The September Primaries - Part 2

Today we will look at the primary races in Massachusettes (MA) and Rhode Island (RI). In MA the primary is a mixed primary. This means that unaffiliated voters can chose which party's ballot they want to vote on and still remain unaffiliated. The incumbent Senator Ed Markey is running unopposed in the Democratic primary and there are three candidates on the Republican side. There are nine incumbent Democrats running in the primary for the House of Representatives. In districts five and six, the incumbents have Democratic challengers. Districts one, two, four, and five do NOT have any Republicans running in the primary. The current MA Governor, Duvall Patrick (D), has chosen not to run for reelection. There are three Democratic candidates running for governor, Martha Coakley, Donald Berwick, and Steven Grossman. On the Republican side, there are two candidates for governor, Charles D. Baker and Mark Fisher. The winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries will also face three independent candidates in the general election.
For more on the 2014 elections in MA, please see this:  http://ballotpedia.org/Massachusetts_elections,_2014#tab=State_Executives

Rhode Island also has a mixed primary system. The incumbent Senator Jack Reed is running unopposed in the Democratic primary as is his Republican challenger, Mark Zaccaria. In the House race, one of the two Democratic incumbents is facing a primary challenge. In district one, David Cicilline, the incumbent, will face Matthew Fecteau on Tuesday. There are two Republican candidates for district one also. In district two, both Democratic and Republican candidates are running unopposed.

In the RI governor's race, there are four Democratic candidates, two Republican candidates running in the two primaries. The winners will face six independent candidates in the general election. The current governor, Lincoln Chafee (D), declined to run again. For information on other races in RI, see this:  http://ballotpedia.org/Rhode_Island_elections,_2014

If you live in MA or RI, please be sure to vote for Democrats Tuesday!

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The September Primaries - Part 1

This month there will be five primary elections on September 9:  Delaware, Massachusettes, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island.  All are congressional primaries except for New York which is only a state primary as New York held it's congressional primary in June.

Today, we will look at New Hampshire's Primary. NH has a mixed primary system. This means that, "Unaffiliated voters may vote in the primary, but in order to do so, they have to choose a party before voting. This changes their status from unaffiliated to affiliated with that party, unless they fill out a card to return to undeclared status."
http://ballotpedia.org/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_New_Hampshire,_2014

Both of the Congressional seats are held by Democrats. Carol Shea-Porter and Ann McLane Custer are currently the Representatives from New Hampshire. Neither one has a Democratic opponent in the Primary.
On the Republican side, there are four candidates in each district running in the primary.

In the Governor's race, the incumbent, Maggie Hassan (D), has two primary opponents. There are also four candidates in the Republican primary to run for Governor in the November 4th election.

Ballotpedia has information on the state legislature races here:  http://ballotpedia.org/New_Hampshire_State_Senate_elections,_2014
http://ballotpedia.org/New_Hampshire_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2014

In New York, the September 9th primary is for state offices only. Their Congressional primary was held earlier.

The Delaware primary will set the slate for the November 4th election for both houses of Congress, the state houses, and three of the state executives. Delaware has a strictly closed primary system. Incumbent Senator Chris Coons (D) has no opponent in the Democratic primary. There are two Republican candidates running for the nomination for senate. The winner will face Coons in November.

Delaware has one at-large congressional district and the incumbent, John C. Carney, Jr. (D) is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. He will have three opponents in the November election.

You can read more about Delaware's 2014 elections here: http://ballotpedia.org/Delaware_elections,_2014

If you live in one of these five states, please get out on Tuesday and vote for Democrats.

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Natalie Tennant, West Virginia Secretary of State, is running for Senate

The current Senator Jay Rockefeller will retire at the end of this term. Natalie Tennant, current Secretary  of State in West Virginia, is the Democratic candidate in the November 4th election. This is what the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has to say about her: "the DSCC is confident Secretary of State Natalie Tennant will hold Senator Rockefeller’s seat next November. As Secretary of State, Tennant has fought for reforms that help West Virginians, worked to make government more accountable, and saved taxpayers millions by cutting excessive spending." You can read more and sign up to help her here: 
http://www.dscc.org/races/west-virginia

Ballotpedia's article on the 2014 Senate race in West Virginia seems to suggest that the state is becoming more conservative. The article cites a poll that gives Tennant's opponent, Capito, a 10 point lead. There are also five other candidates from 3rd parties running to split up the vote.  http://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_elections_in_West_Virginia,_2014

If you would like to know more about Tennant, please refer to this article:  http://ballotpedia.org/Natalie_Tennant It has good information and current news links to articles about her candidacy. You can also go to Tennant's campaign website to sign up to help:  http://natalietennant.com/

Interestingly, if either Tennant or Capito win, it will be the first time West Virginia has sent a woman to the Senate. Please do what you can to be sure it is the Democratic woman! Thanks.

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Mark Warner is the Incumbent Democratic Senator from Virginia

Mark Warner is the current Democratic Senator from Virginia. His opponent is Ed Gillespie, former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Gillespie was selected by delegates at the 2014 Republican State Convention.

Here's what the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has to say about Warner:  "After winning his seat by 31 points in 2008, Senator Mark Warner has delivered on his promise to work toward bipartisan solutions in the US Senate. Senator Warner has been a leader in the effort to build bipartisan consensus to reduce the federal debt and has also been a fighter for small businesses, veterans, and military men and women."  http://www.dscc.org/races/virginia You can sign up to help at the DSCC site.

For more information on Senator Warner, please check out Ballotpedia article here:  http://ballotpedia.org/Mark_Warner  This site has extensive information and links to current articles on Warner's campaign. You can also go to Warner's campaign website to sign up to help him:  http://markwarnerva.com/

This seat appears to be solid for Democrats, but, there are several debates scheduled. Anything can happen; so please help if you can.

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South Dakota Will Get a New Senator in November 4th Election

The South Dakota Senator, Tim Johnson (D), decided to retire this year. The Democratic candidate, Rick Weiland, ran unopposed in the Democratic Primary. Former Republican Governor of South Dakota, Mike Rounds, won the Republican nomination. There are also two Independent candidate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_South_Dakota,_2014

According to Ballotpedia, Republicans see SD as one of their best chances to pick up a seat in the US Senate. http://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_elections_in_South_Dakota,_2014

So what do we know about Rick Weiland? According to Ballotpedia: "Weiland graduated from the University of South Dakota. While in college, he worked on Tom Daschle’s first Congressional campaign in 1978 and continued working for him until 1996 when Daschle ran for Congress. He has served as FEMA regional director, the state director for the AARP and COO and CEO for the International Code Council, which is the nation’s leading advocate for uniform building codes and building safety. He and his wife also operate a restaurant in downtown Sioux Falls." If you'd like to know more about him, here is the link:  http://ballotpedia.org/Rick_Weiland

You can watch his latest campaign ad or sign up to help his campaign here: http://rickweiland.com/

Please help in any way you can so Democrats don't lose this seat to Republicans! This is serious!

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The Rhode Island Senate Race

Senator Jack Reed is the Democratic incumbent Senator from Rhode Island. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has this to say about Reed: "Senator Jack Reed is a strong voice for Rhode Island’s middle class families. A senior member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Reed helped author the Wall Street Reform bill, protecting consumers and helping families struggling from the housing crisis. In 2008, Senator Reed was reelected by 46 points and President Obama carried the state in 2012 by almost 30 points."  http://www.dscc.org/races/rhode-island  You can sign up at that site to help him get re-elected.

The Rhode Island primary isn't until September 9 so his opponent has yet to be determined.

Both Cook and Sabato has this seat listed a Solid Democrat.

If you'd like to know more about Reed, please see this:  http://ballotpedia.org/Jack_Reed   You may also want to check out his campaign website here:  http://www.jackreed2014.com/

We need solid Democrats in the Senate. Please do whatever you can to help them get elected.

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Labor Day - It's More Than Just a Day Off

What does Labor Day mean to you? It is for many a day off work and school. It's a time for family events. But for many of us, it is much, much more. According to the U.S.Department of Labor, it is a day to recognize the contributions that American workers have made to the "strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country." http://www.dol.gov/laborday/history.htm

The history of celebrating Labor Day goes back to 1882 when the Central Labor Union in New York City held the first Labor Day celebration on Sept. 5. In 1884 the Labor Day event was moved to the first Monday in September. So Labor Day was started by Unions to recognize the American worker. Many cities still hold Labor Day parades. Often, there will be speeches by leading Union officials, business owners, politicians, and workers.

What will you do to celebrate Labor Day? Will you attend a sporting event? Have a family reunion? Go watch the local parade? Whatever you decide to do, don't forget to thank a Union member for getting this whole celebration started!