Good Night For Democrats, Bad Night For The Establishment
Last night’s election results show that the public was definitely in an anti-establishment mood, not necessarily an anti-Democrat mood. Last night’s results:
In PA-Sen, Congressman Joe Sestak defeated Senator Arlen Specter for the Democratic nomination by a surprisingly comfortable margin of 8%.
Sestak 54% 562,037
Specter 46% 479,934
Pat Toomey stomped Peg Luksik, so it will be former Rep. and former Club for Growth president Pat Toomey against retired Admiral and current Congressman Joe Sestak.
In my opinion, it was this ad that won the election for Sestak. It’s just devastating.
I really hope the Coons campaign is studying the Sestak-Specter race as an example of what they can do to win against Castle. Can Coons make a similarly devastating ad (or series of ads) about Castle?
In the PA-12 special election (to replace John Murtha) both candidates were establishment picks. PA-12 was supposed to be seen as a bellweather for the Republican wave coming in November (despite the fact that PA-12 voted for McCain). Despite that, the Democratic candidate Mark Critz beat Tim Burns by a comfortable margin. I think everyone was suprised by this.
Burns R 45% 60,167
Critz D 53% 70,320
Now Democrats will want to use this one as a bellweather while Republicans say never mind.
I think the KY-Sen race was the most interesting of the night. On the Republican side, Rand (son of Ron) Paul trounced Mitch McConnell’s handpicked candidate Trey Grayson.
Grayson 35% 124,238
Paul 59% 206,159
On the Democratic side, Jack Conway won in a squeaker over ConservaDem Daniel Mongiardo.
Conway 44% 226,773
Mongiardo 43% 221,269
Look at those vote totals. The second place Democrat has more votes than Rand Paul. The turnout on the Democratic side was obviously high (Kentucky has more registered Democrats than Republicans). The KY-Sen race is definitely winnable for the Democrats. For one, Rand Paul has some whacked-out ideas – like repealing the Americans with Disabilities Act:
Paul was asked whether he supports the Americans with Disabilities Act, the landmark 1990 legislation that established a prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability. Paul said he advocates local governments to decide whether disabled individuals deserve rights. Requiring businesses to provide access to disabled people, Paul argued, isn’t “fair to the business owner.”
Paul also wants to abolish the Federal Reserve and the Department of Education. Also, he’s an asshole.
After winning Kentucky’s Republican primary Tuesday night, Bowling Green ophthalmologist Rand Paul refused to take the call of congratulations from opponent Trey Grayson, according to Grayson’s campaign manager Nate Hodson.
Hodson did not elaborate, except to say “it happened.”
“This is truly a classless act in politics,” said Marc Wilson, a Republican lobbyist and friend of Trey Grayson.
Go Jack Conway!
Mitch McConnell’s handpicked candidate in the KY-03 Republican primary (to take on John Yarmuth) came in third place. The primary was won by the Tea Party candidate.
In Arkansas, there will be a June 8th run-off primary. Lincoln barely squeaked by with a plurality, and was well under 50%.
Halter (runoff) 43% 138,477
Lincoln (runoff) 45% 144,989
Morrison 13% 42,317
The winner of the primary will take on Rep. John Boozman.
I hope the establishment is listening. People really do want change and I know it sounds trite, but they don’t want the “politics as usual.” For Democrats that means quit watering down good legislation. I’m not sure what it means for Republicans. They are selecting far right candidates with out-of-the-mainstream ideas. Do GOP primary voters want Republicans to say no harder, like shut down the government?
If there was a bellweather race, it was PA 12 which seemed to be about preserving the status quo. Which for this conservative district was about preserving their river of pork. Not that I blame them, but the practical considerations of jobs and work still win out.
Specter sounded shellshocked during his concession speech. I enjoyed that.
Don’t miss today’s C’mon Delaware (the podcast). Jason & Donviti willl be having a lo-fi, 20 minute conversation about yesterday’s elections
viewed through the DelawareLiberal.net lens, the new 3D Playboy
magazine, my cyber stalker, affirmative action in the Miss USA pageant,
affirmative action at Dave Burris’ Delaware Tomorrow blog, the batshit
insane Frank Knotts of the Delaware Politics blog, Allan Loudell’s blog
post on Indiana Republican Congressman & famous adulterer Mark Souder,
Delaware’s fake Ivy leaguer, and a Cornell University study on
attractiveness.
Spoiler alert: being attractive is better than being unattractive.
The Sestak ad about Specter saving only one job was a bit unfair… Specter did vote for ARRA and HCR. But Castle doesn’t even have that to hide behind.
Unfair? That creepy fake moderate sealed his own fate. All Sestak had to do was run the clip. I wish our own creepy fake moderate had a few similar candid moments.
I agree, Specter has a lifetime of being a dick that is impossible to overcome, even if his ARRA vote actually did save jobs.
It didn’t help that in the clip Specter sounded like Montgomery Burns.
some1 please explain to me how any of this is really anti anything? they are all lifetime politicians that have elbowed there way to where they are.
name one that hasn’t been in politics their entire life and isn’t the next up and coming star that this pathetic farm system churns out year after year.
Specter was literally almost dead a few years ago and is like 80 fuking yrs old. Sestak is a lifetime politicians (Admirals are pols) how is any of this a reflection of anti incumbucy? it’s a reflection of how dumb voters are and how the media shapes and defines the story.
our system is a joke and the voters are total idiots. 2 party system…wooohoooo
Hope that rant made you feel better, DV. 🙂
That said, why is having a career in politics a disqualifier for you? By your standards Christine O’Donnell should be your preferred candidate.
Pandora,
How many career politicians do you respect?
How many do not have your respect?
Now do you see DV’s point ?
No, delacrat. What I see is generalizing in a Ralph Nadar “they’re all the same” sort of way. This mindset is hardly fair, but I get that it makes people feel good and edgy.
Pandora,
So when we choose from the puppet master’s puppets, does it really matter which puppet we choose?
If you really feel that way, delacrat, then why are you even bothering?
Let me see if I understand where you are coming from… everyone one who ran yesterday was a career politician – and that’s bad – so it doesn’t matter who wins in November (or who won yesterday) because they’re all puppets. Is that what you’re saying? If so, I respectfully disagree.
Well, Pandora. Thanks for being respectful.
But let me cite from the web sites of two Democratic candidates in a high profile race, one supposedly more liberal than the other.
Let’s assume for arguments sake that their campaign rhetoric is sincere.
And let’s just take 2 issues. a couple, big…, life-and-death ones.
Have a read and tell me why it “matter who wins in November (or who won yesterday)”
War and Health Care Reform
Health Care Reform
Bill Halter:
“I supported the bill Congress recently passed to rein in health care costs and reduce our national debt.”
http://www.billhalter.com/issues#healthcare
Blanche Lincoln:
“I was proud to be on hand at the White House as the President signed this historic reform into law. It marked the end of a two-year debate and for me personally,it was the high point of a career spent trying to reform health care. ”
“She will keep on fighting for the people of Arkansas as Congress debates how to fix a health care system in urgent need of repair.”
http://www.blancheforsenate.com/issues/health_care
War
Bill Halter:
“I believe in…supporting the mission of our men and women in uniform. American leadership in the world is critical to helping ensure peace, democracy and human rights. This is particularly true in the face of complex challenges in fighting terrorism and transnational threats, ensuring success in Iraq and Afghanistan…”
http://www.billhalter.com/issues#veterans
Blanche Lincoln:
“Senator Lincoln supported authorizing the use of force in Iraq in 2002 ”
” She strongly believes that our soldiers should be provided with absolutely everything they need, which is why she opposed every effort to abandon the monetary and human investment we have committed to Iraq”
http://www.blancheforsenate.com/issues?id=0006