If you wanted any further proof that Paul Ryan is toxic sludge for the Republicans nationally look no further than North Dakota. (OK, that's pretty far away from most of us, but the Orange Squiggle of Doom isn't so head there if you will.)
Listening to the Ed Schultz show this morning I heard a report on something in RollCall. The Senate race in North Dakota has gone from "Lean Republican" to "Toss Up".
In the wake of the implosion of Rep. Todd Akin (Mo.), Republicans quietly bemoaned their policy of remaining neutral in Senate primaries. But in North Dakota, where Republicans had an uncompetitive primary, it's become clear that the GOP nominee is not as strong a recruit as he initially appeared to be.
Accordingly, Roll Call is belatedly changing its North Dakota race rating to Tossup. For months, we rated this race as Leans Republican, citing the GOP’s past political performance in the state. But over the summer, Democrats ran a stronger campaign here — and polling shows it’s working for Heitkamp.
To be clear, this race ratings change does not mean Democrats have a 50-50 shot of keeping the seat of retiring Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.). Republicans still hold a narrow advantage.
Think about that for a moment. North Dakota, a seat most of us had written off, is back in play because of Republican extremism embodied in Paul Ryan. The message about cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the complete exposure of just how radically anti-women the GOP is has come home to roost for the Republicans in ND.
I don't really have a lot to add to this but it made my heart sing when I heard this. It means Karl Rove is going to have to divert funds to a state he thought was sewn up. The DNC and other national groups have got to keep hammering the Republicans on their extremism. The convention in Tampa will likely give them plenty of fuel to toss on the fire.
We can win this November, and we can win big. It's not a time to sit back and relax though, no counting barnyard fowl, etc. This is going to be a long and brusiing fall campaign. But it will be worth it.
You can donate to Heidi Heitkamp hereand check out her latest video supporting veterans' healthcare