$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ = Money Spent On Mid Term Elections
Posted by Michelle Moquin on October 30th, 2014
Good morning!
From the National Post:
The most expensive U.S. midterm election ever: Why both sides know they have everything to play for
Michael Higgins | October 24, 2014 7:47 PM ET
It’s the most expensive U.S. midterm election ever, according to the Center for Responsive Politics (CPR), which estimates that almost $4-billion will be spent. CPR, which tracks money spent in politics, reports that an “explosion” in outside cash is a dominant theme of the election.
The group says at least $663-million has been spent by outside groups, like Super PACs, but estimates another $233-million will be spent in the last 12 days, a rate of $19.4-million a day.
And the race for the Senate, which could flip from Democrat to Republican, has attracted huge sums of outside spending — about $338-million, according to the group. The North Carolina senate race is expected to be awarded the dubious honour of being the most expensive in U.S. history with a total of $100-million being spent.
Both sides know they have everything to play for. If Republicans can capture six seats, they can take the Senate and control of Congress. Republicans could then aggressively push policies of free trade, tax reform, and deficit reduction as well as the long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline to carry oil from Canada to the U.S. The election is Nov. 4. So which are the key states to watch and how much outside money has been spent in them?
Here is a look at the most interesting Senate races ahead of the midterm elections on Nov. 4:
ALASKA
This state could be a key decider. Democratic senator Mark Begich is up against Republican candidate Dan Sullivan. The state was Republican for years, before opting for Begich in 2008. Polls suggest Sullivan has a slight lead, but in the state they are notoriously inaccurate and untrustworthy.THEY SAID IT: Begich with 90 staffers (as opposed to Sullivan’s 14) has campaigned heavily in Alaska’s far-flung communities. “We have knocked on every single door in rural Alaska. This is unbelievable. No one’s ever done it like this — ever,” he told The Washington Post.
ARKANSAS
Democratic Senator Mark Pryor is trailing Representative Tom Cotton in the former Democratic bailiwick. Pryor’s support for President Barack Obama’s agenda, most notably the Affordable Health Act, is the stick Cotton is using to beat Pryor. Pryor counters Cotton is an extremist, pointing to his votes against the Farm Bill, the Violence Against Women Act, etc.
THEY SAID IT: Foreign policy — especially the threat posed by Islamic terrorists — is providing an unexpected boost for Cotton, a former infantryman in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. “Folks want to look at people making those decisions and know they’ve walked the walk,” said Kevin McLaughlin, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
COLORADO
Mark Udall, the Democratic incumbent, has made abortion and contraception the centrepiece of his campaign, attacking the stance of his Republican rival, Cory Gardner. But Gardener is ahead in the polls, despite backing “personhood” amendments in Colorado that would redefine a person’s rights as beginning at conception, making contraception and abortion illegal.THEY SAID IT: Gardner’s success suggests Republicans have learned how to counter the perception they are anti-women and voters are being turned off by the issue. “If Colorado’s Senate race were a movie, the set would be a gynecologist’s office,” said an article in the Denver Post, which surprised many by endorsing Gardner.
GEORGIA
Money in a Swiss banking account has become a key topic for debate in the open race to become the U.S. senator from Georgia. Democrat hopeful Michelle Nunn is squaring off against Republican David Perdue. With barely two weeks to go, pollsters agree on only one thing — the race is too close to call.
THEY SAID IT: Nunn’s campaign is asking pointed questions about Perdue’s reported $1-million stashed in a Swiss private bank. He “needs to be honest with Georgians about his investments, career and how he made millions while those who worked for him often found themselves worse off,” says a Nunn spokesman.
IOWA
Even though it’s the 21st century, Republican state Senator Joni Ernst is trying to become the first woman U.S. senator from Iowa in her race against Democratic U.S. Representative Bruce Braley. This is although Republicans typically do well with male voters, Democrats with female ones. Ernst, who is also an officer in the Iowa Army National Guard, is hoping to change that.THEY SAID IT: Stumping for Braley, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told voters billionaires aren’t going to decide who will be their next senator, hinting at Ernst’s alleged ties to the conservative donors Charles and David Koch. “I think you are going to decide,” she said.
KANSAS
What started as a three-way race has turned into two-man slugfest after Democratic hopeful Chad Taylor dropped out. Now Republican incumbent Pat Roberts is trying to fend off a serious challenge from Greg Orman, an independent businessman. But as voting day approaches, the gap has narrowed.
THEY SAID IT: Roberts’ campaign has been hammering away at Orman’s links to private equity firm CEO Raj Gupta, convicted of insider trading in 2012, and financier George Soros. “As we’ve begun to educate people about the real Greg Orman, his support has begun to rapidly decline,” a source close to the Roberts campaign told Business Insider.
LOUISIANA
In an ultra-red state that went for Mitt Romney by a landslide in 2012, Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu is sounding more like an anxious novice than a seasoned lawmaker, with 18 years under her belt, as she battles Republican challenger Bill Cassidy. The presence of a third contender, Rob Maness, could lead to a runoff vote.THEY SAID IT: Landrieu has attacked Cassidy for not turning up for candidates’ debates. “If you are not man enough or strong enough to come to these debates, how in heavens are you going to be strong enough to represent the citizens of Louisiana?” she asked. A Cassidy spokesman dismissed her complaint as “silly.”
MICHIGAN
In one of the few races to offer comfort to Democrats, their candidate, U.S. Representative Gary Peters solidly leads the Republican Terri Lynn Land, a former secretary of state, in every public poll. Even Republican observers agree she has little chance.
THEY SAID IT: Part of the problem for Land is the lack of excitement. The race has been “sort of boring,” says Democratic consultant Mark Grebner. There has been no game-changing remark. There were no debates. so there was “no zinger moment,” adds Republican consultant Dennis Darnoi.
MONTANA
Steve Daines could carry the state for the Republicans after the Democratic incumbent John Walsh withdrew, admitting he had plagiarized a paper while at Army War College. Instead, Daines will face state Representative Amanda Curtis, a relative neophyte, whose left-wing views, freely viewable on You Tube, could turn off voters.THEY SAID IT: Curtis emerged as her party’s choice after other prominent Democrats, including former Gov. Brian Schweitzer and the actor Jeff Bridges, declined to enter the race. Nonetheless, she says she running to win and “is not a sacrificial lamb.” Analysts put her chances as slim at best.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Former Republican senator Scott Brown from neighbouring Massachusetts could be poised to upset Jeanne Shaheen, an institution in New Hampshire. In doing so, he has to combat charges of being a carpet bagger and opportunist by running in the state where he has a vacation home.
THEY SAID IT: Despite the recent threat posed by the newcomer, analysts believe the former governor will win the day. “Shaheen is such a known quantity. She’s been part of politics in the state for such a long time. And she’s running a really good campaign,” said Jennifer Duffy, of the Cook Political Report. “The only election she’s ever lost was the Senate in 2002.”
NORTH CAROLINA
The senatorial contest in North Carolina appears certain to become costliest in U.S. electoral history as Republicans try to take over the upper house. An estimated US$100-million is being spent to promote two candidates most people have never heard of: Senate Democrat Kay Hagan, who is clinging to a razor-thin lead, and Republican Thom Tillis.THEY SAID IT: Tillis has been building grass-roots support, reports Politico. Amid shouts of “You’ve got my vote, speaker,” and “There’s my next U.S. senator,” at the North Carolina State Fair last week, he was all confidence. “I think things are going really well,” he said, as he ate fried chicken, milked a cow and hung tobacco leaves for curing with fair-goers.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Four-way race between former Republican governor Mike Rounds. Democrat Rick Weiland, former Republican U.S. senator-turned independent Larry Pressler and the Tea Party’s Gordon Howie. Rounds is tainted by a scandal over how the state administered its visa program designed to attract foreign capital and which led to an aide’s suicide. The Keystone XL pipeline could also be a factor.
THEY SAID IT: Rounds has been hurt by Weiland’s hammering away at the visa scandal, to the extent coverage of all other issues has been nearly non-existent. “I’m running for the Senate but I ain’t a big wheel. I don’t have an RV just my automobile. Hey, hey, no one’s bought me,” sings Weiland in a folksy, cheeky video.
WEST VIRGINIA
Two women are facing off in West Virginia to fill the Senate seat of Democrat Jay Rockefeller, who is retiring: the Republican U.S. Representative Shelley Moore-Capito, and the Democratic party nominee, Natalie Tennant, the West Virginia secretary of state. Whoever wins, it will be historic — the state has never sent a woman senator to Washington.THEY SAID IT: Barack Obama is so unpopular in the state because of his policies on coal, Tennant refused to mention him by name when asked who she voted for. At a candidates’ debate, she would only say she “voted for the Democratic party,” before citing her objections to the president and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy.
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Readers: Whew! Did you get through all that? My suggestion is that you focus on your state and then go out there and do it. Do whatever you can to get the Dems on board and voting.
Congratulations San Francisco Giants!
Blog me.
Peace out.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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October 30th, 2014 at 9:58 am
Candi #1, I didn’t try. How many times do I have to say that?
& steel you got told by Amy so I won’t bother.
-ZL
October 30th, 2014 at 12:03 pm
Candi…just to clarify…I don’t comment every day…when I DO comment they go on straight away so if it looks like no comments here or it’s tough to get on, it’s a day I either didn’t read at all yet or I read and chose not to comment.
Sometimes when I see no comments all day I may come on just to see if it’ll open the channel but I in no way believe myself to be a moderator of any kind bc I’m sure you’ve noticed that with me or without me, at some point, comments go through.
- ZL
October 31st, 2014 at 3:20 am
Yeah, Michelle how about those Giants! I’m at the airport on my way back to SF for the big celebration today. Another Halloween Celebration for the Giants.
Oh and as for the topic. Will get back to you it is just too early in the morning to talk politics for me.
October 31st, 2014 at 4:19 am
The iPhone 6 has arrived on Guam. The latest iPhone is now available on Guam. Both DOCOMO Pacific and GTA launched the Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus at all their locations on island.
DOCOMO Pacific president and chief executive officer Jonathan Kriegel says the new i-phone is a milestone for Guam, telling KUAM News, “These devices really are revolutionary, they are bigger than bigger, they provide fantastic screen experiences, it’s a device that has a fantastic design, the curve, glass, the new rounded edges, it’s just got a great look and feel.”
The phone is touted as “bigger than bigger” and has several features.
GTA’s marketing and communication specialist Michele Catahay says GTA opened at 6 this morning to accommodate the demand. “It’s exciting for people because now we’re offering, the phone is a little larger and we have different plans to fit everybody’s needs so at GTA that’s what we try to do is we try to accommodate and make ways in which we have different options for our customers.”
Both retailers are offering a special trade-in program. You can visit both DOCOMO Pacific and GTA at their various locations throughout the island or go to their websites at http://www.docomopacific.com or http://www.gta.net.
Hafa Adai
October 31st, 2014 at 4:31 am
Michelle the stakes are high indeed. Here in Virginia they have taken the voting rights from 350,000 Virginians.
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The Last Gasp Of Jim Crow: The High-Stakes Battle To Restore Voting Rights To 350,000 Virginians http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/10/24/3583884/disenfranchised-in-virginia/
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There is something evil about a people who consistently strive to deprive others of their humanity.
October 31st, 2014 at 4:33 am
Court sides with man in DUI case
The Supreme Court of Guam last Friday ruled that police improperly conducted a sobriety checkpoint that led to a man’s arrest.
Justices said in a written opinion that while the Guam Police Department’s protocol for establishing sobriety checkpoints isn’t unconstitutional, the government failed to prove that police followed their policies in this specific case.
The opinion concerned the case of William Michael Calhoun, who was arrested and charged in 2012 with drunk driving after failing a sobriety test at a checkpoint.
Calhoun and his attorney argued the checkpoints violated his constitutional rights and, as a result, are illegal. He therefore asked the court to suppress evidence that he was intoxicated.
The trial court denied that request and Calhoun pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, while retaining his right to appeal the court’s decision, according to a press release attached to the opinion.
The Supreme Court took up the question and determined that while the department’s protocol is constitutional, Calhoun’s claim has merit in this particular case.
In order for a checkpoint to preserve a person’s rights, police must meet eight requirements, according to the court’s opinion.
Justices noted that police have an established policy for sobriety checkpoints, which, among other things, establishes a set rule for stopping vehicles and limiting the amount of time checkpoints can exist.
The court concluded that the department’s checkpoints are proper “so long as they are established and operated in accordance with the (policy).”
From there, justices examined whether the checkpoint that led to Calhoun’s arrest complied with GPD’s policy.
Among the requirements is one that obligates “supervisory law enforcement personnel” to oversee the establishment of a sobriety checkpoint, according to the opinion.
“However,” wrote the justices, “a review of the record reveals that it is unclear whether the (Assistant Chief of Police) or any other high-ranking GPD official authorized or was involved in the planning stages of the checkpoint operation in this case.”
Justices referred to comments by a police officer who testified that the checkpoint was scheduled by a police sergeant “and whoever his bosses are at the time.”
The opinion states that there’s no indication of who the unnamed “bosses” are or that they made the decisions to establish the checkpoints.
Justices added that a sergeant wouldn’t qualify as a “high-ranking official” as required under the policy.
And because the government couldn’t prove the checkpoint was authorized by a supervisory official, justices determined that the court erred in calling the checkpoint constitutional.
GPD spokesman Officer A.J. Balajadia couldn’t say how the opinion will affect department policy, instead saying it will take a few days to review the justices’ opinion.
October 31st, 2014 at 4:48 am
The SuperPACs have run roughshod over democracy in the USA?
October 31st, 2014 at 4:50 am
Howie, love the input.
Republican-inspired undermining of democracy by re-districting/gerry mandering, and outright stealing votes through suppression of the vote or just throwing away votes they don’t like.
October 31st, 2014 at 4:58 am
We started with President Obama and then the racists found a way to load the House with people who Palin endorses. Or any Republican, for that matter in 2010.
Here we go again if we don’t listen to Michelle and get our asses out and vote to take over those governorships.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:01 am
Mary#9, you are spot on. Running the Republicans who created this mess out of office. They block bills, they do nothing. They do not care about the US, only money for the rich.
That is the most important issue in these midterm elections.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:02 am
I agree with you Michelle. We have to get out and vote to keep the Mad Hatters Tea Party away from positions from which they can hurt our country.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:03 am
The most important issue to me is replacing all possible politicians with constitutional conservatives like Ron Paul so that we can get our freedoms back, as well as a sound dollar.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:04 am
Michelle I disagree with you I think we need to do whatever is necessary to get a Republican majority, even if a few nut case Tea Party people are needed to do it.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:05 am
I am voting for democrats because they believe in getting the wealthy to pay their fair share. Taxing the wealthy. Tax breaks for the wealthy is like building a dam up stream. The rancher up stream gets more than enough water, while the rest of us have to make do with what little bit of water leaks through. It`s time to blow up this dam and let the water flow. There`s plenty for all.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:07 am
Michelle I really enjoy your selections that seek to encourage voters to get out and throw those darn republicans out, as a senior who just turned 65 and is FINALLY able to get MediCare, my number one concern is that the so called Tea Party Republicans DO NOT fool with the current program.
WHY any senior would vote for the likes of Sharron Angle, Rand Paul, Ken Buck or Pat Toomey is beyond me. they ALL want to ELIMINATE Medicare.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:08 am
Michelle, you finally got me to write in after 6 years of following you. My most important concern is the tea party. If this rabble succeeds in November, the republicans will have to kneel at their altar and keep recruiting the least informed and most vile candidates in the future.
That the tea party resonates with so many makes my stomach turn. Their tenure might be short but their slash and burn agenda will leave congress in ruins.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:09 am
Michelle, god bless you for trying to defeat the nominees elected by the tea party whose hard core base is the worst this country has to offer. The last thing we need are more representatives who lack brains, integrity, and honesty. Because if elected these reality show wannabes will vote exactly the way the so called leadership of the Republican party tells them to.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:10 am
The most important issues are: #1 JOBS, #2 JOBS, and #3 JOBS!!!
We don’t make anything here anymore. Until we do nothing is going to get any better!!! Unemployed people don’t pay taxes and don’t buy much.
It’s the middle class that keeps our economy strong, and our middle class has been dismantled and shipped to China. I don’t know what we have to do to get Washington to listen, but maybe unemployment for the whole lot of them would improve their understanding!!
Oh and will you people stop irritating Zen Lill.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:12 am
Believe it or not, the most important issue ISN’T jobs; it’s peoples perceptions of the state of their own economic stability. That being said, the guy I vote for, or girl, is going to be the one that can make me feel like he or she isn’t going to naysay every idea that comes from the opposite party for politics sake.
The guy or girl everyone should vote for is the one that doesn’t see doom in every government policy.
There’s a reason why it was called “the great DEPRESSION”. It wasn’t just wages and jobs that were depressed, it was people.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:13 am
Michelle, you have convinced me. I am voting democrat because I don’t believe that tax cut extensions for the super wealthy will have any effect on creating jobs because they sure didn’t under Bush. I think the rich just want more breaks. period.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:14 am
Michelle, I hope your campaign to get out the vote works. The Lord knows that this country needs to keep political power away from those Republicans who would eagerly repeat all the mistakes of the George W. Bush era, while somehow expecting different results.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:15 am
Yes, the economy and unemployment are on top of my list. Corporate greed is rampant and the C-level people need to get a clue. I work in Technology and there is no shortage of experienced American’s. We need to kill the H1-B program and others like it related to outsourcing/offshoring. Get middle class people back to work and you will improve the economy.
Tthe Senate just voted down a bill that would’ve helped. The Republicans didn’t surprise me in which direction they voted, but 5-6 Democrats voted against it too. Just simply amazing!
October 31st, 2014 at 5:18 am
Thank you, thank you, thank you Michelle. I hope this works. We need to get a Congress that will back bringing back good jobs to the middle class.
Although my salary has remained the same since 2006, I have been lucky enough to be working for a company has not taken too much of hit during the recession. I am supporting the household by myself since my boyfriend cannot find a job for over a year.
Another friend has just taken a job at the local grocery store at $8 an hour out of desperation and if something doesn’t break for her soon she will be living in her car (that is if it doesn’t get repossesed). I want to vote for a candidate that understands that laying off thousands of people so that a few on top can walk away with multi millions is not the way this country will survive.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:19 am
I’m for the republicans because they are against illegal aliens and amnesty. my position hasn’t changed over the last 20 years as has most of the legal, taxpaying americans opinion as well.
seems funny that the same morons that are in office keep coming back to the only solution to our immigration problems is amnesty. putting a end to this problem would solve numerous other problems such as our economy, our debt, jobs, resources, etc. i intend to vote out all illegal alien sympathizers.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:21 am
Michelle, you need to be congratulated on your efforts to keep the Republicans’ hands off our government!
October 31st, 2014 at 5:22 am
Thank you Michelle for this continuous effort to get all the republicans out of office. And just maybe it’ll stop all this hate talk. Perhaps getting The Glass-Steagall Act back in place.
Stopping the outsourcing of our jobs and getting all those jobs back. Perhaps tweaking the health care by getting a public option added to it. Who cares about tax cuts when people aren’t working. And how about the media stop scarring people with all these targeted polls aimed at a small section of America.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:23 am
Michelle I pray every day for you. I admire your attempt to make sure that we give the Democrats a Super Majority in the Senate so that we can get the peoples work done without the Republicans blocking everything – including those bills that they voted for in the past.
There is no good reason to vote for ANY Republican this midterm cycle.
October 31st, 2014 at 5:25 am
I believe the economy is the number one issue in this election, which is why I’ll be voting for every Democrat in sight rather than giving power back to the party that got us into these messes.
Another one high on my list is opposing all of the Tea Party loonies that have crawled out of the woodwork and declared their candidacy. In Nevada, that means opposing Sharron Angle who seems to be against anything that might actually help people.
November 1st, 2014 at 11:23 am
[…] Tony: I HOPE you had a safe flight back. Enjoy the Parade! It will be a gorgeous sea of Orange and Black – no better way to celebrate the beloved Giants and one of my favorite Holidays. Stay safe and dry. It is a wet one today. […]