The Republicans and the media have been working overtime to tell voters that the Republican takeover of the House is inevitable. In order to take over the House they need to win 39 Democratic seats. That task gets much more difficult if we can win some Republican seats and we hold on to our open seats. This diary is highlighting 9 Democratic House challengers that can win with our GOTV support and/or donations.
Race Snapshots:
Note: Links for ActBlue in district (if available), links for candidate's website in candidate's name, background information from candidate's website and all poll info from DCCC (unless noted).
CA-03 - Ami Bera:
Background: Dr. Bera served as Associate Dean for Admissions at the UC Davis School of Medicine and was the former Chief Medical Officer for the County of Sacramento.
PPP for DailyKos (9/18-19):
Bera (D) - 38%
Lungren (R-inc) - 46%
Undecided - 16%
DE-AL - John Carney:
Background: John Carney’s public service career in Delaware has covered more than 20 years, including serving as Secretary of Finance and Deputy Chief of Staff under then-Governor Tom Carper. In these positions, he played a key role the sale of the Port of Wilmington to the state, worked to cut taxes nine times, and helped the state earn its first AAA bond rating, which it still holds today. John was also elected Lt. Governor of Delaware twice.
DCCC Poll (9/15-9/18):
Carney (D) - 50%
Urquhart (R) - 32%
FL-25 - Joe Garcia:
Background: Never having served in elected office, Joe’s record of public service dates back over two decades. In 1993, Gov. Lawton Chiles appointed Garcia to the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC), the state agency that regulates utilities. Serving under both Democratic and Republican governors, Joe made Florida’s families his top priority and helped usher in the single largest energy rate cut in Florida’s history, which meant lower monthly electric bills for Florida’s families in the 1990’s. Garcia left the PSC in 2000 and was named Executive Director of the Cuban American National Foundation where he became one of the country’s leading advocates for human rights in Cuba and Latin America.
DCCC Poll (9/12-9/19):
Garcia (D) - 40%
Rivera (R) - 33%
Porter (Whig) - 2%
Arrojo - 7%
IL-10 - Dan Seals:
Background: Dan’s career spans both the private and public sectors. He worked as a high school teacher before winning the Presidential Management Fellowship. He served as an Aide to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce, served as an Economics Fellow in the Senate, lectured on public policy at Northwestern University and served on the Council of Global Affairs Task Force. Dan has held leadership positions at both Sprint and GE Capital and currently works as an independent business consultant. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is fluent in Japanese.
Anzalone Liszt Internal Poll (8/30-9/2):
Seals (D) - 49%
Dold (R) - 36%
KS-03 - Stephene Moore:
Background: Stephene has worked as a nurse, focusing on women's health, for more than 25 years. In fact, as a certified childbirth educator and labor and delivery nurse, she has assisted in the birthing education and delivery of over a thousand Kansas children. In 2001, Stephene also began to volunteer as a nurse internationally in third world countries, delivering basic care and wellness education to those most in need.
LA-02 - Cedric Richmond:
Background: After passing the Louisiana Bar Exam, Cedric was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives where he has been a leader and served with distinction since 2000. Currently, he is the Chairman of the committee on Judiciary and a member of the Ways and Means, House Executive, and Legislative Audit Advisory committees.
Cedric has been instrumental in many important issues in the legislature. He created the State New Markets Tax Credit program which spurred over 250 million dollars in investment in Louisiana's devastated areas after the storms of 2005. He also secured funding for small business incubators and grant programs. As a member of the and Co-chairman of the Legislative Audit Advisory committee, Cedric was vital in ending the waste and misappropriation of funds in the Orleans Parish School system.
Richmond Internal Poll:
Richmond (D) - 45%
Cao (R) - 35%
MA-10- Bill Keating:
Background: As a District Attorney, Bill Keating has pursued some of Massachusetts’ toughest cases, making our communities safer and stronger. He knows how to balance a budget and meet a payroll. He has worked on community-based crime prevention. He has cracked down on white-collar criminals who committed financial crimes against the public and cybercriminals who thought they could hide behind a screen. Most importantly, the job has given him a unique view into the needs of our families, children and communities. As a lawmaker, he sought commonsense solutions for the problems our families are facing. But it's not just what Bill Keating has done that makes him the best candidate for Congress, it's how he did it – with integrity, independence and vision.
WA-03 - Denny Heck:
Background: A product of Clark County with deep roots in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, Denny Heck is a progressive entrepreneur with a proven track record of creating jobs and economic opportunity in the private sector and getting things done through public service.
The Washington Coalition of Open Government honored Heck with its 2009 "James Madison Award" for his role in co-founding the TVW Channel, which debuted in 1995. A Seattle Times editorial praised Heck's "strong fight to bring CSPAN-style coverage to state government" and "helping to make government more transparent. "Heck," the Times wrote, "who brought government into people's living rooms...embod(ies) the principles of open government." And the Olympian editorial board wrote, "TVW provides an important public service by throwing open the doors of government and educating residents about the workings of elected and appointed officials."
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Internal Poll (9/7-9/9):
Herrera (R) - 47%
Heck (D) - 44%
WI-07 - Julie Lassa:
Background: As the Chair of the Senate Economic Development committee Julie recently wrote the Wisconsin C.O.R.E. Jobs Act – an omnibus job creation package that was signed into law to help put Wisconsin back on the road to economic recovery. C.O.R.E., which stands for Connecting Opportunity, Research and Entrepreneurship, contains nearly twenty provisions that will help retain and grow existing businesses and assist entrepreneurs to build new small businesses to create good paying jobs right here in Wisconsin. She also wrote a new law to pool the state’s allotment of unused federal Recovery Zone Facility Bonds which has the potential of creating 600 new green energy jobs in central Wisconsin as well as spurring new job growth around the state. Recognizing the importance of agriculture to Wisconsin and the need to provide consumers and school children with healthy fresh foods, Julie authored the laws that created the Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin and Farm to School programs.
National links for GOTV and/or Donations:
Organizing for America
Democratic Congressional Committee
Link to Local State Parties
Updated to remove Mike Oliverio because he is way, way too conservative. Thanks for the additional info itskevin.