Re-Opening by Nancy OhanianMissouri is no longer a swing state; it's an ugly, garden variety Republican Trump state. The governor and both senators are right-wing Republicans. The state's congressional delegation consists of two establishment Democrats-- one in St. Louis and one in Kansas City-- and 6 entrenched right-wing Republicans.
Bartlesville is a small city (population- 36,423, 80% white) in Oklahoma, near Tulsa. The county seat of Washington County, is probably best known for having been the longtime corporate headquarters of Phillips Petroleum. In 2016, Trump beat Hillary in Washington County by a landslide-- 15,810 (71.2%) to 5,047 (22.7%).
Missouri's first congressional district-- the entire city of St. Louis and the mostly black northern suburbs-- Ferguson, Florissant, Black Jack, Spanish Lake-- is the 385th poorest congressional district of 435 nationally and the poorest in the state. It borders the second congressional district which is one of the richest in the country. MO-01 is a minority majority district (42.9% white) and MO-02 is 88.1% white.
Evangelicals must believe that Satan sent Grindr to test them-- and what a test it is! I remember the first time I ever experienced it. I was driving through Hollywood and my friend was in the passenger seat. His cell phone kept going off every 30-40 seconds. What the hell is that, I asked. "Oh, it's Grindr," he said.
Last May, when Missouri's unelected governor, Mike Parson, signed a law banning abortion after the eighth week of pregnancy with no exceptions for cases of rape and incest-- just one of a whole slew of anti-Choice laws passed by state's with GOP governors and Republican-controled legislatures that passed since Trump appointed two anti-Choice Supreme Court judges. The states are competing to see which case overturns Roe v. Wade.
This is the second episode of our series about writing a good campaign e-mail. This one is by Kathy Ellis, running in a horrifyingly red district in southeast Missouri. Trump beat Hillary there 75.4% to 21.0%, her worst result in the state. Kathy is working to build a collaborative progressive infrastructure as well as a congressional campaign.
Sometimes you find the best Democrats in the least likely places. When Taylor Jackson e-mailed me to ask me about the Blue America endorsement procedure, we started a chat. She is working for a candidate, Kathy Ellis, is southeast Missouri's sprawling rural 8th district, currently represented by right-wing nut Jason Smith. The PVI is an eye-popping R+24.
The new Emerson Poll of Wisconsin voters shows only three Democrats into double-digits in their primary:
Does that sound like a fascist takeover to you? Meet Andrew McDaniel, a far right Republican extremist who looks like a supporting actor in a monster movie but who actually represents Missouri's 150th House district. That's mostly Dunklin County, down in that little piece of the state (the "bootheel") hanging off the southeast tip between Arkansas and Tennessee.
