{POL} Your favorite race of the day?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Just wondering if there was one race today that held more interest for you than all the rest? Doesn't have to be big or high profile, just some race that has your attention more than all the others? Heck, it doesn't even have to be in your own voting district, just the one that you're most interested in seeing the outcome of.

For me, it's the race for Mayor Pro Tempore in my (now) former city of residence. That's the number two spot on the 5 member city council, which is the only one that runs "at-large", meaning it's voted city-wide.

It's ostensibly a non-partisan race to fill a seat vacated by resignation several months ago. (I think the term was going to expire this year anyway). In reality, the Rep. vs Dem. lines are very clear, as both men have been active in politics for quite a while.

Full disclosure: the GOP'er is a pretty good friend of ours, so that heightens my interest in the race naturally ... but that's not the absolute kicker to the race.

Nope, the punchline to all of this is the detail that I haven't mentioned about his opponent. He's a convicted bank robber, a real-life honest-to-goodness- did-federal-prison time for walking into a bank with a pistol & robbing the place.

What scares me most (and a good indicator of why I'm happy we've moved) is that the race is generally considered to have been too close to call until the past couple of weeks. That's when one of the two largest black churches in the area endorsed our friend instead of the bank robber, giving some long-time observers of local politics there an indication that he might have a slight edge when all is said & done.

Having gone through 12 years worth of elections there, the one thing I'm sure of is that predicting elections there is extremely difficult. This could be 80-20 in either direction or virtual 50-50 with less than 1% apart, nobody really has a good feel for this (any more than 90% of the other races there in the past decade).

Anyhoo, that's the backstory on the race I'm actually most interested to see the outcome of tonight. Wondering if anybody else has one race that captures their attention above all others?

[Flasch186]

Katherine Harris....she's one crazy bitch and I want to see what she does when she loses. I know she has already promised a tell all book so thats a start.

[Butter]

Never heard of a "Mayor Pro Tempore".

[albionmoonlight]

Nothing local here is that interesting to me (probably the biggest thing is a big county-wide school bond issue). I guess that I am most interested in the Harold Ford race in Tennessee. The allegations of racist ads and the fact that it will probably decide control of the Senate makes it the sexiest of the national races that I see.

Oh, we do have a complete nutjob running for one of the North Carolina Supreme Court seats. But I think that she is (hopefully) going to lose in a landslide, so that's not very interesting to me.

[wade moore]

I'm most interested in the results of the ammendment to ban gay marriage in Virginia.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

Never heard of a "Mayor Pro Tempore".

Typically I believe the position serves as the #2 to the Mayor, presiding in the event of the mayor's absence.

In practice, in the case of the race I'm talking about, they are effectively the chairman/President of the city council, the de facto #2 person in city government.

What makes this particular race even more interesting (if you live there at least ) is a rumor that the mayor plans to resign if our friend wins.

The city charter provides for appointment rather than special election to fill any unexpired term, with him being the obvious choice to be appointed as mayor, as the only member of the council who has won a city-wide election (rather than just a district election). The #2 spot could then also be filled by appointment, or could even be left vacant indefinitely as the charter does not specify any time frame to fill a vacancy. Given that it's been difficult for the city to find candidates willing to run for office at all, and that this seat has been vacant for months already, I expect appointment to be their chosen route if this sequence plays through like the rumor.

Incidentally, the last special election for a vacancy there was the one I was trounced in. Since then the winner of that seat has resigned, no one qualified to seek the vacancy & it was filled by appointment. And then the current vacancy was created with the council, remaining vacant until the regularly scheduled election. Both candidates qualified in the final five minutes of the proscribed time frame, with our friend only filing after realizing that a convicted felon was about to go unchallenged to the 2nd most powerful position in the city.

[Subby]

Bucc is probably all over this one, seeing as he is a pot-loving libertarian...



This paid political advertisement provided by the Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative Committee, SAFER Colorado, shows Vice President Dick Cheney. The group that got a referendum on the state ballot legalizing marijuana ran ads in newspapers Saturday, Nov. 4, 2006 targeting President Bush for allegedly challenging his father to fight while drunk and Cheney for allegedly shooting a friend after drinking. (AP Photo/Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative Committee)

[Crapshoot]

Seeing Rick Santorum lose. Thogh James Imhoe would be better.

[Tigercat]

There are 12 people running against William Jefferson for his seat; as Louisiana elections go, the fewest number of candidates it takes to make a majority(over 50% obviously) go on to run against each other in the runoff. Should be interesting to see who comes out of this mess, and if Jefferson will be one of them.

[Fighter of Foo]

Races in VA and MO will determine whether the Dems take back the Senate as well as the house. TN is going Republican, so the Dems would need to win both.

As an independent, I hope the Dems win and win big. Two parties good; One party baaaad.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by Fighter of Foo

TN is going Republican, so the Dems would need to win both.

Ford blew it with the crash the press conference move.

[Young Drachma]

Want to see how narrowly Barbara Cubin (R-WY) can win her house seat by. The chatter is that she'll lose -- and she might, people are sick of her -- but I've heard lots of folks who are sick of her, figuring that a GOPer there is better than a Dem, all things being equal. Even if it IS her. Sooo....I don't think she's going to lose.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

Ford blew it with the crash the press conference move.

What's up with that? I heard something about it, but didn't pay much attention.

[stevew]

My cousin is running for a state representive seat. So that is probably my most interested race this election.

[Izulde]

I'm most interested in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race. It's going to be close between Doyle and Green is my hunch. Quite a lot of students on this campus are voting for Green, which I don't understand at all from the standpoint of their student status. Hope they like the higher tuition and fees they're going to have to pay if Green gets elected.

[cuervo72]

Guamanian.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

What's up with that? I heard something about it, but didn't pay much attention.

Bob Corker had a fundraiser and press conference in Memphis, Ford's hometown. During the press conference Ford came up and started chastising Corker for not debating him and started basically acting like an ass. It's one thing to challenge someone during a debate, but during a press conference, come on...

Apparently, Ford did this to try and stir up the democrat core in the western part of the state. I really think the move backfired because he really looked bad. Especially when Corker told him he would see him at the debate they had scheduled for the next Tuesday. The move got the conservatives in the state fired up, and that corresponded to Ford's numbers heading down.

Its also interesting because Ford has been groomed to run for the presidency when he is eligible, and with this outburst, I don't see how he could run. He could, but his opponent would smear him with this.

It also completely changed my opinion of him. I viewed him as a someone I disagreed with, but respected and different from the rest of the Ford's (local political machine in Memphis). Now I view basically as the rest of them, power hungry guys that don't want to lose power.

[amdaily]

Ohio Senate. Polls say DeWine is behind by 6-12%, but I think he narrowly pulls it out.

[albionmoonlight]

Thanks for the info.

[LloydLungs]

The idea that Heath Shuler is probably going to have 1/535th of a say as to how to spend my money is enough to give me a morbid fascination with his race in NC.

[Fighter of Foo]

Originally Posted by amdaily

Ohio Senate. Polls say DeWine is behind by 6-12%, but I think he narrowly pulls it out.

He's up 6-12%

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by LloydLungs

The idea that Heath Shuler is probably going to have 1/535th of a say as to how to spend my money is enough to give me a morbid fascination with his race in NC.

At least there won't be NFL Linebackers in his face while he makes the decisions.

[Izulde]

On referendums, Wisconsin's voting on the whole.. marriage as one man-one woman thing. While the gay lobby has been very active in pushing the No vote, what a lot of people fail to realize is that it affects all non-traditional marriages. I read with great interest in a Hmong advocacy newsletter about how Hmong marriages will be disallowed under the law if it passes as well. Like the gubernatorial race, this'll be close.

Also up for vote: whether or not to reinstitute the death penalty. I'm predicting this'll get squashed pretty handily. Despite it being a referendum, people in this state seem to have shown little interest in bringing back the death penalty.

[Ryche]

My boss is up for election. If she loses, probably 3/4 of my coworkers will be replaced.

[JimmyWint]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I'm most interested in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race. It's going to be close between Doyle and Green is my hunch. Quite a lot of students on this campus are voting for Green, which I don't understand at all from the standpoint of their student status. Hope they like the higher tuition and fees they're going to have to pay if Green gets elected.

Izuled...What rock have you been living under? Something that all of us UW-Madison students should be aware of is the 52 percent increase in our tuition since Doyle took office four years ago. Doyle’s claim regarding education is that he has increased financial aid. But why would we prefer a student loan to being able to pay for college out of our savings? If tuition is rising 52 percent every four years, no wonder Doyle has had to increase financial aid! On the other hand, Green wants to cap your tuition so that massive increases in financial aid are no longer necessary to keep tuition affordable.

Students need to pay attention to what Doyle does, as opposed to what he says in his campaign speeches, regarding education. At the same time, Wisconsin needs to pay attention to what is being done (or not done) about government corruption. Under Doyle, our state Capitol has had a giant “for sale” sign erected over it. If you have any doubts, simply look up the name Georgia Thompson, the state employee who is now serving a prison sentence for influencing the state to wrongly award a large contract to Adelman Travel Group. Was this company the best candidate to receive this contract? By no means. Their only qualification for the contract seems to be that they have given a massive donation to the Doyle campaign. I could go on and on....

[Butter]

Originally Posted by amdaily

Ohio Senate. Polls say DeWine is behind by 6-12%, but I think he narrowly pulls it out.

Not going to happen. He had funding for his ads pulled by the National GOP leadership with a week left because his race was viewed as a "lost cause". Brown has been consistently polling between 50-58% in the final week... he may lose by less than 10%, but he will lose.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by JimmyWint

Izuled...What rock have you been living under? Something that all of us UW-Madison students should be aware of is the 52 percent increase in our tuition since Doyle took office four years ago. Doyle’s claim regarding education is that he has increased financial aid. But why would we prefer a student loan to being able to pay for college out of our savings? If tuition is rising 52 percent every four years, no wonder Doyle has had to increase financial aid! On the other hand, Green wants to cap your tuition so that massive increases in financial aid are no longer necessary to keep tuition affordable.

Students need to pay attention to what Doyle does, as opposed to what he says in his campaign speeches, regarding education. At the same time, Wisconsin needs to pay attention to what is being done (or not done) about government corruption. Under Doyle, our state Capitol has had a giant “for sale” sign erected over it. If you have any doubts, simply look up the name Georgia Thompson, the state employee who is now serving a prison sentence for influencing the state to wrongly award a large contract to Adelman Travel Group. Was this company the best candidate to receive this contract? By no means. Their only qualification for the contract seems to be that they have given a massive donation to the Doyle campaign. I could go on and on....

I haven't noticed a 52% increase in tuition at all. Yes there's been a gradual increase in tuition, but nothing unreasonable. What I have noticed is that the financial aid I do get in terms of grants alone has been enough to cover the cost of my tuition, plus a good chunk of my off-campus rent.

And caps are extremely poor economic policy in general.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by Fighter of Foo

He's up 6-12%

Based on which poll? He's been behind the whole race, and the GOP pulled all of their money out of the race to use in other areas. Coupled with the fact that Blackwell is getting his ass kicked, GOP turnout will likely be low and a Dewine victory is highly unlikely.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by wade moore

At least there won't be NFL Linebackers in his face while he makes the decisions.

If there were, he'd probably vote to give nukes straight up to Osama bin Laden.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by Izulde

On referendums, Wisconsin's voting on the whole.. marriage as one man-one woman thing. While the gay lobby has been very active in pushing the No vote, what a lot of people fail to realize is that it affects all non-traditional marriages. I read with great interest in a Hmong advocacy newsletter about how Hmong marriages will be disallowed under the law if it passes as well. Like the gubernatorial race, this'll be close.

Also up for vote: whether or not to reinstitute the death penalty. I'm predicting this'll get squashed pretty handily. Despite it being a referendum, people in this state seem to have shown little interest in bringing back the death penalty.

Wtf is Hmong?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Wtf is Hmong?

Asian ethnic minority group that has relatively dense concentrations in Wisconsin & Minnesota.

Perhaps most notable for a Hmong immigrant who gunned down a half dozen hunters in Wisconsin a couple of years ago.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Wtf is Hmong?

Good god man, wikipedia is your friend.

[Subby]

My sister-in-law's husband (does that make him my b-i-l?) is running for judge in Hill County, Texas...

[Fighter of Foo]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Based on which poll? He's been behind the whole race, and the GOP pulled all of their money out of the race to use in other areas. Coupled with the fact that Blackwell is getting his ass kicked, GOP turnout will likely be low and a Dewine victory is highly unlikely.

Got the names and party switched in my head.

[sabotai]

Watching Santorum crash and burn in PA is mildly entertaining.

[larrymcg421]

I'm interested in the Suprem Court race in GA. It's been one of the most negative I've seen. The challenger Wiggins has a ton of money, mostly coming from outside the state. He's played the typical liberal activist card against Hunstein (she let rapists free, she ignored the law, if she wants to legislate she should run for Congress). Hunstein is the incumbent who actually has the support of a few Republicans and has attacked Wiggins for his lack of experience (he's never been a judge) and some shady business involving his sister (who is still pissed at him) and his late mother's estate.

I haven't seen any independent polling on the race, but my hunch is that Hunstein will come out ahead.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

I haven't seen any independent polling on the race, but my hunch is that Hunstein will come out ahead.

I would agree with that hunch. It has proven damned near impossible to unseat a sitting judge in Georgia, regardless of their politics, the direction of the political winds or anything else.

Heck, I'm still trying to figure out what Hunstein did to piss off the usually left-leaning Bernie Marcus to tilt him to the other camp.

edit to add: From the AJC's Political Insider blog from yesterday, citing the final pre-election polls from Strategic Vision:
— State Supreme Court Justice: Carol Hunstein (i), 53 percent; Mike Wiggins, 36 percent; with 11 percent undecided. Hunstein up slightly, Wiggins up six points from previous SV poll.

Insider Advantage, Matt Towery’s outfit, today put the Supreme Court race significantly tighter, with Hunstein at 43 percent, Wiggins at 34 percent, and 23 percent undecided.

[QuikSand]

I personally know nearly the entire state legislature, so there are a lot of local (Maryland) races that I am very interested in watching. There are at least a few districts who look poised to throw out their very effective and influential state leaders. And there are a few bums who desperately need to get dumped, who just might.

[larrymcg421]

Thanks for the polling info Jon.

I think if this was a partisan election, Wiggins would have a chance. But there are alot of people (probably in that 11% or 23%) that will go in not knowing much about either candidate. And without a D or R next to a name, they will probably just vote for the incumbent.

[cartman]

The one I'm watching is the one for Texas Governor. There are 4 candidates that all could pull at least 15% of the vote. There is no runoff in Texas, so whoever gets the most votes wins. It'll be interesting to see if the winner declares any sort of mandate if they win with 30% of the vote.

[Craptacular]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I haven't noticed a 52% increase in tuition at all. Yes there's been a gradual increase in tuition, but nothing unreasonable. What I have noticed is that the financial aid I do get in terms of grants alone has been enough to cover the cost of my tuition, plus a good chunk of my off-campus rent.

And caps are extremely poor economic policy in general.

When Doyle took office in 2003, in-state undergrad tuition at UW was $2213 a semester. This fall, it is $3365. I know Doyle is not fully responsible (the Board of Regents and the other professional politicians in the legislature are also to blame), but that 52% increase is something voters should look at when Doyle tries to make himself out to be the savior of higher education. I would argue that 52% is an unreasonable increase.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Craptacular

When Doyle took office in 2003, in-state undergrad tuition at UW was $2213 a semester. This fall, it is $3365. I know Doyle is not fully responsible (the Board of Regents and the other professional politicians in the legislature are also to blame), but that 52% increase is something voters should look at when Doyle tries to make himself out to be the savior of higher education. I would argue that 52% is an unreasonable increase.

And I would argue UW is just catching up with everyone else.

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

Never heard of a "Mayor Pro Tempore".

What is that, mayor in favour of Japanese food?

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I'm most interested in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race. It's going to be close between Doyle and Green is my hunch. Quite a lot of students on this campus are voting for Green, which I don't understand at all from the standpoint of their student status. Hope they like the higher tuition and fees they're going to have to pay if Green gets elected.

I haven't been able to find much worth voting for in either of these candidates. As it is, I voted "none of the above".

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by Izulde

On referendums, Wisconsin's voting on the whole.. marriage as one man-one woman thing. While the gay lobby has been very active in pushing the No vote, what a lot of people fail to realize is that it affects all non-traditional marriages. I read with great interest in a Hmong advocacy newsletter about how Hmong marriages will be disallowed under the law if it passes as well. Like the gubernatorial race, this'll be close.

Why would Hmong marriages be disallowed? I didn't hear about this angle.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by cartman

The one I'm watching is the one for Texas Governor. There are 4 candidates that all could pull at least 15% of the vote. There is no runoff in Texas, so whoever gets the most votes wins. It'll be interesting to see if the winner declares any sort of mandate if they win with 30% of the vote.

If Kinky had a real shot, I'd be very, very interested. From what I hear, that's not the case, so I figfure most anyone is equally qualified to pull the execution lever down there, which is pretty much all the Gov does anyway.

[Schmidty]

Michigan.

Granholm must go. Fucking Canadian.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

If Kinky had a real shot, I'd be very, very interested. From what I hear, that's not the case, so I figfure most anyone is equally qualified to pull the execution lever down there, which is pretty much all the Gov does anyway.

He got my vote. The only chance he has is if the "shadow" voters come out of the woodwork to vote for him, much like what happened to Ventura in Minnesota. But with the voter turnout expected to be ~25% in Texas, that means that less than 7% of the people will be choosing the next Governor.

And you are correct, the Texas governor has very little power. The lieutenant governor has much more power due to their lead role in the legislature.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by BrianD

Why would Hmong marriages be disallowed? I didn't hear about this angle.

Wikipedia says they practice polygamy. I'd be surprised to find out that is legal anywhere in the United States.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by BrianD

Why would Hmong marriages be disallowed? I didn't hear about this angle.

The polygamy bit mostly as lordscarlet, though I'm wondering if the fact there's a bridal price involved plays into it as well.