Senate 2008 Guru: Following the Races

Keeping a close eye on developments in the 2008 U.S. Senate races

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Wednesday Late Afternoon Update

  • North Carolina: Congressman Brad Miller is postponing his campaign kickoff plans because, it turns out, he might wind up kicking off a different campaign:

    Miller's kickoff on hold

    U.S. Rep. Brad Miller, a Raleigh Democrat, has postponed his re-election kickoff because he is contemplating running against Dole.

    "A funny thing happened on the way to my 2008 campaign for re-election to the U.S. House," Miller wrote in an e-mail message to supporters. "So we're postponing the kickoff fundraiser at the Irregardless Cafe, which we had scheduled for April 29, until we know what we're kicking off."

    The talk in Democratic circles is that Miller is leaning toward running against Dole.

    Miller, a three-term congressman, asks for the advice of his supporters. He says he is happy representing the 13th District, but is clearly intrigued by serving in the Senate.

    "I'm disappointed that Senator Dole has simply toed her party's line on almost every issue, and mouthed stale partisan rhetoric, when we have desperately needed leaders in Washington who would ask hard questions and offer practical alternatives," Miller wrote.
    Very telling. We eagerly await Congressman Miller's next kickoff announcement.

    Kentucky: The DSCC did some polling of its own in Kentucky (the wording for which is much more straightforward than some other Kentucky polls), and they discovered some interesting results:

    Voters in the Bluegrass state rate the war in Iraq as the most important issue facing the country, and they disapprove of the way George Bush is handling it by a 67 percent to 32 percent majority. By a plurality of 39 percent to 34 percent, they say that Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell does not represent their views on Iraq, and they say that McConnell votes too often with President Bush by a 61 percent to 24 percent majority. Kentuckians also overwhelmingly oppose Bush’s escalation of the war.
    Now we just need a candidate with the conviction and the resources to present an alternative.

  • CQPolitics has been closely following the Senate races, and they have come out with an updated version of their handy-dandy chart (in PDF format) listing all Senators up for re-election in 2008, along with Q1 fundraising and post-Q1 cash-on-hand.

    Personal thought upon reviewing the chart: To put John Warner's notorious $500 Q1 take in perspective, note that Wayne Allard, who announced back in January that he would retire from the Senate at the end of this term, raised over $12,000 in Q1. It takes a concerted effort for a long-time incumbent to raise only $500.

  • MyDD's Bowers offers his look at the 2008 Senate picture. No big surprises in his analysis.

  • 8 Comments:

    Blogger VA Blogger said...

    Where did this "Domenici is senile" meme get started? That's a pretty audaciously insulting charge to throw around.

    5:09 PM, April 25, 2007  
    Blogger James L. said...

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    5:22 PM, April 25, 2007  
    Blogger Senate2008Guru said...

    The "Domenici is going the way of Jim Bunning" meme coalesced around the time he was found wandering the halls of the Senate in his pajamas. (That's where the nickname "Pajamas Pete" comes from.) The Domenici camp responded that he was wearing hunting pants or loose fitting sweatpants or something, but first-hand accounts suggested he was in his PJs. Also, I've heard rumors - just rumors! - that Dr. Bill Frist would routinely help check on and monitor Domenici's mental health with discretion.

    5:30 PM, April 25, 2007  
    Blogger Ari said...

    Off-topic-- Brad Miller is having his kickoff at the Irregardless Cafe? Well, "irregardless" as to what he'll be announcing, the food will be terrific-- I visited friends in Raleigh last year, and they took me to that restaurant . . . mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

    Getting back to the subject at hand, I'm glad to see Miller taking visible action toward a senate race. The fact that we may finally have SOMEONE, let alone Brad Miller, stepping up to the plate comes as welcome news!

    5:45 PM, April 25, 2007  
    Blogger VA Blogger said...

    So a guy wears his hunting pants to the Senate one time, and now he's not mentally equipped for office?

    The length that you guys can stretch the weakest of stories is truly something.

    You've done a pretty good job of beating around the bush by saying things like "he may be" or "some people persist that". MyDD just flat-out said: the guy is senile. I guess if one was to look for class on the liberal blogosphere, we know not to look there.

    9:14 PM, April 25, 2007  
    Blogger Carnacki said...

    Thought you might find this post on Senator Rockefeller of interest.

    Considering the right wing blogosphere supports Ann Coulter's death threats against federal judges and others, put up posts calling for genocide against Iraqis and others, the left will have to sink much lower than a post about the mental troubles of Pajama Pete Domenici before it can match the classless behavior of the right blogosphere.

    10:39 PM, April 25, 2007  
    Blogger VA Blogger said...

    What right-wing blogosphere are you reading? There are nuts on either side. The Free Republican and Democratic Underground are two sides of the same coin, and I bet you that we can go round for round all day posting snips from each site that are callous and classless.

    MyDD is a much more mainstream site, and one of the most visited on the web. And he's not the only one to accuse Domenici of being senile, though his language is the most accusatory I've read.

    I don't understand your Rockefeller link. The RNC ran an ad about Harry Reid's position on Iraq. What's interesting about it?

    8:58 AM, April 26, 2007  
    Blogger WVBlue said...

    Powerline, Instapundit, Little Green Footballs, etc. You don't spend any time on right wing blogs, va blogger?

    12:54 PM, April 26, 2007  

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