ElectBlue: Refocused and Retooled for the 2009-2010 Election Cycle

After a taking a break (with limited posting) during the Thanksgiving-to-Inauguration period, the ElectBlue team is back in place and focused on the 2009-2010 election cycle. We are geared up for same high level of posting we accomplished in the the 2008 election cycle. Our goals are now slightly different, of course, but they remain simple and straightforward:

1. To support President Obama in the enactment of his progressive legislative agenda;

2. To increase Democratic majorities in both the US House and the US Senate. 

3. To give an increased focus on Tennessee politics, as Tennessee is our home base.

4. To target certain gubernatorial contests in 2009 and 2010,

Over the next several days we will be commenting about and posting on numerous developments that have occurred during our winter break,

Senator Sebelius? It's only been 80 years!

That's how long it's been since a Democrat represented the state of Kansas in the U.S. Senate.

We speculated a few weeks ago about the possibility of Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D-KS) running for Brownback's seat in 2010. Adding to our curiosity, just days ago she removed herself from being considered for an Obama cabinet post.  Politico picks up this story along with a few clues about GOP frontrunners, Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt.

Just three Democrats have ever been elected to the U.S. Senate in Kansas, the last being George ("Gloomy Gus") McGill in 1932.  More good reading on McGill here.

Florida's Martinez Won't Run In 2010

Republicans won't be taking chances with weak candidates in 2010, even if they are incumbents. According to the St. Petersburg Times, Republican Senator Mel Martinez will not seek reelection in 2010.

Here's one good reason why.

A new Quinnipiac poll released this morning shows that just 36% of Floridians would vote for Martinez if they election were held today.

Republican Governor, Charlie Crist, will appoint a replacement if Martinez retires before his term ends.

Update

A statement from Martinez's office.

"So today, with deep love for this country and with sincere gratitude to the people who placed their trust in me, I announce that I will not run for reelection to the United States Senate.

“I thank all of those who helped me reach the highest elected office that an immigrant can hold in this great country. And I especially thank my family, who has supported me every step of the way – especially Kitty, who has sacrificed much more than me and without whom none of this would have been possible.

“Some might try to characterize this decision in terms of political affairs. Some will say a re-election campaign would have been too difficult. But I’ve faced much tougher odds in political campaigns and in life. My decision was not based on reelection prospects, but on what I want to do with the next eight years of my life.

“So with two years left in my term, I make this announcement today in order to give the many qualified individuals who might choose to try to succeed me an opportunity to organize and gather support.

“I look forward to serving out these next two years. There are big problems facing Florida and the nation, and I will continue to do what I think is in the best interests of the people whom I represent.

“Thank you; God bless you; and God Bless the United States of America.”

Help Jim Martin Win In Georgia!

The December 2nd run-off for the US Senate seat in Georgia is coming down to the wire. Democrat Jim Martin is in a tight race to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss. The outcome of this race is critical to the Democrats' hopes of winning sixty seats in the Senate. 

ElectBlue urges all of our readers to pitch in and help Martin win. No matter where you live, you can make phone calls to Georgia voters by clicking here and signing up to help. You can also make a financial contribution to the Martin campaign by clicking here.

Let's help Jim Martin win!

Breaking News: Begich Wins Alaska Senate Race!

Anchorage Mayor, Democrat Mark Begich has won his race to unseat incumbent Republican, and convicted felon, Ted Stevens in the seemingly endless Alaska Senate contest. 

Nate Silver, of FiveThirtyEight.com, has concluded that Begich will be the winner of the Alaska contest when the few remaining votes are counted. 

As of this writing, Begich has stretched his lead over Stevens to 2,374 votes, with fewer than 15,000 ballots still to be counted. Most importantly, nearly all of the outstanding votes are from pro-Begich areas of the Last Frontier state.

We at ElectBlue concur with the awesomely brilliant analysis of Mr. Silver. We congratulate Senator-elect Begich on his victory. 

Well done, Mark!  (and Nate!)

Nutmeg Joe Keeps His Big Committee Chairmanship

Ugh. 

So, I'm not at all happy about Senate Democrats deciding to let Joe Lieberman (I-CT) keep his Chairmanship of the important Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. It seems to me that Jiltin' Joe deserved some meaningful punishment for his over-the-top negative comments about President-elect Obama during the political campaign just ended. Elections do - or should have - consequences as Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) famously said when the Democrats recaptured the Senate in 2006.

Even if we put aside his non-stop stumping for Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, Lieberman's nasty and untrue insinuations that Obama might be some sort of Marxist or that Obama wanted American troops to be defeated on the battlefield were outrageous. The Senator from the Nutmeg State needs to recant those assertions and apologize to the President-elect. It's not likely to happen of course, but it's what a decent man would do.

All that said, I'm trying to make the best I can of the Senate Democrats' decision today. As a practical matter, we Democrats do need Lieberman if we are to have any chance of getting to a sixty seat majority in the Senate. Given ElectBlue's unyielding focus on obtaining that 60-seat majority in the US Senate this year, it would be pretty inconsistent of us to trash totally the notion of allowing Joe to retain some of his privileges for voting with Democratic majority. Without him that magical (though largely symbolic) number just won't happen. In politics, symbolism does matter.

Additionally, it is the clear desire of President-elect Obama to mend fences with Lieberman and to move on from the harsh rhetoric of the campaign. Our new President-to-be deserves some slack now and then. He needs all the help we can reasonably give him for the tough times ahead. So I guess I shouldn't be feeling so nauseous about today's developments, re: Lieberman. Still, I do feel a bit sick to my stomach. Maybe more than a bit, to be honest.

In spite of being an unabashed progressive, I like to think of myself of being a 'Big Tent' kind of Democrat. You know, a guy who sees room in the Party for a range of views even on some very important issues. However, this Lieberman thing challenges my faith in the Big Tent idea. It's not the fact that he is so strongly for the Iraq war or that his anti-terrorism shtick borders on xenophobia or even that he brandishes his religion like a sword in the town square of public discourse. 

No, it's more than differences over policy positions that cause me such agita about Mr. Lieberman. You know, here it is: I just don't trust him. On some visceral, gut level I often find myself wondering just what Joe Lieberman's real priorities are. What does this man really stand for? Somewhere in his talk, in his loquacious pontifications there is something that makes me ask myself: "who does this man really represent?". It's that uncertainty that makes me always just a little queasy when I think about Jiltin' Joe. 

So, alright, I'll try to get over it. I sure as hell will feel much better about the Lieberman thing if we win all three still unresolved Senate races: Alaska, Minnesota and Georgia. Having Senators Begich, Franken and Martin on Capitol Hill next year would go a long way towards settling my uneasy stomach.

Hank Williams Jr. Plans Run For US Senate

The last thing Tennessee needs.  Just when you thought things couldn't get worse.

From CMT News

Newest TV Ad from GA's Martin: Out of the Park

Democratic candidate for the US Senate from GA, Jim Martin, has released his latest television spot. It's called 'America Is Back' and it's a doozy!

 

Bill Clinton to Campaign for Jim Martin in GA

Former President Bill Clinton will campaign Wednesday in Atlanta for US Senate candidate Jim Martin, according to a press release from the Martin Campaign. The former President is a strong supporter of Martin, having stumped for him in the general election. Martin faces incumbent Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss in a December 2nd run-off since neither man garnered 50% of the vote in the November 4th election, as required by Georgia law.

"I am honored to have President Clinton join me in Georgia once again and proud to have the support of such a tireless advocate for the middle class," Jim Martin said. "President Clinton and I share a common goal of helping President-elect Obama fix our economy and get our country working for middle class Georgians again."

ElectBlue strongly supports Jim Martin for Senator and urges our readers to contribute to his run-off campaign in whatever they can.

Martin TV Ad Hits Chambliss Hard

This is a brand new television ad on behalf of Jim Martin, Democratic candidate in the GA Senate run-off against incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss. This ad is courtesy of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). Very effective!

Updated Update In Alaska

Begich extends his lead to 814. More updates as they come in from the Alaska Division of Elections.  At least 15,000 questioned ballots and 20,000 absentee mail-in ballots are still uncounted.  Many of these ballots are thought to come from pro-Begich precincts.

Current total concludes today's counting.

Begich 132,196

Stevens 131,382

Alaska Update: Begich By .001%

Mark Begich now leads by just three votes out of 250,035 total ballots counted after trailing by more than 3000 yesterday. And they are still counting. 

The total number of votes counted so far includes the 41,000 absentee ballots which were counted today. More ballots are expected to be counted over the next week.  Currently Begich leads 47.238% to Stevens'  47.237%.

If it takes this long in Alaska to get a first count, just imagine how long it might take for a recount. Maybe they're waiting on Christmas? Palin's in charge?

Begich vs. Stevens Resumes Today

The state of Alaska will begin counting today the remaining 90,000 ballots which have yet to be tallied (in other words 29% of the vote). The current count gives convicted Republican felon, Ted Stevens, a 3,257 vote lead.

Current Vote Totals

Begich 103,337

Stevens 106,594

In a press release yesterday, the Alaska Division of Elections expects that 50,000 votes will be counted tomorrow alone. The rest will be counted on Friday, and everyone is hopeful the election will be certified on November 25th..unless there's a recount.

Here's a breakdown of votes that remain uncounted. From the Anchorage Daily News:

• 61,000 absentee votes
  
• 9,500 early votes
  
• More than 20,000 "questioned ballots"

Update on US Senate Races

Three contests for US Senate seats remain undecided as of this writing: 

1. In Alaska, Democratic Mayor Mark Begich of Anchorage trails Republican incumbent (and convicted felon) Ted Stevens by just over three thousand votes. At least 90,000 absentee and early votes remain to be counted. Late-breaking word from the Alaska Division of Elections indicates counting of these votes will begin as early as tomorrow. We shall see.

2. In Minnesota, Democrat Al Franken is some 200 votes behind Republican incumbent Norm Coleman in a race in which more than 2.8 million votes were cast. A legally mandated recount will be conducted, presumably by the end of November. As the recount process seems to be very rigorous and disciplined, the exact timing of the completed recount is not known with certainty at this time.

3. In Georgia, Democratic challenger Jim Martin will face Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss in a run-off on December 2nd. 

All three of these races are critically important to expanding the Democratic majority in the new US Senate. Direct links to the campaign websites for Begich, Franken and Martin are located on the left side of this page. There is also a direct link to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) which can always use your help.

ElectBlue urges our readers to contact these campaigns and offer to help in whatever way possible. Hint: financial contributions are always appropriate. The Georgia run-off will be expensive. The on-going efforts to count all the votes in Alaska and Minnesota will most likely involve costly legal assistance. 

Please help Martin, Franken and Begich today!

Help Defeat Shamless Chambliss

In 23 days, Georgia voters will go to the polls to decide who their newest US Senator will be..again. 

Jim Martin fell less than 3 points shy of beating incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss on November 4th. Neither candidate reached the 50% threshold required to win the seat outright and so the runoff is set for December 2nd.

Chambliss' dirty record over the past six years began with a disgusting ad against former Senator Max Cleland. Cleland, a Silver Star recipient who lost three limbs while serving in Vietnam, was portrayed in the ad alongside Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.  Although the ad was quickly condemned by Republicans John McCain and Chuck Hagel, Cleland fell victim of the once popular Rove politics of fear. John McCain, no stranger to shameless ads himself, will be campaigning alongside Chambliss in the coming weeks.

Chambliss stood side by side with George W. Bush when privatizing social security seemed like a good idea and has been a very good friend of big oil. His record on veterans' benefits is one of the worst. He voted against funding modern body armor for soldiers in Iraq and opposed increased funding for veterans' health care programs 16 times. Overall, according to the Washington Post, Chambliss voted with George Bush 92% of the time. 

Here's Chambliss speaking for himself in this video: 

"One of the main reasons I'm running for the United States Senate is to make sure we get the Bush agenda enacted into law."

Help Jim Martin crush Shameless Chambliss on December 2nd by making a contribution to his campaign and by volunteering today.

November 4 Results (99% reporting)

Chambliss   1,866,612 (49.76%)

Martin 1,756,864 (46.83%)

Buckley    127,974 (3.41%)

Breaking News: Merkley Wins US Senate Race In Oregon

According to the Portland Oregonian, Democrat Jeff Merkley has now won his race against incumbent Republican Senator Gordon Smith in a closely fought contest. ElectBlue congratulates Mr. Merkley on this very important win. Job well done, Jeff!

This win brings the total Democratic gain in the US Senate to six seats, with three more contests still outstanding: AK, GA and MN. Sixty seats is still doable!

h/t: Taegan Goddard

Our Work Is Never Finished

A few Senate races are hanging in the balance. At least one will be up in the air for weeks.

• FiveThirtyEight is reporting that Saxby Chambliss did not reach the 50% threshold needed to secure victory last night.  He will have to face Martin again in a December runoff. 

• Just 571 votes separated Norm Coleman and Al Franken when the votes were counted last night in Minnesota. A mandatory recount is underway.

• Ted Stevens is somehow leading Mark Begich up in Alaska. While all the votes haven't been counted, Stevens is leading by more than 3000 votes with 99% reporting.  He's probably headed for victory. Democrats and Republicans are likely to throw Stevens out in January which will require a special election to replace him. And guess which Alaskan Republican is likely to run for his seat?  Mrs. Palin of course! 
  
  Looking further down the road, Palin would then have two years under her belt to run against Obama in the 2012 general.  You can bet ElectBlue will be following this race very closely and supporting Begich against his Republican opponent, whoever s/he is.

We will continue to follow these races as they develop.  Please support Jim Martin, Mark Begich and Al Franken today.

Tom Too!

Congratulations to Mark Udall, cousin of Tom Udall (who also won) in his victory tonight in Colorado over Republican Bob Schaffer. Another Democratic pickup.

Udall Wins!

Tom Udall that is.  ElectBlue congratulates New Mexico's Tom Udall in his victory over US Rep. Steve Pearce. Udall and Pearce were competing for the seat left open by Republican Pete Domenici who retired in 2007.

Dole Out - Kay Hagan In

The state-run media (aka Fox News) is projecting Kay Hagan to be the newest US Senator from North Carolina.  Liddy Dole has officially been fired.

ElectBlue congratulates Kay Hagan, her family and her campaign staff!