Democrats Doing Best in Red States

CQ Politics makes an interesting observation: "The ranks of Democratic governors who have the highest job approval ratings in polls -- and who are strongly favored to win re-election this November -- includes several who lead states that are among the 'reddest.'" They include Dave Freudenthal (WY), Brad Henry (OK), Kathleen Sebelius (KS), Janet Napolitano (AZ), Bill Richardson (NM), and Phil Bredesen (TN).

“Paradoxically, the incumbent Democratic governors with the most lackluster approval ratings, including some who face serious challenges in their re-election contests, govern ‘blue’ states.” Among them are Ted Kulongoski (OR), Rod Blagojevich (IL), Jim Doyle (WI), John Baldacci (ME), Jennifer Granholm (MI), and Ed Rendell (PA).

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2006/04/13/democrats_doing_best_in_red_states.html

subtracting from the others' accomplishments, I have to say that Gov. Sebelius must be a miracle worker.

Kansas is a huge sea of red voters and there she is doing a great job as a Democrat.

Maybe we should put her in a heightened role for the upcoming 06 and 08 campaigns.

Maybe even REAL heightened.

I'm impressed.

her for her next term. She is one classy lady, bright and competent and open. She would make a lovely national leader.

like that in the local line-up.

But she may be an all-star on the national squad soon.

How does a Gore-Sebelius ticket sound?

to go national. I am just terrified at what we are looking at as alternatives. She has proven herself with some of the RW here, they don't all hate her and they keep putting up real wackos to run against her. I would really hate to think what would happen to us if we did not have her leadership at this point in time. Kansas is tough. We have a real problem with the fundies and while many are disgusted with the RW they are not all ready to vote them out. Education has not been well accepted, it is difficult when all you have is Limbaugh and Hannity and the like to listen to and nobody really getting out there to counter it. We try, we are making headway but as far as I can see we are not at the point I would comfortably let her go. Still, the nation could use her.

It has got to be hard for many of us to be politically involved but to find ourselves surrounded by red, red voters.

I'm a little frightened by Sam Brownback. Sebelius impresses me, but Brownback scares me to death.

He honestly seems unstable to me.

not to be scared of Brownback.

In person he comes across as just a nice regular guy but then you have to look beyond that to get a real sense of the man. I think most of us share your worry about him.

I think an agrarian solution like that would be best...

:spray:

It would be appropriate given his background and his current state of mind but somehow I don't think even the hogs (who love their slop) would go for it. :rofl:

I'm hoping that MO takes that lead, is reminded of what a Dem can do for them and votes out Baby Blunt in '08.

I've met hard-core conservatives who despise Blunt right now.

suprised to hear of his popularity! What a creep and a lousy job he has done with your state. Go get him.

he should be done for in 2008.

Blunt reminds me of the classic schoolyard bully. I can't stand the man. Hearing Claire speak yesterday at my senior center just reinforced my views of Blunt.

I have heard some good things and, from my lefty left standpoint, some bad things. Still, she would be a damn site better than what you got. I know you have some real RW areas in your state but I was stunned that he was able to win.

I have heard her interviewed, I liked her, she sounded like a woman who wants to do good things for her state.

He does remind one of that bully we all learned to hide from.

CMSU is in my town but Whiteman keeps it very conservative. Even w/ WAFB there was a heck of a crowd yesterday.

Anyone would have been better than Blunt.

And CT really isn't all that blue. They're much more moderate than they might seem.

that MA and CA might as well. CT has a very popular Republican governor--the most popular in the nation according to polls.

voters just got star-struck with Ahnold, no other reason for his election. In elections, name recognition means a lot, especially when it's a recall election :D

…the electricity crisis that suddenly hit California within a day of
the Warped Resident being awarded the Residency by the Supremes.

We now know it was all market manipulation by Enron,
and that the Groper was actually part of it!

probably because we're the ones who have to work for every single damned vote every time an election rolls around, with little help from the national party.

It has always been hard here in fly over territory. That is why I always get so angry when people start trashing our states. It simply makes it that much harder for us on the ground.

Nobody bothered to campaign up here at all for John Kerry in 2004. Not even any TV commercials. Of course, the good side of that is that ** didn't campaign here either. Who wants to bother for one lousy electoral vote?

They gave up Missouri pretty early in the game. I remember nonstop * commercials but no Kerry ones.

They gave us up in MO long before they should have.

in Missouri. He was amazed that the area he was working in went for Bush**. He was driving people to the polls and they were almost all voting for Kerry. Did anyone there question the count? I don't seem to remember. Nobody would waste their time counting in Kansas, they just assume we are going red.

wasn't it part of a democratic campaign drive? if so, it wouldn't be surprising that the people he drove to the polls were for Kerry--they wouldn't want to drive Bush supporters to the polls.

w/o asking who they had planned on voting for. In our area we had an ad in the paper offering rides to anyone needing one, whether they were affilliated w/ the Dems or the Repubs.

WI_DEM is correct and I am feeling a little like blushing right now for that dumb statement. I know in the past here when I have done these things we took anyone who needed a ride but I do think he was working with local dems.

Each Dem HQ did it different. In our county our Dem HQ offered the ride to anyone needing it.

I was totally not thinking when I wrote that! Of course. I need a nap or a strong cup of coffee.

:banghead: Self punishment!

The Dems threw MO to the Repubs over 6 weeks before the election. Initially they were fighting hard over MO. We had long hours open at small town HQs, phonebanks, canvassers, etc. About 6 weeks before the election they stated that they had lost Missouri and they were pulling out their managers in each area and sending them off. I know of a few that went to Ohio instead.

I have always thought that was a dumb move. Missouri is notorious as a bellweather state. If you don't win Missouri you usually don't win the election.

I was thinking it was based on the number of representatives a state has. I wasn't counting the senators. Whatever -- apparently three electoral votes aren't enough to bother with either. We do only have one representative, the unbelievably arrogant and insufferable Don Young. :puke: