Check in here if your campaign (issue or candidate) lost yesterday.

[undeterred]

I worked on Bryan Kennedy's campaign against Sensenbrenner for 8 months, and gave it everything I had the last few. I really thought we had a chance, but he only got 3% more than last time. He's a wonderful candidate and Sensenbrenner is a turd.

I am happy for the huge wins across the country but still feeling this loss too much to really enjoy it.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. What was...

Mr. Kennedy's support from the DCCC? Did they give any money, or just send him a strategy and talking points book, like some?

[undeterred]

9. Not a dime.

Rahm Emmanuel did not return his phone calls.

We had an open seat in Wisconsin-8 - with a rich doctor Kagen running as Democrat. The DCCC threw money at him ($123,000) when he already had a couple million. Kagen won his seat. Bryan Kennedy raised around $300K and ran a very frugal campaign. He had no negatives, just low visibility.

When Clinton came to Milwaukee to speak last Friday, we asked for a chance for him to speak for a couple of minutes and were turned down.

Sensenbrenner didn't have to spend a dime.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

18. And thus my problem...

With Mr. Emanuel. He did that elsewhere and caused other good candidates to either lose or leave the race.

I do not see Mr. Emanuel as any savior. While I have nothing but the greatest respect for Ms. Duckworth and her sacrifices, I do not think that dropping $3 million on her campaign proved prudent.

[undeterred]

26. Evidently not.

I hate to see millions blown on negative attack ads.

[riderinthestorm]

36. Duckworth campaign here

And frankly, it WAS worth $3 million. Dupage Co is the deepest red in the country anchored by Wheaton with the college that is so fundy, it even has a degree in televangelism. Every Rethug presidential candidate comes here, and marches in the 4th of July parade. Henry Hyde has comfortably won without spending a dime here in decades. On my ballot this year, there wasn't a single Dem candidate for any County position. Not one.

Tammy Duckworth and that money turned it purple. Really purple. Next time there will be Dem candidates who will step forward at the local level since she proved it's possible to crack the Rethug facade. There's (finally) a really solid Dem grassroots machine that is beginning to creak into life. Chicago Dems who have been repulsed at living in evangelical fundy red zone hell may think twice and actually move out here now, swelling Dem ranks, now that Dupage doesn't look so solidly red. All of this is good for the future.

Denny Hastert is in the next County over. He has to be watching Dupage with just a bit of apprehension knowing the blue wave is coming his way - that has to be good. This year, the Foley scandal forced Hastert to stay home and campaign for the first time in 10 years - that weakened his ability to range the country on behalf of other candidates. Hastert had to spend money, again, a first in a long time. With the stronger blue wavelets lapping at his front door, it's all good for 2008.

I believe it was money well spent.

I am really devastated that Tammy lost but at 51% to 49%, it really was so close that it could have gone either way.

[undeterred]

39. I grew up in that district.

I always thought my parents were the only Democrats. We had a Republican representative when I was growing up and his home was down the street from ours. But he was nothing like Henry Hyde. The campaign I worked on this year was similar in that it was a very red district (WI-5 Sensenbrenner) with few state and local Dems. But my candidate decided to run- he was not recruited to run as Tammy was. If the party doesn't choose you, they often choose not to help you, even if you're a terrific candidate.

[riderinthestorm]

42. If you're in Senselessness' district, you KNOW what I'm talking about

and if you grew up here, you also know what I'm talking about.

That this race was close at all is a fucking miracle. It's going to make a few sleeping Dems take notice I hope and perhaps stand up and finally try to run for office.

I did a LOT of canvassing and phone banking and frankly I am stunned that Tammy lost. I got a lot of positive feedback from the thousands of people I met in person and on the phone. As an FYI, the Dupage Co election commission approved the Diebold machines just 4 short weeks ago (snort) just in time for this election, allowing just 1 public meeting for feedback and complaints. The machines never were tested. This race has all the earmarks of one that woulda/coulda been scammed.

[riderinthestorm]

43. I have to admit, I do agree with you a lot on this, tho for John Laesch

another worthy candidate that fell by the wayside.

My farm is located in Hastert's district so I follow the campaigns there too. I spent two afternoons phonebanking for Laesch - on my cell phone since he didn't have enough lines! Lovely guy, great candidate - no $$$.

When the Foley scandal came up, do you think Emanuel could cut John a few thousand dollars even if it was just to get more phones so he could perhaps chip away at Hastert? No way.

So even though I was far more invested in the Duckworth campaign and am grateful for the cash infusion, I can't believe how callous the DCCC was for candidates like Laesch.

[undeterred]

45. yeah, same for Kennedy

If I were distributing $$ I would have absolutely helped out the Davids who were taking on Goliaths like Hastert and Sensenbrenner.

[dragonlady]

44. This is the thing we have to start working on right now!

Priorities that are wrong, wrong, wrong. A relatively little bit of money would have helped Bryan immensely. And what really hurts is that they couldn't even give him some credibility by allowing him to appear at rallies and so forth. That's just plain wrong and it has to stop before the next election, which will be so important.

Also, I just want to say that undeterred was a truly great volunteer for Bryan, organizing fundraisers, getting 65 wards lit-dropped, and taking initiative to solve problems that cropped up. The campaign wouldn't have been as good as it was without her.

:yourock:

[undeterred]

46. thank you dragonlady

:hug: Still recovering. I stayed up till 3:30 am hoping that Falk would win.

[greeneyedboy]

2. checking in on behalf of Californians.

insufficiently competitive race for Gov. + lots of complicated and confusing ballot propositions = low turnout = poor results (except for defeating 85 and 90, and electing Bowen).

[Nikki Stone 1]

10. Here in SoCal: I voted for public financing prop--it lost

I voted for 86 and 87. They lost.

Angelides? Garamendi? What the FUCK was the state party thinking?

Right winger McClintock almost took the Lt. Gov's race because lots of folks couldn't stomach Garamendi.

What the hell is with the state party?

[greeneyedboy]

16. the primary really kicked Angelides's ass. that said,

i agree that he is not the most charismatic guy in the world.

Garamendi and Bustamante aren't that wonderful either.

i suspect some Democrats weren't too motivated to support the nominee this time, lest they endanger their own chances when the Gropenfuhrer finishes his term. this is the kind of disloyalty and disunity that we need to clean out, NOW. for too long we relied on the CA GOP to self-destruct, which they consistently did, by nominating wingnuts from Orange County--until Rove, DeLay, & co. took over the game in 2003 with the recall theft. (the dirty tricks don't end after election day--they just switch to redistricting, recalls, procedural "nuclear options" and threats, etc.)

[undeterred]

47. Ahhnold

hasn't worked out so well. You guys deserve a real governor.

[rzemanfl]

3. Samm Simpson got 34% against C.W. "Bill" Young. I think that

Senselessbrenner is an even bigger turd than Young. I haven't lived in Wisconsin in 10 years, have people there gone nuts since I left?

[undeterred]

11. We're thinking of building a fence around Sensenbrenner's district

to keep the crazy ones in.

Except that there are some wonderful people in the district too.

[rzemanfl]

41. At least he's not a chairman any more. n/t

[John Q. Citizen]

4. Thanks for your work. It takes that kind of committment to make headway,

We can win them all, but we wouldn't win any of them without people fighting the good fight.

At least Sensenbrenner will have his claws trimmed now that he's in the minority, so that's one silver lining.

[WestHoustonDem]

5. I worked on three state house races that lost yesterday

As happy as I am for the country, it's bittersweet because my county sucked and my state party isn't worth spitting on.

[undeterred]

13. Wanna trade?

Ours isn't either. :shrug:

[unpossibles]

6. I was sad to see Cranley lose to Chabot in OH-1

which is my district, and also upset that Jean "the dead walk the earth" Schmidt somehow won again, but overall I am very happy with Ohio today.

[The Count]

7. Lamont/anti-war - I'm not from Ct but he was MINE!

[undeterred]

14. That one hurts.

Excellent candidate, competing with slime.

[Little Star]

34. I'm from Massachusetts but I really wanted Lamont!

[Left Is Write]

8. Larry Grant, running for Congress, Idaho 1st district.

Lost to Bill Sali.

[slackmaster]

12. Phil Angelides, un-Governor of California

:argh:

[MercutioATC]

15. Smoking in Ohio (Issues 4 and 5)

I voted against both Issue 5 (banning smoking in almost all public places in Ohio) and Issue 4 (the "compromise" issue banning smoking in some places but not others). Issue 5 won. I believe this is an matter that should be dealt with economically, not legislatively.

[enlightenment]

23. Mercutio, do you know if 4 and 5 were on many other state ballots?

I know they were on Nevada's. 4 lost, 5 won -- it should be a total fiasco here in Vegas.
Overall, our election was crap - Repubs everywhere - foul, really.

US Senate race, US representative race, Governor, Lt. Governor, and handfuls of State Assembly posts.

We won SOS, Treasurer, Controller, Atty General.

sigh.

[MercutioATC]

25. I don't...and I'd assume they'd have different issue numbers if they were.

I smoke, but never in restaurants..only at home, in my car, or at bars. I'm not a big smoking advocate.

My "no" vote was purely due to my belief that this issue should be market-driven, not a legislative issue.

[enlightenment]

48. Thanks -- I suspect this was a national push, given the

similarity between your 4/5 and our 4/5.

I used to smoke and have never been able to wrangle up that "reformed smoker" mentality that makes so many ex-smokers a pain in the rump.

Eat enough lettuce and it'll kill you (my favorite scientific study . . .)

I voted 'no' on 5/ 'yes' on 4 -- hoping that if they both passed (since 5 seemed to be in the bag) that they would cancel each other out. It should be market driven; and someone please explain to me why a parent concerned with 2nd-hand smoke would drag their tots into a bar for lunch? I'd be more concerned about other adult behaviors on display . . .

[Warpy]

17. We still don't know here in NM

unless it's been announced since I checked 10 minutes ago.

Heather Wilson (R-COW) was still hanging on by the veneers on her capped teeth.

Provisional ballots were being hand counted.

I have a sneaking suspicion this one is so close that the whole district will need to be hand counted.

[Keseys Ghost]

19. Louisiana's 1st Congressional District

I was Grassroots Organizer. We got hammered.

But, I loved the fight.

ONWARD!

[undeterred]

28. Good for you!

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. Most of our state races lost

This is a very red county.

[GOPisEvil]

21. LOL - I live in Texas. Another 0-fer in statewide races.

Democratic gains in the state House of Reps and locally across the state, though. Talk about f-ing baby steps.

[AZBlue]

22. Jim Pederson: 44% compared to Kyl's 52%

I'm bummed.

[meldroc]

24. Angie Paccione, CO-4

I'm excited that we've pwned Congress, but I'm also disappointed that we couldn't squeak out a victory, and that we have to deal with two more years of Marilyn Musgrave. :mad:

I think that Fort Collins should secede from Colorado's 4th district.

[Dogfur]

27. Nevada -the Mississippi of the West!

We stayed Dumb-N-Red here in Nevada - all the big offices went Repub as usual. Good Dem candidates with Titus and Derby, less so with Jack Carter (I don't know if illness was the cause of his dismal campaign against Ensign, but I really don't think he was a good candidate healthy or not) The very fact that Jim Gibbons is allowed to hold any public office, let alone Governor, is pathetic, particularly in light of his recent "problems". A couple of questions with merit passed (clean air, minimum wage), the pot initiate lost again...

[undeterred]

30. Welcome to DU, Dogfur!

:hi: :kick:

[Emit]

35. I am sick to my stomach that Gibbons won here

Just sick. Looking at the maps at the Washoe County website, I got sick again and I just had to close them. Why is it that voters here vote against their best interests?

At least most of the precincts in my District 24 went blue -- we worked our asses off for the last year and especially the last few days -- and yesterday, I ran a huge GOTV team across the lower part of our District!! It was Grand Central Station here -- we drove people to the polls, made thousands of phone calls, did election protection, etc. Our local Assembly Candidate, David Bobzien, kicked butt! I am proud of helping to get out the vote for that local race.

Welcome to DU, Dogfur!

[Dogfur]

40. Thanks -

Been here for several years, finally just started posting.

[Raine]

29. CA where BIG oil rules

:-(

[Sabriel]

31. The "marriage" amendment passed in Wisconsin

What happened to my progressive state?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

32. Nothing here.

Nearby small town city councilman lost a bid for mayor. His pet project was restoring an historic movie theater. I'm kind of bummed to see that won't go through. But hey, other than that I can't complain.

And it's tough to see this homophobic shit pass in other states. Fuckers. Same with marijuana decriminalization.

[ScreamingMeemie]

33. We lost on Affirmative Action here in MI yesterday.

:(

Sadly people still misunderstand the need for Affirmative Action and/or we still have a lot of bigots. :cry:

[undeterred]

37. Seems like we're moving backwards sometimes.

[muntrv]

38. In Michigan, they voted to ban affirmative action. I voted against the ban.

[PCIntern]

49. Yes...Lois Murphy here in PA

This Harvard/Harvard dope(!) wouldn't use an image consultant, wouldn't dress like a human being, wouldn't do anything to allow her appearance to be improved. People I know who work at NARAL used to be appalled when she'd walk in. Don't get me wrong...I'm not saying that this is b/c she's a female, etc., but it really was off the charts. I'd say the same thing about a male who dressed analagously. She lost by a handful of votes for the second time in a row to someone who would be easliy beatable here. They damned well better not run her again here in Lower Merion.