Free Republic

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine refused to begin the finger-pointing on "who lost the House," but it is likely to become a full-fledged fight between the White House and Capitol Hill Democrats once the full extent of Tuesday's losses are known. (snip) Kaine, the former Virginia governor, also lamented the loss of at least three House seats in the "Old Dominion" to Republicans, saying he felt the defeats of Reps. Rick Boucher, Glenn Nye and Tom Perriello "personally."

Veteran Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) — a leading coal-state negotiator in last year’s House cap-and-trade debate — has lost his reelection bid against Republican Morgan Griffith in perhaps the first real surprise of the evening.

big race to watch in VA

With a week to go to the Congressional Elections, the uncertainty is building for Democrats, even in Southwest Virginia's 9th District. The latest News7 SurveyUSA poll released Tuesday morning shows a dead heat between long-time incumbent Rick Boucher and Republican Morgan Griffith. Just a few weeks ago, Boucher appeared to be cruising to another term with double-digit leads. Now the race is too close to call, as independents have shifted their votes to Griffith, and Boucher's lead among women has evaporated.

But now the Washington Examiner reports that Rick spent $40,000 on a super-posh event in Colorado ski country, around the same time Boucher became the floor manager for an important telecommunications bill. Of course, it's a complete coincidence that Boucher's PAC raised 5 times more money than it ever had from companies like Dish Network, DirecTV, Comcast, GoDaddy, T-Mobile and AT&T - all firms that have a vested interest in legislation before Boucher's subcommittee.

Looks like NARAL likes several of the Democrats for their pro-abortion record...but only Rick Boucher gets the FULL endorsement for Abortion..... http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/pro-choice-voter-guide/pro-choice-voter-guide.html?state=VA

Boucher's leadership PAC, the Committee for Southwest Virginia, has spent something north of $40,000 this cycle for lodging, catering, airfare and car rental for what appear to be late-winter jaunts to the Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa in Avon, Colo. There appear to have been two trips, apparently fundraisers, taken in early 2009 and 2010. (Boucher's campaign spokeswoman did not respond to my inquiries in time for publication.) The combined hotel bill at the Westin is $36,000. Catering from Chef De Cuisine Epicurean Services, the Juniper Restaurant in nearby Edwards, and Vail Catering Concepts, cost $4,100. Politicians use leadership PACs...

When a candidate spends $29,000 from his campaign treasury to buy a sport utility vehicle -- as did Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., last fall -- it tends to draw attention. It's a perfectly legal but profoundly strange purchase, one his donors likely didn't have in mind. It's also what you'd expect from a congressional campaign that isn't worried about losing and has money to burn. Boucher is now in a close race -- close enough that he may worry as he rolls about his southwest Virginia district in his new Ford Edge, which the Roanoke Times reports was bought "with...

See the poll results for this race under item #5 in the story.... http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/-1-2-the-democratic-1.html#more

The race for Virginia’s sprawling 9th congressional district is so heated that both candidates are trolling for votes not just in Virginia–but also across the border, in Tennessee. Caught in the race of his career, 14-term Democrat Rick Boucher plans to duck into Kingsport, Tenn., to press the flesh of the 2,000 or so potential Virginia voters who work at the Eastman Chemical Co. plant there. His challenger, Virginia state House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, is heading to the same plant on Friday. Both are responding to an invitation from the company. [Snip] Republicans are planning an all-out push to...

ABINGDON, Va. – When the 10th Amendment Foundation first planned a forum for 9th District congressional candidates, all three indicated they would come, said Richard Macbeth, organizer of the forum and national treasurer for the organization. But with the event scheduled for 7:30 p.m. today at George Wythe High School in Wytheville, only one candidate, Republican Morgan Griffith, is planning to show up.

If the election was held today who would you vote for in 9th District U. S. House of Representatives race? Rick Boucher (D) H. Morgan Griffith (R) Jeremiah Heaton (I) Undecided

With cash lead, GOP adds to its targetsBy Dan Eggen and T.W. Farnam Saturday, October 9, 2010 The Republican Party and its allies are using a clear financial advantage to pursue a rare opportunity this year, spreading resources across an unusually large number of races, including many considered safe for Democrats just weeks ago. The conservative push further endangers Democratic control of the House and Senate in a political environment already highly favorable for the GOP. Rather than pursuing the usual political strategy of focusing on close races, Republicans and conservative groups have spent money on longshots as well -...

The incumbent Democrat's lead has grown to 15-points, according to the lastest News7 SurveyUSA poll...

The National Republican Congressional Committee is set to go up with new ads this week against a pair of incumbents who had previously been considered lower tier targets this fall, providing further proof the House playing field still very fluid with 49 days to go before the elections. According to a GOP strategist who tracks ad buys, the NRCC has placed an $82,000 buy against Rep. Rick Boucher (D) in Virginia's 9th district as well as a $45,000 buy against Rep. Mike McIntyre (D) in North Carolina's 7th district. The ad buys are for the week of Sept. 17-23. Neither...

Not Larry Sabato, who cannot be happy about the fact that his fully-justified anger at seeing a 14 term Democratic Congressman use campaign finance money to buy himself a nice, new car is now showing up as yet another reason why to vote for Rick Boucher’s opponent Morgan Griffith, who is not using special-interest money to buy himself shiny new automobiles. I know this because I just called to check; and the sound of their laughter at the very thought… Moe Lane PS: For extra giggles, Boucher sabotaged his own administration’s fiscal policies by buying a Ford. What, Government Motors...

Rep. Rick Boucher (D) leads state House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith (R) by 10 points with two months remaining until Election Day, according to a new independent poll of the 9th district. The SurveyUSA poll, conducted for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, shows Boucher ahead among likely voters, 50 percent to 40 percent. Independent candidate Jeremiah Heaton drew 5 percent. That result is a slight improvement for Griffith over a mid-July poll by the same firm, which showed the Republican trailing by 13 points in the Southwest Virginia district.

Where I live, Virginia's "Fighting 9th" Congressional District, Democratic Congressman Rick Boucher had exposed himself to attack by voting for the cap-and-trade bill in 2009. Much of the 9th District is economically dependent on coal production and Boucher's pleas of extenuating circumstances went unheeded by many unhappy constituents. The Virginia Republican Party decided that Boucher's seat was up for grabs, as it probably was. "Was." No longer. Boucher is back in the driver's seat, starting the campaign with a lead which both sides appear to concede is in double digits. So what happened? The overconfident Republicans nominated a party regular,...

VA-09: Women Propel Democrat Boucher to 15th Term in Congress: In an election for US House of Representatives in Virginia's 9th Congressional District today, 07/21/10, incumbent Democrat Rick Boucher defeats Republican State House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith 52% to 39%, according to this latest exclusive WDBJ-TV poll conducted by SurveyUSA. Among men, the contest is tied; among women, Boucher leads by 25 points. 1 in 4 Republicans cross over to vote for the Democrat. Independents split. Those with favorable opinions of the Tea Party movement back Griffith 3:1; those with unfavorable opinions of the Tea Party back Boucher 14:1.

The two candidates running for the 9th Congressional district seat in Virginia have found something they can agree on: the controversial Arizona law aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration. U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, the Democrat incumbent, and state Del. Morgan Griffith, the Republican challenger, both oppose the federal government’s decision to file a lawsuit against the state to prevent the law from taking effect. In a recent letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Boucher expressed his “strong opposition to file suit in United States District Court against the State of Arizona challenging the validity of the Arizona state...

Amid a troubled political environment, nearly 2 dozen House Dems commissioned polls over the last 3 months, according to reports filed with the FEC. But those polls weren't made public, leaving some GOPers to believe incumbents are beginning to run scared. The members who conducted polling are among the GOP's top targets this year. Reps. Mark Schauer (D-MI), Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), Chet Edwards (R-TX), Ike Skelton (D-MO), Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Chris Carney (D-PA) were among those who paid for polling. The campaigns involved largely refused to discuss their internal polling, citing policies against revealing internal strategy. Megan Jacobs, a...

National Environment Puts Boucher, Chandler at Greater Risk By John McArdle, CQ-Roll Call As the national political environment continues to tilt toward Republicans, a growing number of Democrats are likely to face tough re-election fights this fall. Two of the latest examples are Democratic Reps. Rick Boucher (Va.) and Ben Chandler (Ky.), who are being targeted by national Republicans and face credible challengers in their respective conservative-leaning, coal country districts. To reflect the competitive nature of the battles both Democrats are expected to have this fall, CQPolitics is changing the race ratings in both Virginia’s 9th district and Kentucky’s 6th...

A big congratulations to Morgan Griffith, our new 9th district Republican nominee for the US Congress. Morgan was elected today in Ft. Chiswell, VA at the 9th district Convention. Morgan needs our support and help to beat Democrat incumbent Slick Rick Boucher!! Visit Morgan's Website to register for email updates! http://morgangriffithforcongress.com/

I have updated our Master List of Vulnerable House Democrats. I've posted the normal .png versions of the Excel file below and have uploaded pdf versions in two files that can be downloaded from these links: Master List of Vulnerable Democrats - Page 1Master List of Vulnerable Democrats - Page 2These pdf files have clickable links that will bring up the web pages for each of the Republican candidates on the list. There are a few exceptions but very few. We now have a total of 78 entries although a few of them are tenuous and will probably be deleted...

Morgan Griffith has just posted his website in his run for the Republican nomination for Congress for the 9th District. His opponent, Rick Boucher, is a liberal democrat who has been in office too long. Boucher district is coal country, yet Boucher voted YES for the Cap and Tax bill, to kill jobs in the coal industry and kill Norfolk Southern jobs locally.

FRiends, I just learned yesterday that an old school friend of mine, Adam Light, from Tazewell, Virginia, in the Commonwealth's 9th District is running for the GOP nomination to take on notorious, double-dealing, smooth-talking liberal Congressman Rick Boucher. He is currently running against five other relatively weak GOP candidates, with the front-runner being a "good ol' boy," next-in-line professional GOP hack who doesn't even live in the district. Adam is a strong Conservative, a committed Constitutionalist, a Christian family man, and a hard-working land surveyor (primarily in the coal industry) by trade. Perhaps most importantly, he is one of us!...

When health care reform passed the House in November, the vote was 220-215. Since that time...[snip]...If [our] math is correct, Democrats have only about 205 votes to pass health care reform. With four empty House seats, they will need 216. Democratic leaders will be working furiously to twist the arms of the 39 Democrats who voted “no” last time. Those who voted "NO" in November, and are likely to vote "NO" again: Dan Boren, Okla. – Boren, who has a very conservative record, will vote no, his spokesman told The Daily Caller. Allen Boyd, Fla. – His office did not...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ten House Democrats indicated in an Associated Press survey Monday they have not ruled out switching their "no" votes to "yes" on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, brightening the party's hopes in the face of unyielding Republican opposition. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is struggling to secure enough Democratic votes for approval, thus the effort to attract former foes. Obama .. is expected to embrace a handful of Republican ideas for making health care more efficient. But persuading lawmakers to change their votes is a tough sell. Elected officials are loath to vote two ways on a controversial...

RPV Chairman Pat Mullins announces launch of "RetireRick.com" For Immediate Release February 24, 2010 Statement of RPV Chairman Pat Mullins on the launch of RetireRick.com, new web video. Contact: Garren Shipley (540) 686-1138 RPV Chairman Pat Mullins issued the following statement: "Democrat Rick Boucher left Abingdon for Washington, D.C. 27 years ago. He's been gone so long that he's forgotten what Southwest Virginia is all about," Mullins said. "He's become more accustomed to working with those in Washington than working for the folks in the 9th District." That's why the Republican Party of Virginia has launched RetireRick.com, a website that...

After weeks of indecision, state Del. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, is lining up support for a likely campaign against Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher of Abingdon. Griffith, the majority leader of the House of Delegates, has been reaching out to party leaders and activists in the 9th Congressional District today to gauge support for his candidacy and is nearing a decision to formally enter the race. Griffith will have to make his decision official by March 1, the deadline for Republican candidates to file in the district.

RICHMOND -- After weeks of indecision, state Del. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, is lining up support for a likely campaign against Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher of Abingdon.

WISE, VA. -- The anger at Washington that is seeping across the country registered a while back in the high ridges of Appalachia, a once-indomitable Democratic stronghold where voters turned away from President Obama in 2008 just as overwhelmingly as they embraced him most everywhere else. Voters in Virginia's 9th Congressional District are mad that the government has spent hundreds of billions to fix an economy that seems only to deteriorate around them. They're fearful of a federal takeover of health care. They're petrified that proposed emissions limits would destroy the coal industry that provides most of the region's jobs....

Republicans believe there are three words so powerful that they might reshape the political order in an economically-beleaguered corner of the country: War on coal. With Democrats holding total control of the federal government and a cap-and-trade bill still looming, the GOP is fanning widespread coal country fears that the national Democratic Party is hostile to the coal mining industry, if not outright committed to its demise. Those efforts are putting a group of coal state Democrats at risk as Republicans leverage the tremendous economic anxieties surrounding the future of an industry that is a vital part of their states’...

A report that Congressman Rick Boucher might be contemplating retirement brought a quick denial this week from the Abingdon Democrat. It also brought an interesting reaction from a leading Republican who's considering a challenge, Salem Delegate Morgan Griffith. When Washington news organizations suggested that Rick Boucher might be ready to retire from his seat representing the ninth district, the congressman quickly sent them a statement saying he had given no consideration to retiring and is planning to seek re-election. After the news reached Richmond, Salem Delegate and House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith said he's still weighing a possible run for...

A high-ranking Republican in the Virginia legislature is weighing a campaign against Rep. Rick Boucher (D), who is still without a GOP challenger in the state's southwestern 9th district. Morgan Griffith, the majority leader in the GOP-controlled House of Delegates, told The Roanoke Times Monday night that he is considering a campaign against Boucher. "I think I wouldn't even be thinking about this if Boucher had been doing his job," Griffith told the paper. Republican campaign officials have had success in the candidate recruitment process this election cycle but have struggled to land a candidate against Boucher, who has dominated...

Newly energized by last month's landslide victories in state elections, Virginia Republicans are laying the groundwork to mount aggressive challenges against four Democratic congressmen next year. Republican leaders think that they can reclaim at least two of the three seats they lost last year, when President Obama became the first Democrat in 44 years to win Virginia. They also think that the political climate has changed so decisively that they can unseat U.S. Rep. Rick C. Boucher, a 28-year incumbent from the far southwestern part of the state, where antipathy toward Obama and national Democratic policies run strong. And they...

I've taken an interest in this sleazy "blue dog" who manages to hold onto his seat in the conservative coal district of Virginia. He voted for cap-n-trade!! He believes he's untouchable, yet I noticed he voted against Pelosicare, after talking up the takeover before. That he started out supporting it, and then voted against it points to a deal he must have cut with Pelosi. So he just might feel his seat threatened. Any sign of a Republican challenger?

From Cantor's office: Below is a list of 31 Democrats, from coast-to-coast & north to south, who have listened to their constituents and joined Republicans in a bipartisan fashion to oppose Speaker Pelosi’s trillion dollar plus overhaul of the nation’s health care system (Updated is bold): 1. Rep. John Adler (NJ) 2. Rep. Brian Baird (WA) 3. Rep. John Barrow (GA) 4. Rep. Dan Boren (OK) 5. Rep. Rick Boucher (VA) 6. Rep. Allen Boyd (FL) 7. Rep. Bobby Bright (AL) 8. Rep. Travis Childers (MS) 9. Rep. Artur Davis (AL) 10. Rep. Chet Edwards (TX) 11. Rep. Bart Gordon...

A cycle after the Democrats did their best to stretch the map to new lengths, Republicans are doing their best imitation. Rep. Ike Skelton hasn’t taken less than 62 percent of the vote in 27 years; Rep. Alan Mollohan hasn’t taken less than 64 percent since 1984; and Rep. Rick Boucher hasn’t taken less than 59 percent in the last quarter-century. snip...

State Del. Terry Kilgore (R) acknowledged Wednesday that top Republican leaders in Washington, D.C., are encouraging him to challenge Rep. Rick Boucher (D) in the Southwestern Virginia 9th district next year. If he were to run, Kilgore would immediately be considered a top recruit in the conservative district, where Republicans have been frustrated by their inability to field a top-tier candidate to challenge the popular 14-term Congressman. House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has talked to Kilgore “a couple of times” about a Congressional bid and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (Texas) has called to talk to Kilgore...

DUBLIN -- Emotions ran high as about 1,200 people packed an auditorium at New River Community College on Tuesday to tell U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher why they opposed or supported the attempt to overhaul health care. Boucher, D-Abingdon, said he would not endorse or condemn any legislation during the three-hour town hall meeting, but he did offer insight into his thoughts on some key components of the latest proposals.

Hearing from some very good national R sources that the NRCC was polling the 9th district in the last few weeks. Apparently the environment is so bad out there that Delegate Terry Kilgore is leading Congressman Rick Boucher by 6 points!Background posts: "Boucher (D-VA9) Vacillates On Health Care Reform" - - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2306593/posts "Boucher Responds To Carbon Tax Critics" - - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2290344/posts

This is the info I have been able to find so far on Health Care Townhalls coming up in Virginia. Rep. Rick Boucher DUBLIN: 08/18 09:00 AM: Town Hall - New River Valley Community College Edwards Hall, Dublin, VA, ABINGTON: 08/20 09:00 AM: Town Hall - Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Abingdon, VA, =================== Rep. Gerry Connolly ANNANDALE: 08/22/09 10 AM -12 Noon. Health Care Tea Party. 4115 Annandale Road, Suite 103 Details: http://teapartypatriots.org/Group/Northern_Virginia_Tea_Party =================== Rep. James Moran RESTON: 08/25 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM: Town Hall - South Lakes High School , 11400 South Lakes Drive, Reston, VA. Also...

Democratic Congressman Rick Boucher, who represents the Ninth District in southwestern Virginia, has come under fire recently for his support of the cap-and-trade bill. The letters-to-the-editors columns in the local papers have been burning up with criticisms, along with a smattering of support. Recently Boucher voted “no” on the current House version of the Obamacare bill, however, and he has scheduled a “town hall meeting” later this month to take some constituent input on the matter.

Virginia Congressman Rick Boucher (D-9th District) raised eyebrows recently when he voted in favor of the Waxman-Markey “Carbon Tax” bill – - among coal-country Congressmen, Boucher’s “aye” stood out like a sore thumb when the vote tally was posted. The resulting flack included an ad sponsored by American Solutions for Winning the Future (ASWF) in the Roanoke Times asking, “Why did Rick Boucher vote to kill Virginia jobs?” Boucher has now responded with a lengthy letter, which is reproduced below. First, the back-story.

Less than two weeks after voting in favor of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA-9th District) defended his vote Tuesday. The commonly called “Cap and Trade Bill” narrowly passed the U.S. House of Representatives last month. Senate debate is expected in the fall. Boucher is one of 219 representatives who voted in favor of the legislation. Proponents claim the act will reduce emissions of green house gases, increase the country’s use of green power, and decrease dependence on foreign oil. Opponents say it will dramatically drive up the price of everything from gasoline to electricity...

Al Gore’s campaign against global warming is shifting into high gear. Reporters and commentators follow his every move and bombard the public with notice of his activities and opinions. But while the mainstream media promote his ideas about the state of planet Earth, they are mostly silent about the dramatic impact his economic proposals would have on America. And journalists routinely ignore evidence that he may personally benefit from his programs. Would the romance fizzle if Gore’s followers realized how much their man stands to gain? Earlier this year Gore experienced a notable public relations debacle. The Tennessee Center for...

STATEMENT OF CONGRESSMAN RICK BOUCHER Consideration of the American Clean Energy and Security Act June 26, 2009 I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in support of the bill and urge its approval by the House. It achieves broad reductions in greenhouse gases, enhances America's energy security, and by placing a price on carbon dioxide emissions will unleash investments in clean energy technologies that will create millions of new jobs. These energy technologies will evolve from America's laboratories. They will be deployed at home. They will be exported around the world. They will be the foundation for our next...

Kathmandu, Feb 11 (PTI) Nepal's ruling Maoists, who joined the mainstream politics over two years ago after giving up arms, may be taken off a terrorism blacklist of the US, top American diplomat Richard Boucher told Premier Prachanda here today. Boucher, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs who is here on a two-day visit, assured Prachanda of continued US support to the Maoist-led government during a meeting between them. He discussed with Prachanda issues relating to political situation in Nepal, the peace process, army integration, Constitution drafting and economic cooperation, according to Prime Minister's...

Henry Waxman moved to consolidate his coup d'etat at the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee just hours after he was installed as the new chairman this week. It appears that the California liberal, with his customary subtlety, is plotting a night of the climate-change long knives... Democrats dumped the current Chairman John Dingell because he does not favor global-warming action aggressive enough to suit the party's green wing. Now his lieutenants, who've been known to share his views, are targets too. ... But the Dingell ally who should be looking over his shoulder most nervously is Rick Boucher, chairman...