Week of March 15, 2004

SD-AL: Herseth becomes Democrats' official candidate

Members of the South Dakota Democratic Party Central Committee unanimously chose Stephanie Herseth as their U.S. House candidate for the June 1 special election. Although Herseth has been running for months, the Committee's unanimous vote last weekend makes her campaign official. "We have only one voice in the U.S. House of Representatives, and I want to make it count," said Herseth.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is already up on the air with ads about Herseth's Republican opponent, former state Senator Larry Diedrich. Polls show Herseth with a commanding lead and Republicans will likely resort to negative advertising soon in order to propel their candidate to the top. With the help of the NRCC, ads for Diedrich will be running non-stop until the June 1 election. "I think this will be running solid," Diedrich said of the ads. Herseth's campaign began running its own ads last week.

FL-Sen: Castor leads in latest Democratic primary poll

In the Democratic race for Florida's open U.S. Senate seat, Betty Castor holds almost a 2-1 lead over her closest opponent. The poll, conducted by Schroth & Associates for the St. Petersburg Times and Miami Herald, showed Castor at 29 percent, Rep. Peter Deutsch with 15, and Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas at 10 percent, with 46 percent undecided (conducted 3/3-4; 800 registered voters; margin of error 5.3). Pollster Rob Schroth cautioned too much optimism: "The two Senate primaries remain almost completely unformed. Both of these nominations remain up for grabs."

PA-13: Supporters rally around Schwartz

State Sen. Allyson Schwartz held a rally over the weekend to officially kick-off her campaign for Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district. The event drew close to 100 supporters, including labor union members, teachers, and nurses. Montgomery County Commissioner Ruth Damsker and Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel introduced Schwartz to the crowd that included several local media outlets. Schwartz is continuing to build up a strong campaign treasury and is amassing important endorsements. She faces a tough primary in just six weeks against Joe Torsella, a proven fundraiser with a large war chest. Schwartz must win the April 27 primary to defend this swing seat from a Republican takeover.

EMILY's List Political Opportunity Program makes big news

National Public Radio (NPR) recently profiled the Political Opportunity Program's Seattle training. The Political Opportunity Program is dedicated to training women running for the state legislature and local office. Trainings feature top-notch political operatives from across the country that teach Democratic women candidates the fundamentals of raising money, developing a campaign message, working with the media, and targeting voters. Click here to hear the story.

More women in the news...

Former California Secretary of State Bill Jones(R) won the March 2 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Barbara Boxer. The arch-conservative is trying to oust Boxer in November. "She uses issues to demagogue her opponents, and the people of California are tired of that," said Jones...The recent vote in the Senate to require all handguns to have child-safety locks was won with a lopsided victory of 70-27, with several Republicans joining the Democrats to get the provision through. Sen. Kit Bond (R-Missouri) voted against the amendment. State treasurer and EMILY's List endorsed candidate Nancy Farmer is challenging Bond in November and is closing in on Bond in the latest poll. Conducted by pollster Bob Meadow, the poll shows Farmer within ten points of Bond – 49 percent for Bond and 39 percent for Farmer – with only 29 percent who feel that Missouri is on the right track (conducted 2/14-19; 800 likely voters; margin of error 3.5)...Democrat Lois Murphy has filed papers to run in the 6th congressional district of Pennsylvania against freshman Rep. James Gerlach (R). Murphy is a longtime board member and former president of NARAL Pro-Choice Pennsylvania and was the Montgomery County chairman and coordinator of Gov. Ed Rendell's campaign in 2002. Rendell has agreed to serve as honorary chairman of her campaign.