We got Weincek and Zieman too not to mention the obnoxious

[Hardrada]

Jamie Van Fossen!

[rurallib]

1. Weincek is gone? good. hadn't heard. Isn't Zieman

the one who called teachers "bottom feeders"?
Who beat Van Fossen? guess it doesn't matter if he is gone!

[Hardrada]

2. Yes, that's the one. I guess that remark didn't play too well.

Sounded like some college republican creepo. Van Fossen was beaten by Phyllis Thede. I wonder what happened to that turncoat Democratic woman rep who didn't vote with her party and turned repuke? Anyone know?

[rurallib]

5. Phyllis Thede? Fantastic!! Met her a couple times and she is so nice and smart!

last I heard she was well behind. I couldn't be happier for her.

[Debi]

6. Dawn Pettengill (sp?) she won

x( I guess that's what they mean when you say 'you can't win them all' :banghead:

[Hardrada]

9. And so did Betty De Boef but I guess that was inevitable

since she has one of those Dutch Christian Reformed districts. Send Bill Maher to that place or to Sioux Center.

[Cairycat]

3. Got rid of some stinkers but may have taken on a new one ....

From http://www.iowaindependent.com : "In perhaps the most frustrating result for Democrats, party switcher Dawn Pettengill held on in Benton County’s District 39." At least she ran as an R this time, truth in advertising and all that.

Kerry Burt's lead over Weincek is about 220 votes, if I recall correctly - the numbers were up on KWWL's site but are gone now.

However, that wasn't the closest race in Black Hawk County. Check this out:

"The Senate District Ten race between Jeff Danielson and Walt Rogers has been too close to call. At last count, Danielson led Rogers by just 6 votes with more absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted. Precinct officials reported problems with a small number of ballots." (from KWWL)

[Debi]

7. I am on the edge of my seat - I hope Jeff prevails -

Everything I've heard/read about Rogers makes me leary - as if two years of Irv Dennis wasn't bad enough in 2004-2006 I don't want to live through four years of Walt Rogers! x(

[Debi]

4. Weincek isn't 100% yet

provisional ballots to be counted and a recount to be done x(

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/11/07/news/local/doc491415d46e5d8494434376.txt

Here's hoping Jeff Danielson can pull this one off (Walt Rogers?? REALLY??? :wow:)

Mr. Debi was on a DMRegister live-blog w/Zieman Wed. morning...boy he was he grumpy...;)

I am SO happy to see Van Fossen gone - and also happy to see that Gayman is staying put!

Way to go Iowa! Darn good showing. :hi:

[Hardrada]

8. Let's hope Weincek (who did lose quite a bit of weight, bless her heart)

will go back to local news.

[Bluzmann57]

10. I too am glad that Gayman is still there

But she ran one of the nastier campaigns I have ever seen, and I told her so. She should just stick with issues. She's good at that. Her opponent gave nothing but rw talking points for interview answers. But she still did not need to get that down in the gutter with the child support issue. Just dirty politics and I lost some respect for her because of it. Now Winckler, who won my district and won it handily over basically a one issue candidate (smoking in bars), she's all right. And she's coming around on Organized Labor issues as well.

[pstans]

11. She had court documents to back up her claims

If he had done everything he needed to do with child support then he wouldn't have gone to court and the judge wouldn't have found him guilty.

[Debi]

12. Update on Danielson and Burt races

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/11/11/news/local/doc49195ac848297025791336.txt

Tammy Weincek has conceded and Kerry Burt has won!

After the canvass by the BHC Board of Supervisors Jeff Danielson is now ahead of Walt Rogers by 17 votes. And administrative recount will begin on two of the precincts tomorrow and after the tally either candidate can request a full recount of the votes. Cross your fingers folks - Jeff may still be MY State Senator :7

[DU9598]

13. Fingers securely crossed

Not the 34 in the state senate we hoped, but I never imagined that Jeff could be in trouble. He is such an amazing state senator and his potential loss would be heartbreaking.

[Debi]

14. We're all agog about it. Especially b/c Kressig and Kelly did so well.

For whatever reason people split the ticket :shrug:

[DU9598]

15. Newt's money

Did this senate candidate do a lot of last week advertising with the million Newt through into the Iowa legislative coffers in the last two weeks of the election? I know it was an unexpected move that caught a few good challengers flat footed.

[Debi]

16. Don't know (and won't know until Jan '09) But he was on TV n/c

[Cairycat]

17. This Rogers took the last six months off from his job

to go door-to-door, while Jeff Danielson was working for us in Des Moines (does he also do any firefighting anymore? not sure). I'm not sure how this guy could afford to take six months off from his job, maybe that's where Newt's money comes in.

Last week on Election night, Danielson went home early, and since he was ahead (at that time) Rogers gave his victory speech.

[Debi]

18. I'm pretty sure Jeff is still working as a firefighter as well as our State Senator

:7 <-- Our State Senator!! (I haven't read anything about today's administrative re-count)

Can't believe Rogers would leave his job - does he know how much a State Senator ACTUALLY makes? (and how little time out of a 365 day year a State Senator ACTUALLY spends in Des Moines?) I don't know many who can afford to NOT have additional employment/income.

[Debi]

19. After administrative recount - Danielson still ahead by 14 votes!

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/11/12/news/local/doc491b5b36bef3f013959179.txt

Now we're waiting to see if Rogers asks for a full recount.

[CornField]

20. Post on Zieman's downfall

http://iowaindependent.com/8300/zieman-is-first-political-casualty-of-postville

If immigration issues were a political football in this year’s state legislative races, then Senate District 8, an area that encompasses Howard, Chickasaw, Allamakee and Winneshiek counties in northeastern Iowa and includes the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant, was the 50-yard line. It was in that race that Iowa Senate Minority Whip Mark Zieman lost his re-election bid to Mary Jo Wilhelm, a relatively unknown Democratic upstart. The defeat came amid whispers and campaign mailers about the immigration concerns surrounding Agriprocessors in Postville, Zieman’s hometown.

Zieman, owner of a trucking company that does business with Agriprocessors and one of the few sitting Iowa politicians who had taken campaign donations from executives at the plant, had to realize the political ramifications on the day of the raid. Perhaps he believed his standing as something of a political legacy — his father also represented the area in the Iowa Senate — or as a hometown prodigy would insulate him from direct attacks related to the issue of immigration.

If so, he could not have been more wrong.

(more at link -- including those pesky campaign contributions from Agri executives)

[Debi]

21. Have I told you lately that I love you???

:loveya:

[Hardrada]

22. And he was an arrogant POS too. That could have had something

to do with it also.

[Debi]

23. Danielson re-elected to leadership post - let's hope that recount stands!

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/11/17/news/breaking_news/doc4920a806b5e2d589990023.txt