All my predictions, except one, were correct.
Mark Critz (D-PA) appeared to narrowly win a special election today to fill the late Rep. John Murtha’s seat, a victory the Democrats believe means the fall midterm elections might not be so bad after all. He’ll be quickly seated by House leadership once results are finalized.
Critz was leading Republican Tim Burns with 53 percent of the vote to Burns’ 45 percent and 70 percent of precincts reporting, and Burns conceded the race around 10:30 p.m. In an unusual twist, both candidates are aiming to be on the November ballot. Critz was on track to prevail in a party primary to be the nominee in the general election, and if Burns’ lead for his primary holds steady, these two candidates will be matched up again in November.
The Dem turnout was boosted by a competitive Senate primary between Sen. Arlen Specter and Rep. Joe Sestak, one reason the majority party had been sounding quite confident about the race for several days. Critz was fueled as well by labor activists and Democratic volunteers who made calls and knocked on doors for weeks to help keep the seat. Former President Bill Clinton stumped for Critz over the weekend.
Although, RNC Chairman Michael Steele was once talking a pretty big game on the race as well, telling the Washington Post last week "We’re going to win."…
Inserted from <TPM>
Holding onto Murtha’s seat is a big plus for the Democrats. It is also the eighth straight special House election that Democrats have one.
Here’s the one where I was wrong.
Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak defeated Sen. Arlen Specter in the Democratic Senate primary, a large-scale political upset that ends the career of one of the enduring figures in Pennsylvania politics.
"This election is about you," said Sestak in his victory speech. "This is what democracy looks like: a win for the people, over the establishment, over the status quo, even over Washington, D.C."
Specter, who is 80 years old and has served since 1980 in the Senate, called it a "great privilege" to have served in the Senate and added that he would "be working very, very hard for the people of the commonwealth in the coming months."
Specter had built a reputation over his decades in Congress as a quirky but effective legislator. He played a prominent role in a series of Supreme Court confirmation hearings — including those of Robert Bork and Justice Clarence Thomas — from his perch atop the Senate Judiciary Committee…
Inserted from <Washington Post>
I could not be more pleased at being wrong. I thought that the strong party machine in PA would pull it out for Specter, but I wanted Sestak to win. I even sent him a small donation. Obama was wrong to oppose him, but the good thing is that he now has no political favors to repay.
I’m also happy with the results in Arkansas.
Incumbent Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln and Lt. Gov. Bill Halter will face each other again in a June 8 runoff after neither candidate received 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
Lincoln, elected to the Senate in 1998, has a powerful position as the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee. A moderate Democrat, she faced a primary challenge from her left — Halter was backed by several large labor unions and the liberal group MoveOn.org.
With nearly two-thirds of precincts reporting, the two candidates both had around 43 percent of the votes while a third candidate had about 14 percent…
Inserted from <PBS>
As soon as voting was underway Lincoln’s Blue Dog allies started to dismantle her tough anti-derivative amendment. As I have said, the only reason she did that was to gain creds for the primary. If Halter is smart, he’ll use this to defeat her in the runoff.
Here in Oregon, Ron Wyden won with 90% of the votes. That was too boring to make the national news.
On the pig party front, Kentucky was Teabagged.
Republican Rand Paul, a Tea Party-backed political newcomer, defeated the GOP-establishment candidate in Kentucky’s Senate primary Tuesday as Democratic incumbent Sens. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas fought primary challengers in this year’s first big test of anti-establishment anger among voters.
Paul, the son of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, beat Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson for the Republican nomination to run in November for the Senate seat open by the retirement of Republican Sen. Jim Bunning. With 43 percent of the precincts reporting, Paul led Grayson by 60 percent to 36 percent.
Paul’s victory represented a defeat for Kentucky’s Republican hierarchy, which solidly backed Grayson. Kentucky’s powerful senior senator, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell put his weight behind Grayson, as did former Vice President Dick Cheney, who called Grayson the real conservative in the race.
Paul, however, had tea party support and the backing of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, a movement favorite, and from Bunning, who has strained relations with McConnell and other state Republicans…
Inserted from <McClatchy DC>
I expected Rand ‘Son of Tinfoil Hat’ Paul to win. There is one good thing about this. Mitch ‘On Bought Bitch’ McConnell, Dick ‘Torture Lover’ Cheney, and Rudy ‘9/11’ Giuliani all endorsed his opponent.
As the November elections approach, remember one thing:
21 Responses to “Primary Report – 5/19/2010”
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Crazy Kentuckians. Must be all that whiskey. 🙂
Either that or they’re smoking the bluegrass.
I suspect this race will go to the Dem in November – I’m hoping PA is not stupid enough to elect a teabagger, especially because of all the unions in PA. As for Blanche Lincoln, the only thing I’ve liked about her is her tough stance on derivatives – other than that, she’s a DINO and needs to go.
Lisa, although the Teabaggers support Toomy, he isn’t really one of them. He’s a hard-core neocon/corporocon. Expect her derivatives amendment to disappear. Had she gotten 50%, it would be gone already.
Jon Stewart likes to make fun of the name Sestak. sometimes bringing in a live white duck for ephasis, but Sestak no joke.
Way to go!
That’s funny, Ivan.
Looks promising. What do you think of the Democratic candidate in Kentucky? Rand Paul seems to be attracting some of the cultism surrounding his father, and I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces (well, on their blogs) if he’s flushed away in the general.
Infidel, I think he’s a blue dog. In Kentucky, that’s the best we can get, I think.
Great sum-up of the election results, and I agree, I think the Democrats are in pretty good shape as a result.
And you know what else? Even if Arlen Specter was a real Democrat, I’m starting to think it’s time to have some kind of age limit on these guys. He’s 80. My father-in-law is about 80, and while he’s perfectly smart and a great guy, when you’re 80, you are kind of out of touch with the current world. My FIL refuses to use ATMs, he won’t get EZ Pass, doesn’t use computers, and just found out that Cheerios have oats in them and are good for you. Arlen Specter refers to people smoking “Dutch Cleanser,” a type of household cleaner that isn’t even on the shelves anymore. It’s time for some new blood, let’s face it. And much as I love my state of New Jersey’s Frank Lautenberg, I think it’s time for someone new there too. What is he now, 87?
Thanks, Mimi. I think you make a good point. At 62, I could not handle the pace of campaigning for the Senate. However, I think it depends on the individual.
All in all, not a bad night I don’t think. The teabaggers don’t seem that successful over all, and I suspect will end up splitting the Rethugs vote in the end. I don’t think the Rethugs have much to cheer about.
Sherry, I think you’re absolutely right.
I for one am very pleased with turn out Tuesday. Mitch’s days as leader are numbered.
Poor Mike Steele, I’m sure he’ll take much of the blame. Someone tell him theirs only one Obama. For the GOP, I think they are questioning what year it really is, they thought it was 1994.. As far as Rand Paul, give him all the air time he wants as he will dig his own grave with his nutty beliefs. As far as Specter, Dead man walking..A deal made in hell so the hell with him..
Tim, Steele will see the underside of the bus in December. The problem is the GOP is not questing the year at all. In their mimds, it’s 1860.
I am weary of the MSM carrying on over the Rand Paul election as if the Tea Party had now assumed leadership of American politics. It was one primary election in a Red State. It was the son of an infamous pol, Ron Paul. It is not a big deal and he will get his ass kicked in November.
Specter needed to go and I am glad he went. Sestak’s arrogance is laughable. Give him a couple of months in the halls of congress and he will fall right into lock-step with the established pols.
Mike, the Tea Party sells soap. As for Sestak, I expect him to turn into a reliable Democrat on most issues.
It was great seeing Mitch McConnell’s hand-picked boy get his butt thoroughly kicked. I am certainly no teabagger or Rand Paul fan, but to see McConnell repudiated by his own state was a real treat! The only bad thing is that now we’ll never get Sarah Palin to shut up, and the little idiot will be crowing all the way to November!
Jack, are you suggesting that Mooseolini would not be crowing, even if Paul had lost?
I worry about our tax-supported Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Seems to me that lately they have been highlighting teabagger concerns in Arkansas, seemingly calling the movement a force of nature…Come on. This is a phoney movement, the teabaggers have not yet won in Arkansas, and the CBC,once considered so far left as to be “almost commie”–seems to me to be turning to the right.
Ivan, you’ve been under Harper too long. Canada is losing its soul.
Mad Mike,
Exactly.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation here almos gave Ron Paul a puff job.
And the CBC once known as “a bunch of commie pinkos’?
What gives with the MSM?…And even our tax suported CBC?