Dante de Blasio, one of the most important not-so-secret weapons in the 2013 elections
After the excitement of 2012's presidential race, you'd be forgiven for imagining that an odd-numbered year wouldn't offer much in the way of electoral fireworks. But thanks in part to the rise of the Internet and social media, activists and news junkies now have plenty of elections to focus on all across the country, no matter the year. Barriers to getting involved have broken down, and previously obscure local races are obscure no more. That includes Daily Kos, where we've started participating in elections all the way down to the legislative level.
So with that in mind, here's a recap of 2013's biggest and most interesting (and entertaining) contests, from start to finish:
• Illinois' 2nd Congressional District: Though he won re-election in 2012 despite disappearing from public view entirely with an ever-shifting array of alleged maladies, Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. resigned his seat soon thereafter. He's now serving a 30-month sentence in prison for spending some $750,000 in campaign funds on lavish personal treats like fur coats and vacations. A large field of candidates emerged in the special election to succeed him, and all the action was on the Democratic side thanks to the 2nd's dark blue demographics.
Strangely, for a mostly urban district, two of the frontrunners, ex-Rep. Debbie Halvorson and state Sen. Toi Hutchinson, sported "A" ratings from the NRA. In the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings, that left a big opening for former state Rep. Robin Kelly, an outspoken advocate for gun safety. New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg's super PAC started spending heavily on ads attacking thwart Hutchinson and Halvorson, while Daily Kos endorsed Kelly, ultimately raising six figures for her campaign. Kelly rode this support to surge from third place to a resounding victory, in a big win for gun safety and a big blow to the NRA.
Please read below the fold for more recaps on elections that took place this year.
• South Carolina's 1st Congressional District: Sen. Jim DeMint's surprise resignation led to fellow Republican Rep. Tim Scott getting tapped as his replacement. That in turn prompted a special election in Scott's 1st District, a solidly Republican seat that went for Mitt Romney 58-40 in 2012. In an unlikely turn of events, ex-Gov. Mark Sanford, who had once held this seat, decided to stage a comeback effort, following an extensive "apology tour" for the affair he carried on while governor that involved using public funds to see his mistress and unexplained disappearances from the state.
A weak field of Republicans gathered to stop Sanford, who handily won the GOP nomination thanks to his superior fundraising and name recognition. The general election should have been a walk, too, but his Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, capitalized on her famous brother's connections to raise some real cash. (You may have heard of the guy: Stephen Colbert.) Then Sanford, as only he could, nearly did himself in, as his ex-wife Jenny went public with accusations that he had trespassed at her home despite a separation agreement in which he promised not to. For a moment, the harsh negative publicity almost derailed Sanford, but the district's demographics saved him. He went on to win by 9 points, half of Romney's margin.
• Colorado Recalls: Infuriated by new gun safety laws passed by the legislature, gun enthusiasts in Colorado (backed by the NRA high command) forced recall elections of two Democratic state senators: John Morse, the Senate president, and Angela Giron. Daily Kos mobilized yet again, raising over $300,000 for both candidates. But conservatives picked their targets well, as Democratic turnout dropped steeply in both races compared to 2012. Morse lost narrowly, Giron by double digits, shaving Democrats' edge in the Senate to just one seat. The recalls demonstrated that dealing with this off-year falloff is the number one electoral problem facing Democrats today.
• NYC Comptroller: It's not often that a local race for a colorless post like comptroller garners national headlines, but Democratic ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer, taking a page from Sanford, picked this race to wage his own comeback attempt. While many voters, particularly African Americans, forgave Spitzer for the prostitution scandal that had ended his governorship five years earlier and embraced his zealous, pugnacious style, many others did not. Despite getting outspent two-to-one thanks to Spitzer's personal fortune, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer held off his opponent and secured the Democratic nomination with a 52-48 win. (Stringer went on to an 81-17 win in the November general election.)
• NYC Mayor: In between Sanford and Spitzer came Weiner. Ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner, who'd resigned from office in 2011 thanks to a bizarre sexting scandal, aimed big with a return to public life in the New York City mayoral election. Prior to his entry, the field had looked blasé, enabling Weiner to swiftly ride media attention to first place in the polls. But just as quickly he was revealed as a recidivist sexter, swapping naughty selfies with not-his-wife women even though he'd given the impression that he went cold turkey long ago.
As Weiner cratered, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio harnessed progressive excitement (and his son's awesome Afro) to seize the Democratic nomination. De Blasio went on to a dominant 73-24 victory in November, returning the mayoralty to Democratic hands for the first time in 20 long years.
• Virginia Governor: It's hard to believe, but Terry McAuliffe—yes, that freakin' Terry McAuliffe—will soon become governor of Virginia. A former DNC chairman, a consummate party hack, and a businessman with some potentially dodgy deals in his portfolio, McAuliffe seemed especially unsuited to win a statewide election in the Old Dominion. But he drew a far worse opponent in ultra-conservative state AG Ken Cuccinelli, whom T-Mac successfully portrayed as an extremist who wanted to ban the pill and rollback no-fault divorce. McAuliffe actually wound up running a hell of a campaign (and an unapologetically liberal one, to boot), squeezing out a two-and-a-half point victory. It also made McAuliffe the first gubernatorial victor in Virginia to share a party affiliation with the occupant of the White House since 1977.
• Virginia Attorney General: The final big election of 2013 didn't wrap up until the middle of December. In an extraordinary photo finish, Democrat Mark Herring edged Republican Mark Obenshain by just 165 votes in the official count—out of over 2.2 million cast. That's a margin of 7 thousandths of 1 percent. Obenshain sought a recount, but it only widened Herring's advantage, prompting Obenshain to concede. Herring's victory gives Democrats a remarkable sweep of all five of Virginia's statewide offices, the first time that's happened since 1969.
That's it for 2013, but don't worry: There are plenty more elections just around the corner. You can keep track of every legislative special election and important mayoral race with our extremely handy calendar, and if you're interested in federal primaries, we've got another calendar for that, too. You can also head on over to Daily Kos Elections every Tuesday evening at 6 PM ET for our election open threads. See you in 2014!