All politics is local

[question everything]

After the exhilaration of last night, today was a downer.

I looked at the results of all the non-Obama results and, except for the judges and the incumbent city council - whom I don't know but he appeared to be the lesser of other evils - all my votes lost.

The only exception was young James Wisker for Soil and Water Supervisor that I posted on Sunday.

What a downer.

As for the 1st and 6th Districts, and, perhaps, even the Senate race - I think that this is the power of incumbency, even if not in the same office. I think that many voters prefer someone who has held an elective office. Plus, the sad reality that both are still dominated by Republicans. The only thing we can do is to continue to put cracks there.

Bummer, either way.

[Bjorn Against]

1. Don't count out Franken yet, the race is not over until the recount is over.

[Eric J in MN]

2. The election results show something is going wrong with the DFL.

MN-3 - Erik Paulsen won.
MN-6 - Michele Bachmann won.
US Senate - Norm Coleman tentatively won.

We didn't gain the 5 State House seats to override a veto.

The DFL should do something differently in 2010, though I'm not sure what.

[Minnesota Raindog]

4. The DCCC did nothing for Tinklenberg until Bachmann's Hardball debacle

That's why Tinklenberg's campaign wasn't as visible as it could have been earlier on.

[kikiek]

6. Actually she lost a lot of support. Still enough to win, but she had a landslide originally.

She will have to fight to keep that seat by 2010. The area is getting purple. Also, can we have it redistricted?

[dflprincess]

8. Odds are we will lose a House seat in the next redistricting

so the line will be redrawn. But the census will be conducted in 2010 so we probably won't see the change until 2012.

[question everything]

5. Yes, primaries. In June, or even March to replace the caucuses.

I was a delegate and was convinced to vote for Madia. He was there and I talked to him and liked where he stood. But perhaps Bonoff may have been a better candidate. After all, she did win the same district for her Senate run. Twice.

Being conservative means, I think, not just voting for Republicans but hesitancy about something or someone new and unknown. Many knew Paulsen, who showed his family etc., while Madia came from nowhere, a "non white" and a bachelor. Those ads claiming that he lied about several questions apparently did not help, either.

As the Iraq War was getting down in importance Madia's background as a vet lost some of its strength, I think.

There was also the former (?) mayor of Edina who used to be a Republican and was not embraced by the convention. Yet, Madia, apparently, was a Republican, too, and even voted for Bush in 2000.

If there were primaries all three would have had a chance to campaign to everyone in the district, not just the delegates. This was the first time for me that I was getting mailers and phone calls about the candidates, and it was because I was a delegate.

As for the Sixth, I was not surprised. It is apparently a conservative district and they apparently liked Buchmann. I also wondered whether the "threats" of a large majority in Congress influenced many, too.

[dflprincess]

7. Instant run off voting is what we need to do.

No matter who comes out ahead in the Senate recount, we are going to wind up with a Senator who only got 42% of the vote. Both Bachmann and Paulson got less than 50%. All three races were affected by a 3rd party candidate and, according to the Strib, exit polling made it appear the DFL candidate was the one hurt more.

[goodhue]

9. The problem is Independence Party candidates

The solution is IRV

[mascarax]

3. Bummed too

Except for the State Rep in my district and Obama, I'm with you: the rest of mine lost (not counting judges...although nice to see another defeat of Tim Tingelstad).

The DFL needs to look closely at this. And I don't think the DCCC negative ads helped Madia at all. Probably not Tinklenberg either ("Oh! Look at those outsiders picking on poor Michele. We know her heart!"

[geardaddy]

10. But what about state house and senate races?

n/t

[dflprincess]

11. The DFL gained a couple seats in the state House

but not enough to have a veto proof majority. There were 2 special elections for the state Senate (districts 16 and 63). The DFL candidate won both. That was no change in 63, but I don't know about 16.