The following diaries are examples of this week's Election Diary Rescue. This post features a collection of 42 diaries.
(MS-Sen) Tea Party & Chris McDaniel: How Dare Black Voters Decide an Election! by TeamSarah4Choice - We don't actually know if black voters decided the GOP primary runoff between Thad Cochran and Chris McDaniel, but never mind that. If facts get in the way of the Tea Party's insanity, the Tea Partiers are not averse to simply ignoring facts. Like the fact that it's not illegal, even in Mississippi, for black people to vote.
(CA-21) CA-21: A Juicy Plum Within Reach in California's Central Valley by LeftOfYou - California's 21st Congressional District offers Democrats low hanging fruit, ready to be picked in November. In 2012, the voters in that district reelected President Obama by a margin of 11.1 percent at the same time that the same voters sent freshman Republican, David Valadao, to Congress. This post is the second in a series for the group, Low Hanging Fruit in the House - 2014.
(TX-Gov) How 'The People's Filibuster' Changed Texas Politics by TexasLeftist - The turning point for Texas politics was when State Senator Wendy Davis stood on the floor of the Senate for 11 hours in opposition to severely limit access to women's healthcare. Now that she's running for Governor against Rick Perry, she has distanced herself. Diarist urges she embrace the 'people power' she aroused so successfully last year to turn Texas state offices blue.
New Daily Kos Elections interactive legislative maps for Illinois and Oklahoma by Stephen Wolf - In an ongoing series, the diarist gives us interactive state legislative district maps for Illinois and Oklahoma, utilizing the presidential election results by district calculated by the team at Daily Kos Elections. Each legislative chamber is mapped out and color-coded according to the presidential winner and the party that holds each district, along with some info on each legislator. In the diary you can find links to all the previously released maps.
This is the 25th weekly edition of Election Diary Rescue. It covers rescued down-ticket election diaries published from Sunday, June 22, through Saturday, June 28. We hope you enjoy the following gems dug up by our dedicated team of miners.
Diaries: (42)
Senate: (11) posts, (6) states
House: (8) posts, (7) states, (6) districts
State and more: (16)
General: (7)
Since this is EDR's 25th Weekly, we thought we should celebrate and share some numbers.
Diaries rescued:
2014: 919 - weekly, six months
2013: 485 - quarterly and monthly, six months
2012: 2,033 - daily, 2 months
EDR has compiled, described and linked
down ticket election related diaries since 2006.
EDR chronicles the passion, power and effectiveness of political engagement and shines a light on candidates and issues that might be otherwise missed. It gives quick access to races, hopefully inspires people to write about contests that interest them, and has become an archive for thousands of election related diaries over the years.
Archive links
Format and Tags
Diarists can help the EDR mining team by identifying the race in the diary title, for example: (FL-14) or (GA-Gov) or (NY-Sen). Using the "Elections" tag is also very helpful and keep in mind that your first sentence or two can be what you would like to see in the EDR description.
This edition of EDR was made possible by the following miners and editors: Alma, eeff, Joieau, Land of Enchantment, randallt, sylv, suejazz and turbonerd. Special thanks to Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse.
Senate - 11
(GA-Sen) GA-Sen: Paul Begala, "Michelle Nunn (D) Is The Right Candidate At The Right Time" by poopdogcomedy - While the Republicans duke it out for their party's nomination, Democrat Michelle Nunn is racking up an impressive list of endorsements.
(KY-Sen) PPP: Grimes up by 2 on McConnell by Jed Lewison - Diarist has some poll # for the Kentucky Senate race between incumbent Mitch McConnell (R) and Alison Grimes (D).
(ME-Sen) #TheShennaEffect: Susan Collins breaks silence on Marriage Equality by Illegitimi non carborundum - Diarist covers Marriage Equality in the Maine Senate race between incumbent Susan Collins (R) and Shenna Bellows (D).
(MS-Sen) MS-SEN: Mixed Feelings About Cochran's Win by Possible Liberal - Diarist worries that Thad Cochran (R) winning the republican primary lessens our democrat Travis Childers chances of winning.
(MS-Sen) Breaking! MS GOP Establishment Candidate Cochran Beats Tea Partier McDaniel in Primary Runoff by murphthesurf3 - The Mississippi Republican Senate primary election may be over, are there any broader conclusions to be drawn about the future of the Tea Party?
(MS-Sen) Does Thad Cochran's Dem-Fueled Primary Victory Signal the Rise of Red Dog Republicans? by Partisan Hack - Do the republicans finally get their version of our Blue Dog Dems?
(MS-Sen) Mississippi nixes FreedomWorks plan to 'monitor' polling places by Hunter. The drama of the Republican Senate primary in Mississippi's is mostly over now. One could do worse than to revisit Hunter's take on one aspect of that entertaining sideshow.
(MS-Sen) Tea Party & Chris McDaniel: How Dare Black Voters Decide an Election! by TeamSarah4Choice - We don't actually know if black voters decided the GOP primary runoff between Thad Cochran and Chris McDaniel, but never mind that. If facts get in the way of the Tea Party's insanity, the Tea Partiers are not averse to simply ignoring facts. Like the fact that it's not illegal, even in Mississippi, for black people to vote.
(MS-Sen) Run, Chris McDaniel, Run! by Red State Hostage - Diarist is a Mississippi Democrat, so understands frustration. Empathy with Chris McDaniel's plight is good (?) reason to encourage McDaniel to go ahead and run anyway - split the vote and Democrat Travis Childers may have a chance to win!
(NC-Sen) NC-Sen: Jon Tester (D. MT) Lends Kay Hagan (D) A Hand In Taking On The Kochs by poopdogcomedy - If there's one thing Senator Jon Tester knows, it's how to win a tight election in a red state. So he's lending a hand to Kay Hagan's campaign against billionaire bucks.
(OR-Sen) Jeff Merkley gets free shot at Independent nomination after Monica Wehby fails to qualify by jqjacobs - Sen. Jeff Merkley got a free path to the cross-nomination of the Independent Party of Oregon after Republican nominee Monica Wehby failed to qualify for the Independent Party's nominating election. The Independent Party endorsement is particularly sought after because many nominees of the major parties like being able to describe themselves as an Independent on the ballot.
House - 8
(AZ-07) Get your 'Cesar Chavez' autograph! Maybe even dinner with the man himself by Mother Mags. A chronicle about the ongoing sideshow of former Republican Scott Fistler, now "Cesar Chavez", in his bizarre attempt to use subterfuge to replace retiring long-time Democratic Rep. Ed Pastor.
(AZ-07) Mary Rose Wilcox--Gun Reform You can Believe in for Az-07! by Chiltepin. With the retirement of Democrat Ed Pastor, this Phoenix-area seat is open. Daily Kos has officially endorsed another candidate for this safe Democratic seat; this diarist makes their case for another. This is the same district where the Cesar Chavez saga (above) has been playing out.
(CA-21) CA-21: A Juicy Plum Within Reach in California's Central Valley by LeftOfYou - Check out the info on this district where a republican won the house seat but Pres. Obama won the district by 11.1%.
(KS-03) (R-KS) Yoder Burns Taxpayer Money as his Re-Election Plans begin to turn to Ash by tmservo433 - Diatist covers the Kansas US House District 03 race between incumbent Yoder Burns (R) And Kelly Kultala (D).
(LA-06) "Global Warming is a Hoax!" Louisiana Republican candidate Lenar Whitney reveals in Video by Lefty Coaster - Whitney is one of as many as eight Republicans vying for a slot in the probable runoff in a district where Big Oil is used to calling all the shots. Falling back on a long litany of well-debunked climate nonsense is a way to stand out, or something.
(MD-Var) US House Elections 2014: Maryland Projections and Analysis by PortraitInMiniature - Diarist's latest analysis of lopsided House races throughout the US, this time in Maryland.
(VA-07) Meet the New Boss, The Same as the Old Boss by kindler - Dave Brat (R) has announced his choice of Eric Cantor's (R) former political director to be his new campaign manager. Well, that revolution didn't last long, did it?
(WA-08) WA-08: Meet Jason Ritchie (D) Sat, Jun 28th. Help turn this district red to BLUE! by ParkRanger - Diarist cavers the Washington State District 08 between incumbent Dave Reichert (R) and Jason Ritchie (D).
State, local and more - 16
(CA-Local) Diary of a City Council Candidate- Campaign Kick Off Edition by BayAreaKen – In his 10th diary in a series, the diarist describes the campaign kickoff event in his race for City Council in Mountain View, CA. These diaries are an interesting, detailed, on-the-ground perspective on what it takes to mount a campaign for local office.
(CA-Oakland Ballot Initiative) It's Official! Oakland Will Vote on Highest Minimum Wage in Country in November. by jpmassar - The Alameda County Registrar of Voters validated signatures for Lift Up Oakland's drive for a $12.25 minimum wage, inflation adjustments, and paid sick leave. Oaklanders will get to vote on the measures in November.
(FL-Gov) Breaking: Rick Scott Has Financial Ties to Company Fracking Our Everglades by SemDem - The Everglades is sacred to native Floridians. So much so that politicians on both sides of the aisle run on protecting it, including Jeb, his idiot brother, and even the environment-hating Allen West. No politician in Florida has ever actually run against the Everglades - until now...
(FL-Gov) Rick Scott's fake "Progressive Group" launches race-baiting ad against Crist by SemDem - Even thick-skulled Rick Scott knows he isn't in any position to claim he's a champion of African-American rights. So Scott is doing what he can to keep AA turnout light. Suppression and purging will only do so much. How to do that? Why, run an ad trying to convince people that his opponent Charlie Crist (D) is just as bad!
(FL-Gov) FL-Gov: Charlie Crist (D) Goes After "Progressive Choice" & Rick Scott's (R) Race-Baiting Attacks by poopdogcomedy - And Crist wastes no time taking on Rick Scott's phony 'progressive' group and their nasty ad. Things are definitely getting exciting in Florida these days!
(KS-Gov) Western Kansas turning on Sam Brownback by bluebarnstormer - Diarist covers the Kansas Governors race between incumbent Sam Brownback (R) and Paul Davis (D).
(KS-Gov) KS-Gov-- Brownback is LOSING by 6pts to (D) Paul Davis by jgkojak - A new poll by Survey USA for KSN-TV in Wichita shows incumbent Gov. Sam Brownback trailing Paul Davis, his Democratic challenger, by six points.
(KS-SoS) (D) Candidate: Kris Kobach (R-KS, SoS) lied to us, enforced unamerican voting standards by tmservo433 - Jean Shodorf, candidate for Secretary of State in Kansas showed exactly why more Democrats should love these tough races. When a Democrat knows that a race will be difficult, there is little to prevent them from holding back.
(KS-SoS) Kris Kobach (R) Coy about potential tax dodge in illegal building construction by tmservo433 - Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach caught building a residence on property zoned agricultural, blames his builder and claims he didn't know he had to file building permits.
(ME-Gov) ME-Gov LePage: Social Security and Medicare are "welfare, pure and simple" by Spud1 - Republican Gov. Paul LePage opens his mouth to defend his poor record on economic growth, and insults seniors instead.
(MD-Gov) Vote for Heather Mizeur (Maryland Gov)--A Real Progressive by night cat. A short profile of a progressive in the field to replace the current governor, Martin O'Malley, who is leaving office due to term limits.
(PA-StHse05) PA Election Watch 2014: Frederick Sheeler for 5th District Rep by SpringCityPADem - Diarist lists the Top Five Reasons to vote for Fred Sheeler for the Pennsylvania legislature.
(TX-Gov) What is Wendy Davis Really Saying? by Loren Carle - Diarist offers links to a 5-part interview with Wendy Davis (D) from February, where she spells out her highly nuanced positions on many issues important for Texans.
(TX-Gov) How 'The People's Filibuster' Changed Texas Politics by TexasLeftist - The turning point for Texas politics was when State Senator Wendy Davis stood on the floor of the Senate for 11 hours in opposition to severely limit access to women's healthcare. Now that she's running for Governor against Rick Perry, she has distanced herself. Diarist urges she embrace the 'people power' she aroused so successfully last year to turn Texas state offices blue.
(WI-Gov) Wisconsin was a normal Midwestern state for jobs. Then came Walker by Jake formerly of the LP - Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) is desperately trying to get attention away from his legal issues by attacking Mary Burke (D). Diarist sets the record straight.
(WI-Gov) Mary Burke Hammering Scott Walker by Puddytat - Diarist has a Video for the Wisconsin Governor race between incumbent Scott Walker & Mary Burke (D).
General - 7
The Southern Liberal Resurgence That Has the GOP Scared by mdmslle - For now, those pro-Labor politicians are all Democrats. Republicans in the south have been caught completely off guard. With strong, populist messages about jobs, wages, health care and immigration, liberals are breaking through the traditionally rigid partisan ideologies and making a host of political races competitive - many for the very first time.
Daily Kos Elections Gubernatorial Power Rankings: June edition by Steve Singiser – In an ongoing series, the diarist focuses on races for Governor and find 3 that lean Democrat, one leaning Republican, 2 likely Republican and 4 Toss ups.
Yes Virginia, There Is Real Vote Fraud by The Baculum King - For Republicans, vote fraud is like Saddam's WMD; they know it happens cause they do it.
New Daily Kos Elections interactive legislative maps for Illinois and Oklahoma by Stephen Wolf - In an ongoing series, the diarist gives us interactive state legislative district maps for Illinois and Oklahoma, utilizing the presidential election results by district calculated by the team at Daily Kos Elections. Each legislative chamber is mapped out and color-coded according to the presidential winner and the party that holds each district, along with some info on each legislator. In the diary you can find links to all the previously released maps.
Where do your political donations do the most in furthering progressivism in 2014? Let's find out by Stephen Wolf - Diarist has a list of candidates he thinks is worth your donation dollars.
Republican groups racking up millions in fight against one another by Joan McCarter - Take a good look at the players in the Republican primary battles this year, and see - graphically - who's winning and who is losing. Wasting multiple millions fighting each other is a good thing for Democrats.
Campaign 2014: Hate Politics by bobburnett - Diarist's take on the politics of hate that Republicans so hope will work to their advantage in this election cycle.