Week of December 15, 2003
FL-Sen: He's Baaaack
Former New Hampshire Sen. Bob Smith (R), who lost his seat in last year's election, wants to return to the U.S. Senate via Florida. Smith moved there after his 2002 loss; this week he declared his candidacy for the open seat. A social conservative, Smith is famous for his extreme right-wing beliefs and capricious behavior. He is rabidly anti-choice and says the only kind of gun control he favors is "a steady hand." Of this Florida race, Smith said, "I want to help President Bush. This is a critical state for the president." They're probably not uncorking the champagne over at the White House, where they lobbied hard to convince HUD Secretary Mel Martinez to resign to run for this seat.
Meanwhile, polling shows a clear Democratic frontrunner in this race: EMILY's List candidate Betty Castor. The nonpartisan survey shows Castor with 27 percent of the primary vote, followed by Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Panelas (11 percent) and Rep. Peter Deutsch (9 percent). It also shows Castor defeating the announced Republican candidates in the general election (Mason Dixon, 11/17-21; 625 voters, margin of error 4%; subsample 379 likely Democratic voters; margin of error 5%). (This poll was released before Smith's announcement.)
December run-off election produces another victory for the POP program
Former City Councilwoman Annise Parker (D) trounced her Republican opponent, 62 to 38 percent, in the December 6 run-off election for Houston Controller. The Controller is the second-highest ranking official in Houston, the fourth-largest city in the country. Parker, the city's first openly gay city council member, campaigned on her strong track record. Parker benefited from the support of seven EMILY's List Campaign Corps staffers, who helped her raise $230,000 in the 25 days leading up to the runoff election and executed an aggressive get-out-the-vote operation that carried her to victory.
SD-AL: All Eyes on Herseth
After GOP Rep. Bill Janklow was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter and resigned his House seat, and former GOP Rep. John Thune declined to run to fill the seat, South Dakota Republicans were left scrambling. But state Democrats knew exactly where to look: Stephanie Herseth. Herseth, who narrowly lost to Janklow in 2002, had already declared her candidacy in October, before Janklow's conviction. A special election to fulfill the rest of his term will be held on June 1, the same day as the primary -- meaning Stephanie Herseth must run two campaigns simultaneously. Republicans are sorting through a list of possible candidates, including state Sen. Larry Diedrich and former state Sen. Barb Everist.
CA-20: Democratic face-off highlights Quigley's strengths
In her first face-to-face appearance with Democratic opponent Jim Costa, Lisa Quigley emphasized her experience as a top congressional aide, experience that will enable her to hit the ground running as a newly elected congresswoman. A wife and mother of two, Quigley also positioned herself as the candidate better able to understand the concerns of the constituents of the 20th district. Quigley is in a sprint to win the early March 2 primary, which would be the first EMILY's List victory of the cycle; in this highly Democratic seat, the winner of the Democratic primary has a virtual lock on victory in November.
MO-Sen: Farmer receives superstar support
Sen. Hillary Clinton is headlining a fundraiser for Nancy Farmer next month in St. Louis. This will be Clinton's first Missouri event this election cycle. Earlier this month former Missouri Sen. Jean Carnahan and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius appeared on Farmer's behalf at fundraising events in St. Louis and Kansas City.
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