The following stories are examples of this week's Election Roundup of 91 down ticket stories covering Sunday 10/16 through Saturday 10/22
(MD-Sen) MD Elections: Chris Van Hollen By Suggestion For A New National Anthem
(Sample ballots arrived and I wanted to try and break down some of the non presidential candidates on the ballot to help myself, and you, understand.) After the big one, first up is the second choice on the ballot, which is for the Senate. The senate race is between 7-term Democrat Rep. Chris Van Hollen (MD-8), the not-so-obviously-crazy Republican Kathy Szeliga (current Delegate) and Green party long-shot Margaret Flowers all vying for Barbara Mikulski's Senate seat.
(NC-02) NC02 John McNeil (D) and the #OddDuck By mojo11
Voters and media enjoy noisy campaigns. We scrutinize large issues and trivialize small local offices. Yet a candidate selection close to home has consequences that reverberate through our communities, across our nation, and into the future — school boards. Whether you are a parent or not, school age children are part of your world. They will be the teens who attend college or train in vocations. They will be the adults who teach, run businesses, provide your medical care, and take on all the roles in society, including addicts, homeless, and criminals.
Sunday 10/16 through Saturday 10/22
Stories: (91)
Senate: (20) posts, (10) states
House: (36) posts, (20) states, (22) districts
State and more: (25)
General: (5)
Tools: (5)
Total Rescues since 2006 (12,816)
Welcome to Election Roundup, formerly known as “Election Diary Rescue.” Look for this down ticket collection every Monday through the election. The Roundup team has compiled, described and linked down ticket diaries since 2006. Archives
Election Roundup shines a light on candidates and issues that might otherwise be missed. It gives quick access to races and hopefully encourages people to write about contests that interest them, knowing their stories will get additional exposure on the Front Page.
Format and Tags
Writers can help the ER team by identifying the race in the title like this:
(NY-Sen) (FL-14) (GA-Gov). Using the "Elections" tag is also helpful and keep in mind that your first sentence or two is what we like to use in the description of your story when we can. This service is strictly for down ticket stories.
This edition of Election Roundup was made possible by the following: Carolina On My Mind, eeff, Jax Dem, Joieau, pittgreg, pucklady, and randallt. Special thanks to Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse for publicity.
Thank you for reading and writing!
Senate
(AZ-Sen) Flake (R-AZ): Confirm Garland during lame duck (w/poll) By Richard Cranium
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Az) today called for his GOP colleagues to confirm Judge Merrick Garland as an associate Supreme Court Justice.
(AZ-Sen) John McCain has no plans to save Arizona; and Arizona is bright purple. by ursulafaw
Apparently Paul Ryan was receiving a lot of phone calls asking him about his withdrawal of support from Trump; and his plans to bolster the GOP downballot. So the diarist decided to telephone Trump’s other Worst Enemy, John McCain's campaign office in Phoenix this morning and chat with them.
(AZ-Sen, PA-Sen) McCain says that he and Toomey will blockade any Supreme Court nominee from Clinton by Arnold roth
Calling into a right wing radio station in Pennsylvania today, John “Country First” McCain said that it was imperative that we re-elect Pat Toomey as Senator. The reason he said was Pat was very good at speaking out as he and Toomey will “unite” with all Republicans to stop all of Hillary Clinton’s nominees to the Supreme Court.
(FL-Sen) GOP Panic in FL. Rubio Will Not Discuss Wikileaks and Says Neither Should His Fellow Republicans By First Amendment
How badly must Donald Trump be doing in Florida in the GOP’s internal polling? Marco Rubio’s statement on Wikileaks may be our answer. He’s probably dragging Rubio down with him, which is a good thing for team D! Marco Rubio statement to NBC: I will not discuss Wikileaks and neither should my fellow Republicans.
(FL-Sen) OMG!! Rubio calls out Trump and the Republicans on voter fraud and addresses not using Wikileaks By Cocob
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said he will not discuss any leaked documents published by WikiLeaks and is calling on the rest of his party to ignore them as well. "As our intelligence agencies have said, these leaks are an effort by a foreign government to interfere with our electoral process and I will not indulge it,” Rubio told ABC News. "Further, I want to warn my fellow Republicans who may want to capitalize politically on these leaks: Today it is the Democrats. Tomorrow it could be us."
(FL-Sen) Marco el Miedoso: Rubio backs out of Univision debate By Joan McCarter
Marco Rubio is using his skill at avoiding showing up to work, honed in the Senate, to his campaign. He's pulled out of a debate on Univision, and the network cancelled. Democrat Patrick Murphy's campaign disputes that, saying he's still willing to debate as long as Rubio gives up on his one, unprecedented condition—that the debate be in Spanish.
(IA-Sen) Grassley-Judge Debate: Iowa Nice to a fault, dammit! By eOz
Before the Thrilla In Las Vega last night, another debate was held in Sioux City, Iowa, between Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Patty Judge, his opponent for United States Senate. It was reported to be very civil, which was enhanced because Patty’s father had passed away the day before.
(MD-Sen) MD Elections: Chris Van Hollen by Suggestion For A New National Anthem
(Sample ballots arrived and I wanted to try and break down some of the non presidential candidates on the ballot to help myself, and you, understand.) After the big one, first up is the second choice on the ballot, which is for the Senate. The senate race is between 7-term Democrat Rep. Chris Van Hollen (MD-8), the not-so-obviously-crazy Republican Kathy Szeliga (current Delegate) and Green party long-shot Margaret Flowers all vying for Barbara Mikulski's Senate seat.
(MO-Sen) Jason Kander ON FIRE in Missouri: More Good Polling News By Glic
On Monday, we reported that Nate Silver had colored Missouri a beautiful light blue in the Senate race. That still holds and he gives Jason Kander a 62% chance to unseat incumbent, Roy Blunt. A new Emerson College poll has them tied at 44%.
(MO-Sen) Nate Silver Just Changed Missouri to BLUE; 60% Chance of Kander Win by GLIC
Nate Silver at 538.com has just changed the Missouri Senate race to BLUE, giving Jason Kander a 60.1% chance of defeating incumbent, Roy Blunt.
(NH-Sen) Ayotte (R-NH) Now Down 8. She Should Look For A New "Role Model." By Dartagnan
For anyone who doesn’t recall, days after the now-infamous Trump/Billy Bush tape was leaked, Ayotte was asked whether she would hold out Donald Trump as a role model. “Absolutely," she said.
(NH-Sen) NH Senate Hassan +8 WMUR poll By manwithlantern
“For the first time in New Hampshire’s blockbuster U.S. Senate campaign, the race is no longer a virtual dead heat. Gov. Maggie Hassan has taken an 8 percentage point lead over Sen. Kelly Ayotte, according to a new poll.”
(NH-Sen) Another rat down the ropes. Ayotte ditches Trump with ad backup. By Murfster35
Looks like the GOP is having another “Bob Dole Moment”. Rumors have been flying for weeks about the RNC squeezing their support for the Trumpster Fire’s loser campaign, and directing it into down ballot races. Then, Paul Ryan gave his flock permission to separate themselves from their toxic head of the ticket and save themselves. While Mitch McConnell has made no such pronouncement to his Senate caucus, they may not feel that they need the blessing.
(OH-Sen) Ohio Senate Break Down By daverypatz1
Ohio U.S. Senate Race Candidates Rob Portman (R) (i) Ted Strickland (D) - Former Governor. I thought Portman would be vulnerable and an easy pickup. Elizabeth Warren campaigned hard for Ted Strickland and it doesn't seem to be moving the polls much. In the 2010 Gubernatorial election, the last public policy polling was dead on. I don't think Ted Strickland was a good choice.
(PA-Sen) "Philadelphia Inquirer" endorses Katie McGinty for Senate and takes a swipe at Toomey by Arnold Roth
The paper of record in Pennsylvania has endorsed Democrat Katie McGinty for U.S. Senate. The “Philadelphia Inquirer” has a long history of excellent reporting and journalism. They take some effective swipes at Senator Pat “Club for Growth” Toomey: “If corporations were people, Pennsylvania's Republican freshman Sen. Pat Toomey would be the right senator for them.
(WI-Sen) Keeping Baldwin in her Seat by daverypatz1
Keeping the Senate Blue in 2018 is important no matter who wins the presidency. Senator Tammy Baldwin is up for a re-elect. Even if your a registered Democrat you have to think who has the best chance to beat her. In 2012 she beat former Governor Tommy Thompson 51%-45%. The last Republican to have this seat is Joe McCarthy. Let us look at some candidates.
(Senate) Aggregating the Senate Aggregators - Oct. 19, 2016 By RoyalScribe
We’re now into the final three weeks of the 2016 elections (at last!), and as Donald Trump’s campaign implodes and Hillary Clinton solidifies her lead, word has it that the Clinton Campaign is pouring money into strategic swing states with a specific eye towards helping down-ticket races. Winning the White House is great. Winning with a landslide mandate would be wonderful, but useless if a Republican Congress pretends the mandate never happened. Getting the Senate back would at least facilitate judicial confirmations that have stalled, among other things. And as some forecasters are now revising Democratic pickups in the House to upwards of 25 seats, winning the 30 seats necessary to make Nancy Pelosi Speaker again no longer seems completely impossible.
(Senate) Hillary Clinton's allies shift their focus to retaking the Senate By Jeff Singer
With Donald Trump’s numbers in the gutter nationwide, the well-funded pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC Priorities USA can devote some of its resources to ensuring that Clinton gets to work with a Democratic Senate. Last week, several media organizations reported that Priorities was readying ads in key Senate contests and on Tuesday, they confirmed it. Priorities says that they’ll launch ads in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania tying Sens. Kelly Ayotte and Pat Toomey to Trump. The group did not say how much they’ll spend in each state, or if they plan to get involved in any other Senate races.
(Senate) In support of the Democratic underdogs running for the U.S. Senate By boofdah
But what of the underdogs? The new kids? The Spielbergs and Kubricks? (H/T X Ambassadors for those refs.) As the for90.org, a number of unsung heroes are stepping up to the plate in Red States to challenge their Republican opponents and give them a reason to fight harder for their “safe” seats.
(Senate) Plus - Minus Polling- Mid-Oct 2016 Results By mHainds
For background, I have been doing this for about ten years, including some mid-terms where I ran predictions for Senate races only. My numbers/predictions tend to yield similar results to Nate Silver’s and the other poll analysts, although my model is much simpler. I don’t weight polls, I just average all polls conducted in a given month.
House
(CA-01) CA-01 Butte: Let's evaluate our usual sucky election options (plus bonus haiku of State Props) by Besame
Hyper-local candidates rarely hit the media with big headlines and heated hashtags. How do we know which Judges to vote for? I’ve decided based on yard signs. If the yard promotes other candidates I favor, I’ll vote for the Judges that yard promotes. Not the best system to create an informed electorate. I’d rather hear from you than your yard.
(CA-10) New poll gives Daily Kos endorsed California Dem Michael Eggman a small lead over Jeff Denham By Jeff Singer
On behalf of House Majority PAC, the Democratic group Clarity Campaign Labs is out with a poll of California’s 10th Congressional District giving Democrat Michael Eggman a 46-45 lead over Republican Rep. Jeff Denham. The sample gives Hillary Clinton a similar 41-40 edge in this Modesto seat. Obama won here 51-47 and the district is home to a large Latino population, so it’s a bit surprising the poll has Clinton underperforming.
(CA-17) "Tell me with whom you walk, and I will tell you who you are" #CA17 by remembrance
“Tell me with whom you walk and I will tell you who you are” is the English translation of “Dime con quién andas y te diré quien eres,” a quote by Esmeralda Santiago. It was referred to in the 2012 Presidential election and I recently came upon it again here.
(CA-49) Ice-Ice Issa's rap ain't working anymore. Doug Applegate is singing the tune now. by Murfster35
The Cook Political Report has moved the Darrell Issa race from “Leans Republican” to “Toss Up”, and Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball has moved the race from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican”. A Google search of “Doug Applegate News” shows increasing local media interest in and coverage of this race, and the polls are tight. And don’t forget, even though Issa spent more than $600,000 in the “jungle primary”, he only bested Applegate 51-45. Not exactly a powerful showing for an eight term incumbent.
(C0-03) I Can See a Democratic Congress on the Horizon, From My Kitchen Window by Seth Cagin
Cook and others who try to predict congressional outcomes still see CO-3 as “likely Republican or “leans Republican” at best. Understandable, if you look at history. This distict has been reliably red, with few exceptions, in the last couple of decades. But it is possibly less red than it used to be due to demographic changes that prognasticators may not have caught up with as Rocky Mountain lifestyle towns boom and traditional agricultural and resource-extraction towns decline.
(FL-03) FL-03 "Chuckles" Yoho no longer laughing. Ken McGurn is catching fire! By Murfster35
This is getting interesting! The Yoho Pirate has been pillaging around in Congress since 2012. Maybe he hasn’t been doing it very well. All you have to do is to look at where his bankbook is three weeks out from election day. One of the big reasons that it is so goddamn hard to get rid on an incumbent is the built in campaign cash advantage. They go to Congress, they do the Master’s (and I don’t mean the “people”) bidding, and they build up a fat war chest for their re-election campaign. Challengers can be buried in advertising and mailers by a well funded incumbent. This was the problem that Ken McGurn faced here. Maybe not so much anymore.
(FL-04) Florida CD4 Republican Candidate still endorses Trump (What is wrong with this guy?) by HM1028
Dave Bruderly is one of a dynamic team of candidates, all Democrats, all vets, working together to turn North Florida Blue. Dave Bruderly is part of and supports the work of 90for90. He believes our Democracy is precious and needs to be defended against the hate and failed Republican agenda. Getting candidates like Dave to stand for election, unloved by the Democrat Power Brokers, need to be supported by grass roots and like minded people committed to progressive values and an open society.
(FL-House) Fla Odds & Ends: Crazy vote by mail stats; Dem McGurn outraises Yoho in CD3; Big Dog in P'cola By Richard Cranium
There’s lots of news coming out of the Sunshine State over the past couple of days. I was thinking about covering these items individually, but let’s just do a quick rundown. Vote By Mail — Big Successes for Dems. The ability to early vote by mail is taking Florida by storm (no pun intended): At the current pace, more than half of all votes in Florida will be cast before the polls open on Election Day. The pacesetter remains Pinellas County, where a larger share of voters vote by mail than anywhere else in the state.
(IA-04) IA-04. Is Kim Weaver a stealth fighter? Updated with an interview link. By Murfster35
But wait. Cue up Buffalo Springfield, “Something’s happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear”. Steve King has consistently blown off Kim Weaver, considering her no threat, and refusing to debate her at all. She’s too far in his rear view mirror for him to see her. But I have a question. If she’s such a non entity, and the race is safely tucked away, why is she getting so much press?
(IN-09) National Democrats go on the offensive for Shelli Yoder in a red southern Indiana seat By Jeff Singer
House Majority PAC isn’t just out with a poll arguing that this race for this red southern Indiana congressional district is close, they’re actually putting their money where their mouth is and airing ads for Democrat Shelli Yoder. We’ll start with their poll, which was conducted by Normington Petts. They give Republican Trey Hollingsworth just a 40-38 lead in Indiana’s 9th District; HMP did not include presidential numbers in their release. Two weeks ago, the DCCC dropped a poll showing Hollingsworth up 44-42, while Donald Trump led 50-43.
(KS-03) Rep. Yoder Shows Off Kansas Harvest. Small Hitch: Footage Is From Slovenia. Whoops. By Chris Reeves
Representative Kevin Yoder (R-KS03) has released a series of advertisements talking about how connected he is to the state of Kansas. In the most recent ad, however, Representative Yoder’s campaign staff made a mistake that will sound a lot like someone who is the career politician he’s denouncing.
(ME-02) New poll shows Democrat Emily Cain leading Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin in Maine's 2nd District By Stephen Wolf
House Majority PAC is out with new numbers from Clarity Campaigns showing former Democratic state Sen. Emily Cain sporting a 47-43 lead over Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin. This northern Maine district is heavily rural, white, and working-class, meaning it’s been stubborn territory for Team Blue in 2016 despite a history of leaning toward Democrats. But Cain’s most recent internal had her up 46-45 two weeks ago, while Poliquin has failed to produce any contradictory numbers. Hillary Clinton’s campaign even recently devoted $250,000 to the district, with an eye toward boosting Cain.
(NC-02) NC02 John McNeil (D) and the #OddDuck By mojo11
I was aware that John McNeil had obviously had to reschedule his Family Fun Day Event in Zebulon when Hurricane Matthew decided to schedule a conflicting event for the same day. But I missed out on NC02 incumbent George Holding (R) applying the label "An Odd Duck Who Raises Chickens" to John in his latest attack ad.
(NV-04) In NV-4, House Race Polls, Premised on Likely Voters, Fail to Account For Many Latinos Who Will Vote By Xavier Becerra
After spending the day in Las Vegas, I can say with conviction: there's growing momentum out here for Ruben Kihuen, our Democratic candidate for CD-4, and our Democrats from Hillary Clinton on down the ballot. If this continues and our army of volunteers executes our Get Out The Vote efforts, Ruben is going to win his race on November 8.
(NY-01) Anna Throne-Holst's Strong Debate Performance Gives Her a Chance to Turn NY1 Blue by political junquie
Anna Throne-Holst, who is challenging Tea Party hack (and Trump apologist) Lee Zeldin, has a shot at turning NY1 blue again. But she needs our support. Her biggest obstacle is that she’s relatively unknown, and facing off against an incumbent — a tough challenge in a very split district like this one.
(NY-11) My so called Democratic Club endorsed a Republican for Congress By Rosalie907
The Assembly District that I live in here in Brooklyn is a mixed district and until the 2010 redistricting I never really had a problem with the Club I belonged to. After redistricting I found my new club wasn’t really to my liking but I stuck with it. We, in South Brooklyn, share this Congressional District with residents on Staten Island because Staten Island doesn’t have enough residents to have their own Congressman BUT they control who is sent to Congress (NY CD-11).
(NY-19) NY-19: Zephyr Teachout Attacked -- by the Mercer Octopus of Super PACs? By TiffanyMuller
This week, a mysterious Super PAC called “National Horizon” announced that it would spend $150,000 on a TV ad attacking Zephyr Teachout. National Horizon’s largesse is remarkable, considering that its latest FEC filing (which covers July 1st through September 30th) showed that it had less than $42,000 in the bank and had not received a single dollar in contributions since 2012.
(OH-04) CSGOPOTD: Jim Jordan By republicinsanity
We’re on to the 532nd original “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” profile today, and we’re making time for Jim Jordan, the sitting U.S. House Representative for Ohio’s 4th Congressional District since 2007, who is now serving in his fifth term in office.
(PA-08) Philadelphia Inquirer endorses Steve Santarsiero in open Pennsylvania 8th. (PA-8) By Arnold Roth
The RCCC is pouring money into the race in idiotic ads. Apparently, all public services like schools, police and public roads are free because any tax that was ever levied is horrible. So Democratic candidate Steve Santarsiero who was involved with state government is a horrible person because he helps levy taxes to pay for stuff the public wants and needs. This is how idiotic our opponents are. Sometimes it is good to be reminded of it.
(SC-04) CSGOPOTD: Trey Gowdy- 2016 Update By republicaninsanity
His opponent is Democrat Chris Fedalai, a 26 year old Greenville attorney who is hard not to root for, given his dedication to wanting to do more for veterans (which will get over in South Carolina), who attended law school at the University of South Carolina, and is highly vocal about the issue of police reform.
(SC-04) SC-04: Meet & Greet Chris Fedalei (Rep. Trey Gowdy's Challenger) October 25 in Greenville By pipsorcle
Chris Fedalei, Democratic candidate running against Rep. Trey Gowdy in South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, is holding a meet & greet event Monday, October 25th, in Greenville from 6 pm — 8 pm.
(SD-AL) South Dakota: Kristi Noem and Paula Hawks Debate By Karen Hedwig Backman
Noem claims to support “family values,” but she goes along, not only with Trump’s crudeness and bigotry, but also with his proposed bigger tax cuts for the rich at our expense.
(UT-03) Utah Candidate Says Thank You! By Stephen P Tryon For Congress
Thank you all for the recent surge in support for my campaign. You have enabled me to add critical mailings and rallies I would not have been able to afford without your support. I just submitted my quarterly report to the FEC last night—I am the committee treasurer as well as the candidate.
(UT-03) UT-03. Trump leads the way to defeat. Taking Chaffetz with him? by Murfster35
Recent polling is showing that The Orange Julius could actually finish third in Utah, not just behind Hillary, but behind a latecomer independent candidate, Evan McMullin.
(VA-07) VA7th.....FOUR By Zen Trainer
Sources close to the Bedell campaign say that polling shows Eileen Bedell close to overtaking David Brat in the VA 7 congressional district. Now, that’s pretty exciting all by itself, but it’s close to stunning when you realize this polling was done 4, almost 5, weeks ago! Before PussyGate and #NastyWomenVote, can you believe it?
(VA-07) Dave Brat: Trump to restore principles that made us great. Oh, really? ByJamesWNewton
Dave Brat is running to be re-elected in the VA-07th Congressional District, and he is one of Donald Trumps chief allies and supporters in Congress.
(VA-07) Fugitive Slave Act? Trump friend, Rep. Dave Brat Proposes Eerily Similar Bill By Kay Littleson
Congressman Dave Brat needs a History-101 lesson. In July this year as his campaign was ratcheting up, Congressman Brat sponsored a bill (H.R. 5826) known as the “Detain and Deport Act.” This modern day version of the Fugitive Slave Act aligns Brat directly with Donald Trump in the treatment of undocumented aliens. Brat’s bill requires all local and state officials to cooperate with ICE.
(VA-07) Brat Joins Trump AFTER the Groping and 16 Months of Hell! By VAyellowdog
Trump formed a new Leadership Team 5 days ago to replace his State Chairman, Cory Stewart, he had fired on Monday. After David Brat spent 16 months listening to Trump without endorsing him, Brat did not just endorse, he joined the campaign! After his most tepid 10 words on criticism (“Donald Trump's comments are crude and I reject them totally.) Brat only “rejected” crude comments!
(VA-07) Bedell campaign thanks Daily Kos! By ZenTrainer
Maybe you've noticed all the great diaries about Eileen Bedell here lately? She's running for Congress in VA 7, the district currently misrepresented by Dave Brat.
(VA-07) Dave Brat is being a brat!! Will NOT debate Eileen Bedell!! By Aleurophile
Dave Brat (VA-7) has YET AGAIN turned down an invitation to debate Eileen Bedell. This one was extended by the University of Richmond; three dates were offered, but Brat said he had other plans for all three.
(VA-07) Is Trump VA co-chair Dave Brat feeling the heat from Eileen Bedell? By Murfster35
This has not been a good or smooth patch for Dave Brat lately. He is a true blue Trump sycophant, and this has gotten harder. Trump disgust is palpable in Virginia. Then there was the ET “locker room talk” tape, and Brat’s bungled handling of the fallout.
(VA-07) SPLC Investigating Trump Loyalist Dave Brat (VA-7) for White Nationalist Ties By Aleurophile
An article published in Blue Virginia and here has led the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLU) to initiate an investigation into the ties Trump loyalist Dave Brat (VA-7) may have to racist and anti-Semitic white nationalist organizations.
(VA-07) Wassup with Dave Brat & debating: is it tiny hands or cold feet? By Aleurophile
Dave Brat does not appear to have the bal...well let's just say the manly spirit to face up to his opponent Eileen Bedell in public. Brat has turned down every one of the numerous offers to let the voters in VA-7 see him and Bedell on the same stage.
(WA-05) WA-05 JOE PAKOOTAS Was a Long Shot Until Last Week. GOTV! By peagreen
Ballots are dropping in Washington State and now even more reason to GET OUT THE VOTE!!! From an article in Indian Country Today comes the word A Democratic House Was a Long Shot...Until Last Week. Let’s look at the numbers, shall we?
(WA-05) WA-05 McMorris Rodgers Closes the Door on Constituents By peagreen
Aside from disregarding and disrespecting the constituents of WA-05, it's unclear as to what went on here. From the Pakootas for Congress Facebook page there was this information-With less than 24 hours notice Cathy McMorris Rodgers announced a Meet & Greet in Newport, WA. then changed the time. Nowhere on the announcement does it indicate that an RSVP is required. Nevertheless the Pakootas campaign was informed that at least 13 voters who arrived there were denied entry because they had not RSVP'd.
(House CA/NY) Trump Down-Ballot Backlash? Watch California and New York By ncec1948
California and New York are two states that will almost certainly wind up in Hillary Clinton's column on election night, but despite this certainty, these states are not without intrigue. The 2011 redistricting process—predominantly bipartisan in both states—yielded a number of competitive congressional districts. The competitive races in these states will largely determine the scale of any Democratic pickup in the House of Representatives.
State, Local and More
(AZ-Sheriff) Clinton poised to take Arizona's 11 Electoral Votes, and there will be a new sheriff in town. By LoveJustice
A Morrison/Cronkite news poll conducted during that same period shows that Sheriff Joe Arpaio is trailing Democratic challenger Paul Penzone by 15 points.
(CA-Ballot) California’s November 2016 Ballot Propositions: Supporters and Opponents by RoyalScribe
As election day nears and California voters struggle with a massive ballot, I’ve been trying to post a series of diaries to help make sense of the 17 state and 25 local propositions that San Franciscans will face.
(CA-Ballot Issue) NO ON CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 60! PART TWO: NOW IT GETS PERSONAL! By ScottDrummer
A few weeks ago I wrote a Kos' piece in opposition to California's Proposition 60 the condoms in all California-made porn-movies initiative that's, coincidentally, opposed by just about everybody else as well.
(CO-St. House-15) CSGOPOTD: Gordon Klingenschmitt- 2016 Update By republicinsanity
On this day in both 2014, and in 2015, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” posted its first two profiles of Gordon Klingenschmitt, a.k.a. “Dr. Chaps” who in 2014, actually managed to get enough support to be elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in spite of the fact that he is, for lack of a better term, a complete goddamned lunatic.
(CA-StAssem-27) Special Interests Afraid of #Ash #Kalra for #AD27 By MartaD
Ash Kalra is running for the California State Assembly District 27, but one would assume he’s running to be our evil overlord. At least that is the conclusion one can reach after seeing the obscene amount of money being thrown against him by special interests. So far, a little over $3 million has been spent against Kalra. (If you want to see the breakdown check out this handy info posted by San Jose Inside . It’s worth mentioning that more money has been spent to attack Kalra than against any other candidate running in California.
(FL-Amendments) Leaked Audio Shows How FL Utilities Sought to Deceive Public Into Believing Amendment 1 is Pro-Solar By Nick Surgey and David Pomerantz
Leaked audio offers new evidence that Florida utilities and their allies have sought to deceive the public into believing that the utility-funded Amendment 1 ballot initiative is pro-solar.
(Florida) FLORIDA! Your 2016 Election Endorsements Are Here: By SemDem
Senate and House, state legislature, tax collector and county commission race endorsements.
(FL-CD-3) Fla Odds & Ends: Crazy vote by mail stats; Dem McGurn outraises Yoho in CD3; Big Dog in P'cola By Richard Cranium
There’s lots of news coming out of the Sunshine State over the past couple of days. I was thinking about covering these items individually, but let’s just do a quick rundown.
(FL-Duval) Vote Paula Bartlett for Duval County Clerk of Courts By SamDuval
With early voting starting next week, I wanted to give you a quick reminder, citizens of Duval County, why you should elect Paula Bartlett for Clerk of Courts.
(IL-Amendment) Illinois "Safe Roads Amendment" By Real Rick
Illinois voters are asked to vote on an amendment to the state constitution that would require that all money collected through gas taxes, tolls, car and drivers licenses, etc., could only be used for transportation-related purposes. The Chicago Tribune (may be pay-walled) had quite a good story about it on the front page October 17th, and the official amendment text is here. How should a progressive vote on this amendment?
(MI-12 County Commissioner) POLL: Should I send this mailer or not? (but before you answer...) By Brainwrap
Until now, I’ve been using a fairly standard positive bio/issues piece...pics of me & the family, some bio/background info, bullet points about the key issues I want to address, etc. Pretty normal boilerplate.
(MI-StHouse-40) This one isn't for me, it's for my friend NICOLE BEDI! By Brainwrap
Every once in awhile I write up a diary promoting my own long shot campaign for County Commissioner here in Mitt Romney’s hometown of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. And don’t get me wrong; I’m still happy to accept any financial assistance that you might be able to provide as we roll into the final stretch of the campaign. Today, however, I’m writing to ask for your help getting my friend Nicole Bedi elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives.
(MI-StHouse) MICHIGAN: This one isn't for me, it's for my friend NICOLE BEDI! By Brainwrap
Nicole and I met about 6 months ago when we both decided to run for office; since then, I’ve come to consider her a friend, and I think she’d do an amazingly good job in the Michigan state house.
(MT-Gov) CSGOPOTD: Greg Gianforte- 2016 Update By republicinsanity
It was one year ago that “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day posted its first profile of Greg Gianforte, the man running to challenge Gov. Steve Bullock for the right to become the next Governor of Montana.
(NC-Gov) NC Writers have a birthday cake for Pat McCrory by SC Damn Yankee
Click through for the ad running today (full page) in today’s Raleigh News & Observer: Writers for a Progressive North Carolina AD
(NC-InsComm) There's now only 1 incumbent elected Democratic state Insurance Commissioner east of Montana: Me! By Wayne Goodwin
Meantime, right-wing and ultra-conservative Tea Party chapters are actively helping my opponent and targeting me for defeat in this statewide North Carolina race.
(NV-Clark County) BAM!!! Biggest day yet in Clark County! by Fighting Registrar
According to the updated totals on the Clark County website, there are 431,499 active registered Democrats and 292,163 active registered Republicans as of now. The margin is 139,336 which represents a net gain of 1,298 from yesterday. This is incredible!!!!
(OH-StHouse) Indy leading in R+16 District. Teachers Endorse. GOP Attacks. Let's Finish This Thing. By Spoonamore
I am Stephen Spoonamore. I am running as an Independent for Ohio House of Representatives. No Democrat entered the race. I have a long history of work in IT, sustainable energy systems, water quality, public transparency and good governance.
(OR-Ballot) Oregon statewide ballot measures: General election 2016 by Weftage
Sources: I've lifted measure descriptions from the Oregon Voters' Pamphlet, and compiled other information from Ballotpedia, the League of Women Voters, and various newspaper websites. Funding information comes from the Oregon Elections System for Tracking and Reporting (ORESTAR).
(PA-StHouse-104 ) A quick thanks to the Daily Kos community from a down ballot volunteer. By Allegheny Tuna
I just want to quickly say thank you to the generous members of the Daily Kos community – from all over the country – that chipped in, and to the locals who gave their support in the comments.
(PA) PA Gov. Tom Wolf campaigns in third largest county in state for great downballot Democrats! By Arnold Roth
Gov. Tom Wolf came down to Montgomery County today to support local Democrats. He spoke to a large crowd of seniors at Shannondell, a retirement community. The idea is that older voters tend to be GOP, but that was not in evidence today.
(Texas) Texas: To flip the state Fort Bend County is a prime target By Texdude50
Writing this is something I thought about happening four years from now, but Democrats in Fort Bend are on the ball. In 2012, just under 220,000 votes were cast. President Obama lost by 15,000 votes. They did set a record for number of registered voters in the county and there was a late surge of registrations.
(TX-Judges) TX-Judges, Harris County: Jim Peacock By scott5js
Jim Peacock is running for Chief Justice of the 1st Texas Court of Appeals. Harris and some surrounding counties elect judges to the 1st and 14th Courts of Appeals. This season I am just a volunteer.
(VA-Ballot Access) Court may extend voter registration deadline in Virginia after computer snafu locks out thousands By lizbirge
Virginia’s governor is asking a federal court to extend the state’s voter registration deadline after a computer crash on Sunday and Monday prevented as many as tens of thousands from registering. (Gov. Terry) McAuliffe made the request one day after a civil rights group filed a lawsuit to extend the deadline, arguing that the state’s technological failures should not deprive citizens of their right to vote. “Let’s let them get in to vote,” McAuliffe (D) said. “I think it’s a great thing for democracy.”
(All States-SchBd) Why I care about school board candidates (although I have no children in school) and so should you. By Besame
Voters and media enjoy noisy campaigns. We scrutinize large issues and trivialize small local offices. Yet a candidate selection close to home has consequences that reverberate through our communities, across our nation, and into the future — school boards. Whether you are a parent or not, school age children are part of your world. They will be the teens who attend college or train in vocations. They will be the adults who teach, run businesses, provide your medical care, and take on all the roles in society, including addicts, homeless, and criminals.
General
Pace of FL Democrats Voting by Mail Doubled That of Republicans in Past 4 Days--Big Mo! by davidkc
Since I vote my mail in Florida, I’ve started tracking the voting-by-mail numbers supplied by the Florida Division of Elections. In just the past four days I’ve noticed a dramatic upswing in activity for Democrats voting by mail, which is in line with other stories I’ve seen of the Democrats far surpassing Republicans in new voter registration and Clinton’s far superior ground game in the state.
LET’S FINISH THEM! By mdmslle
Here’s what I know. This cycle is a real opportunity for Team Blue.
It’s our opportunity to deliver a devastating electoral blow to the American right, from the top of national ticket to the bottom of the smallest local race.
Hindsight Is Too Late By apierce423
It’s 2016, and I live in a nice house, in nice suburb, of a nice town, in the Southeast region of the United States of America. I have an awesome husband and two awesome college-age daughters, and a cat who is definitely trying to kill us while being super cute. I’ve been told that I would ‘see the light’ and become Republican once I had ‘real money’ and was an adult. Well, here I am pushing 40, living in a six-figure income household, and paying more in taxes than most Americans earn in a year.
Want Change? The Truth About How You Get It In This Election. By Quaid
Want Change? Unhappy with the Direction of Our Country? Get Rid of the Republican Domination of Our Government
I like commercials! Even political ads. By Zen Trainer
Sure they aren’t all as good as the Subaru commercials; where the dogs are driving a car on the highway and all bark when they pass a postal truck in another lane, but some of the political ads today are well made and often funny.
Tools
BREAKING....Judge Restores Voting Rights for Thousands of Ohians By jr6020
The Columbus Dispatch is reporting late Wed night the decision of a federal judge to restore voting rights to thousands of Ohioans accusing SOS John Husted of illegal purging of voting rolls.
Update on voting in San Diego County By kennedyx
The San Diego County Registrar misinformed me about postage. The voter must provide two (2!) stamps. Also, the ballot consists of four (4!) closely spaced 11x17 pages printed on two pieces of heavy paper.
Early voting data: Forget Trump. Now down-ballot Republicans are toast, too By DocDawg
The best-loved cliche among candidates whose polling numbers are in the tank is “there’s only one poll that matters...” Specifically that would be the one completed biennially on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November — a little thing we like to call “the election.” But chances are you won’t be hearing that line any time soon from beleaguered Republicans like North Carolina’s governor, Pat McCrory, or its senior senator, Richard Burr. Because early voting data from the state Board of Elections is signaling ever more compellingly the strong likelihood of looming disaster not merely for Trump, but for those hapless down-ballot incumbents as well.
Washtenaw County, MI Democratic Voter Guide NOW ONLINE (canvassers sought to hand out hard copies) by peregrine kate
If you live in, or know anyone who lives in, Washtenaw County, Michigan — the great cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, plus Chelsea, Dexter, [some of] Milan, Saline, along with the villages of Barton Hills and Manchester and many smaller townships which you can find listed here — then this link is for YOU.
GOP Congressional Districts: You need candidate diary material? Man, have I GOT diary material for you! by Murfster35
There is a new article in the ModerateVoice that is outstanding! It lists a series of allegedly “safe” GOP districts that suddenly don’t look quite so secure anymore. The article is well written, with extensive research and reasoning on each of the races, showing why a bunch of political nobodies could end up in Congress in January, giving quite a few GOP incumbents an extreme case of the sadz that the gravy train has come into the station.
Thanks for visiting Election Roundup 2016. If you know of a story we missed, please let us know in comments or by kos mail and we’ll add it to the collection.