Governor's races seem bright for '06

I think the Democratic party is going to make deep inroads next year in Governors races--and that should help continue the boost in State Legislative races that began in 2004.

The early polls show that we have a great chance with NY Atty. Gen. Elliot Spitzer to win back the Governors mansion in that key state. Spitzer defeated incumbent Gov. Pataki by nearly 20-points in a trial heat.

In Massachusetts where Gov. Mitt Romney has been testing waters for a possible '08 WH run, he is running about ten points behind the leading Democratic candidate.

In NJ, it appears that Dems should continue to hold onto the Governors mansion with Sen. Jon Corzine as the Dem nominee, he leads the two leading Republicans mentioned by 50-34 and 50/33 (according to Kos this morning).

In California, Arnold has not yet said if he is going to run (he will) but two leading Democrats are running Atty Gen. Lockyer and Treasurer Angelides.

There are also indications that Dems could make strong stands in the following states with GOP Governors: Minnesota, Vermont, Ohio, Rhode Island, Maryland and Florida.

Most of our incumbents including Democrats in Arizona, Kansas and Wyoming look strong.

How is the situation looking in your state?

p.s.
actually I think NJ is this year, and Virginia--are dems going to retain Va?

The Republican Gov (first one in 135 years) is so hated, even in his own party that if we put up a good candidate, we should do alright. One of the two declared candidates continually outperforms the other one and current gov in all races and in current polls.

And one of them is the Diebold Darling so I'm hoping she made a deal with them for 2006. That will be the only way I'll forgive her for bringing that crap to this state.

I wonder if Max Cleland would be interested?

I saw him tuesday night but didn't even think about asking him.
:( for a missed opportunity

I sure hope you're right. I live near Gainesville in North Ga. and it's really hard to tell what the rest of the state is thinking. We are over-run with radical Pubs here!

I think there is also another thing pushing hard against Sonny! That damn flag issue! He promised a vote, and then screwed it up. I know all those folks will vote against him!

I don't know if I really want Cathy for a Governor, but I know I don't want Sonny! She's fairly well known, and that's a big plus.

We just need to get Sonny and his crowd out of here.

...I think it's going to be hairy for Gov. Baldacci. He is getting the blame for many things, some his fault, some not.

It will be tough, but not much has happened here to inspire us to become a red state, IMHO.

...that Susan Collins may give up her senate seat to challenge him. I've heard it once or twice but I don't know how serious it is!

It be good to get some Blue machinery into those two states.

And no Jerry Springer or Jimmy Buffett's please.

I took me a while to identify the voice since his talk was so progressive.

Yeah it's nice that he attempts to make up for some of it through activism but he's nothing to be proud of for association with dems.

But let's not judge too quickly here. Tom Delay is a national embarassment, George Bush is a national embarassment, but for different reasons.

The question is whether he could WIN, and whether he can be trusted to execute on a political agenda he campaigned on. If Arnold can be governor of Cali, I don't see why an entertainer, who started in politics, couldn't be a Governor of Ohio.

I listen to his show and it's really good and he's a bright guy in politics. Sure his show is so silly and that's what people know him by but his radio show is great and I love listening in. He was really kickin ass today. He handles the republicans very well. Not like Malloy or Rhodes but still debates them and points out the facts and all that. He just has a different way of dealing with them (being nice but truthful).

He could NOT win. He would be killed.

Arnold's icon is associated with Summer popcorn entertainment. Something that might not be a love of the more intellectual minded among us, but still fills a hell of alot more people with nice admirable feelings. Springer exists as the poster boy for the so-mindnumbingly-pathetic-it's-scary daytime mentally off and ultra-ignorant American showcase.

And for all his groping he never got caught paying a hooker with a check while Mayor.

I guess I have to reiterate that I'd prefur Springer over Arnold for any political position any day of the week. But Springer is a suicidal idea for office given his EARNED reputation

But I think it's silly to dismiss an idea without seeing it through. Celeb. candidates win because of name recognition. WHy do you think you see the GOP recruiting people like Mike Ditka and (Lin) Swan? You take a chance in an area where you need that name-recognition leg-up. I'm not sure if Ohio is that, but we need to consider all of our options.

Phil Angelides to Run for Governor in CA
17 March 2005

The Governator may soon be history in CA. Not soon enough for the growing numbers of Californians (and others around the country) who are seeing that Arhnold does not have their best interests at heart, but instead the best interests of his favorite Special Interests.

On Tuesday, CA State Treasurer Phil Angelides announced that he will run for Governor in 2006. Senator Barbara Boxer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi are serving as Angelides’ Honorary Campaign Co-Chairs. (Note: I had reported here on February 28th that I had received word of Angelides intent to run for Governor of CA)

MORE - http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=569

I'm across the country, but the last I heard, Arnold was still pretty popular in CA. :(

I saw Angelidies yesterday when he announced his candidacy, he might not be as charismatic as Clinton, but that man has fire in his belly and looked and sounded like he was spoiling for a fight with Ahnuld. That and this is the guy who flipped CA from red to blue in 1992 and thanks to his efforts it has stayed that way ever since. If he can pull of the miracle that he did in 1992 again in 2006, then we shouldn't have to worry.

We have a very popular moderate Republican governor in Jodi Rell - who was John Rowland's right hand woman for 10 years, but seems to have been teflon to the daily Rowland scandals - but, some top Democrats could challenge her, including Senator Chris Dodd. Dodd's wife just gave birth to their 2nd child and he may be interested in staying closer to home... and, he could appoint a Democrat to serve out the last 4 years of his term. Rell has said she would sign a civil unions bill if passed by the state legislature and also proposed stem cell funding in her current budget.

Personally, I'd rather see Lieberman run for governor, as his neocon foreign policy stance won't come into play as a governor and he is reasonably progressive on many social issues.

Of the current Democrats in the race - New Haven mayor John DiStefano and Sec. of State Susan Bysiewicz - I think Rell beats them fairly easily, unless her popularity takes a hit.

Wasn't he behind in all the polls leading up to the last election? I worked in Mass at the time, and I thought I recalled the Rethugs I worked with as being despondent over losing right up to election day.

He has a tin ear when it comes to perceptions. He was lucky in his race for Gov last time that he drew a weak opponent. This time out the Dems in the State are attempting to get their act together and act as a united party to get his butt out of the Governorship.

We should be able to do this. MA's entire Congressional delegation is blue, 85% of the State legislature is Democratic. We just have this awful Rethug Gov. We're working on it.

that is the question. Mass has had Republican governors for years now - Romney, and Weld before him.

Tom Vilsack has said he isn't running for re-election. Possible democrats that could run include Sec. of State Chet Culver. Cluver is widely known around the state, young and is good looking. State Senate Democratic Leader Michael Gronstal, of Council Bluffs, will probably run. He is a popular Democrat in a Republican part of the state. If he gets his name out in the central and east part of the state he could win. Ed Fallon a State Senator from Des Moines has announced he will run. Fallon is a maverick, who has irked off some Iowa Democrats when he supported Nader in 2000.

For the Republicans, US House of Representive Jim Nussel will probably run. Nussell has a lot of money left over from his Federal Campaign, which would help him. If Nussel would run for Governor, there would be a good chance that a Democrat could win his house seat. He is known around the state from his House position on the Budget committee. However, I think he votes concerning the budget could hurt him if they were brought to the attention in a campaign. Bob Vander Plaats of Sioux City has said he is going to run. He ran in last election and lost.

I think there are a lot more positives from the Democrat side. Culver probably has a better reputation around the state than Nussell. Gronstal has the ability to gain votes from the other party that Vander Plaats does not.

is out because of term limits and the front repuke runner is ole stick his foot in his mouth Gibbons. State Senate Minoority leader Dina Titus and I beleive Stae Senator Ed Perkins have expressed an interest. There is a bizz about a strong candidate to run for Gibbons open Congressional seat aginst his wife who will be seeking his seat.

The repubs are gearing up for a fight between GOP incumbent Bob Riley and Roy Moore. They are trying to change the rules so Riley can run in general as independent if Moore beats him in primary. Thus Lt Gov Lucy Baxley is in really good position. She leads both Riley and Moore by double digits in some early polls.

I went to the Kaine (D) rally yesterday and he seems to be a good person for the job. He has been endorsed by a Republican former governor (who happens to be his father-in-law.) And, of course, he has been endorsed by the current Governor Mark Warner (D). I am hoping Mark Warner will run for the Senate in 06, knocking out George Allen (R).

The Republican candidate, Jerry Kilgore, sent out a mailing this week. His positions seem to follow the neo-con party line. He says he will lower taxes and improve schools, but he doesn't mention how he can do both.
He was elected Attorney General in the last election, but it seems like he has resigned. I am not clear on that. Our Dem Governor, Mark Warner has done a marvelous job with restoring our state after it was plundered by his Republican predessesor. Kilgore seems to want to take credit for the good work Mark Warner has done. He kept mentioning what "WE" have done in the past few years. I don't think he had anything to do with it, it was the ability Gov. Warner had to work with a Republican General Assembly.

If anyone in Virginia has any questions about who is the better candidate, I urge you to go to the websites and read the biographies of these two men. http://jerrykilgore.com/ www.kaine2005.net

There may be a third candidate. I have heard rumors of a moderate Republican running as a third party candidate. Someone else here may know more about him.

I hope Warner runs for the Senate rather than for president.

I was at the Tim Kaine kickoff rally on Wednesday in Herndon. At the last minute I made a home made sign that said "Kaine '05, Warner '06". When Governor Warner got up to speak, the crowd started shouting "Oh eight, oh eight." After the rally was over, Mark Warner was signing the posters and signs. When he got to mine, he said, "I like that."
As much as I would love to see him run for President, we also need him to knock off Allen. He is one of the few who can do it. He is a young man, he can run for the top office in the following cycle. That could be 2012 or 2016; it depends on what happens in '08.
It would be kind of "cute" to have both Senators from VA with the same last name. I think it would give him more name recognition for the big race later.

God, how I would love to see that smirking, sanctimonious SOB Allen go down!!

former Congressman Chris Bell has stepped up to the plate and filed an exploratory committee!!

Tom Delay gerrymandered Chris out of his first-term seat, with help from current governor, Rick Perry (R). They may both live to regret that move. Chris not only filed the ethics complaint against Delay, which is now drawing more and more sweat, but now Chris is out gunning to replace Perry.

If any of you DU'ers are inclined to help Chris, financially or just with moral support, here's his website.

http://www.chrisbell.com/

Thanks!!

Mary

The rethugs are expected to have an extremely bloody primary battle with Governor "Goodhair" Perry being challenged by Kay Bailey Hutchison and possibly Comptroller Carol Keaton Rylander. Of course if Hutchison challenges Goodhair that will open up her Senate seat. And the myriad scandals slowly pulling down Tom DeLay also involve many of the members of the Legislature, which could inspire voters to throw the bums out---all of whom are rethugs.

One possible fly in the ointment is the vanity campaign of singer/author Kinky Friedman. If he were to say, be eaten by sharks, I wouldn't shed too many tears.

I would say she is favored right now, though I hesitate to speculate her chances.

There are four candidates on the Republican side: two state Senators, a state Rep., and a well-known businessman whose father helped co-found Amway - excuse me, ALTICOR.

But I don't know who will challenge him.

many, many times about the problems with optical scanning and tabulators. Even asked him to check into Wetterling's race in the 6th. Another activist I know wrote him as well. He wrote us both back. We also took it up with Wetterling directly and with Dayton as well. Trying to spread the knowledge around here in Minnesota.

especially in the area of healthcare. He has also gone after credit card companies in a big way.

I hope he runs.

By the way, what was the sex scandal with him? I forget...

The sex scandal regarding Perry was that, despite being "happily" married, he was having a gay love affair with a staffer. I don't think it got further than DU and a few other places online.

Other than that, you present a very rosie scenario! :)

I'd say that we have a good chance in Nebraska IF Osborne doesn't run. Stormy Dean was an incredibly weak candidate for governor last time around. If Osborne doesn't run, though, Heineman is beatable.

If Osborne runs, you can keep Nebraska red. I long for the days not so long ago where we had Gov. Nelson, Sen. Exon, and Sen. Kerrey. It's really quite amazing to think that less then ten years ago, we had two Democratic Senators and a Democratic Governor.

though my beloved Gov. Kulongoski hasn't been ecstatically popular among all Dems in this state, the last news I read about it said the Republicans don't have anyone in mind to run against him. My sense of the mood among conservatives out here is that they're pretty pessimistic.

Huckabee is really more of an anomaly than anything else. The main contender, unfortunately, Mike Beebe, is a state pol workhorse who really doesn't excite much.

The gops are going to have a primary donnybrook between Win Paul Rockefeller and Asa fucking Hutchinson. I see no way that either one will emerge from the primary without substantial damage. I foresee a dirty, dirty race. Rockefeller has got a lot of money and a good reputation. Hutchinson will have plenty of money also and being the right wing shit-sipper that he is, I suspect that he will quickly descend into the gutter.

Which leaves the Democrats. Beebe is the front runner. Hell, he's the only runner that I know of. But what would be really interesting would be if someone with a higher profile ... a Wesley Clark ... a James Lee Witt .. a Rodney Slater would throw their hat into the proverbial ring of fire.

Now THAT would be interesting.