Many of you will remember Lois Herr as the candidate running against Joe "Pitts is the" Pitts in PA-16. Yes, that Pitts...as in Stupak-Pitts.
It's well documented how Connie Saltonstall entered the MI-01 primary and basically scared Stupak out of the race only to be forced out herself when the powers that be decided they'd prefer to have a Stupak look alike as their candidate. The fact remains, if Connie hadn't gotten into that race to begin with Stupak wouldn't be retiring.
Today I come to you with the news that we can make it a two-fer this cycle...you read that right. We can help retire Pitts while we're at it!
Many of you will remember that I used to live in PA-16, and in fact consider Lois a friend and I worked on her previous campaigns. (FTR she is not a current PPST client though I do consult w/them on occasion when they need me, she is my friend after all.)
Well, last night I got a call from a very excited Lois- an internal poll done by PPP shows Lois within striking distance of defeating Joe Pitts in PA District 16. Public Policy Polling (PPP) will be releasing the latest poling data from Pennsylvania District 16 showing Lois Herr gaining ground against Joe Pitts and is now within 7 points of the 7 term incumbent.
For the stats wonks out there here are the #s:
Joe Pitt's Re-elect # is at 38...38! In a district with a PVI of R+8.
His approval? 42%. Yep 42!
Poll: 41-34. Now you're thinking that's 7 points...but 26% are undecided AND there is a huge indie population in the district.
Now you do the math and tell me this race is unwinnable? I don't believe it for a moment. Take into account the additional fact that this district is trending in our favor. When I moved to that district in 2000 Dems were out registered by a ratio of about 4-1. In 2008 we registered our 100,000 Democratic voter in Lancaster County (which accounts for about 75% of the district). I haven't seen a recent ratio but I've heard told that it's down to about 2-1 maybe even less than that now.
Then there are the intangibles. Like the fact that Lois is one of the hardest working candidates I've ever seen...she gets the retail end of politics. She has tirelessly visited with the constituents in her district. Every time I talk to her she is taking a break from dialing for dollars at the end of a day of going here and going there. I remember as her scheduler that when there was a a block of time free on her calendar she was either making phone calls or she'd go off on her own to try and meet as many voters as she could.
Lois is also on the correct side in the struggle to guard our rights and improve our security and opportunity? She is the darling of the AFL-CIO in Pennsylvania. She has earned the endorsement of the Sierra Club.
And it doesn't hurt that her opponent, Joe Pitts is not just any US Representative. If you are female, he wants to take away your right to choose whether or not to have children. Don’t get me wrong here. Joe is not just against abortion – he is against birth control. "The anti-birth-control campaign has its point people in Congress - including Joe Pitts".
Pitts tried to block the health care bill by writing the Stupak-Pitts amendment that could have had the effect of blocking even private insurance companies from paying for a woman’s abortion, even if medically indicated. But perhaps, the most whacky aspect of Rep Joe Pitts’ record is his association with the Family – the right-wing, C Street, political home of wife swappers, homosexuals and ethics violators who want to foster "Totalitarianism for Christ."
This and other news arriving daily should demonstrate how phony the mainstream media’s storyline about Democrats being unenthusiastic is as they try to discourage the left in their attempt to foster an extreme, rightwing stampede.
So what does this have to do with us? With just a little more coin in her bank Lois could go on the air in the continuing effort to address the 62% of the district's population who think Pitts should retire and the 26% who haven't made up their minds.
This race IS winnable but she needs our help.
Yes WE can ...retire Stupak AND Pitts in the same election cycle.