As I said before, Steyer really should be using his money to buy out media outlets like the Ellisons have been doing, so we can compete with the right wing media empire.
OK, what piece of trash was deleted? If people are continuing to delete content that is not libellous and was replied to, I am going to propose that the mods stamp that out.
In full transparency, I will delete any comments I made if I feel I jumped to conclusions too quickly or if more facts revealed the contrary. I would though be clear with a follow up comment as to why.
Otherwise, I do not think it’s needed for anyone to delete comments if they have a different point of view.
People who've praised Massie for having a line in the sand over Republican debauchery and have heaped praise on him for the high bar of being against child sex trafficking have forgotten that this is the same idiot who posted a family values Christmas photo of his wife and children gripping semi automatic weapons of war. He was an idiot then. He's an idiot now.
His work on Epstein easily makes him one of the best R's in the House, and certainly the best we're gonna get from that seat. Anyone else, (like the people they're trying to replace him with) would be a silent obedient Trump rubberstamp.
Yeah he's a typical fool on 95% of the other issues, but the Epstein stuff is incredibly important, and he's really stuck his neck out more than almost any other Republican in congress, and honestly, has been much more vocal than many Democrats.
Having just spent time defending someone with a lifetime 86% rating from Turning Point Action though, I feel like I need a shower, lol.
No, he is not. However, he is /still/ the best you are likely to get out of KY-04. There will be a Democrat on the ballot, and there will even be a Democratic primary. However, to say that the Democrats running in that primary are running on shoestrings is being generous. Come November, I wouldn't expect the Democratic nominee to pull out a win, but I would watch the margins. to see if they get significantly more than the low 30s that Democratic challengers usually get.
I don't think we should give up on any district, no matter how red. The Republicans are in the middle of burning the country to the ground, and their main constituency knows it, or will know it soon. There's a lot of time until November, and things are only going to get worse for them. Foot to the neck.
⬆️"Define what "not giving up" means for districts that are R+25 and worse."
Well, for one thing, not leaving any GOP seats uncontested.
And any Democrats running should mount as big of a ground game as they possible can with candidates attending every public event in the community, pressing for candidate forums hosted by the League of Women Voters and other non-partisan groups, and doing a lot of door-knocking. If the GOP candidate is an incumbent who refuses to hold town halls, then an empty chair town hall is a great way for the Democratic candidate to boost their name recognition!
Perseverance is also important! One thing that isn't mentioned enough IMO is that many of the Democrats who flipped seats in the VA House of Delegates races in 2025 were second- (and at least in one case third-) time candidates.
IMO, two really good examples of Democrats running successful ground games in red districts were Caitlin Drey in Iowa and Aftyn Behn in TN. Both scored dramatic Democratic overperformances although Behn lost her race when the GOP spent big bucks to Increase GOP turnout in the special election.
These are all good thoughts, but we do have to remember that it can be hard to find people who are willing to risk their lives and the lives of their families in order to make a hopeless run for office.
Ok, but the Democrats who flipped seats in the Virginia House in 2025 were all running in competitive districts, and while Behn and especially Drey's overperformances were strong, neither were running in deep red (Trump +25 or more) districts. The only electoral use of having a candidate run for an unwinnable house seat is to then have them run for a more competitive state legislative using the network they've built.
Also the principle of not leaving any seat uncontested. Having someone on the ballot really does help bring out disaffected folks who might feel they are in dire straits.
In KY-04. a Democratic candidate can expect to get around 30% just by being on the ballot, and being able to run something that resembles a campaign. I don't expect a big enough swing for whichever Democrat makes the ballot this year to win -- especially if Massie wins the R primary. However, if there's enough of a swing for them to approach, much less exceed, 40%, Republicans should start sweating. If the Democrat should manage to pull the hat out of the rabbit and /win/, the Rs should start sweating bullets.
There’s much more to politics than binary yes or no, black and white world. There’s a whole lotta grey out there. This is one of those things.
He’s not an ally to Democrats, but he is an ally in being against Trump. Those are not the same thing. He will oppose every Democratic priority once we have power again, just like Liz Cheney had a 95% voting record with Trump, so too does Thomas Massie. But she was and is an ally in the overall goal of Democrats gaining power again, not as supporting our party or policy, but in being helpful to divide our opposition. It’s a key part of the reason we even won in 2020. Same as Massie.
If we decide that only complete party purity is allowed, we can’t beat the GOP, it will never happen. When someone is targeting your opponent in politics, you don’t say “hey, you can’t do that with us because you don’t believe what we do”. You say thanks for joining us on this and continue beating the crap out of Trump and his cabal of cronies, say yes government in name only.
Ally is a completely subjective term and is open to various interpretations by each individual, but useful isn’t and I think is a better descriptor. He’s useful to our party right at this moment. Does that mean we suddenly decide to make him a part of our party? Does that mean we give him things while we have power? Does it mean we shift our party to his position? No, of course not. But no one here can deny he’s useful to our party so no one here should be upset over praising him.
We need people like Massie and Cheney to win against Trumpism/MAGA GOP. As soon as we forget that or worse, tell them we don’t want anything to do with them, the harder it will be to end this whole thing in the biggest biblical wipeout in history. Bigger picture needed imo.
Actions speak far louder than words. And from what I can see and hear, this is mostly words of pomp and showmanship for the rabid base. What is NOT mere words are Massie's actions, not least of all his leadership in cosponsoring petitions to release the Epstein files, continuous and consistent opposition to Trump's BBB, and of course, cosponsoring legislation or forcing a vote to oppose military action in both Venezuela and Iran alike. You may disagree with his politics and views but you cannot say that he has done many actions that those opposed to Trump would find very agreeable, and with much integrity and courage risking his support of conservative voters at home in Kentucky. The same cannot be said for nearly all of his GOP colleagues, including alleged moderates who kowtow like cowards and lemmings.
Pre-Trump, Massie was quite an ass as he was one of the House Republicans to have been elected during the days when the Tea Party influenced the GOP.
However, with Trump being an albatross on the GOP, Massie has been pushed to be more sensible even while he still holds pretty consistent Libertarian principles like Senator Rand Paul.
Every time I visit Orlando, I take public transit whenever possible (particularly Lynx or iRide Trolley near International Dr). People like to rag on FL for lots of things, but at least in the cities, the public transit is affordable and on time.
Heck, I was in Orlando when the Russia-Ukraine fight broke out -- and I took the Lynx bus on a whim to the airport to see if I could get there for $2 instead of the $20-30 rideshare to OIA. And while it took me an hour to get there, it only cost $2 and I still got to the airport in plenty of time to catch my flight.
Gas is roughly the equivalent of $5 USD per gallon here in Toronto and our nonce of a Conservative leader has the brilliant idea of lifting all federal taxes on gas, which won't have a damaging effect on the deficit at all.
Here in Charlotte, NC (which has pretty high gas taxes) regular grade broke the $4 mark in the last week. I'm retired and only fill up my tank every couple of weeks, but with the war and its impact on ga prices being in the news, I'm paying more attention to the big signs with the price per gallon.
Why are you putting Ohio and Florida in the same category as Wyoming? If Trump having an approval rating in the low 30s and the economy collapsing in the midst of an unpopular war isn’t enough for us to win anything to the right of North Carolina, our democracy is doomed, and I really don’t believe that’s the case.
I'm pessimistic about a GOP electoral wipeout because the last couple of election cycles have let me down (particularly in FL), yet I'm optimistic because Trump voters are now getting the horrific policies without advisors and generals reining him in. And yet some are STILL ride-or-die with him regardless how badly they're hurting... look at how the meathead and the compliant FL legislature were busy renaming Palm Beach International after him instead of helping their constituents.
If you’re pessimistic enough to think we can’t win even light red states when the country is falling apart and Trump is horribly unpopular, then what’s the point of any of this? In that view we’ll never be able to win enough power to fix any of the country’s problems no matter what happens so what’s the point of even fighting? I have to believe that we actually can win elections and that the chaos Trump is causing will help us win more than normal, otherwise I’d just be accepting that there is no point to participating in politics.
The brutal reality is that the legislatures and executives of most of the advanced industrialized economies on this planet have completely and utterly lost the ability to meaningfully address the catastrophic medium and long-term problems they face, from demographic to environmental collapse.
We have to keep fighting anyways. It might seem hopeless, but I'd rather face the darkness knowing I tried to do something, than to do nothing but help the oligarchs lead me to my grave.
⬆️"I'm pessimistic about a GOP electoral wipeout because the last couple of election cycles have let me down..."
This mid-term election will IMO be much more like 2018 than 2022. Both were ant-incumbent elections but with different "in" parties.
I honestly can't comprehend how so many voters believed Trump's BS in 2024 but IF the polls are to be believed there is a HUGE amount of buyer's remorse amongst all but the most dedicated MAGAs.
It would also help IMO if some of the establishment Democrats retired or lost their primaries to younger, more progressive or populist candidates. One of the messaging gurus (I forget which one) said that Democrats need to run on something other than the status quo. That really resonated with me.
And there may be a silver lining in Trump's attempts to disenfranchise voters - people are less likely to blow off voting if they think someone is trying to make sure that they can't do it!
Their only chance was an all-R lockout, so Trump likely just ended their chances entirely. Always nice when he intervenes on our behalf because he's too stupid and arrogant to act strategically.
He usually only does that when he's not sure if his one choice will win. All that matters to him is his batting average; he wants all the credit and glory for any perceived victory. There's enough time for his endorsement to help Hilton pull away from Bianco, so a double endorsement seems unnecessary at this point. Although that could change if Hilton does not pull away and Trump's precious average is at risk.
Who cares? It’s not as if the CA GOP went out of their way to push top quality candidates to begin with.
Chad Bianco may be a sheriff with a MAGA agenda but he stood with anti-police brutality protestors in light of the George Floyd. Steve Hilton’s been throwing this at Bianco.
Steve Hilton has no elected experience and is a washed up former adviser of British PM David Cameron in the Conservative Party. He is your typical country club, wealthy chamber of commerce pandering dude who is a known commentator on Fox News.
But no notable elected GOP CA government leaders otherwise. Oh how the CA GOP has fallen since the 90’s.
Bianco has been doing a good job in attracting the far-right-as-you-can- get-without-an-actual-sieg-heil voter, so you can't tell for sure. Still, the endorsement must help Hilton to a certain extent, unless the anti-Trump wave is even bigger than we think it is. I've always thought that at least one of the three main Democrats--Swalwell, Porter, or Steyer--would make their way into the general as Dems get their word out. I still do. My guess is Swalwell.
Also, Trump/his DOJ's been trying to target Swalwell lately, which is pretty much guaranteed to push him to the front of the pack in a frigging Dem primary, much less here.
Maybe for his next act he can throw someone in a briar patch.
Yeah, Porter torched herself and Steyer's yet another billionaire "outsider" because we NEED more of those, god knows. MORE billionaires with no experience but plenty of ego, by gum, ugh
I heard on Coffee with the Contrarians live broadcast this morning that Janet Mills has pulled out of the primary debate with Platner. Does this suggest that she may be pulling out of the primary as well?
Given how far behind she is, she ought to either do the debate or just quit the race. I'm not impressed with her campaign at all, and I suspect she would lose to Collins.
Agreed - she should have jumped in earlier and more vigorously campaigned, or just not run at all. What we're seeing so far is weak, considering she's running against a shady neo-Nazi adjacent mercenary in the primary.
Probably not a good idea to associate with them by getting a tattoo if you want people to think that. I'm more concerned about his work for Blackwater FWIW. I appreciate that he at least got rid of the tattoo and owned up to it.
According to the polling, he's going to easily win the primary and then defeat Collins by a larger margin than Mills would.
Mainers don't appear to be terribly concerned about his past mistakes, which he has fully admitted to and owned. Or perhaps the ones who are "concerned" (wink wink) are already voting for Collins.
Schumer fucking botched the recruitment here in Maine. We all saw Joe Biden implode on the debate stage vs. Trump in 2024 because he was too old, but somehow Schumer didn't think that base Democrats might have a problem with running someone who'll be in her 80s if elected to the Senate?
Also see the Drop Site News (bleh) leak of Mills' virtual townhall with a Dem club where she went off on a former state legislator asking her a tough question. Mills' answer reeked of entitlement and had the energy akin to, "How dare you ask me this question."
No, we didn't see Biden "implode" on the debate stage in 2024. We saw Biden have a bad debate and the Democratic establishment take out the long knives for him to do the work of their corporate donors. Contrast this with Reagan's first debate performance in 1984 and how the Republican establishment lifted him up to a 49-state victory a few months later.
Regardless of what anyone may think on an individual level about Biden's debate performance, the result is undeniable. His support imploded. The leaks we saw had his internal polling indicating he was on track to lose something like 35-40 states with a low double digit popular vote loss if I remember right.
There is no amount of circling the wagons by the democratic establishment that would have reversed that kind of deficit.
Don’t know, but Mills’ campaign seems remarkably half-hearted so far. She only got in after months of persuasion and it soon became clear, if it wasn’t already, that she’s not the only Dem who can win the seat, and given her performance so far one can reasonably question whether she really wants to be a senator.
Unfortunately her main primary challenger, while younger and more energetic, carries his own baggage. Maybe Mills is doing a service in helping test Platner out and seeing how voters react to his issues, instead of allowing him to coast to the nomination only for the GOP to drop a series of bombshells on him in the general (though given this year’s political trends so far even that may not be enough to save Collins.)
TX-15: The best line of attack Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R) can come up with against challenger Bobby Pulido is that he performed with a sex offender years ago.
Per Axios, SLF plans to spend $79 million in OH, $71 million in NC, $42 million in ME, $29 million in IA, $15 million in AK, $45 million in MI, $44 million in GA and $17 million in NH.
CA-14: Attorney Abrar Qadir (D) dropped out of the crowded race to succeed Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading candidate for governor.
Other major candidates include state Sen. Aisha Wahab, BART official Melissa Hernandez, former Hillary Clinton campaign official Matt Ortega, San Leandro councilman Victor Aguilar, and businesswoman Rakhi Israni.
Having Wahab out of the State Senate will be great (because of her NIMBY record). And she will likely be a huge progressive vote in Congress. Win-win in my view
You are aware housing is an issue that isn’t restricted to what state government can do, right?
If Wahab is a progressive vote in Congress, on the issue of housing she would likely push for more affordable housing at the federal level. Something Senator Adam Schiff has been working to do with legislation.
CA-Gov: CNN will host a debate on May 5 in Los Angeles moderated by Kaitlan Collins. The candidates will include Bianco, Hilton, Swalwell, Porter, Steyer, Becerra, Mahan and Villaraigosa.
Others have until April 27 to meet the criteria for participation. Criteria includes raising $1 million and meeting polling criteria. To meet polling criteria, candidates must get at least 3% in two polls or an average of 3% in two polls conducted by organizations whose methodology meets CNN’s standards for reporting. https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/06/politics/cnn-will-host-a-california-gubernatorial-primary-debate-on-may-5
interesting. I thought I'd read somewhere that the four low-tier candidates of color have an "all in" agreement where they won't appear on a debate stage unless all of them appear.
OH-4: Rep. Jim Jordan, once a far-right firebrand, is losing steam within his party. He may retire within the next few cycles. But first, he wants to be the Republican House leader when Johnson inevitably steps down when the majority is lost in November.
Tragically, I think almost certainly. I think Scalise is probably his main competition, but he's so tied to leadership all the way back to Boehner that I can see the desire for someone different. Jordan actually got a higher conference vote in the 2023 speaker nomination marathons than Scalise (Jordan 124 to Scalise 113). Obvi it will depend a bit on the relative factional composition after 2026, but it seems like the march rightward is not ending and you only need a simple majority of the conference to be minority leader--obviously no majority of the chamber needed like for speaker (who is, by definition in the current House system, part of the majority).
If not Jordan or Scalise, some other possible contenders. I think the candidates come from leadership, full committee chairs and the "five families" caucus chairs. I still don't think even Repubs want a rando backbencher. I did actually say I thought Johnson would win the McCarthy succession (I have texts from the time predicting it before he put himself forward lol), but I don't see anyone below Hudson in leadership leapfrogging the way he did.
-Emmer: I think still seen as too moderate by Repubs (shocking, I know), but may have some lingering goodwill from being NRCC chair for 2020 and 2022.
-McClain: Newish to senior leadership this term (was conference secretary the term before) and a somewhat unknown entity that could be intriguing, but she's from the more governing cloth too that I think will be seen skeptically. And at least Steering under Johnson has been markedly more sexist than it was under Boehner/Ryan/McCarthy, if that's any indication of the wider conference now.
-Hudson: Has been NRCC chair for the 2024 and 2026 cycles and was conference secretary for a term before that. But the stench of presiding over a loss could be a lot.
-Comer: As a Jordan-lite candidate with a bit less baggage. Note that Jordan and him are both technically term limited for chair/ranking after the election, but I think either could get a rare waiver for another term if they don't go into leadership. Otherwise, Jordan will retake Oversight from Comer, and Comer will just run for KY governor in 2027.
-Rogers: Seen as too establishment, and drunk. Chair/ranking term limited at HASC.
-Thompson: A bit under the radar that could help. Probably has an establishment perception, but his lower profile helps combat that. Has handled tricky legislation like the Farm Bill and the CFTC part of the crypto bill. Chair/ranking term limited at Ag.
-Smith: Leadership immersed from the rec bill drama as Ways/Means chair that may have made him enemies from telling people no about slipping their pet projects in, but a super annoying loudmouth that codes him as a fighter. He's also almost certainly closeted and would be funny to see him dodge that getting aired out lol.
-Cole: Very establishment from Rules and Approps, and pretty old. Was NRCC chair all the way back in 2008, so it was a bad intake year for new Repubs and so long ago that there's hardly anyone who owes him from that anymore. Would be a transition figure if he somehow won.
-Hill: Much less chance than Cole bc he's even more establishment, but flagging bc the media will mention him as the Fin Serv chair for being a dealmaker and steady parliamentary procedure hand (like Womack and Simpson). For all those reasons, he would be very good at the governing part of the job and is simultaneously extremely hated by his own conference members.
-Womack: Not at the table anymore since he termed out at Budget, but might be media-mentioned in the same vein as Hill and will be discounted for the same reasons. He also took over Budget after TCJA passed, so has doesn't have any cred of specifically leading a rec bill passage.
-Lucas: Closer to Womack as a termed out chair at both SST and Ag, and one of the four most senior Repubs (after Smith, Rogers and Calvert) but only in his mid 60s. Tried to get a third gavel at Fin Serv but Steering wanted to give someone else a chance. Likely no, but he's a sort of low profile éminence grise.
-Sessions: Former Rules and NRCC (2010 and 2012 intakes) chair that was very establishment but has swung right since losing in the 2018 wave and coming back. But tried in the post-McCarthy transition and got surprisingly low traction for even a doomed campaign.
-Foxx: Quite a bit older than even Cole. I expect her to be replaced at Rules regardless of what happens even if Johnson stays.
-Pfluger: Will be outgoing as RSC chair, the biggest ideological caucus where many past leadership bids have been launched. He's played in some policy paper roles but hasn't thrown his weight around in public as much as other past chairs have (Hern, Banks, Johnson, Walker as his immediate predecessors all did; before them Scalise, Johnson, Price, Hensarling and Pence).
-Harris: Think he'll be term limited as Freedom Caucus chair, but I don't think he's been a terribly popular leader for even them. But could see him try as a Jordan-type if Jordan declines for some reason. Perry is their only former chair left but I think he'll lose reelection this year.
-Flood: Has been a lower profile Main Street Caucus chair since Johnson resigned last summer to focus on his gubernatorial campaign, but that gives him backroom cred as a dealmaker. This probably dooms him for leader, but could see him ascend into leadership somewhere. It's been more of a power player since Johnson than it was under previous remaining co-chairs (Stauber and Bost, who is also VA chair), and I don't particularly see either of them being strong contenders. Maybe a lower rung role.
-I don't see any current/former RGG or PSC chairs being contenders because they're all too establishment for the right-wingers. I think Valadao and Fitzpatrick will lose reelection and Joyce will be the only one left.
-Other current elected leadership members like Moore (conference vice chair), Houchin (conference secretary) and esp Reschenthaler (chief deputy whip) could move up in leadership but all of them are also quite establishment coded and could be binned. Policy chair is vacant since Hern had to resign under conference rules to run for Mullin's Senate seat, and Tenney is the only contender I've seen launch a bid (the vote is later this month). That person will be very new and have fresh contacts from that run to maybe move up, but I think Tenney is kind of useless so hard to see much happen if she wins. Palmer is the only former policy chair still in office and could be a weird Jordan-type dark horse or try to come back into leadership beneath him, but I have a weird sense he'll try to be Freedom Caucus chair next term (or maybe Study Committee, but he's not currently in their leadership team).
I'll note that Minnesota is likely to lose a house seat after 2030, and Emmer's seat seemed to be the one most likely to be axed in 2022 before they just barely kept 8 seats, so they may avoid choosing him for that reason alone.
Based on their track record it seems very unlikely that they choose a woman. Were all the candidates floated against Johnson/McCarthy in some sort of leadership position? If so, I guess that really would preclude a true dark horse no name like William Timmons or Tim Walberg or "that guy from SD."
All the legitimate ones. There were some total randos who had never been in leadership or chaired a committee/caucus like Byron Donalds, Austin Scott, Jack Bergman and Dan Meuser who I think were just stalking horses or (esp Donalds) just trying to elevate their name.
Re: Timmons, Walberg and Johnson, Timmons is too establishment (he was ranking on the last full select committee version of the House Modernization Committee before it was folded into the Admin Committee as a sub) and I don't think Walberg has been a committee chair long enough to make a real case for leader--maybe a lower rung role, I suppose. Johnson is ofc retiring to run for governor, hence how Flood was elevated to RMSC chair mid-last year.
Zach Wahls and Josh Turek are going to be participating in a Forum on Wednesday in Des Moines sponsored by Progress Iowa. I doubt much will come out of it, but they may try to start some fireworks, but I personally hope not.
I’ve mentioned a few of these states before in comments about their full candidate slates, glad to see the media noticing the Democratic recruitment wave across the states.
“ “There’s no question that state Democrats are breaking recruitment records across the country,” Heather Williams, DLCC president, said in an interview. “We’re hitting these markers in all of these important states.”
The success in recruiting at the state legislative level is another force behind the wave of Democratic candidates this election, many of them motivated by an animus toward President Donald Trump.
Democrats have taken a similar approach in U.S. House, Senate and gubernatorial races, challenging in places like rural North Carolina, deep red Mississippi or heavily conservative Oklahoma.
“The work we’ve been able to do in states is demonstrating that it’s not just in Democratic districts or even toss-up districts that we should be able to run candidates,” Williams said. “It’s in every corner of the country.” “
Where in WV do you think Democrats have the best shot at if any?
I remember back in 2020 President Biden barely lost Monongalia County to Trump whereas the rest of the counties in WV he lost by double digits and wide double digits.
Would agree with Mon being the best option. Senator Garcia already represents portions of it. Williams should be able to finally beat Senator Oliverio. There's a few swingy House seats in Mon too, but I'm not too educated on the candidates there.
As I said before, Steyer really should be using his money to buy out media outlets like the Ellisons have been doing, so we can compete with the right wing media empire.
OK, what piece of trash was deleted? If people are continuing to delete content that is not libellous and was replied to, I am going to propose that the mods stamp that out.
It actually wasn’t bad. It was just a comment going after Steyer’s insane vanity run. I’m not sure why it was deleted.
In full transparency, I will delete any comments I made if I feel I jumped to conclusions too quickly or if more facts revealed the contrary. I would though be clear with a follow up comment as to why.
Otherwise, I do not think it’s needed for anyone to delete comments if they have a different point of view.
Don't delete in such situations when comments have been replied to. Edit!
That’s different. I completely agree.
People who've praised Massie for having a line in the sand over Republican debauchery and have heaped praise on him for the high bar of being against child sex trafficking have forgotten that this is the same idiot who posted a family values Christmas photo of his wife and children gripping semi automatic weapons of war. He was an idiot then. He's an idiot now.
He is no ally.
He's an ally on a couple of issues.
His work on Epstein easily makes him one of the best R's in the House, and certainly the best we're gonna get from that seat. Anyone else, (like the people they're trying to replace him with) would be a silent obedient Trump rubberstamp.
Yeah he's a typical fool on 95% of the other issues, but the Epstein stuff is incredibly important, and he's really stuck his neck out more than almost any other Republican in congress, and honestly, has been much more vocal than many Democrats.
Having just spent time defending someone with a lifetime 86% rating from Turning Point Action though, I feel like I need a shower, lol.
No, he is not. However, he is /still/ the best you are likely to get out of KY-04. There will be a Democrat on the ballot, and there will even be a Democratic primary. However, to say that the Democrats running in that primary are running on shoestrings is being generous. Come November, I wouldn't expect the Democratic nominee to pull out a win, but I would watch the margins. to see if they get significantly more than the low 30s that Democratic challengers usually get.
Do you think they could flip one of the suburban Cincinnati counties?
Possibly. Not Boone, but maybe Campbell and/or Kenton.
I don't think we should give up on any district, no matter how red. The Republicans are in the middle of burning the country to the ground, and their main constituency knows it, or will know it soon. There's a lot of time until November, and things are only going to get worse for them. Foot to the neck.
Define what "not giving up" means for districts that are R+25 and worse.
⬆️"Define what "not giving up" means for districts that are R+25 and worse."
Well, for one thing, not leaving any GOP seats uncontested.
And any Democrats running should mount as big of a ground game as they possible can with candidates attending every public event in the community, pressing for candidate forums hosted by the League of Women Voters and other non-partisan groups, and doing a lot of door-knocking. If the GOP candidate is an incumbent who refuses to hold town halls, then an empty chair town hall is a great way for the Democratic candidate to boost their name recognition!
Perseverance is also important! One thing that isn't mentioned enough IMO is that many of the Democrats who flipped seats in the VA House of Delegates races in 2025 were second- (and at least in one case third-) time candidates.
IMO, two really good examples of Democrats running successful ground games in red districts were Caitlin Drey in Iowa and Aftyn Behn in TN. Both scored dramatic Democratic overperformances although Behn lost her race when the GOP spent big bucks to Increase GOP turnout in the special election.
These are all good thoughts, but we do have to remember that it can be hard to find people who are willing to risk their lives and the lives of their families in order to make a hopeless run for office.
They're gonna win some. But there's a possibility for a massive win here. Even the mainstream press, like Politico and Semafor, are talking about it.
Ok, but the Democrats who flipped seats in the Virginia House in 2025 were all running in competitive districts, and while Behn and especially Drey's overperformances were strong, neither were running in deep red (Trump +25 or more) districts. The only electoral use of having a candidate run for an unwinnable house seat is to then have them run for a more competitive state legislative using the network they've built.
Also the principle of not leaving any seat uncontested. Having someone on the ballot really does help bring out disaffected folks who might feel they are in dire straits.
In KY-04. a Democratic candidate can expect to get around 30% just by being on the ballot, and being able to run something that resembles a campaign. I don't expect a big enough swing for whichever Democrat makes the ballot this year to win -- especially if Massie wins the R primary. However, if there's enough of a swing for them to approach, much less exceed, 40%, Republicans should start sweating. If the Democrat should manage to pull the hat out of the rabbit and /win/, the Rs should start sweating bullets.
There’s much more to politics than binary yes or no, black and white world. There’s a whole lotta grey out there. This is one of those things.
He’s not an ally to Democrats, but he is an ally in being against Trump. Those are not the same thing. He will oppose every Democratic priority once we have power again, just like Liz Cheney had a 95% voting record with Trump, so too does Thomas Massie. But she was and is an ally in the overall goal of Democrats gaining power again, not as supporting our party or policy, but in being helpful to divide our opposition. It’s a key part of the reason we even won in 2020. Same as Massie.
If we decide that only complete party purity is allowed, we can’t beat the GOP, it will never happen. When someone is targeting your opponent in politics, you don’t say “hey, you can’t do that with us because you don’t believe what we do”. You say thanks for joining us on this and continue beating the crap out of Trump and his cabal of cronies, say yes government in name only.
Ally is a completely subjective term and is open to various interpretations by each individual, but useful isn’t and I think is a better descriptor. He’s useful to our party right at this moment. Does that mean we suddenly decide to make him a part of our party? Does that mean we give him things while we have power? Does it mean we shift our party to his position? No, of course not. But no one here can deny he’s useful to our party so no one here should be upset over praising him.
We need people like Massie and Cheney to win against Trumpism/MAGA GOP. As soon as we forget that or worse, tell them we don’t want anything to do with them, the harder it will be to end this whole thing in the biggest biblical wipeout in history. Bigger picture needed imo.
Actions speak far louder than words. And from what I can see and hear, this is mostly words of pomp and showmanship for the rabid base. What is NOT mere words are Massie's actions, not least of all his leadership in cosponsoring petitions to release the Epstein files, continuous and consistent opposition to Trump's BBB, and of course, cosponsoring legislation or forcing a vote to oppose military action in both Venezuela and Iran alike. You may disagree with his politics and views but you cannot say that he has done many actions that those opposed to Trump would find very agreeable, and with much integrity and courage risking his support of conservative voters at home in Kentucky. The same cannot be said for nearly all of his GOP colleagues, including alleged moderates who kowtow like cowards and lemmings.
That’s a reasonable and fair retort.
Pre-Trump, Massie was quite an ass as he was one of the House Republicans to have been elected during the days when the Tea Party influenced the GOP.
However, with Trump being an albatross on the GOP, Massie has been pushed to be more sensible even while he still holds pretty consistent Libertarian principles like Senator Rand Paul.
Not impressed.
Does anyone really believe that Rs will be wiped out if gas is at $6/gallon? Kurt Bardella thinks so.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/gas-at-6-could-trigger-extinction-level-event-for-gop-strategist/ar-AA20dA2a?ocid=BingNewsSerp
I think it could wipe out Rs in swing states like GA, but probably not in red bastions like TN, AR, ID, WY, OH, and FL.
Every time I visit Orlando, I take public transit whenever possible (particularly Lynx or iRide Trolley near International Dr). People like to rag on FL for lots of things, but at least in the cities, the public transit is affordable and on time.
Heck, I was in Orlando when the Russia-Ukraine fight broke out -- and I took the Lynx bus on a whim to the airport to see if I could get there for $2 instead of the $20-30 rideshare to OIA. And while it took me an hour to get there, it only cost $2 and I still got to the airport in plenty of time to catch my flight.
I remember the post you responded to. Why the fuck was it deleted? I am going to contact the mods.
South of $4 here in Ohio. Though starting to creep over $4 some places.
Gas is roughly the equivalent of $5 USD per gallon here in Toronto and our nonce of a Conservative leader has the brilliant idea of lifting all federal taxes on gas, which won't have a damaging effect on the deficit at all.
Here in Charlotte, NC (which has pretty high gas taxes) regular grade broke the $4 mark in the last week. I'm retired and only fill up my tank every couple of weeks, but with the war and its impact on ga prices being in the news, I'm paying more attention to the big signs with the price per gallon.
I ordered these "I did that!" stickers on Etsy:
www.etsy.com/listing/1868613861/trump-i-did-that-stickers-funny
I also liked these: www.etsy.com/listing/4473999432/100-pc-iran-your-gas-prices-up-sticker
I'm sharing with friends so that we can plaster them all over town to bring awareness of the consequences of Trump's actions.
Why are you putting Ohio and Florida in the same category as Wyoming? If Trump having an approval rating in the low 30s and the economy collapsing in the midst of an unpopular war isn’t enough for us to win anything to the right of North Carolina, our democracy is doomed, and I really don’t believe that’s the case.
I'm pessimistic about a GOP electoral wipeout because the last couple of election cycles have let me down (particularly in FL), yet I'm optimistic because Trump voters are now getting the horrific policies without advisors and generals reining him in. And yet some are STILL ride-or-die with him regardless how badly they're hurting... look at how the meathead and the compliant FL legislature were busy renaming Palm Beach International after him instead of helping their constituents.
If you’re pessimistic enough to think we can’t win even light red states when the country is falling apart and Trump is horribly unpopular, then what’s the point of any of this? In that view we’ll never be able to win enough power to fix any of the country’s problems no matter what happens so what’s the point of even fighting? I have to believe that we actually can win elections and that the chaos Trump is causing will help us win more than normal, otherwise I’d just be accepting that there is no point to participating in politics.
I would like to be pleasantly surprised this fall. Nothing would make me giddy than to see a 2010 in reverse mixed with 2018 gains.
The brutal reality is that the legislatures and executives of most of the advanced industrialized economies on this planet have completely and utterly lost the ability to meaningfully address the catastrophic medium and long-term problems they face, from demographic to environmental collapse.
We have to keep fighting anyways. It might seem hopeless, but I'd rather face the darkness knowing I tried to do something, than to do nothing but help the oligarchs lead me to my grave.
⬆️"I'm pessimistic about a GOP electoral wipeout because the last couple of election cycles have let me down..."
This mid-term election will IMO be much more like 2018 than 2022. Both were ant-incumbent elections but with different "in" parties.
I honestly can't comprehend how so many voters believed Trump's BS in 2024 but IF the polls are to be believed there is a HUGE amount of buyer's remorse amongst all but the most dedicated MAGAs.
It would also help IMO if some of the establishment Democrats retired or lost their primaries to younger, more progressive or populist candidates. One of the messaging gurus (I forget which one) said that Democrats need to run on something other than the status quo. That really resonated with me.
And there may be a silver lining in Trump's attempts to disenfranchise voters - people are less likely to blow off voting if they think someone is trying to make sure that they can't do it!
I hope it's better than 2018! The election that gave us Supreme Court Justice Amy Comey Barrett!
That is on McConnell and his win at any cost tactics!
Wouldn't have been possible if Republicans hadn't netted two Senate seats in the "Democratic landslide" of 2018.
Trump endorsed Steve Hilton in CA-Gov. Reduces the chance of a dem lockout since republicans probably won't split their votes so evenly.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/06/politics/steve-hilton-trump-endorsement-california-hnk
So close to posting before you, lol
Their only chance was an all-R lockout, so Trump likely just ended their chances entirely. Always nice when he intervenes on our behalf because he's too stupid and arrogant to act strategically.
Maybe Tr*mp will also give his "full and total endorsement" to Chad Bianco for Governor.
Could happen...
He usually only does that when he's not sure if his one choice will win. All that matters to him is his batting average; he wants all the credit and glory for any perceived victory. There's enough time for his endorsement to help Hilton pull away from Bianco, so a double endorsement seems unnecessary at this point. Although that could change if Hilton does not pull away and Trump's precious average is at risk.
Time for Dems to run ads all across California trumpeting this endorsement. Maybe even calling Hilton "too conservative" for California.
LOL i'm sure the Cal Republican state party is thrilled
Who cares? It’s not as if the CA GOP went out of their way to push top quality candidates to begin with.
Chad Bianco may be a sheriff with a MAGA agenda but he stood with anti-police brutality protestors in light of the George Floyd. Steve Hilton’s been throwing this at Bianco.
Steve Hilton has no elected experience and is a washed up former adviser of British PM David Cameron in the Conservative Party. He is your typical country club, wealthy chamber of commerce pandering dude who is a known commentator on Fox News.
But no notable elected GOP CA government leaders otherwise. Oh how the CA GOP has fallen since the 90’s.
Trump finally does something for California.
Thank you Trump for your service in helping Democrats win the CA-GOV race.
This all but guarantees at least one Democrat makes the general election, and thus all but guaranteeing a Democratic hold.
Bianco has been doing a good job in attracting the far-right-as-you-can- get-without-an-actual-sieg-heil voter, so you can't tell for sure. Still, the endorsement must help Hilton to a certain extent, unless the anti-Trump wave is even bigger than we think it is. I've always thought that at least one of the three main Democrats--Swalwell, Porter, or Steyer--would make their way into the general as Dems get their word out. I still do. My guess is Swalwell.
Your guess seems logical. Swalwell’s been taking up endorsements as well, particularly from the unions.
Also, Trump/his DOJ's been trying to target Swalwell lately, which is pretty much guaranteed to push him to the front of the pack in a frigging Dem primary, much less here.
Maybe for his next act he can throw someone in a briar patch.
Yeah, Porter torched herself and Steyer's yet another billionaire "outsider" because we NEED more of those, god knows. MORE billionaires with no experience but plenty of ego, by gum, ugh
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/06/politics/steve-hilton-trump-endorsement-california-hnk
CA-Gov: Trump endorses Steve Hilton
Politico says this could be a "fatal blow" to the Bianco campaign
Good! Good!
I heard on Coffee with the Contrarians live broadcast this morning that Janet Mills has pulled out of the primary debate with Platner. Does this suggest that she may be pulling out of the primary as well?
I don't want to rule out that she may withdraw from the race, but I highly doubt pulling out of one debate is an indication of that.
Given how far behind she is, she ought to either do the debate or just quit the race. I'm not impressed with her campaign at all, and I suspect she would lose to Collins.
Agreed - she should have jumped in earlier and more vigorously campaigned, or just not run at all. What we're seeing so far is weak, considering she's running against a shady neo-Nazi adjacent mercenary in the primary.
He's not a neo-Nazi in any way, shape or form.
Probably not a good idea to associate with them by getting a tattoo if you want people to think that. I'm more concerned about his work for Blackwater FWIW. I appreciate that he at least got rid of the tattoo and owned up to it.
According to the polling, he's going to easily win the primary and then defeat Collins by a larger margin than Mills would.
Mainers don't appear to be terribly concerned about his past mistakes, which he has fully admitted to and owned. Or perhaps the ones who are "concerned" (wink wink) are already voting for Collins.
Schumer fucking botched the recruitment here in Maine. We all saw Joe Biden implode on the debate stage vs. Trump in 2024 because he was too old, but somehow Schumer didn't think that base Democrats might have a problem with running someone who'll be in her 80s if elected to the Senate?
It would be fine if Mills was energized and healthy (like Bernie Sanders), but she isn't.
Also see the Drop Site News (bleh) leak of Mills' virtual townhall with a Dem club where she went off on a former state legislator asking her a tough question. Mills' answer reeked of entitlement and had the energy akin to, "How dare you ask me this question."
No, we didn't see Biden "implode" on the debate stage in 2024. We saw Biden have a bad debate and the Democratic establishment take out the long knives for him to do the work of their corporate donors. Contrast this with Reagan's first debate performance in 1984 and how the Republican establishment lifted him up to a 49-state victory a few months later.
Lmao.
Wow....a Biden '24 dead-ender. I didn't realize there were any of you guys left!
Regardless of what anyone may think on an individual level about Biden's debate performance, the result is undeniable. His support imploded. The leaks we saw had his internal polling indicating he was on track to lose something like 35-40 states with a low double digit popular vote loss if I remember right.
There is no amount of circling the wagons by the democratic establishment that would have reversed that kind of deficit.
Not to play hall monitor here, but doesn’t relitigating whether Biden should have run or not in 2024 violate site rules?
I do think that if he’d stuck it out until November we might well have hit a 1980-level disaster. Harris kept it to a roughly 1968-level narrow loss.
Me, too.
Yeah to start her campaign praising Collins and now this ugh.
What could she possibly have of more importance than a debate in a primary where she's trailing?
Don’t know, but Mills’ campaign seems remarkably half-hearted so far. She only got in after months of persuasion and it soon became clear, if it wasn’t already, that she’s not the only Dem who can win the seat, and given her performance so far one can reasonably question whether she really wants to be a senator.
Unfortunately her main primary challenger, while younger and more energetic, carries his own baggage. Maybe Mills is doing a service in helping test Platner out and seeing how voters react to his issues, instead of allowing him to coast to the nomination only for the GOP to drop a series of bombshells on him in the general (though given this year’s political trends so far even that may not be enough to save Collins.)
https://tejanonation.net/2026/04/04/bobby-pulido-fires-back-at-sleazy-tabloid-story-refocuses-campaign-on-south-texas-issues/
TX-15: The best line of attack Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R) can come up with against challenger Bobby Pulido is that he performed with a sex offender years ago.
She supports a sex offender.
Senate Leadership Fund announced a $71 million ad buy supporting Trump NC Senate pick (and pedophile associator) Michael Whatley.
https://www.wral.com/news/nccapitol/nc-senate-cooper-whatley-spending-election-2026-republican-slf-march-2026/
That's part of a $342 million ad buy reserving airtime in eight states: NC, ME, AK, OH, IA, GA, MI and NH. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/06/republican-super-pac-senate-midterm-spending-00860206
Per Axios, SLF plans to spend $79 million in OH, $71 million in NC, $42 million in ME, $29 million in IA, $15 million in AK, $45 million in MI, $44 million in GA and $17 million in NH.
https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/H6CA14130/1910535/
CA-14: Attorney Abrar Qadir (D) dropped out of the crowded race to succeed Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading candidate for governor.
Other major candidates include state Sen. Aisha Wahab, BART official Melissa Hernandez, former Hillary Clinton campaign official Matt Ortega, San Leandro councilman Victor Aguilar, and businesswoman Rakhi Israni.
Having Wahab out of the State Senate will be great (because of her NIMBY record). And she will likely be a huge progressive vote in Congress. Win-win in my view
You are aware housing is an issue that isn’t restricted to what state government can do, right?
If Wahab is a progressive vote in Congress, on the issue of housing she would likely push for more affordable housing at the federal level. Something Senator Adam Schiff has been working to do with legislation.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/06/politics/cnn-will-host-a-california-gubernatorial-primary-debate-on-may-5
CA-Gov: CNN will host a debate on May 5 in Los Angeles moderated by Kaitlan Collins. The candidates will include Bianco, Hilton, Swalwell, Porter, Steyer, Becerra, Mahan and Villaraigosa.
I wish there were fewer candidates, but hopefully this draws more attention to the race.
Others have until April 27 to meet the criteria for participation. Criteria includes raising $1 million and meeting polling criteria. To meet polling criteria, candidates must get at least 3% in two polls or an average of 3% in two polls conducted by organizations whose methodology meets CNN’s standards for reporting. https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/06/politics/cnn-will-host-a-california-gubernatorial-primary-debate-on-may-5
What pathetically low requirements. The bar is set so far below the threshold for viability.
At least they're managing to exclude some of the zero-chance candidates.
interesting. I thought I'd read somewhere that the four low-tier candidates of color have an "all in" agreement where they won't appear on a debate stage unless all of them appear.
If they're hoping that one of them will break out into the top tier of candidates, that isn't a smart strategy.
Speaking of the VA redistricting race, there is still time to join a phonebank to promote Vote YES.
https://www.virginiagrassroots.org/voteYES/voteyes_resources.php?content=phonebank
www.environmentalvoter.org/get-involved
plus here is a Mobilize query for more phone banks:
https://www.mobilize.us/?event_type=2&q=Redistricting
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/06/jim-jordan-house-gop-leader-00858917
OH-4: Rep. Jim Jordan, once a far-right firebrand, is losing steam within his party. He may retire within the next few cycles. But first, he wants to be the Republican House leader when Johnson inevitably steps down when the majority is lost in November.
*snort*
Will he even get enough votes to get Minority Leader status?
Tragically, I think almost certainly. I think Scalise is probably his main competition, but he's so tied to leadership all the way back to Boehner that I can see the desire for someone different. Jordan actually got a higher conference vote in the 2023 speaker nomination marathons than Scalise (Jordan 124 to Scalise 113). Obvi it will depend a bit on the relative factional composition after 2026, but it seems like the march rightward is not ending and you only need a simple majority of the conference to be minority leader--obviously no majority of the chamber needed like for speaker (who is, by definition in the current House system, part of the majority).
If not Jordan or Scalise, some other possible contenders. I think the candidates come from leadership, full committee chairs and the "five families" caucus chairs. I still don't think even Repubs want a rando backbencher. I did actually say I thought Johnson would win the McCarthy succession (I have texts from the time predicting it before he put himself forward lol), but I don't see anyone below Hudson in leadership leapfrogging the way he did.
-Emmer: I think still seen as too moderate by Repubs (shocking, I know), but may have some lingering goodwill from being NRCC chair for 2020 and 2022.
-McClain: Newish to senior leadership this term (was conference secretary the term before) and a somewhat unknown entity that could be intriguing, but she's from the more governing cloth too that I think will be seen skeptically. And at least Steering under Johnson has been markedly more sexist than it was under Boehner/Ryan/McCarthy, if that's any indication of the wider conference now.
-Hudson: Has been NRCC chair for the 2024 and 2026 cycles and was conference secretary for a term before that. But the stench of presiding over a loss could be a lot.
-Comer: As a Jordan-lite candidate with a bit less baggage. Note that Jordan and him are both technically term limited for chair/ranking after the election, but I think either could get a rare waiver for another term if they don't go into leadership. Otherwise, Jordan will retake Oversight from Comer, and Comer will just run for KY governor in 2027.
-Rogers: Seen as too establishment, and drunk. Chair/ranking term limited at HASC.
-Thompson: A bit under the radar that could help. Probably has an establishment perception, but his lower profile helps combat that. Has handled tricky legislation like the Farm Bill and the CFTC part of the crypto bill. Chair/ranking term limited at Ag.
-Smith: Leadership immersed from the rec bill drama as Ways/Means chair that may have made him enemies from telling people no about slipping their pet projects in, but a super annoying loudmouth that codes him as a fighter. He's also almost certainly closeted and would be funny to see him dodge that getting aired out lol.
-Cole: Very establishment from Rules and Approps, and pretty old. Was NRCC chair all the way back in 2008, so it was a bad intake year for new Repubs and so long ago that there's hardly anyone who owes him from that anymore. Would be a transition figure if he somehow won.
-Hill: Much less chance than Cole bc he's even more establishment, but flagging bc the media will mention him as the Fin Serv chair for being a dealmaker and steady parliamentary procedure hand (like Womack and Simpson). For all those reasons, he would be very good at the governing part of the job and is simultaneously extremely hated by his own conference members.
-Womack: Not at the table anymore since he termed out at Budget, but might be media-mentioned in the same vein as Hill and will be discounted for the same reasons. He also took over Budget after TCJA passed, so has doesn't have any cred of specifically leading a rec bill passage.
-Lucas: Closer to Womack as a termed out chair at both SST and Ag, and one of the four most senior Repubs (after Smith, Rogers and Calvert) but only in his mid 60s. Tried to get a third gavel at Fin Serv but Steering wanted to give someone else a chance. Likely no, but he's a sort of low profile éminence grise.
-Sessions: Former Rules and NRCC (2010 and 2012 intakes) chair that was very establishment but has swung right since losing in the 2018 wave and coming back. But tried in the post-McCarthy transition and got surprisingly low traction for even a doomed campaign.
-Foxx: Quite a bit older than even Cole. I expect her to be replaced at Rules regardless of what happens even if Johnson stays.
-Pfluger: Will be outgoing as RSC chair, the biggest ideological caucus where many past leadership bids have been launched. He's played in some policy paper roles but hasn't thrown his weight around in public as much as other past chairs have (Hern, Banks, Johnson, Walker as his immediate predecessors all did; before them Scalise, Johnson, Price, Hensarling and Pence).
-Harris: Think he'll be term limited as Freedom Caucus chair, but I don't think he's been a terribly popular leader for even them. But could see him try as a Jordan-type if Jordan declines for some reason. Perry is their only former chair left but I think he'll lose reelection this year.
-Flood: Has been a lower profile Main Street Caucus chair since Johnson resigned last summer to focus on his gubernatorial campaign, but that gives him backroom cred as a dealmaker. This probably dooms him for leader, but could see him ascend into leadership somewhere. It's been more of a power player since Johnson than it was under previous remaining co-chairs (Stauber and Bost, who is also VA chair), and I don't particularly see either of them being strong contenders. Maybe a lower rung role.
-I don't see any current/former RGG or PSC chairs being contenders because they're all too establishment for the right-wingers. I think Valadao and Fitzpatrick will lose reelection and Joyce will be the only one left.
-Other current elected leadership members like Moore (conference vice chair), Houchin (conference secretary) and esp Reschenthaler (chief deputy whip) could move up in leadership but all of them are also quite establishment coded and could be binned. Policy chair is vacant since Hern had to resign under conference rules to run for Mullin's Senate seat, and Tenney is the only contender I've seen launch a bid (the vote is later this month). That person will be very new and have fresh contacts from that run to maybe move up, but I think Tenney is kind of useless so hard to see much happen if she wins. Palmer is the only former policy chair still in office and could be a weird Jordan-type dark horse or try to come back into leadership beneath him, but I have a weird sense he'll try to be Freedom Caucus chair next term (or maybe Study Committee, but he's not currently in their leadership team).
I'll note that Minnesota is likely to lose a house seat after 2030, and Emmer's seat seemed to be the one most likely to be axed in 2022 before they just barely kept 8 seats, so they may avoid choosing him for that reason alone.
Thanks, that was fascinating reading!
Based on their track record it seems very unlikely that they choose a woman. Were all the candidates floated against Johnson/McCarthy in some sort of leadership position? If so, I guess that really would preclude a true dark horse no name like William Timmons or Tim Walberg or "that guy from SD."
All the legitimate ones. There were some total randos who had never been in leadership or chaired a committee/caucus like Byron Donalds, Austin Scott, Jack Bergman and Dan Meuser who I think were just stalking horses or (esp Donalds) just trying to elevate their name.
Re: Timmons, Walberg and Johnson, Timmons is too establishment (he was ranking on the last full select committee version of the House Modernization Committee before it was folded into the Admin Committee as a sub) and I don't think Walberg has been a committee chair long enough to make a real case for leader--maybe a lower rung role, I suppose. Johnson is ofc retiring to run for governor, hence how Flood was elevated to RMSC chair mid-last year.
Zach Wahls and Josh Turek are going to be participating in a Forum on Wednesday in Des Moines sponsored by Progress Iowa. I doubt much will come out of it, but they may try to start some fireworks, but I personally hope not.
Doug Jones seems like he needs to get his fundraising operation in gear.
I’ve mentioned a few of these states before in comments about their full candidate slates, glad to see the media noticing the Democratic recruitment wave across the states.
https://x.com/PollTracker2024/status/2041131684267983270
“ NOTUS: Democratic Candidate Recruitment Is Booming, Even in Republican Districts
Democrats, hoping for a wave, are pushing candidates in state legislative districts that only recently went unchallenged. “
https://www.notus.org/2026-election/democratic-candidate-recruitment-state-legislative
“ “There’s no question that state Democrats are breaking recruitment records across the country,” Heather Williams, DLCC president, said in an interview. “We’re hitting these markers in all of these important states.”
The success in recruiting at the state legislative level is another force behind the wave of Democratic candidates this election, many of them motivated by an animus toward President Donald Trump.
Democrats have taken a similar approach in U.S. House, Senate and gubernatorial races, challenging in places like rural North Carolina, deep red Mississippi or heavily conservative Oklahoma.
“The work we’ve been able to do in states is demonstrating that it’s not just in Democratic districts or even toss-up districts that we should be able to run candidates,” Williams said. “It’s in every corner of the country.” “
They're not mentioning WV (which has Democrats running in each district) or MO (where they got candidates for 98% of seats).
Yeah, we had some good legislative recruits this cycle. John Williams, Nick Fluharty, Quincy Wilson, Steve Williams.
Where in WV do you think Democrats have the best shot at if any?
I remember back in 2020 President Biden barely lost Monongalia County to Trump whereas the rest of the counties in WV he lost by double digits and wide double digits.
Mon County would be the likeliest. Then perhaps Wheeling. Charleston seems to forget that state capitals should be Blue.
Would agree with Mon being the best option. Senator Garcia already represents portions of it. Williams should be able to finally beat Senator Oliverio. There's a few swingy House seats in Mon too, but I'm not too educated on the candidates there.