Free Republic

RICHMOND Former fighter pilot Amy McGrath surged to victory over Lexington Mayor Jim Gray Tuesday in the Democratic primary for Kentucky's 6th Congressional District, setting up a November election that will attract national money and attention as Democrats try to make Kentucky part of a possible blue wave in 2018. "Can you believe this?" McGrath asked the crowd at her victory party in Richmond. "What happened tonight was amazing. I couldn't be more humbled and more honored to be standing here tonight as your nominee." She is a candidate who fits the Democratic moment. The former fighter pilot — the...

WASHINGTON — At least 45 Democratic challengers in 34 districts raised more money last quarter than the Republican member of Congress they're hoping to defeat in November, according to new campaign finance reports. And that figure, which Democrats compiled and were touting to show their strength, does not include the dozens of places where GOP incumbents have retired, leaving behind open seats that are generally considered more vulnerable. Democratic candidates across the country are being buoyed by a flood of cash as the party aims to win the 24 seats from Republicans they need to retake the House of Representatives...

Kentucky Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Barr of Lexington is one of the targets of a new ad campaign from national Democrats who are trying to put incumbent GOP congressmen on the defensive for repeatedly voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched web ads Tuesday aimed at Republican congressmen in competitive re-election races — including Barr — on the effect their attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act would have on their constituents. The DCCC is also launching a website, FacesOfRepeal.com , in which Kentuckians and other Americans can share their stories of how the...

With Arizona’s primaries now complete, a key Congressional race has emerged in the state’s newly created District 9. Prior to the primary, this swing district had been rated “Lean Democratic” by the Cook Political Report, but the District’s Cook Partisan Voting Index is “Even,” indicating its voters have voted in line with the national average over the last two presidential election cycles. Significantly, the district has more registered Independents than either Republicans or Democrats. Now, with both parties having selected their candidates, Democrats no longer have the edge and this race should be re-characterized as a Tossup. The GOP candidate...

Former Paradise Valley mayor Vernon Parker has won the Republican nomination in Arizona's new 9th Congressional District. Some early ballots remain to be counted but results Wednesday with all 141 precincts reporting show Parker with an 800-vote margin over Wendy Rogers, with a total of more than 38,000 votes cast in the seven-way GOP race. Parker will face former state Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in the general election. She won the district's three-way Democratic primary. The 9th District takes in much of Tempe and parts of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Mesa and Chandler.

"The plan that the legislature passed in Springfield and that the governor will likely sign in a few days puts just about all of us in political danger," freshman Rep. Adam Kinzinger told HUMAN EVENTS last week, the "us" being himself and the eight other Republican U.S. representatives from Illinois. In what could fairly be labeled the most blatant case of political gerrymandering this year, the Democratic-controlled house and senate in Illinois recently unveiled a redistricting plan for the Prairie State's 17 congressional districts... ...The most dramatic change to come out of the new Democratic plan is to put Representatives...

As if to call out the absurdity of Democratic plans to run against George W. Bush's record this November, a crop of young Republicans - who weren't in office back then - is eagerly taking on establishment Democratic politicians. Adam Kinzinger, running in Illinois' 11th District, is one example of this trend. Less than 2 years old when Ronald Reagan won his first presidential election, Kinzinger is seeking office in President Obama's home state. ...internal poll shows Kinzinger leading the incumbent opponent by 11 points. ...Kinzinger has an impressive resume. He served in the Air Force Special Ops, Air Combat...

GOP congressional candidate Todd Lally released his campaign’s first internal poll after winning the May primary. Lally surprised many with his strong win in the primary, but his landslide victory corresponded with the campaign’s internal polling performed by Rivercity Polling, a Republican-affiliated consulting group. Rivercity’s latest poll showed support for Lally at 43%, Yarmuth at 44% and Undecided or Other at 13%. The automated poll was conducted from June 20-29, and surveyed 300 likely voters with a margin of error at + 3%. The Lally campaign welcomed the news, which puts the race in an effective dead heat. This...

Democrat Ethan Berkowitz conceded defeat in his challenge to Congressman Don Young on Tuesday. Trailing by more than 16,000 votes, Berkowitz called Young to congratulate him on his victory. But Berkowitz hinted strongly that he may run again in the future if Young doesn't do well in the Democrat-controlled Congress. "I've got to digest all the numbers and see what happened, but there is a whole host of reasons it happened," Berkowitz said. "I'm proud of the fact that we have, at this point, more votes than any other Democrat running in history except for Mark Begich. "I'm proud of...

ADVANCE POLITICAL EDITOR Financier said to pledge 500Gs of his own toward congressional race STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In a move that political observers did not see coming, the Staten Island Republican Party last night unanimously endorsed Metropolitan Transportation Authority board member and retired Wall Street executive Frank Powers to replace GOP Rep. Vito Fossella in Congress. "I'm going to give it a hard fight," Powers told members of the GOP county committee at their convention in the Excelsior Grand, New Dorp. "I intend to give it every ounce I can." While Powers, a Todt Hill resident, has been a...

Arizona Lobbyist and former congressional staffer Jim Ogsbury (R) announced that he raised $100,000 and loaned his campaign $250,000 in the third quarter for his race for freshman Rep. Harry Mitchell’s (D) 5th district seat. Ogsbury is part of a very crowded primary field and sought to set himself apart with the substantial sum. “My message of true conservative experience cutting wasteful government spending, eliminating outdated programs and slashing bureaucratic red tape is resonating with grassroots Republicans,” he said. Other GOPers in the race or considering a run are state Rep. Mark Anderson, Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman, state Corporation Commissioner...

Ethics controversies surrounding three-term Arizona Republican Rep. Rick Renzi led to a widespread expectation that he would not seek re-election next year in the state’s sprawling 1st District. But because potential Republican replacement candidates deferred to Renzi until he announced his retirement Thursday, the party has a little catchup to play in what is likely to be one of the most hotly contested Democratic takeover bids next year. While Republican officials are starting from scratch in their candidate recruitment a little more than a year before the 2008 primary, the Democrats already have a field of active candidates — one...

PEORIA - State Rep. Aaron Schock wants to go national. Fueled by what he called his passion to "step up to this cause" and the "outpouring of support" expressed to him from constituents and leaders throughout the 18th Congressional District, Schock told the Journal Star on Saturday he plans to run for the 20-county seat. It's held by U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, who is retiring in January 2009. "Serving in Congress will allow me to step up and advocate for people and the causes I believe in at a higher level," said Schock, also a Peoria-based Republican. "This is...

Minnesota is among four states hoping to hang on to a seat in Congress after the 2010 census, the state demographer said. Tom Gillaspy said Minnesota would lose a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives if the census were taken today. He said the state is competing with Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Minnesota has had eight House seats since 1960. "The difference is very, very small," he said, "easily within any estimating error and easily within a slight modification in growth rates."

Establishment Republicans began lining up behind Jim Whitehead of Columbia County in the 10th District congressional run-off on Friday. GOP organizations in nine of the 21 counties within the district endorsed Whitehead over Paul Broun of Athens, who came in second in the June 19 vote. They were Richmond, Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, Putnam, Elbert, Stephens, Madison, and Towns. This is more important than it sounds. With some exceptions, the nine counties generally run up the eastern-most side of the district, from Augusta north. On Tuesday, they produced 53 percent of the 54,229 votes counted to date. More significantly, the nine...

Now that the crowd of candidates seeking Georgia's 10th congressional district has been cut down by eight, the two men who appear headed for a runoff are preparing for an all-GOP contest. Front-runner Jim Whitehead's campaign said the emergence of fellow Republican Paul Broun as his opponent in the July 17 runoff won't throw a snag in the plans. Spokesman John Stone said the campaign will focus on maintaining the support that earned Whitehead more than 40 percent of the vote in Tuesday's special election. "We know that regardless who we're running against, our campaign is going to be the...

It may be too early to make any predictions about the 2008 elections, but it's likely Republicans will win back some House seats they lost last year. Indeed, as I noted in an earlier column, at least eight of the nine "most vulnerable" House seats are held by Democrats, according to veteran congressional elections analyst Stuart Rothenberg. In Florida's 16th District, for example, Republicans are heavily favored to recapture the seat that Democrat Tim Mahoney narrowly won after Mark Foley resigned in disgrace in the House page scandal. In Georgia's heavily Republican 8th District, Democrat Jim Marshall squeaked through with...

A veteran Maryland Congressman has filed the paperwork to run for a tenth term. Wayne Gilchrest represents the first congressional district which includes all of the Eastern Shore and parts of Baltimore, Harford and Anne Arundel Counties. Gilchrest tells WBAL News he wants to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay, fight tax hikes, and enact tougher border security legislation in his new term. Earlier this year Gilchrest was one of two Republicans who voted with Democrats to tie funding for the Iraq War to a troop withdrawal. Baltimore County State Senator Andy Harris is raising money to launch a Primary...

The race to replace the late U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood on Capitol Hill appears headed to a runoff. The early favorite, former state Sen. Jim Whitehead, a Republican, led the crowded field of 10 candidates in Tuesday's special election. But he was unable to crack the 50 percent mark needed to claim the seat. With 81 percent of precincts reporting, Whitehead had 39 percent of the vote. Jockeying to challenge him on July 17 are Democrat James Marlow, an Internet businessman from Lincolnton, and Republican Paul Broun, a doctor from Athens. With ballots still being counted, the race for second...

Didn't find a live thread for the texas election results. As of 9:07 EST, the race is as follows (mostly "early" election numbers): ----------------------------------------------- RACE NAME PARTY EARLY VOTES PERCENT TOTAL VOTES PERCENT U. S. Representative District 23 Henry Bonilla - Incumbent REP 14,013 47.81% 16,675 44.86% Ciro D. Rodriguez DEM 15,298 52.19% 20,495 55.14% --------------- --------------- Total Votes Cast 29,311 37,170 Precincts Reported 98 of 267 Precincts 36.70% --------------------------------------------