Almost at our goal for More More More — split 47 ways among candidates recommended by you the readers. You can give to just one or two to avoid being on too many mailing lists.
After this, I may go back to some Senate races. Or maybe go down into even lower tier House races. What do you think?
Cheryl Rofer
Senate! We need to take the Senate!
dmsilev
Senate. North Dakota, Indiana, Arizona, and Nevada would be my suggestions.
Martin
I would argue governorships and SOS races even over the Senate. We’ve got a census coming up and voting rights and district drawing will shape the next decade. Those races need to be won now.
The House is in rather good shape and needs a lot of ground game. The Senate requires getting through North Dakota and Texas, and those are long odds, and there’s already a lot of money going in there. Georgia is a key example of why we need to win Governors and SOS races. We lose House and Senate races for the next decade if we don’t find a way to protect voting rights.
MazeDancer
Also, might consider Four Directions. (FourDirections.com. Sorry couldn’t make link work)
They’re the Native American group working to get ID’s on the reservation in ND. Rachel had their leader OJ on last night.
Also obligatory: Write PostCards for OG Balloon-Juice Candidates Elaine Luria and Angie Williams in VA. We just got in a fresh batch of addresses for them.
Despite her starring role in the 8 “Kick-Ass Women” video, Elaine is down 6 points to her lying, cheating GOP opponent. Turnout could put her over. (And her opponent is not the kind of guy that excites turnout.)
Vangie is tied in a race no one thought she could win. But she can. And she will. If we write enough PostCards.
Do not let us wake up on Nov 7 and find out Elaine and Angie lost by 10 votes completely attributable to the PostCards you did not write. (Apologies for getting a little pushy here. Not happy that someone as remarkable as Elaine Luria is losing to a smarmy, frat boy cheat.)
Get addresses: PostCardPatriots.com
Yutsano
@Cheryl Rofer: @dmsilev: One of the best ways to help Heitkamp right now is to overcome the horribly racist voter ID law in North Dakota. Giving to Four Directions will help in that effort. If they manage to make up that gap, that might just get her over the line.
EDIT: O hai der Maze Dancer with the same idea!
Cheryl Rofer
@Yutsano: That is a good point. I’m fine with pretty much anything that will help Democrats.
Yutsano
@Cheryl Rofer: One of the things Rachel mentioned on the show last night was that one of the tribes had so much demand for the new IDs the machine melted down. The tribes are PISSED. And this time they will fight back as hard as they can. I just hope they can overcome this stupid shit.
R-Jud
Senate races, please.
And thanks for the multiple tips re Four Directions above. Donated.
MazeDancer
@Yutsano:
Yes, Tribes were aiming for increased turnout. They’re all working together. And understandably angry.
And if Claire McCaskill loses, Turtle wins.
Yutsano
Also, for DougJ: T’pau?
Cheryl Rofer
@Yutsano: Good. I’m glad the word is getting out as to what they have to do to get around this outrage in the short term.
Gravenstone
@Yutsano: Supertramp, dude. C’mon …
Marcopolo
@MazeDancer: So Claire is in MO. Do you mean Heidi? Of course, the MO Senate race is a tossup right now so Claire needs help too. I have been giving (financially & time wise) to MO state house candidates in flippable districts that are also inside MO-2 (a flippable US House seat). Getting D voters in these races also helps Claire–helping these folks is like a triple word bonus in Scrabble (flip the state house & congressional seat & help Claire). If anyone wants to give to a well run MO state house campaign where a little $ goes far, let me suggest:
Helena Webb MO HD 100: https://helenawebb2018.com
Jean Pretto MO HD-94: https://prettoformissouri.com
Beyond that I am not sure going another rung down on the US House ladder is necessarily a good allocation of resources.
Maybe instead go for the most close races as of this week. I saw a piece that listed 10 a few days ago will see if I can find it.
Yutsano
@MazeDancer: I will say this about Claire: she is crafty. She is ripping up Hawley over the hypocrisy of his ad vs him still participating in the anti-ACA lawsuit. And she has pulled rabbits out of hats before.
I’m more worried about Rosen in Nevada. Heller should be a dead man walking with his votes but he’s still polling even with her.
Yutsano
@Gravenstone: IT WORKS FOR BOTH YOU KNOW! :P
tobie
@Yutsano: I can’t figure out what’s going on in Nevada. HRC won the state as did Obama, twice. I gather Harry Reid is not well…otherwise he’s be using the much vaunted, Nevada Democratic machine to push Rosen over the line.
MazeDancer
@Yutsano:
Right to worry. Hoping for best and knocking wood. Which is a little thoughts-and-prayersy, I know.
@Marcopolo:
Sorry, editing down too far. Left out the race shift in there.
Gravenstone
@Yutsano: Meh, I had to actually think of the song for T’pau to register. Just reading the title and Supertamp immediately sprung to mind in full earworm glory. Which then caused me to wonder why DougJ hadn’t used something so obvious before now.
janeform
@Martin: I agree. Here are the key statewide races in Michigan. I’m not including governor because Whitmer is ahead and a in much more high-profile race than those below.
MI Secretary of State: Jocelyn Benson. She wrote a book on Secretaries of State and is an excellent candidate.
MI Supreme Court: Sam Bagenstos and Megan Cavanagh. Bagenstos is a star. If we elect both Bagenstos and Cavanagh, we have a majority on the MI Supreme Court for the first time in decades. The race is on the non-partisan section of the ballot so name recognition is key. The MI Supreme Court may decide the fate of the anti-gerrymandering ballot initiative in Michigan (Voters Not Politicians) — it will surely be challenged if it passes, and it’s looking like it will pass.
MI Attorney General: Dana Nessel. Also an excellent candidate and her opponent is lethal.
Yutsano
@tobie: I would hope Rosen is trying to engage with the union leaders down there. They were the key to getting Masto over the line.
I will say this Vox article is making me feel a bit better about that.
Betty Cracker
Democrats are spending $3M to reelect Bob Menendez in deep blue NJ. God, that pisses me off. I’d hold my nose and vote for the corrupt shit-stain if I lived in Jersey. I hope he wins because the alternative is so much worse. But someone — Schumer? the state party bigwigs? — should have told him to take a goddamned hike after he skated on the last corruption charge. Just think how that chunk of change could be helping McCaskill, Nelson, et al, who are in tough battles because of their red or purplish states, not because they hoovered up donor money in return for favors.
tobie
@Yutsano: Yes, the Vox article is encouraging. I can’t imagine Nevada Dems haven’t adopted an all-hands-on-deck strategy in such a critical race. Good to hear that Harry Reid is operating in the background. Politics is who he is. I wouldn’t sit the race out unless he were grievously ill. Glad to know he’s alive and kicking.
Marcopolo
So I think I’m gonna jump on the Gov train. Just tried to find the thing about the 10 closest House races to no avail. So all the Gov races Cook has listed between Lean D and Lean R: Gillum (FL), Abrams (GA), Hubbell (IA), Kelly (KS), Mills (ME), Sisolak (NV), Cordray (OH), Sutton (SD), Evers (WI), Edmondson (OK), Grisham (NM).
Paul W.
I’m thinking the critical components are the ones laid out here:
1) GOTV efforts! Especially for communities like in Georgia or ND where they are being purged from ballots.
2) Statewide races for Governor and SOS (get Walker out of office, get Gillum in!)
3) Groups like VotesaveAmerica also have lists of ballot initiatives, if there is a way to give for those it would be great
The House is set for funding, virtually ever candidate is breaking records, we need to give them a way to turn out votes. The Senate probably could use more cash, but I think if we spread our bets a little more in terms of the type of activism it will hopefully pay off in some unforeseen way!
gene108
@Betty Cracker:
Despite the best conspiracy theories about the all powerful DNC, laid out in 2016, the parties don’t have that kind of power to decide, who will or who will not stand for an election. Best that could have been done was a serious primary challenger. He did have a primary challenger, who spent no money and did not campaign, but still got 40% of the vote.
Betty Cracker
@gene108: I didn’t say a fucking word about the DNC, did I? But if you think it’s pure coincidence that a nobody ran against Menendez (and failed to campaign or spend any money) and that no Jersey Dems of any stature jumped in, I know a place where you could purchase a bridge situated not too terribly far from the state Menendez represents.
tobie
My vote goes for the Senate–Heitkamp, McCaskill, Rosen, Sinema, Nelson, and possibly Donnelly could use our help. It’s easy to volunteer to text or phonebank for all of them even if you live out of state.
Chaz
If you are adding D’s to the fund, can you please add Marc Friedenburg (PA-12)? He is a progressive reaching out to voters in rural PA, and he is battling Tom Marino, an architect of the opioid crisis. (Full disclosure: he’s also an old friend) marcforpa.com
WaterGirl
My vote is for the senate, also. Too many races that are close – let’s help balance out the ratfucking with money and time.
frosty
Two bucks each to the 47 and $25 to Four Directions. And just ordered some addresses for postcards, too.
WaterGirl
@WaterGirl: Chiming in again to say that Four Directions is really important, also.
We need to have their backs, too.
Sam Dobermann
Mississippi. Mike Espy, former House member & then Secretary Ag under Clinton is running for Senate seat given up by Corchran. This is election that’s non-party where if no on gets >50% there will be a runoff.
Right now Espy is ahead by a point of the picked incumbent, Cindy Hyde-Smith with teapot, Chris McDaniel also running.
MS is ~ 33% Blacks & seems to be following AL’s Senate win, Doug Jones in turning on Black women to get out the vote. He has out raised the others but if there is a run off the Rs will come in with a Bazilian $$$.
Espy has been endorsed by the MS educators assn, by DFA & some others; had visitors including Kamela Harris & others.
His positions are great & not muddied to look “centrist.”
See https://espyforsenate.com/issues/
From of all places The Blaze:
If all the undecided break Espy’s way the shock will score on the Richter scale.