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Subscribe to RSSTwo more sitting members of Congress lost in elections last night in Alabama, bringing the total now to five: SEN--Bob Bennett (R-UT), Arlen Specter (D-PA); HOUSE--Alan Mollohan (D-WV), Parker Griffith (R-AL), Artur Davis (D-AL) lost in GOV primary.
Courtesy of AP, check out this midterm stat:
More than 2,300 people are running for 471 House and Senate seats in the midterms. It's the highest number of candidates in at least 35 years, according to data provided to The Associated Press by the Federal Election Commission, which began tracking candidates in 1975. ... The field is heavily Republican, with almost twice as many GOP candidates as Democrats, and several hundred independent and third-party challengers.
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The public is upset by the poor performance of Congress. It really doesn't matter which party is in the majority neither has seemed to really represent anyone but special interests and lots of money. There has been way too much corruption and hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle. This should be an interesting election year.
The Long and Winding Road...that leads to...
what come January? Hopefully, normal intelligent thinking members of Congress, who come to DC to govern and not stop the process. Mind boggling what's going on there right now.
Nice continuation of the McCartney theme... On the one hand I think that it is pretty cool that so many people have chosen to run for office. Too often we are content to let the permanent political class have the field all to themselves. A little competition, a few dissenting viewpoints, some insistence on addressing issues normally ignored is a good thing. On the other hand, it appears that many of the newcomers represent some more extreme points of view. Perhaps it is also good that these points of view come to light so they can be examined more thoroughly and their substantial flaws and inherent dangers exposed.
To see that many people running for office is a good thing. The country needs choices.
Domenico: Thanks for the clarification on Bam on the Run. Folks (including me) are a bit sensitive in light of Chuck's comments last Friday. Perhaps it's best to keep it professional when talking about our President.
I don't know, Ron, I think I can cut Chuck some slack here. I think that the White House - which includes a whole lot of people, not just the President, has not handled the politics of this disaster as well as they could have. While it is unfortunate that politics have to be handled, the reality is that everything has politics attached in the current environment. No matter what the actual engagement and activity going on, and I believe it has been and continues to be substantial, the perception of that engagement is equally important in this 24/7 news environment. Jody and others commented on the inherent problems with that earlier, but it is the reality. The White House is now playing catch-up on letting people know what the involvement has been. I know that Obama has worked hard to remain above politics when possible and I support and appreciate that approach. Sometimes, however, remaining above the fray can be damaging to achieving goals. It is important to have a staff that can discern when it is necessary to engage.
Another good point today. Appreciate your thoughts on this, and I agree about the reality of politics as usual and knowing when to hit first or hit back. I have no doubt that the Pres and his staff have been working very hard on the spill. I think it is in Obama's DNA to think the best of everyone and assume that logic will prevail over media hype which rarely is the case.
and then there are states like wyoming who will always elect some ignorant republican no matter how useless they are, they just can't get past the stupid part and elect the best person. there are too many good ol' boys repubs in this state. it just disgusts me.
LMAO!!
Nationally an average of 5 candidates are running per House/Senate seat. Despite the media coverage highlighting incumbent challenges the overwhelming number of incumbents in both parties are running unopposed. The field of GOP candidates in races against incumbent Democrats is significantly greater than in past years, regardless of the GOP chances in the particular race.
For example in Iowa, 15 GOP candidates are running in three GOP primaries to face Democratic incumbents. The largest number is in Iowa’s 3rd district where 7 GOP candidates are beating themselves up for a chance to run against 7-term Democratic congressman Leonard Boswell. Every two years Boswell is targeted by the RNC for defeat, and as it gets close to the election the RNC pulls it funding from the race. Registered Democrats represent the districts largest voting block, exceeding GOP registration by over 35,000 and Independent registration by almost 26,000. The 3rd district is fools gold for the GOP.
Iowa’s 2nd congressional district is the states most Democratic district. Democratic registration exceeds the GOP registration by almost 60,000, and Independent registration by over 15,000. 4 GOP candidates, including the 2008 GOP nominee who lost to Democratic incumbent Dave Loebsack by over 18%, are running in the GOP primary. Iowa’s 2nd congressional district is not at risk to go GOP.
Independent voter registration out numbers Democratic registration by almost 18,000 in Iowa’s 1st congressional district, but Democratic voter registration exceeds GOP voter registration by over 38,000. This is the safest seat for Democrats, and was rated the number one most likely seat to switch parties nationally in 2006, when 2 term incumbent Bruce Braley first ran for the open seat. Braley easily beat the GOP’s strongest candidate to date by 12%. In 2008 Braley beat his GOP opponent by 29%. 4 GOP candidates are running in the GOP primary to face Braley, none of them have a chance in the general election.
Whether a crowded primary field helps or hurts the GOP nationally, it won’t help them in Iowa.
With so many candidates from the Teahadist Paliban it's no wonder there are so many candidates this year. While quantity may be up quality is at an all time low thanks to the tempest in a teapot crowd of mental midgets. We have a message for the Teahadist Paliban, you're not going to take control of our government!
Moron Rant Paul needs to visit the Rug Doctor to get his toupe fixed. He also needs to try some A Touch of Gray to even out his toupe's coloring to his gray hair along the sides of his head.
Eric! LMAO!!!
The "liberal media" continues with the fiction, that the tea party spewned a popular uprising against incumbents. Nothing could be further from the truth. The tea party is a wholly owned subsidiary of the republican party, its most reactionary and conservative element, who hate government and want to elect people who will drag us back to some fantasy time that exists only in their heads. The reason Spector lost had nothing to do with the tea party, he lost because he was to conservative for the democratic base.
Nothing can be further from the truth of what your Tea Part is doing. Wasn't Rand Paul a Tea-Party candidate? Aren't all of the other Tea-Party candidates? Come on now...speak facts.