'18 Midterms: Dems win House by largest midterm raw vote margin ever
- Thread starter acri1
- Start date
Elephant fi dead
OfTheCross
Veteran
how many competitive seats in the house and senate are actually up for election this year?
Armchair Militant
Stay woke
I said it before and I'll say it again, I don't have a good feeling, not because there isn't a blue wave, there is, but because the Republicans will cheat to keep their seat.
mc_brew
#NotMyPresident
repubs are far better at messaging and they fight dirty.... dems are terrible at messaging, weak and soft, and often won't fight at all.... i expect dems to make gains in the house but fall short of taking it back and i actually expect dems to lose seats in the senate... we're in for a rough couple of years....
We will win seats, but fewer than anticipated.
Best we can hope is Trump keeps fukking up.
Former Obama Administration Officials Vie to Unseat House Republicans
Former Obama Administration Officials Vie to Unseat House Republicans
Large contingent is part of Democratic effort to create a counter to President Donald Trump’s efforts to roll back policies they helped put in place
Updated Dec. 31, 2017 9:35 a.m. ET
Elissa Slotkin with an Iraqi Kurdistan region official in 2016 when Ms. Slotkin was the U.S.’s assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. The former Obama administration official is now running for a seat in Congress. Photo: azad lashkari/Reuters
At least a dozen former aides and policy staff who worked for President Barack Obama have entered the midterm races, running for office for the first time.
The Obama administration alumni are part of a Democratic Party effort to take back control of the House of Representatives and create a counter to President Donald Trump’s efforts to roll back Obama-era policies. In many cases, these new candidates are opposing GOP incumbents who have been identified by House Democrats as potentially vulnerable to a challenge.
Brian Forde, former White House technology adviser, moved back to the southern California district where he was raised and is running against Republican Rep. Mimi Walters. Former Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense Elissa Slotkin is challenging GOP Rep. Mike Bishop while living on her family’s farm in Michigan. And two former Obama administration alumni are taking on Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions—Colin Allred, who worked in Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of General Counsel and Ed Meier, who worked in the State Department focused on military-to-civilian transition in Iraq.
“We’re in the middle of a civic reawakening right now and that opportunity means that we need to reopen the barn doors,” Mr. Forde said.
If Republicans are worried, they don’t show it. The National Republican Campaign Committee plans to run ads tethering candidates to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), who is presumed to become House Speaker should Democrats regain control—and who is unpopular in polls nationwide. Meanwhile other Republicans, including staffers for the GOP incumbents facing Democratic challenges, also doubted the wisdom of running on former President Obama’s legacy, especially in Republican-held districts.
“The Obama administration’s failure to recognize the threat of ISIS and inability to provide millions of Americans with affordable health care will be a stain on their candidacies,” said Jesse Hunt, NRCC national press secretary.
The rise in the number of Democratic candidates is being driven by multiple factors, said David Wasserman of the Cook Political report. “I’d describe it as a mix of people who feel a genuine calling to oppose Trump and suddenly out-of-work Democrats looking for jobs,” Mr. Wasserman said.
After scoring election victories across the country in the past two months, Democratic leaders are optimistic the party can harness voter energy built in large part on discontent with President Donald Trump. The Cook Political Report rates 63 GOP-held seats as competitive to some degree—17 as tossups and 46 as “likely” or “lean” Republican. Democrats will have to play defense too: Cook lists 21 Democratic seats as competitive, including four tossups.
Democrats need to win a net 24 seats to take back the majority. Democrats have 193 seats in the House, compared with the GOP majority of 239.
The Obama alumni have formed a network and text each other. Should they win, the new Democratic candidates would join a smattering of former Obama alumni already in Congress, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.), a Freshman Democrat from California who served as a deputy assistant secretary in the Obama Commerce Department. Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth was an assistant secretary in Obama’s Veterans Affairs Department before running for Congress.
In Mr. Obama’s farewell address in January 2017, he told the crowd in Chicago: “If you’re disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself.”
Sarah Jacobs, a former State Department employee who returned home to southern California recently, said she wasn’t looking to run. She is one of four Democrats challenging GOP Rep. Darrell Issa, who won by just one point in 2016. His district is one of 23 that Hillary Clinton won and are now represented by Republicans.
GOP Rep. Darrell Issa won his California district by just one point in 2016.Photo: Bill Clark/Zuma Press
“I was actually looking to work on someone’s campaign but didn’t find anyone who spoke to me,” she said. “I decided the way that I would have other options was if I made them.”
Back in the Michigan district of Rep. Bishop, Ms. Slotkin is challenging with decidedly more moderate positions than her Democratic colleagues from safer districts. They are focusing on localized issues that their would-be constituents are talking about, not attacking the president.
Ms. Slotkin said she refrains from criticizing the president and won’t say if she supports current House Democratic leadership. Democrats have targeted the seat in the past and lost, making Stu Sandler, Mr. Bishop’s spokesperson, hopeful the congressman can win a third term.
“The DCCC is pushing D.C. insiders into communities like the 8th district,” said Mr. Sandler, referring to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “But the people of the 8th district know Mike Bishop and his dedication to serving and helping families across the 8th district.”
On the campaign trail, Ms. Slotkin focuses on raising wages and bringing higher-paying jobs to the district. She is convinced voters backed Mr. Trump because they are struggling economically and his campaign message about creating jobs resonated.
“What I say to people is I don’t love the messenger that you picked, but I get the message,” she said.
Former Obama Administration Officials Vie to Unseat House Republicans
Large contingent is part of Democratic effort to create a counter to President Donald Trump’s efforts to roll back policies they helped put in place
Updated Dec. 31, 2017 9:35 a.m. ET
Elissa Slotkin with an Iraqi Kurdistan region official in 2016 when Ms. Slotkin was the U.S.’s assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. The former Obama administration official is now running for a seat in Congress. Photo: azad lashkari/Reuters
At least a dozen former aides and policy staff who worked for President Barack Obama have entered the midterm races, running for office for the first time.
The Obama administration alumni are part of a Democratic Party effort to take back control of the House of Representatives and create a counter to President Donald Trump’s efforts to roll back Obama-era policies. In many cases, these new candidates are opposing GOP incumbents who have been identified by House Democrats as potentially vulnerable to a challenge.
Brian Forde, former White House technology adviser, moved back to the southern California district where he was raised and is running against Republican Rep. Mimi Walters. Former Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense Elissa Slotkin is challenging GOP Rep. Mike Bishop while living on her family’s farm in Michigan. And two former Obama administration alumni are taking on Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions—Colin Allred, who worked in Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of General Counsel and Ed Meier, who worked in the State Department focused on military-to-civilian transition in Iraq.
“We’re in the middle of a civic reawakening right now and that opportunity means that we need to reopen the barn doors,” Mr. Forde said.
If Republicans are worried, they don’t show it. The National Republican Campaign Committee plans to run ads tethering candidates to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), who is presumed to become House Speaker should Democrats regain control—and who is unpopular in polls nationwide. Meanwhile other Republicans, including staffers for the GOP incumbents facing Democratic challenges, also doubted the wisdom of running on former President Obama’s legacy, especially in Republican-held districts.
“The Obama administration’s failure to recognize the threat of ISIS and inability to provide millions of Americans with affordable health care will be a stain on their candidacies,” said Jesse Hunt, NRCC national press secretary.
The rise in the number of Democratic candidates is being driven by multiple factors, said David Wasserman of the Cook Political report. “I’d describe it as a mix of people who feel a genuine calling to oppose Trump and suddenly out-of-work Democrats looking for jobs,” Mr. Wasserman said.
After scoring election victories across the country in the past two months, Democratic leaders are optimistic the party can harness voter energy built in large part on discontent with President Donald Trump. The Cook Political Report rates 63 GOP-held seats as competitive to some degree—17 as tossups and 46 as “likely” or “lean” Republican. Democrats will have to play defense too: Cook lists 21 Democratic seats as competitive, including four tossups.
Democrats need to win a net 24 seats to take back the majority. Democrats have 193 seats in the House, compared with the GOP majority of 239.
The Obama alumni have formed a network and text each other. Should they win, the new Democratic candidates would join a smattering of former Obama alumni already in Congress, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.), a Freshman Democrat from California who served as a deputy assistant secretary in the Obama Commerce Department. Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth was an assistant secretary in Obama’s Veterans Affairs Department before running for Congress.
In Mr. Obama’s farewell address in January 2017, he told the crowd in Chicago: “If you’re disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself.”
Sarah Jacobs, a former State Department employee who returned home to southern California recently, said she wasn’t looking to run. She is one of four Democrats challenging GOP Rep. Darrell Issa, who won by just one point in 2016. His district is one of 23 that Hillary Clinton won and are now represented by Republicans.
GOP Rep. Darrell Issa won his California district by just one point in 2016.Photo: Bill Clark/Zuma Press
“I was actually looking to work on someone’s campaign but didn’t find anyone who spoke to me,” she said. “I decided the way that I would have other options was if I made them.”
Back in the Michigan district of Rep. Bishop, Ms. Slotkin is challenging with decidedly more moderate positions than her Democratic colleagues from safer districts. They are focusing on localized issues that their would-be constituents are talking about, not attacking the president.
Ms. Slotkin said she refrains from criticizing the president and won’t say if she supports current House Democratic leadership. Democrats have targeted the seat in the past and lost, making Stu Sandler, Mr. Bishop’s spokesperson, hopeful the congressman can win a third term.
“The DCCC is pushing D.C. insiders into communities like the 8th district,” said Mr. Sandler, referring to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “But the people of the 8th district know Mike Bishop and his dedication to serving and helping families across the 8th district.”
On the campaign trail, Ms. Slotkin focuses on raising wages and bringing higher-paying jobs to the district. She is convinced voters backed Mr. Trump because they are struggling economically and his campaign message about creating jobs resonated.
“What I say to people is I don’t love the messenger that you picked, but I get the message,” she said.
All I know is the real left gotta talk to these trash Dems and get them the fukk outta here and be strong during the general by not acting straight punani. Their whole trying to police the primaries can get the fukk up outta here too.
The Obama wave 
mc_brew
#NotMyPresident
this was always speculation on my part, but i always thought she was pushed out of the house to avoid being indicted.... she's got some balls on her... and i do mean balls, look at her...
Michael Kotick (@Kotick4Congress) on Twitter
rorahabaker [whatevs] r-russia opponent
Beto for Texas
fishface Cruz r-zodiac killer opponent
Randy Bryce for Congress | Veteran, Union Ironworker, Candidate for Congress
Granny starver Ryan r-been at the gov teet all my adult life opponent
Andrew Janz (@JanzforCongress) on Twitter
Nunes r-treasonous opponent
rorahabaker [whatevs] r-russia opponent
Beto for Texas
fishface Cruz r-zodiac killer opponent
Randy Bryce for Congress | Veteran, Union Ironworker, Candidate for Congress
Granny starver Ryan r-been at the gov teet all my adult life opponent
Andrew Janz (@JanzforCongress) on Twitter
Nunes r-treasonous opponent
brick james
John piffington
Most of the real left you're talking about that stayed politically active are willing to settle for anyone after seeing the shytshow that is donald trump. I think that Donald Trump was a god send for moderate dems