Races Update:

[rodeodance]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Races Update: Francine Busby Edition
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 18:02:55 -0500
From: Karin Johanson, DCCC Political Director <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
To:

Dear xxx,

Yesterday the open primary to replace the disgraced Duke Cunningham took place out in San Diego, and Francine Busby dominated the field with 44% of the vote out of a field of 18 candidates. As our Chairman, Rahm Emanuel put it...

"Francine Busby's dramatic win shows that Democratic, independent and Republican voters simply want change. In a Republican district, Busby showed that Democratic candidates for change can and will make status quo politics-as-usual Republicans fight for their political lives in every corner of this country."


And John Fund, member of the right wing Wall Street Journal editorial board, put it this way on Monday:

"Indeed, even a Busby showing in the 45% range could touch off panicked responses from Republicans--similar to those from Democrats when they lost a series of key special elections in the spring on 1994. 'Panicked politicians are not a pretty sight,' says GOP pollster Whit Ayres. 'They usually run in the wrong direction.'" <1>


In Francine Busby's district and across the country, voters are screaming for dramatic change. It is DCCC members and Democratic activists that will help make a Democratic majority in the House a reality. I will continue to keep you updated as this race hurdles towards the June 6th runoff between Busby and the Republican candidate.

Now that we're getting into the thick of election season, there are numerous races to keep you in the loop on. So let me introduce you to a few of the other great candidates gearing up around the country.

AZ-05: Harry Mitchell. "He's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. He's just not a politician..." <2> That probably sounds like a mixed review of Democrat Harry Mitchell - until you find out that the speaker designed a 35-foot statue in tribute to Mitchell constructed by the citizens of his home town of Tempe, Arizona. After pleas from both local Democrats and national organizations, Harry just recently jumped into the race against one of the GOP's kings of bombast and bluster, J.D. Hayworth. Hayworth was one of the leaders of the Republican attack machine on Jack Murtha, but what may cause him even more problems is his connection with Abramoff clients. Click the link below to read the transcript of Tim Russert grilling him on NBC's "Meet the Press" last weekend:

http://www.dccc.org/r/10110/1534305

WA-08: Darcy Burner. Democrat Darcy Burner has propelled this race onto political radar screens from Washington State to Washington, D.C. A Harvard graduate, she is a former Microsoft executive with more than a decade of experience in the hi-tech field in both California and Washington State, and she is the leader of Hoopers, the Microsoft Women's organization. Republican incumbent Dave Reichert, on the other hand, is a model for how supposedly "moderate" Republicans get betrothed to the right wing Republican powers that be. His vote against stem cell research in his freshman term here earned him a spot in the DCCC's recent stem cell campaign, and his 88% Republican voting percentage on key votes is matched only by the staggering $55,000 he's taken from John Boehner, Tom DeLay, and DeLay protege Roy Blunt combined. Darcy's quick fundraising jump to $355,000 cash on hand makes this one to watch closely, and spurred headlines like this one: "Dems hopes rise, along with rookie's fortunes." <3>

VT-AL: Peter Welch. Waging a strong, principled, progressive campaign, Peter Welch is showing himself to be a worthy replacement for Vermont's beloved Bernie Sanders, who is running for Senate this year. Welch earned admiration across the state for his serious and thoughtful call for Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. As an editorial entitled "Welch's Challenge" put it, "Rumsfeld, perhaps more than any single individual, has been the architect of the invasion of Iraq and the horrors that have followed. Calling for his resignation positions the Windsor County senator squarely with the beliefs of mainstream Vermonters, and it tosses a significant challenge to any Republican opponent." <4> Meanwhile, as Welch stands up for accountability, his Republican opponent Martha Rainville ducks it at every turn. After denouncing and claiming independence from Republican leadership, she's been happily raking in checks from those very same Republicans. Unfortunately for her, the resulting editorials had titles like "Rainville's Hypocrisy" <5> and "Send it Back" <6> - we hope she thinks keeping the checks was worth it.

That's all for this edition, but rest assured we've got dozens more where these came from, and we'll be keeping you updated from here on until November.

Sincerely,


Karin Johanson
DCCC Political Director

1. "Flirting With Disaster," Wall Street Journal, April 10, 2006
2. "A Campaign With Legs," CQ WEEKLY, March 27, 2006
3. "Dems' hopes rise in 8th, along with rookie's fortunes," Seattle Times, April 5, 2006
4. "Welch's Challenge," The Herald of Randolph Editorial, March 23, 2006
5. "Rainville's Hypocrisy," Vermont Guardian, April 7, 2006
6. "Send it Back," Brattleboro Reformer, April 6, 2006