A list of House seats..in need of money UPDATE 9/19

http://redmeatconservative.blogspot.com/2010/09/district-by-district-house-polls-and.html

ARIZONA-1: I have stumped with Dr. Paul Gosar in Prescott, and this dentist-turned-candidate is passionate about repealing and replacing Obamacare, and he has Pelosi-supporter Ann Kirkpatrick on the run. He had a primary that depleted his war chest, but with funds he can take this key district for the GOP. http://www.gosarforcongress.com/ HH

ARIZONA-5: Dave Schweikert is ebullient, talented, smart and relentless, an experienced candidate who took on incumbent Harry Mitchell in 2008 against a stiff head win but who now has the momentum and the lead. All he needs is the cash. You won't find a harder-working candidate. http://www.david10.com/welcome HH

ARIZONA-8: Marine Corps combat veteran Jesse Kelly surprised many observers with his candidacy and then with his natural political skills. He inspired my audience when he appeared on my show after his recent primary victory, and he is pushing Gabrielle Giffords already.There is not a more clear choice anywhere n America between the Pelosi-clone Giffords and Jesse Kelly, and the race is a dead heat. http://www.votejessekelly.com/ HH

Running for an open seat in what was a safe Democratic district, this Iraq veteran is now ahead of his Democratic rival. But because the district is usually so Democrat, he's not getting the funding he needs to put it away.

She is running against Mike Ross, the biggest hypocrite in Washington (quite a title!). When he could have killed Obamacare in committee, he voted for it -- his was the swing vote. Then, on the floor, he voted no twice. He needs to be defeated. Rankin is a strong conservative voice who worked for Mike Huckabee when he was governor.

Running against Jerry McNerney, one of the few California Democrats we can defeat this year. Harmer is an articulate, able conservative and his district is just below Pelosi's. His victory would send her quite a message!

An articulate, able, intelligent, charismatic black Republican reminiscent of the strengths of Obama! He faces a long time incumbent, Dave Pearlmutter, and is running tied in the polls. A race the Dems never expected to lose.

COLORADO-3: Scott Tipton's lead over the incumbent Democrat is small but stunning given the fact that John Salazar is the brother of the Secretary of the Interior and can call on the Obama Administration for lots of help, and will get it. But Salazar is a reliable Pelosi vote and Obamacare supporter, and with adequate resources, Tipton can win this one. http://www.votetipton.com/ HH

COLORADO-4: Republican nominee Cory Gardner beat my friend Tom Lucero for this opportunity to unseat liberal Betsy Markey, which means that Gardner is an exceptional candidate as was Tom. Gardner will quickly rise in House leadership and on the national stage, but in the bizarre political environment of Colorado this year, he and the other challengers for blue seats in the Rocky Mountain State need help. http://corygardner.com/home HH. .

FLORIDA-22: Alan West against Klein (while I want West to win, it appears he's doing fairly well as of late with his fund raising). http://allenwestforcongress.com/ FR

Maine Dean is running against an incumbent (pingree) who is being groomed by Pelosi for future work. Her family has a ton of money, and many big groups outside Maine are throwing money at her. Dean is a true patriot. Smart, dedicated family man. http://www.scontras2010.com/node/204 FR

Maryland 1 Don't forget MD 1st district Harris(R) v Kratovil(D)(Obamacare rat) http://www.andyharris.com/ FR

My how time flies. John Dingell has been in Congress for 55 years! The all time record for the House. And Dad was in the seat for 23 before that! Now the dynasty could end and evict the 83 year old Dingell who, more than any other Congressman, wrote the health care bill. Dr. Rob Steele, a heart doctor, is opposing him and is only seven points behind! But nobody believes Dingell could lose. The truth is that Steele can win. Help him out.

Michigan 7 Tim Walberg in Michigan's 7th district has a fair sized lead but we could use all the help we can get since we're all broke. http://www.walbergforcongress.com/Home.aspx FR

Mississippi 4 Steve Palazzo, http://palazzoforcongress.com/ DM Now on active duty for two weeks, this former Marine is opposing Gene Taylor the bluest of blue dogs. Taylor is just the kind of hypocrite who keeps Pelosi in power. He comes from one of the most conservative districts in the nation but manages to fool the voters. Not this time! North Carolina 11 Heath Shuler we have an opportunity to knock off a high profile Dem http://heathshuler.com/ FR

NY20 Col Chris Gibson was red, and is a contender to turn back to blue (see KHR). Rankings have been changing in our favor by the pundits over the past few weeks. See this tidbit from Victor Davis Hanson re Col Gibson "A Most unusual person""I don't get involved in the particulars of promoting political candidates.....But in New York's 20th Congressional District this year one of the rarest individuals I have ever met.....if we are going to save the country, we need leaders like Gibson....." http://www.chrisgibsonforcongress.com/ FR

New York -24 Republican businessman Richard Hanna against NY's 24th district's DemoRAT Michael Arcuri. This one is listed as a Toss up. http://www.richardhannaforcongress.com/ FR

Running against Sy Israel in Suffolk County, Gomez is riding Jewish discontent with Obama and middle class angst over unemployment. He isn't on the radar screens, but has a good chance of pulling an upset but needs funding, New York

North Carolina The Republican candidate for the seat is Jeff Miller, a really decent gentleman and businessman who helped organize the Flights of Honor (specifically the Honor Flight Network) bringing WWII vets to DC. http://www.scontras2010.com/node/204 FR

OHIO-16: Jim Renacci is a successful businessman and an accountant who knew that freshman D John Bocieri would flip flop on Obamacare, and of course Bocieri did, but it won't help the Pelosi loyalist. I have campaigned with Jim in Canton and appeared with him in Cleveland and he's a dynamic, smart, and focused candidate and all the union money in the country won't keep Bocieri in this seat. http://www.renacciforcongress.com/ HH R49/35

OHIO-18: Ohio State Senator Bob Gibbs knows this district and knows as well that Democrat Zach Space has one thing going for him --machine money from the Pelosi war-chest. If Gibbs gets enough support, this seat comes home to the remade Republican majority http://www.bobgibbsforcongress.com/ HH R43/43

A sleeper race against Charlie Wilson (not that one). Nobody expected him to win but his polling looks better and better. We are ahead in a bunch of Ohio seats and could add this one to the list

PENNSYLVANIA-14 Melissa Haluszczak I'd like to add to your list if I may. I live in PA 14. Our current Rep is Mike Doyle (former member of democratic socialists of America). This guy is a progressive, no doubt about it. He's a Pelosi insider & he engineered the executive order on abortion in the Obamacare bill. Lots of people blamed Stupak for this, and yes, he was a huge part. But DOYLE actually brokered that deal between the WH, Pelosi, and the so-called pro-life Democrats. I could go on & on about him but you get the point.

He's run unopposed for 10 years. This year, we have a candidate against him. She's a constitutional conservative and a TEA partier that hasn't made "friends" with the GOP establishment, so she's running a grassroots campaign. Please check her out & if you like her, send twenty bucks. We are dying in Pittsburgh. Please help. http://www.melissaforcongress.com/ FR

Opposing Chris Carney, a liberal Democrat, Marino has an excellent chance to capture this seat that was not on the radar screen two months ago. But he's badly underfunded and needs help.DM

Marino's in my PA district, wouldn't send him money now. Sent him SIX volunteers and he hasn't replied to a single one.FR

Tim lost the special election to fill John Murtha's seat last year but he is neck and neck with Mark Critz who won the seat. He has an aggressive campaign going on and can probably take this swing seat in a rematch. But he needs funding!

South Dakota-1 Kristi Noem (R)is running against Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin (D). Polling right now shows Kristi one point behind Stephanie. Kristi is a strong Constitutional conservative, not a Rhino.....but really needs some financial support. http://www.kristiforcongress.com/ FR

TEXAS 17th http://www.billfloresforcongress.com/ Help Bill Flores get rid of Chet Edwards. FR

TEXAS 25th http://www.drdonnaforcongress.com/ Anyone that would like to see Lloyd Doggett out of a job should check out Dr. Donna Campbell FR

TENNESSEE 9th District Charlotte Bergmann http://www.charlottebergmann.com/. She took the GOP primary vote by 61%! FR

The 2 term obama butt kisser Steve Cohen, says he votes like a black woman, BUT won't DEBATE his GOP challenger Charlotte Bergmann, who is a black Conservative businesswoman, pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment, smaller government, less taxes.

WASHINGTON -02. I would add John Koster (WA -02). Rick Larsen has held this seat since 2001. He beat John Koster in that campaign 50 to 46. Latest poll done by King 5 TV/Survey USA has John Koster ahead 50/46. This district is fairly Democrat; however, the seat was previously held by Jack Metcalf (Republican). http://www.kosterforcongress.com/ FR

WASHINGTON-3 - this is an open Dem seat - Jaime Herrea is a great candidate and is currently polling ahead of her Dim opponent Denny Heck. http://www.jaimeherrera.com/ FR

I think if this seat turns it really be a tsunami - but one can always hope. Larsen supported the House's publicly-funded healthcare bill and has big support from various pro-abortion groups.I would add John Koster Rick Larsen has held this seat since 2001. He beat John Koster in that campaign 50 to 46. Latest poll done by King 5 TV/Survey USA has John Koster ahead 50/46. This district is fairly Democrat; however, the seat was previously held by Jack Metcalf (Republican).

I think if this seat turns it really be a tsunami - but one can always hope. Larsen supported the House's publicly-funded healthcare bill and has big support from various pro-abortion groups.

As this state turns to the Republican Party after years of being a bastion of Democratic power, guys like McKinley have a great chance. He is making a special issue of cap and trade which threatens to put West Virginia's coal business out of business. He can win and needs help.

Here's an article in the Brownsville Herald about Ortiz' taxpayer funded travels.

Benefits from Ortiz’s travel still uncertain

By EMMA PEREZ-TREVINO, The Brownsville Herald
September 18, 2010 9:50 PM
U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz, D-Texas, states repeatedly in official documents that his trips overseas are for the purpose of expanding economic opportunities for his congressional district in south Texas.
Despite expenditures over the years of, for example, $69,200 in per diem stipends from the government for official trips, and special-interest groups footing bills to the tune of at least $154,000 since 2000, the actual achievements of the trips are difficult to gauge.
Have any jobs been created in Texas? Has new business located in Ortiz’s congressional district? Is there increased trade, particularly with China which has been the focus of a number of trips?
Ortiz’s office wasn’t much help when asked to address these questions. Repeated requests over the past two weeks for an interview with Ortiz or for information from his staff about the travel have been declined or ignored.
The Brownsville Herald’s review of Ortiz’s travels comes on the heels of a Wall Street Journal article published Aug. 31 stating that congressional investigators are questioning six lawmakers – among them Ortiz – for possible misspending of government per diem money given for travel.
Results of that probe probably will not be announced until after the November elections, but it is known that the investigation is looking into whether congressmen used per diem money for items other than the approved expenses.
The Wall Street Journal first addressed the issue in an article last spring. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi followed in May with a list of guidelines for travel by congressmen. She also wrote to House committee chairmen with what was termed a “restatement” of rules for travel approved by committees. The document is available online.
“Any per diem provided to (House) members or staff is intended to be expended only for official purposes related to the trip. Excess funds are to be returned to the Treasury,” she wrote.
Confusion over rules
The Wall Street Journal articles suggest that congressmen often do not follow this rule and in fact might be confused as to what the guidelines are and in what situations they must be applied. Different rules govern different types of trips.
This came up in an article about Ortiz published last February by Roll Call, the newspaper of Capital Hill.
That article opened with the statement that Ortiz “has accepted tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of trips to China from a development corporation in his hometown that he aided by securing earmarks and other federal assistance with millions of dollars.”
Ortiz told Roll Call that there was “nothing inappropriate” about his travel.
“I’m doing what members of Congress do: bringing jobs, economic development and industry to my district,” he was quoted as saying.
When Roll Call pointed out that Ortiz had not filed travel disclosure documents with the House ethics committee for two trips to China in 2008 sponsored by the Robstown Economic Development Corporation, Ortiz had a ready answer.
“Ortiz said he believed that since the Robstown group was a municipal entity, he was not required to file disclosure forms,” the newspaper wrote.
Indeed, Roll Call followed with a statement of its own: “Members (of Congress) are not required to file disclosure forms for travel sponsored by state or local government entities, and the (Robstown) development corporation is a city-sponsored economic development entity.”
How this relates to House rules on special-interest trips is unclear. The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct issued a memorandum on March 14, 2007, to all House members, officers and employees outlining the provisions of the House rule.
Under the new rules, and prior to the privately-sponsored trip, the sponsor has to provide details on the estimated cost of the travel for the member and details about the trip; the committee has to approve the travel; and the House member has to file a post-travel disclosure form with the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives disclosing the actual costs, itinerary, meetings and events attended.
“Post-travel disclosure of expenses is required within 15 days after the traveler returns,” the memorandum states.
“It is a violation of House rules not to file the necessary disclosure within that time period,” the March 2007 memorandum states in bold type.
The Robstown Improvement Development Corp. took Ortiz to China two times in 2008, one time in 2009 and one time this year.
The Herald’s review of public records show that Ortiz submitted the post-travel disclosure form within the required time after his Jan. 10 return from China this year.
But it took him more than two years to submit the post-travel disclosure forms for the two trips in 2008 and more than one year to submit the form from his 2009 trip.
Public records show that he submitted the disclosures on the 2008 and 2009 trips in February this year – within days of the article published by Roll Call.
Ortiz did not respond to a request for comment by The Brownsville Herald.

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