused mainly on NY, NJ and VA. Turned out those were three of the states with the toughest races. And, in the case of NJ and VA, Democrats won big. I helped in a small way to motivate the grassroots to push for those hard fought victories. I am trying to do the same thing again.
This year NY, NJ and VA turn out to once again be very important states. NY has several House races that are worth fighting. NJ and VA both have Senate races that are critical for winning the Senate and each have a House race that we just might win. So I am glad those three states remain my main focus.
But I have chosen to expand my efforts to cover the Midwest as well. Two states that figured prominantly in that decision were Iowa and Indiana.
INDIANA: Indiana is a no-brainer. This year there are THREE close House races that we now seem poised to take. I am LOVING Indiana this year as I watch these developments. Add to that the Secretary of State race and you have a VERY important state. I have donated some to these Indiana races and I hope you will as well. But I also ask that you help with some of your time as well.
I personally feel the Secretary of State races this year are possibly the most important races for the survival of American democracy I have seen in my political lifetime (going back to Mondale(!) and even to some degree to Watergate (!!)). So I ask you to PLEASE give some of your time to help Joe Pearson win as Indiana Sec of State. There have already been election controversies in Indiana, and if we aren't careful, Indiana will go the way of Ohio in 2004 and Georgia in 2002 and we may not be sure if our elections are fair! So give Joe some time or money and strike a blow for American Democracy.
If you live in IN-7, please help Julia Carson's Congressional campaign. The Republicans targeted her and, although she is looking secure now, I have learned in my local political scene that when you are targeted it is best to win big or you will be targeted again. Help Julia solidify her Congressional seat and show the Republicans that Indiana is going back to its populist, true blue roots.
IN-8 may be my favorite Indiana race because, from what I can see at this distance, Ellsworth is a truely excellent candidate. Plus the Republican is one of the Katrina 11, disgustingly heartless Republicans who I have been targeting since before I ever heard of Ellsworth. Please, if you live in or near IN-8, give Brad Ellsworth some of your time.
IN-2 is another one I have been taken with. I have been working with MoveOn.org since 2001 and I am proud that some of my donations went into the efforts that have made this one of the best pick up chances of the year. IN-2 is a race I focused on when it was considered "safe Republican" by many, and I am glad that my gut feelings and the efforts of MoveOn are panning out. If you live in or near IN-2, please give Joe Donnelly some time or money.
I came late to paying attention to IN-9, so I don't know as much about this race. But from what I can see at this distance, Barron Hill has some great ideas. The Republicans like to perpetuate the myth that Democrats don't have ideas. That is almost never true. But it seems to me that Barron Hill, more even than most Democrats, disproves that myth. So, if you live in or near IN-9, please help out Barron Hill.
I also ask that you contact Indiana Progressives PAC. I believe that if we want to have strong populist and progressive roots in Indiana, returning to the traditional values that helped working class Americans make it, we need to help groups like this with our time and our thoughts and our support to build the grassroots infrastructure that will spread ideas and win elections.
IOWA: I have said before that Iowa has interested me since I started discovering my genealogy and discovering my roots in Davenport (Kunkel and Hapke families) and in Eagle Grove (Wassem family). I'd love to find some of my distant relatives in those towns. I am sure they are still there because in my father's family (unlike my side of the family) roots run deep and those roots have been in Iowa since the Civil War. So I started watching Iowa some time back. And some of my first donations of this year were to races in Iowa. I pegged Iowa as a key state in this year's elections more than a year ago.
Oddly, I didn't predict exactly how it would be key. Iowa is a mix of interesting races. One House seat to defend, one to pick up. I had thought there would be more competitive races, but so far it seems only those two are panning out. But I made some early donations to the others and I am glad I did so. There is also a very interesting state legislature seat. And, in some ways most important, there is the Sec. of State position. I have given to these Iowa races, and I hope you do as well.
I most strongly urge people in the Quad Cities to help out Elesha Gayman's campaign. This is more local than I usually focus, but she was an early endorsement from Democracy for America and could prove to be a real rising star in American politics. If we elect her this year, I think we may see great things from her 10 years down the road. I am not always good at picking them, I admit. But I have a gut feeling that Elesha is well worth our support.
Next I strongly urge you to look at what happened in Ohio, Indiana and Georgia where unscrupulous Republicans as Sec. of State helped to steal elections. Anywhere you live in Iowa, please contact Mike Mauro's campaign and volunteer to help him win as Sec. of State. It is YOUR vote you are protecting!
Looking back to the Davenport and Scott County area, the IA-1 House race is one of the most competitive in the nation. I really want to see us win this one! If you live in or near the IA-1 district, please, I ask you to gives some time to help Bruce Braley win.
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Leonard Boswell has served America both in Vietnam and as Congressman for IA-3. Republicans thought that because Leonard had cancer, this would be an easy pick up for them. Well, as a cancer biologist at my last job I can tell you modern medicine can cure cancer much of the time and it seems Boswell is a survivor. So, if you live in IA-3, let's show the Republicans that you don't appreciate them kicking a Vietnam vet when he's down. Give Leonard Boswell some of your time.
IA-2 seems to have dropped off many people's chart. But emails I have gotten recently from the Democratic candidate suggest that it has become a very close race: Democrat Dave Loebsack leads Republican Jim Leach 48 percent to 47 percent, with 4 percent still undecided. I hope that's true! If you live in or near IA-2, please some of your time.
Finally, there is IA-5. This is a long shot, but the Republican is one of the hated Katrina 11, a Republican that will support no-bid contracts for Halliburton but voted against aid to Katrina victims. So if you live in IA-5, please give Joyce Schulte some of your time.
This year NY, NJ and VA turn out to once again be very important states. NY has several House races that are worth fighting. NJ and VA both have Senate races that are critical for winning the Senate and each have a House race that we just might win. So I am glad those three states remain my main focus.
But I have chosen to expand my efforts to cover the Midwest as well. Two states that figured prominantly in that decision were Iowa and Indiana.
INDIANA: Indiana is a no-brainer. This year there are THREE close House races that we now seem poised to take. I am LOVING Indiana this year as I watch these developments. Add to that the Secretary of State race and you have a VERY important state. I have donated some to these Indiana races and I hope you will as well. But I also ask that you help with some of your time as well.
I personally feel the Secretary of State races this year are possibly the most important races for the survival of American democracy I have seen in my political lifetime (going back to Mondale(!) and even to some degree to Watergate (!!)). So I ask you to PLEASE give some of your time to help Joe Pearson win as Indiana Sec of State. There have already been election controversies in Indiana, and if we aren't careful, Indiana will go the way of Ohio in 2004 and Georgia in 2002 and we may not be sure if our elections are fair! So give Joe some time or money and strike a blow for American Democracy.
If you live in IN-7, please help Julia Carson's Congressional campaign. The Republicans targeted her and, although she is looking secure now, I have learned in my local political scene that when you are targeted it is best to win big or you will be targeted again. Help Julia solidify her Congressional seat and show the Republicans that Indiana is going back to its populist, true blue roots.
IN-8 may be my favorite Indiana race because, from what I can see at this distance, Ellsworth is a truely excellent candidate. Plus the Republican is one of the Katrina 11, disgustingly heartless Republicans who I have been targeting since before I ever heard of Ellsworth. Please, if you live in or near IN-8, give Brad Ellsworth some of your time.
IN-2 is another one I have been taken with. I have been working with MoveOn.org since 2001 and I am proud that some of my donations went into the efforts that have made this one of the best pick up chances of the year. IN-2 is a race I focused on when it was considered "safe Republican" by many, and I am glad that my gut feelings and the efforts of MoveOn are panning out. If you live in or near IN-2, please give Joe Donnelly some time or money.
I came late to paying attention to IN-9, so I don't know as much about this race. But from what I can see at this distance, Barron Hill has some great ideas. The Republicans like to perpetuate the myth that Democrats don't have ideas. That is almost never true. But it seems to me that Barron Hill, more even than most Democrats, disproves that myth. So, if you live in or near IN-9, please help out Barron Hill.
I also ask that you contact Indiana Progressives PAC. I believe that if we want to have strong populist and progressive roots in Indiana, returning to the traditional values that helped working class Americans make it, we need to help groups like this with our time and our thoughts and our support to build the grassroots infrastructure that will spread ideas and win elections.
IOWA: I have said before that Iowa has interested me since I started discovering my genealogy and discovering my roots in Davenport (Kunkel and Hapke families) and in Eagle Grove (Wassem family). I'd love to find some of my distant relatives in those towns. I am sure they are still there because in my father's family (unlike my side of the family) roots run deep and those roots have been in Iowa since the Civil War. So I started watching Iowa some time back. And some of my first donations of this year were to races in Iowa. I pegged Iowa as a key state in this year's elections more than a year ago.
Oddly, I didn't predict exactly how it would be key. Iowa is a mix of interesting races. One House seat to defend, one to pick up. I had thought there would be more competitive races, but so far it seems only those two are panning out. But I made some early donations to the others and I am glad I did so. There is also a very interesting state legislature seat. And, in some ways most important, there is the Sec. of State position. I have given to these Iowa races, and I hope you do as well.
I most strongly urge people in the Quad Cities to help out Elesha Gayman's campaign. This is more local than I usually focus, but she was an early endorsement from Democracy for America and could prove to be a real rising star in American politics. If we elect her this year, I think we may see great things from her 10 years down the road. I am not always good at picking them, I admit. But I have a gut feeling that Elesha is well worth our support.
Next I strongly urge you to look at what happened in Ohio, Indiana and Georgia where unscrupulous Republicans as Sec. of State helped to steal elections. Anywhere you live in Iowa, please contact Mike Mauro's campaign and volunteer to help him win as Sec. of State. It is YOUR vote you are protecting!
Looking back to the Davenport and Scott County area, the IA-1 House race is one of the most competitive in the nation. I really want to see us win this one! If you live in or near the IA-1 district, please, I ask you to gives some time to help Bruce Braley win.
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Leonard Boswell has served America both in Vietnam and as Congressman for IA-3. Republicans thought that because Leonard had cancer, this would be an easy pick up for them. Well, as a cancer biologist at my last job I can tell you modern medicine can cure cancer much of the time and it seems Boswell is a survivor. So, if you live in IA-3, let's show the Republicans that you don't appreciate them kicking a Vietnam vet when he's down. Give Leonard Boswell some of your time.
IA-2 seems to have dropped off many people's chart. But emails I have gotten recently from the Democratic candidate suggest that it has become a very close race: Democrat Dave Loebsack leads Republican Jim Leach 48 percent to 47 percent, with 4 percent still undecided. I hope that's true! If you live in or near IA-2, please some of your time.
Finally, there is IA-5. This is a long shot, but the Republican is one of the hated Katrina 11, a Republican that will support no-bid contracts for Halliburton but voted against aid to Katrina victims. So if you live in IA-5, please give Joyce Schulte some of your time.
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