In a parallel universe situation reminiscent of something that would come out of Babylon 5, Jerry Brown will be announcing that he's running for governor of California. Here's the weird thing: we noted in February of 2009, or 13 calendar months ago using the regular calendar, that he was running. I guess this is the "formal" thing. He's been being polled all along, and he's done well: last September, he was winning. In Republican polling a couple weeks ago, Brown was dead even with Meg Whitman. He'll do even better once he gets going.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a big fan of Jerry Brown. Met him back in 1976, and he's smarter and more impressive then his "Governor Moonbeam" press might indicate.
Moving across the country: it did not go unnoticed in Jessville that the House is going to slap Charlie Rangel's hands. It's called "formal admonishment", and will occur on Friday. It's offensive. They nailed him for misusing funds for a trip. That other Congressmen went on. That was approved. Is he guilty of that? Yeah, sure, and he'll give back some money. BUT...Charlie is REALLY guilty of serious misuse of funds: the housing in violation of New York City rent control laws, the tax problems with his Caribbean properties, the outright bribe money.....plus the parking tickets....(lots of links here). They nailed him for something minor to avoid having to deal with more legitimate and serious charges, and thus not have to censure him. Or worse.
And finally, people have been asking me how an earthquake in Chile that was 500 times worse than the one in Haiti could cause so much less damage and loss of life. I don't know why people ask me these things...but in case you were wondering, it's because they have a functional government in Chile. That means organization, response, infrastructure. Yes, it's also that the quake was much deeper and offshore and away from populated areas. But no matter what the disaster, the response matters. In Chile, people were allowed to "loot" grocery stores while waiting for aid, and the government will make payments to the stores. (No TVs, though....bravo to the Chileans to realize that finding food when you're hungry is very different from stealing.) Is the Chilean earthquake a terrible tragedy? Absolutely, but the recovery will be quicker and easier because of a functioning government.
Today is primary day in Texas. The marquis race will be the Republican gubernatorial primary, and we'll be following that and some of the other races tonight. Most of the polls will close at 8 pm Eastern, except those around El Paso, since they're in Mountain Time.
Yesterday, the Chesco Dems held their nominating convention. Any local Democrat can attend, but only committeepeople, zone, regional and county elected officials can vote. 55% is required to win. The specific numbers differ by position. For example, everyone can vote for the senatorial and gubernatorial endorsements, but only those in CD6 can vote for that race, same with CD7 part of which is also part of Chesco. It was interesting, to say the least.
First off, no gubernatorial nor senatorial candidate received enough votes for an endorsement. For Governor, the votes were:
Onorato - 103
Hoeffel - 95
Wagner - 52
Williams - 1
Remember, the State Committee also failed to endorse due to a lack of majority.
The vote was 126 Sestak - 119 Specter on the Senate side. Interesting, to say the least, given that Specter won the State Committee endorsement, and the Chesco voters went 8 - 3 for Specter. While the votes are sealed, Andy Dinneman is a big Specter backer. Andy is a second term State Senator, holding a seat that was never Democratic before he captured it in a special election due to the death of his predecessor. And we'll get back to him.
The CD-7 vote was straightforward: 39 for Brian Lentz, with two votes for Gail Conner and one for Teresa Touey.
In the 6th District, Manan Trivedi carried 99 votes to Doug Pike's 40 and Brian Gordon's one. 77 were required. All of the people I spoke with voted for Trivedi for some version of "his personal story" "his background" "his ability to present a clear difference to Gerlach" and "his position on health care." It was a blow-out, especially since the Pike campaign was convinced it had 56 solid votes going in, which did not materialize.
As an aside, because of Andy Dinneman, some of the town committees held meetings where Manan spoke, and Doug and Brian were not allowed to speak, even though they, in some cases, showed up. This should not detract from Manan, the man and the candidate, just a little nod to local politics and peccadillos on the part of Andy.
The question becomes whether or not a man like Manan can win against Jim Gerlach. I contended previously that he could not based on organization and money. Predominantly money. But if each of the 99 people who voted for him, and their spouses and a few friends each, give the $2400 that they can for the primary, he could erase the financial deficit in a week.
Further, many people are excited about Manan Trivedi. He is pure Single Payer, he is completely opposed to any build-up in Afghanistan. What won the election for Obama in Pennsylvania was that he overcame the mistakes of the primary, and utilized excited volunteers. In 2008, that was a winning formula. In 2010 it's questionable, but in my eyes, this endorsement means a lot. Or rather, it will mean a lot if the committeepeople actually work for him: the phones, the canvasses, the lit drops, the voter drives, and the rest of GOTV. This is something that, organizationally, they never did before in history. But 2010 is an odd year.
It brings up the question of whether a true progressive can win in a mixed purple district like the PA 6th. I like Manan. I like Doug. There is no question that either would be a much better Congressman than Jim Gerlach. By the way, Steve Welch pulled out yesterday, meaning that Gerlach will not need to spend any money on the primary as the rest of his competitors present little challenge. He'll be primed and ready on 21 May for whichever Democrat challenges him.
The people who came out in Chesco yesterday were primarily progressives. all are activists. That they overrode the state endorsement of Arlen Specter, and rated Joe Hoeffel so highly is telling of that. The question is whether or not that can translate to the voters: the workers for whom 2008 was their first campaign and didn't even vote last year. The people who are so fed-up that they have changed their registration from Democrat to either "Independent" or "unaligned". Can force of personality and a compelling story win? It's possible we'll see....a week ago, I would have said that Pike had this primary sewn up, now I'm thinking it's 50/50.
One other thing to consider in the calculus is that a couple weeks ago, the 6th was the most likely district to be lost to redistricting. With the death of John Murtha, his district is in play for being redistricted out of existence. A consideration, too.
Southeastern Pennsylvania was hit hard by a major snowstorm yesterday. It was the second highest snowfall total in history, at an official 28.5 inches. 10 hours before the snow ended, Olivia was outside considering her options, as you can see in the photo.
Meanwhile, some 50 miles west of Philadelphia, the State Democratic Committee met in Lancaster to make its endorsements. On the good news side, there was unanimous agreement on one issue. All 301 attending State Committee members voted to endorse a resolution calling for passage of single payer healthcare, Senate Bill 400 and House Bill 1660, also known as the "Family and Business Healthcare Security Act." If you haven't read the bill yet, a synopsis is here, including a link to the full legislation. Note that the legislation is only 27 pages: it doesn't take a lot of words to put forth a great idea.
And then, the votes went downhill. On the issue of governor, there was no endorsement.
Four people competed for the endorsement: state Auditor General Jack Wagner of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, former U.S. Rep. Joe Hoeffel and state Sen. Anthony Williams of Philadelphia, who said Friday he has filed papers that allow him to raise money for a prospective campaign. Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty has declared his candidacy, but did not compete for the endorsement Saturday.
Hoeffel was eliminated on the first ballot as the low vote-getter. On the second and final ballot, Wagner received the most votes — more than half of those cast, but far short of a two-thirds majority.
It's interesting that Wagner received the most votes as Onorato has the institutional support of the party, and Ed Rendell, behind him. If the party cannot pull together behind a candidate, it bodes poorly for November, which was all uphill in any event. Will Hoeffel's progressive support evaporate after he loses the primary? Voting for Onorato or Wagner is an incredibly tough thing for a progressive: there is very little daylight between their positions and those of Republican Tom Corbett. Plus, Corbett has more name recognition, is currently prosecuting corrupt state officials from both parties, and is squeaky clean.
On the Senate side, Arlen Specter won the endorsement of more than the required two-thirds, with 229 votes to Joe Sestak's 72. Sestak had this to say:
It showed "I was a little too independent" for the committee members, who hail from all corners of the state, the second-term congressman from the Philadelphia suburbs said as he vowed to stay in the race. "This is going to be a great fight."
The endorsement of Specter is a little surprising given that many of those who voted for the endorsement are the same people who worked very hard against him in all the previous elections. If Specter wins the primary, it's almost certain that Pat Toomey will win the seat. Specter hasn't had a polling lead since October. In the most recent poll, of likely voters, Toomey holds a 14% lead, plus an enthusiasm gap lead when the party registrations are considered.
Last night, current CD-6 Congressman Jim Gerlach announced he was dropping out of the Pennsylvania Governor's race. The race hadn't been polled since October, when Jim was pulling at 10%, and Tom Corbett at over 50%. Corbett, in his position as State AG, has since indicted a swath of Republicans to match the Democratic crowd he indicted last year. It's all corruption, extortion, bribery, misuse of public funds: and they're all guilty and it is highly probable that a court will find them guilty although everyone deserves his day in court and is innocent until proven guilty under the American justice system.
Jim has sat pretty in a district specifically gerrymandered for him in 2001. This time, his reach far extended past his grasp. It won't change the gubernatorial primary on the GOP side, Corbett has always been a lock. The question is whether or not he'll get back into the CD-6 race.
Although WaPo says that he'll be re-entering the race, it's hard to see how that will last. First, he has no money: only $34,000 in the bank as of Q3. Second, there are already six Republicans running, including State House Rep Curt Schroeder, who was a victim of some of the corruption Corbett indicted several Republicans about, as well as Steve Welch, who is running at the behest of the national party. Third, Doug Pike is a much more difficult challenge for Jim than his three previous Democratic challengers. Doug hasn't won the Democratic primary, but he's ahead at this time. Finally, there is the personal issue. No one seemed to know about it when he ran before, but it came to light inadvertently last summer. It hasn't paid to use it, but I'm still holding it just in case he jumps into the CD-6 race. Suffice it to say that he has run on lots and lots of family values, and he seems to lack them. It's all in the divorce papers. For the divorce he's denied having. Sorry, no boys involved. Still, it would hurt him.
On the Democratic side, Doug Pike is the front runner with close to a million as of the end of Q3. Manan Trivedi had about $100k, and Brian Gordon has just announced and doesn't have a full committee yet, much less any money to speak of. We'll see what the Q4 numbers say.
I've met with Doug several times, and I've sat down with Manan for a couple hours. I am working on the formal interviews I accomplished with each. It is so difficult because both are good men, both are strong candidates, and there is little daylight between their positions on all but one issue. One, though, will be a much stronger and more electable candidate in the general. But the interview was undertaken to help Democrats make a primary decision. Holding to journalistic ethics in a race with personal ramifications is tougher then I would have thought it would be.
This will be an interesting year overall in Pennsylvania politics. Will John Murtha pay a price for his long-time ethics issues, or will the fact that he brings big money home consistently trump the problems? It looks like another Kanjorski-Barletta match-up in the 11th. Under the radar, Lois Herr is challenging Joe Pitts in the 16th. It's a quiet race, but she will be the most formidable challenge Joe has had in his seven terms. He is also a co-sponsor of the Stupak amendment (yes, that one)and the 16th is a changing district. With Joe Sestak running for Senate, Brian Lentz, a state rep, is stepping up, running against Pat Meehan. Look for that to be a true horse race. Herewith, my overalls, as always, Democrats in blue, IIE in red.
Wow! Go to sleep extra early, and wake up to a whole new Senate.
Look down the posts and the comments: Dorgan and Dodd, gone. 11 Democratic House members. Open Senate seats in Delaware, Illinois, North Dakota, Connecticut, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri, Florida, and that list could change today. And let's not forget the special election for Senate in Massachusetts coming up: contrary to everyone else's polls, Rasmussen has Scott Brown only 9 points behind Martha Coakley. If Massachusetts sends a Republican to the Senate, ALL bets are off for 2010. The last time that state sent a Republican to the Senate was in 1972, and that was Edward Brooke, who doesn't even count as a "Republican": first because that party was very different back then, and second because he was unique and wouldn't find a place in today's GOP.
Pretty obviously, we're going to have to update the House and Senate forecasts, which we're working on and hope to have up within a week. (It takes longer than you might think.)
And let's not forget the people dropping out of the gubernatorial races, like Bill Ritter. A lot of governors' mansions can easily change this year: two prime examples are Pennsylvania and Texas.
The big questions are:
Why?
Who's next? Or is the season of quitting over?
Which direction will the replacements go?
Obviously, some people, like Dodd, are quitting because the chances of winning are slim, and another party member would have a better shot at holding the seat. It may also be that some House members want to try for the Senate, or for governor, or, like Bob Wexler, left/are leaving for a job in public service which interests them more than government service. Others may just have had enough of a polarized DC.
As for who is next, the list is too long to poll, so use the comments for those candidates you think will be next on the drop-out list. Or if you think the bleeding is done.
The biggest question, to me, is whether the Democrats who replace the drop-outs will be moderates or progressive. Personally, I hope that they are progressive. ACTUAL liberals. People who will gladly join the House Progressive Caucus, run their states as governors of, by and for the people, not the banks, and Senators who are not beholden to the insurance industry.
If progressives run, at all levels, on Act Blue money, and other direct-donor monies, it would really change the calculus of legislation. Think how different the health care battle would have been had none of the elected reps been beholden to the special interests.
And let's not forget the Independents. I'm not talking about the right wing wackos here. I'm talking about people like Lincoln Chafee who is running for Governor of Rhode Island. Chafee, like his dad before him, is a good man. While a fiscal conservative, his social policies are liberal. Had he switched parties in 2006, he'd still be in the Senate, and that move was considered. He'll have money troubles this year, but if he can overcome them, it would place a good, reasonable, man in contention. IMAGINE if for the open seats Republicans run far right candidates, Democrats run mushy-centrists, and Independents swoop in and take seats and mansions. A couple cycles and we would end up more like Europe, dependent on coalitions. The calculus is different if the Democratic Party runs actual progressives, and they run as populists. People who say "the party has not moved far enough on issues that matter most on a daily basis to Main Street."
While most people see the economy getting better, I see an unemployment rate still at 10% next November, and more importantly, next summer. Any candidate that can run on "a chicken in every pot, a good job in every household" will have a much better shot at an open seat than anyone else. Certainly more than the "pull yourself up by the boot straps" tea-baggers, more than mixed-bag independents.
And that is how I believe we turn the quitting season into a major win in November; run actual Democrats on an actual Democratic platform. NO MUD. There is no better way to overcome the enthusiasm gap, no better way to get voters to the polls.
If we don't do it, we're left with people like Danny Bauder, who is the Executive Director of the Chester County Democratic Committee (Pennsylvania). Yesterday, Danny personally endorsed Arlen Specter as having always delivered for Pennsylvania. He endorsed someone that we've voted against, as a party, for decades. Forget about the idea that a local party with a contested race should say "we will support and work for whichever Democrat wins the primary", forget that this is a personal endorsement, most people won't catch that nuance. If we don't support actual Democrats, we end up supporting Democrats who are either moderate Republicans in current Democratic clothing, like Specter, or beholden tools like Baucus, Nelson, Landrieu, Lincoln and the rest.
Again, no mud. We win in November as Democrats. If we can BE Democrats.
A couple months ago, the name "Drew Pritt" crossed my radar. He took out a Facebook ad announcing that he was running against Blanche Lincoln in next year's Democratic primary. I looked into him, and didn't consider him a serious, nor a viable, candidate for the US Senate. Posts here and here.
And now Mr. Pritt is no longer a Senate candidate. He's now running as Lt. Governor of Arkansas.
The Lt. Governor's office has always been an office I have wanted to serve in. As Lt. Governor, I can be an effective advocate for health care reform as well as economic development in the Delta, protecting a woman's right to choose in Arkansas, and most of all, continue to be a voice for equal rights for all Arkansans. However, to another level, unlike the current incumbent, as Lt. Governor I am willing to work with the leadership of the State Senate and the Governor's office, rather than just offering my own agenda.
The question is whether or not Bill Halter, the current Lt. Governor, will run for re-election. Halter is popular, thanks to his education lottery and his support of health clinics in Arkansas. Halter is a true progressive. In a poll earlier this month, he trailed Lincoln in the primary, but not by much, and in head-to-head with 4 potential Republican opponents, split 2/2. The details:
[I]f Lincoln filibusters health care, watch the numbers change:
Lincoln 37 Halter 27
Yes, she didn't filibuster, and this poll was taken prior to the vote, but the final conference committee legislation isn't known yet. The public option is favoured in Arkansas 53 - 41.
So what does this mean for Drew Pritt? Halter has not said he'll challenge Lincoln. If he does, and Drew Pritt runs unopposed in the primary, he will be the Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor next November. The only declared Republican in the race is Mark Darr, a conservative (says so on his Twitter profile). His current profession is pizza store owner. Pritt vs Darr would be a true race of progressive vs evangelical, and would give Arkansas voters a clear choice. The question is whether or not they would elect a progressive who has never held public office. My perception (and I'm willing to be wrong) is that the majority of Democrats in Arkansas are more moderate than progressive. Thus, a hard slog for Pritt.
If Halter decides to run another time for Lt. Governor, it's hard to imagine that he would be beatable in the primary. It's hard to understand why Pritt would chose to exchange race positions from against a weaker candidate to the stronger one. Unless he knows that Halter will run for Senate. Then it would make sense.
Anyway, it is interesting to watch. I don't think anyone has a sense of what will happen with Pritt or Halter next year as there are still too many unknowns. However, we all know Blanche, so let's poll on her:
Fellow progressives, my name is John Marty; I am entering my 24th year in the Minnesota Senate, where I have fought for social and economic justice since day one.
In the Senate, I've championed LGBT rights (I am chief author of marriage equality legislation), I've fought for government ethics reform, I've designed and authored single-payer healthcare (www.mnhealthplan.org), I've taken on powerful interest groups to protect our environment, and I've championed legislation to get living wage jobs and move our economy forward. We now have over 70 co-authors on my single payer legislation -- over a third of the legislature!
I am a Democratic candidate for Governor in 2010 running on true progressive principles, like Senator Paul Wellstone, principles that I hold with deep conviction. In 1994, I was the DFL nominee for governor, but like many other progressives running that year, the Gingrich Revolution and his "Contract ON America." made our attempts unsuccessful."
Never wavering from my progressive principles, we've established viability with a team of supporters focused on reclaiming the governorship. With our election, we can have a national impact across this country.
Imagine a governor with the courage to break the insurance industry's grip on our health care system, passing single payer. Imagine making healthcare a right, not a privilege.
Just imagine what the national implications would be! Imagine the precedent we would set for Democratic Party candidates throughout this country to have a genuine, principled progressive as governor of a state.
Imagine a governor who puts LGBT marriage equality, ethics reform, living wages for workers, and environmental protection, front and center on the state's agenda.
Over next several months, I will reach out here and on other blogs across the country to keep you updated about our campaign. Please take a minute to read this recent column I wrote about the need for political courage. Feel free to share it with friends.
Thank you and I look forward to reading your comments below.
The guy leading the wingnut pack for the Republican nomination is none other than Sheriff Joe Arpaio. If you don't know this Maricopa County sheriff, think back and remember hearing about some sheriff that gave up on buildings for inmates and replaced them with tents, made inmates wear pink underwear and eat sandwiches made from surplus bologna, no extra charge for that green stuff on the edges. He's a surprisingly popular guy, even though he's in violation of Federal law regarding his treatment of immigrants.
Arpaio [...][attracts] 47% of the vote while four other candidates split another 44%.
In second place, with 22% of the overall vote, is state Treasurer Dean Martin. [Current governor Jan] Brewer is third at 10%. Former state GOP Chairman John Mungerand Paradise Valley Mayor Vernon Parker each attract six percent (6%) of the vote.
He's doing well against current Attorney General Terry Goddard, the likely Democratic candidate. The most recent poll indicates Arpaio at 51% and Goddard at 39%.
By the way, Joe hasn't said he'd run.
Arpaio is (legally or not) about as tough as a law enforcement official can get on immigrants. No deputy of Arpaio's does anything without it being part of the Arpaio program, so even though the following incident occured at the hand of a deputy, it has the smell of Sheriff Joe all over it.
A woman has an outstanding warrant for driving without a license. She also has an outstanding warrant for shoplifting food to feed her kids after the death of their father. She is stopped while driving because she looks Hispanic, and the warrants were exposed. She is arrested. She is shackled hands and feet, even though she is VERY pregnant. HOW pregnant? Hours later, she delivers a daughter while shackled and chained to a bed.
I understand that people who live in border states have a more personal relationship with immigration and its affects than those who live in states with little illegal immigration. But I can't imagine that any woman who has ever given birth, nor any man that has stayed with his wife/girlfriend during labour and delivery would condone this sort of action EVEN IF the woman in question was an illegal.
Is it possible Arizona is looking to out-Texas Rick Perry?
If you don't live in Pennsylvania, you might not be keeping up with the indictments.
By way of background, Tom Corbett is the current Attorney General of the state. He's squeaky clean, to the best of my knowledge. He's also running on the GOP side for governor. As prognostications go, I think he wins both the primary and the general. I'll get into that after the jump, but this is really about something else.
Last summer, Corbett indicted a number of Democratic state reps and staffers. Last week, he also indicted a number of Republicans, including John Perzel, who isn't quite in Vinnie Fumo's class, but pretty close. The charges involve fraud, embezzlement, mismanagement of government funds, offices and personnel, and, in the case of Perzel, using his powers to damage other Republicans to ensure no primary challenges.
In most years, it would not be a problem to run for one office while holding another. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, the late Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll and many other prominent Pennsylvanians have done it.
This is different.
This probe has the potential to be a major step toward changing a culture of entitlement that for too long has undone the good works of our legislators. It deserves the attorney general’s full-time attention. Yet running for governor can become a nearly full-time job in itself.
Also, you have indeed followed the evidence where it led. But are the people of Pennsylvania simply to trust that you will continue to do so, even if your probe threatens to engulf a party chairman in some county crucial to your election bid, or some lawmaker whose network you need to get out the vote?
Your personal record might say yes, but remember, this scandal is about campaigning. Its prosecution needs to avoid even the perception of conflict of interest. Earlier, you said that you would consider accepting contributions from sitting lawmakers once the targets of the investigation were clear. Yet last week, you said the probe is ongoing.
You see? The ethical thorns would snag a saint.
Should he resign? Would it make a difference? Could staying in office end up hurting him?
House Speaker Bobby Harrell on Tuesday turned aside an impeachment resolution brought by another Republican. He says lawmakers can only deal with a limited number of items in their abbreviated session this week. They came back to Columbia specifically to deal with unemployment benefits.
Harrell said state Rep. Greg Delleney can file the resolution next month in advance of the regular legislative session starting in January.
But there's a new sex scandal in South Carolina. Meet Roland Corning, age 65. Former State Legislator. Really recently former Deputy Assistant Attorney General. Soon to be formerly married. And of course, a proud IIE member. No, he's not dead, but the cemetery is integral to the story.
On Monday, Roland went to lunch with a friend. They chose to "have lunch" at the cemetery pictured at left. In a secluded spot. Which is where the police spotted them.
As the officer approached, Mr Corning sped off, then pulled over a few blocks away. He and the 18-year-old woman with him, an employee of the Platinum Plus Gentleman's Club, gave conflicting stories about what they were doing in the cemetery, Officer Michael Wines wrote in his report, though he did not elaborate.
Mr Corning gave Officer Wines a badge showing he worked for the state Attorney-General's Office.[...]
He then searched the SUV, where he found a Viagra pill and several sex toys, items Mr Corning said he always kept with him, "just in case", according to the report.
W-e-l-l-l-l-l- the officer decided to check on his employment. And his identity. Who did he call? Mrs. Corning, who also happens to be an employee of the state Attorney General's office. She verified his identity, and then marched into her boss' office, and by the end of the day, Roland was unemployed.
This will be the first New Jersey gubernatorial election wherein a Lieutenant Governor is also on the ballot. Actually, elected or appointed, Jersey will have its first person in that position. Our friends over at PJVoice interviewed her. I've reprinted their introduction below, and you can read the entire interview (and see video of Loretta Weinberg) here.
By the way, you may not know the name of the Lieutenant Governor of your state, but I'm betting you know the names "Andre Bauer" and "David Paterson" -- you never know...
Next week New Jersey will be electing not only a Governor, but for the first time a Lieutenant Governor as well. Until now the President of the New Jersey Senate or the Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly would become Acting Governor in case of a gubernatorial vacancy.
This year both of the Democratic candidates for Lieutenant Governor are renowned Jewish women: Loretta Weinberg in New Jersey, and Jodie Wagner in Virginia. Our Alan Tuttle recently interviewed Loretta Weinberg.
Loretta Weinberg was born February 6, 1935, in New York. She graduated from the University of California with a BA degree in history and political science. She is widowed, with two children and two grandchildren. Her political career started with her being the Assistant Administrator to the County of Bergen and then a member of the Teaneck City Council. She was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1992, and held that seat until appointed as State Senator in 2005, a post which she has held until now.
She has a champion of Jewish Women’s Involvement in the Political Process project sponsored by the CRC, the National Council of Jewish Women's Essex County Section, and the Northern NJ Region of Hadassah mentoring women interested in running for office, advising them with strategies and fund-raising tips.
Our readers in Pennsylvania are accustomed to seeing people from New Jersey come to our side of the Delaware River and lend a hand in during close elections. Loretta Weinberg is a veteran of close elections having won the Democratic Nomination to New Jersey State Senate seat by 112-111 at the Democratic caucus leading up to the November 2005 special election. Polls indicate that the race in New Jersey is too close call. Volunteers are invited to contact Corzine/Weinberg campaign offices throughout New Jersey.
Here in Pennsylvania, since the 1950's, the pattern has been 8 years of a Democratic governor, followed by 8 years of a Republican governor, and then it switches back again.
Tom Corbett: 54% Jim Gerlach: 10% Some Other Candidate: 6% Not sure: 30%
In case you haven't been keeping up, Onorato and Wagner are more red than blue: anti-choice, anti-gay, pro-gun. I honestly haven't found a "Democratic" position between them. Doherty is the current mayor of Scranton, and when he ran for re-election this year, he was endorsed by Bill Clinton. Doherty has not filed papers, but is the subject of a draft movement. Doherty, along with Hoeffel and Knox are legitimate progressives in the overwhelming majority of ways. Scuttlebutt says that Onorato wins decisively, albeit, that's just the rumour. Hoeffel has a lot of pent-up love from his last run against Arlen for the Senate seat. Unfortunately, he ran that time with Rendell (and his machine) firmly behind Specter, and didn't run a great campaign.
On the GOP side, the money is on Corbett: he's known statewide as he is the current Attorney General. People outside of CD-6 don't really know Gerlach, but when they do, they'll migrate to Corbett. Gerlach presents himself as a moderate, and a real family values guy. His constituent support is first rate, but his voting record is more along the lines of Santorum or Toomey. He's carrying some really fun stuff below the radar about his personal life, and it will be nice to see it all come out if he wins the primary. Unlikely it would surface before then since Corbett won't need to use it.
A lot of the time people say "it's early" and "things can change". The only way I see that happening is if Doherty gets in the race and has Bill Clinton do a lot of campaigning for him soon. I've heard that Rendell will put his power and machine behind Onorato, and that will be problematic if that is not evenly matched. It's unlikely that either Hoeffel or Knox will be able to bring in big endorsements.
Southeastern Pennsylvania was hit hard by a major snowstorm yesterday. It was the second highest snowfall total in history, at an official 28.5 inches. 10 hours before the snow ended, Olivia was outside considering her options, as you can see in the photo. 
Fellow progressives, my name is John Marty; I am entering my 24th year in the Minnesota Senate, where I have fought for social and economic justice since day one.
But there's a new sex scandal in South Carolina. Meet Roland Corning, age 65. Former State Legislator. Really recently former Deputy Assistant Attorney General. Soon to be formerly married. And of course, a proud IIE member. No, he's not dead, but the cemetery is integral to the story.
This will be the first New Jersey gubernatorial election wherein a Lieutenant Governor is also on the ballot. Actually, elected or appointed, Jersey will have its first person in that position. Our friends over at PJVoice interviewed her. I've reprinted their introduction below, and you can read the entire interview (and see video of Loretta Weinberg) 
