Last summer, as part of a discussion of some election themes, I suggested to this year's top political cartoonist in the country, Nancy Ohanian, to consider a graphic that depicts Trump as an albatross around the neck of the GOP. Above are a couple of her interpretations.
Actual photo of the man who sank gerrymandering to new depthsWhen Republicans in Texas gained control of the state legislature, then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay went home to work with them on creating new Republican seats where Democratic seats existed before— and in the middle of the decade, no less, not satisfied to wait for the 2010 census.
This isn't a new poll but it could be the numbers we see on our TV screens tonight. Say a prayer. A result like that in Texas today is going to be dependent on, among other things, Latino turnout. Virtually all polling models assume Latinos will not turn out in large numbers. If that changes today, say goodbye to Ted Cruz and... HELLO BETO! Nearly 39% of Texans are Latino. BETO will win if they vote today in larger numbers than has been usual.
Bryce will be a congressman for ALL people-- even if they wear suitsThere's barely a red district in the country where the Republican incumbent isn't lying about healthcare. Regardless of their multiple votes to nullify protections for people with pre-existing conditions, they all claim the opposite.
This is the first week of early voting in the city of Racine. Turn-out is not just higher than for the last midterm (2014), but higher than for the 2016 presidential election. District-wide, Democratic parts of Wisconsin's first district-- like Janesville and Kenosha as well as Racine-- are over 2016 levels, while Republican areas-- Waukesha, for example-- are lagging.
Who would ever have imagined Texas would have one of the most closely watched Senate races of 2018? Certainly not the DSCC, which hasn't spent a nickel in Texas. But the race has captured the hearts of so many Texans-- and, in truth so many Americans from coast to coast-- because of what an exceptional candidate Beto is and because of how exceptional bad Ted Cruz is.How much would you pay to hear Trump's put downs of Cruz a week from next Wednesday if Cruz loses! But the race is totally too close to call.
Dayna Steele with VCG in BeaumontOn Friday evening the Vote Common Good tour finally arrives in California, appropriately enough, in Escondido Grape Day Park for a rally with much-maligned progressive Democrat Ammar Campar-Najjar (CA-50).
When Ted Cruz first ran for the Senate six years ago, the Houston Chronicle endorsed him. Friday, they made up for that mistake with a scorcher of an endorsement for BETO against him. Yes, "with eyes clear but certainly not starry," they enthusiastically endorsed Beto.
Digby penned the Blue America letter today-- for a candidate that all of us like a lot, Beto O'Rourke-- and we've known Beto longer than almost anyone outside of El Paso, having endorsed him in 2012 when he first ran for Congress and ousted a corrupt conservative incumbent. This time around, Beto had raised an historic $23,332,950 by June 30 (and appears to have brought in over $38 million since then)!
