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| BLOG ARCHIVE: APRIL 1-15, 2006
FREE
SPEECH ZONE. P2008:
FORMER US SENATOR GRAVEL ENTERS WHITE HOUSE RACE. FREE
SPEECH ZONE: QUICK TAKES. TENNESSEE:
FORD SENATE PRIMARY FOE EXITS. CALIFORNIA:
CD-50 UPDATE. KENTUCKY:
A DIFFERENT KIND OF DIVERSITY DAY. SITE
OF THE DAY. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. CALIFORNIA:
CD-50 SPECIAL PRIMARY RESULTS. P2008:
PEACE CANDIDATE NEWT? NOT EXACTLY. ALASKA:
IS GOV. MURKOWSKI RETIRING? SITE
OF THE DAY. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. CALIFORNIA:
THE BUZZ ON BUSBY IN CD-50 SPECIAL. NEW
JERSEY: PRIMARY FILING CLOSES. NEW
YORK: GUV REDUX. CONGRESS:
MOST LIKELY TO BE THE NEXT HAMMER. NEVADA:
GOP HOLDS LEAD IN US SENATE, GOV RACES. SITE
OF THE DAY. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. NEW
YORK: AND THEN THERE WERE TWO. CONNECTICUT:
LIEBERMAN INDY SENATE RUN POSSIBLE. ALABAMA:
PRIMARY FILING CLOSES. TENNESSEE:
FILING CLOSES, CROWDED RACES. SITE
OF THE DAY. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. PLAME-GATE:
SO IT REALLY WAS BUSH AND CHENEY. POLITICS1
POLL: 2006 US HOUSE ELECTIONS. GEORGIA:
McKINNEY REVERSES, APOLOGIZES FOR HITTING COP. TEXAS
CD-22: NOTHING SPECIAL. SITE
OF THE DAY. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. P2008:
FEINGOLD FIRST TO ENDORSE GAY MARRIAGE. SOUTH
DAKOTA FILING CLOSES. TENNESSEE:
GOP FINALLY HAS REAL CANDIDATE FOR GOV. P2008:
DODD LOOKING AT WHITE HOUSE RUN. POLITICS1
POLL: 2006 US SENATE ELECTIONS. SITE
OF THE DAY. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. ARKANSAS
PRIMARY FILING CLOSES. OHIO:
BLACKWELL ADMITS DIEBOLD STOCK PURCHASE. NEBRASKA:
GOP HOPEFULS BACKING AWAY FROM BUSH. PENNSYLVANIA:
CD-7 RACE GROWS HOTTER. SITE
OF THE DAY. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. DeLAY
QUITS RE-ELECTION RACE; TO RESIGN HOUSE SEAT. REFORM
PARTY: NOT YET DEAD. P2008:
IS THE DOCTOR IN? POLITICS1
POLL: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. SITE
OF THE DAY. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. OHIO.
A new Rasmussen Reports poll has the US Senate race rapidly
narrowing. The new numbers: US Senator Mike DeWine (R)-45%, Congressman
Sherrod Brown (D)-42%. DeWine held a 9-point lead in the February
poll. The numbers show Brown has made his gain largely among Dems
-- most likely from now-forgiving supporters of former Democratic
rival Paul Hackett, who was pressured to exit the race just a
week before the February poll. The same poll also shows Congressman
Ted Strickland (D) holding a comfortable lead in the gubernatorial
contest. Strickland leads Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R)
by a 50% to 40% vote ... and Strickland leads Attorney General
Jim Petro (R) by a 47% to 34% vote. POLITICS1
POLL: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. With all the debate in DC
on the topic of illegal immigration -- the Tancredo/Frist crowd
versus the Bush/McCain/Kennedy crowd -- it seemed like a good
time to revive our online polls. Do illegal immigrants largely
take jobs most Americans won't do ... or do they take jobs from
American workers? Click
here to cast your ballot. FLORIDA.
Sunshine State legislators are tired of the Florida Presidential
primary coming too late in the primary season -- mid-March --
to have any real voice in the nomination decision. With the support
of both the Florida Republican Party and the Florida Democratic
Party, a bill by incoming Speaker Marco Rubio (R) is rapidly advancing
that would leapfrog the state forward to being the earliest contest
featuring a big, delegate-rich state. The proposed bill would
preserve the first-in-the-nation status of the Iowa caucuses and
New Hampshire primary. If approved -- and if the national parties
don't block it -- the Florida primary would fall one week after
the NH primary. NORTH
DAKOTA. Both major SOUTH
DAKOTA. Governor Mike Rounds (R) kicked-off his re-election
campaign last week. Rounds is a heavy favorite to win a second
term. Reporters at the event pressed Rounds about rumors he may
challenge US Senator Tim Johnson (D) in 2008. Interestingly, Rounds
refused to close the door on the idea. "If you look at my
history, I’ve never left an office early yet [but] I never
look past an election in front of me. I don’t see a reason
why I should make any obligations beyond this election in front
of me," said Rounds. SITE
OF THE DAY. Our Politics1 Site of the Day winner is
Bill
Harsch for Attorney General (R-RI) -- decent design,
good interactivity, and the donation page concept is clever. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Win Rockefeller
(R) was forced to undergo a second bone marrow transplant procedure
last week. A spokesman revealed Rockefeller's first procedure
in October was unsuccessful ... Also, LOTS of new listings (both
D/R) on our Jobs page. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. Retiring Congressman Lane Evans (D-IL) endorsed
his district director, Phil Hare, as his successor and urged pary
leaders to name Hare as the replacement nominee. Despite that,
several other local elected Dems are making aggressive efforts
to land the designation ... Capitol Police in have presented a
case to DC prosecutors, purportedly asking them to charge Congresswoman
Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) with battery on a police officer for a
punching incident Thursday on Capitol Hill. It is not clear, however,
if prosecutors will actually file any charges. McKinney claims
she was "inappropriately" touched by the officer, who
reportedly grabbed her arm to stop her ... The Orlando Sentinel
reported that nearly every longtime staffer to Congresswoman
Katherine Harris (R-FL) has now quit her floundering US Senate
campaign. Among the recently departed include her pollster, fundraising
consultant, media consultant, campaign manager, political strategist
-- even the traveling aide who stood next to Harris and handed
out her brochures. |
BLOG
ARCHIVE:
POLITICAL BLOG ROLL: KINDA
NEUTRAL: DEM/LEFT: GOP/RIGHT: OTHER: For those who would like to track Politics1 with a newsreader, we publish a RSS feed:
|
Gravel,
75, has not faced voters since he lost for reelection in 1980.
His three main issues: opposition to the Iraq War, passage of
a direct democracy constitutional amendment establishing national
referendums on legislation (much like state ballot initiatives),
and adoption of a "Fair Tax" plan that would replace
all federal individual and corporate taxes with a 23% national
sales tax on all new goods and services. "The American people
are frustrated with the level of dysfunction of government,”
Gravel said. “The thought of getting out there early, right
now, is really the big tactic for me. Once I’m out there
and people see the issues I’m raising, it will resonate
with people," he explained. Gravel's anger over the Iraq
War and government secrecy -- which he views as very similar to
the Vietnam War issues he dealt with in the Senate -- prompted
him to run. Gravel, who was almost solely responsible for both
ending the military draft and for getting the secret "Pentagon
Papers" into the press in 1971, actively ran for Vice President
in 1972 (and won a few hundred convention delegates). Gravel plans
a formal announcement on Monday in DC.
Brian
Bilbray -- the most moderate Republican candidate in the contest
-- narrowly won second over wealthy conservative businessman Eric
Roach to earn the GOP nomination. The results: Busby-43.9%, Bilbray-15.2%,
Roach-14.5%, former State Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian (R)-7.5%,
State Senator Bill Morrow (R)-5.4%, and the rest trailed behind.
Businessman Paul King (Libertarian) and teacher William Griffith
(Independent) will also advance to the run-off. Busby had an advantage
in the primary because of the crowded field of GOP opponents who
split the sizable Republican base. She also benefited from the
nasty, negative nature of the attacks the GOP candidates launched
at each other. Bilbray, for example, was hit with attacks that
he had ties to corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff, was a RINO, and
had taken excessive junkets when he was in Congress. However,
he countered with a solid local effort and support from San Diego
Mayor Jerry Sanders and former Governor Pete Wilson. Bilbray previously
served in Congress from 1994 until his 2000 re-election defeat.
Roach spent over $2 million in the primary -- and is just as likely
to continue spending more in the lead-up to June 6. Likewise,
the attacks on Bilbray from Kaloogian and others will continue.
Why? Because while Bilbray is the Republican nominee for the special
election, Roach, Kaloogian, Morrow and eight other Republicans
from the special primary are all still fighting Bilbray in the
June 6 GOP primary for the regular election. Thus, there are not
likely to be any "unity" events in which the failed
candidates rally behind Bilbray as it would undercut their own
messages for the June 6 primary. Still, the heavy GOP registration
advantage in the district will favor Bilbray in the head-to-head
special election. Busby, for her part, has momentum from her strong
showing and her reform message. Race Rating: Leans Republican.
US Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) will not be the lone "peace
candidate" in the contest for the 2008 GOP Presidential nomination.
He'll now be joined by former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA).
Speaking to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Gingrich called for
a US military withdrawal from Iraq. "It was an enormous mistake
for us to try to occupy that country after June of 2003,"
said Gingrich. Then again, he proved he isn't exactly a peace
candidate. In September 2004, Gingrich appeared on Fox's Hannity
and Colmes and denounced those who opposed the war. "We
have some of our friends here at home who want it both ways. They
want to complain that we're not winning fast enough, and they
want to complain if we take any casualties. You can't have it
both ways," he said then, according to 
Francine
Busby (D) leading the 18-candidate field by wide margins. In large
part, Busby's advantage is due to the fact that 14 Republicans
are badly dividing the GOP base vote -- while Busby only has to
deal with only one little-known Dem diluting her base. Under California's
special election rules, all 18 candidates compete on the same
ballot. If no candidate wins an absolute majority on Tuesday,
the top finisher from each party will advance to the special general
election on June 6. Everyone agrees Busby will place first by
a comfortable margin on Tuesday, but it seems very unlikely she
can pass the 50% mark in the primary. The Republican frontrunners
-- wealthy businessman Eric Roach, former Congressman Brian Bilbray
and former State Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian -- have spent weeks
largely bashing each other in nasty mailings and on TV. Roach
and Kaloogian are social conservatives, while Bilbray positions
himself as a GOP centrist. Politics1 Primary Prediction: Busby-43%,
Bilbray-15%, Roach-14%, Kaloogian-12%, with the rest trailing
behind.
candidates
jumped into federal races just before the close of primary filing
on Monday. In the US Senate race, incumbent Bob Menendez (D) faces
nominal primary opposition from frequent candidate James Kelly
Jr. On the GOP side, State Senator Tom Kean Jr. drew a minor primary
challenge from financial analyst and conservative activist John
Ginty. Very few Congressional races in the state will be worth
watching. In CD-13 -- the House seat left vacant when Menendez
was elevated to the US Senate in January -- State Assembly Speaker
Albio Sires and State Assemblyman Joe Vas are facing off in the
Democratic primary. Sires is favored, and the primary winner is
a safe bet to will win in November. Dems are also fielding credible
-- albeit long-shot -- challengers against GOP Congressmen Scott
Garrett and Mike Ferguson. Congressmen Rob Andrews (D) and Don
Payne (D) are so safe they didn't draw any major party opposition.
Not
that any of these guys were seeking the title, but former House
Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) told the Washington Times
that he really sees just three current House members as possible
candidates to be the "next Tom DeLay ... [the real] leader
of conservatives in the House."
The three: Mike Pence (R-IN), Adam Putnam (R-FL) and Patrick McHenry
(R-NC). "I accept the compliment," responded Pence.
"I'm blown away ... I'm so excited that Tom DeLay would say
that about me," gushed McHenry. The newspaper didn't reach
Putnam for a comment. The comment also seemed to slight -- by
intentional omission -- the many ambitious, conservative rising
stars in the House DeLay declined to name.
another
Republican gubernatorial hopeful is exiting the contest. Former
Secretary of State Randy Daniels -- a close ally of retiring Governor
George Pataki (R) -- will end his campaign for Governor on Monday.
In his exit remarks, Daniels will endorse former State Assembly
Minority Leader John Faso for Governor. Former Massachusetts Governor
Bill Weld is the only other remaining GOP candidate in the contest.
Faso -- the unsuccessful GOP nominee for State Comptroller in
2002 -- already secured the endorsements of many of the top leaders
of the state's Republican and Conservative parties. While anything
can happen in the September 12 primary, Faso is certain to be
the officially endorsed candidate of the New York State Republican
Party heading into that primary. Weld -- touting his support for
medical marijuana -- is also seeking the Libertarian nomination.
Does any of this matter? Possibly not, as both Faso and Weld trail
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (D) by landslide margins in general
election polling match-ups. Other candidates in the race for Governor
include best-selling author Malachy McCourt (Green) and minister
Jennifer Liese (Right-to-Life). 
Moore.
While earlier polls had initially pegged the primary as highly
competitive, polls in recent months show Riley comfortably leading
the self-proclaimed "Ten Commandments Judge." On the
Democratic side, Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley and indicted
former Governor Don Siegelman are the heavy frontrunners for the
gubernatorial nomination. Siegelman, who was acquitted on other
political corruption charges last year, claims the current charges
are also politically motivated. Former State Representative and
pro-casino activist Nathan Mathis is also running, as are four
others. Former Governor Jim Folsom Jr. (D) was a last-day filer
for Lieutenant Governor. On the GOP side in the open Lt Gov race,
State PSC Commissioner George Wallace Jr. and three others are
running. Both Folsom and Wallace are sons of legendary Alabama
Governors. In the Congressional races, incumbents Bud Cramer (D),
Spencer Bachus (R) and Artur Davis (D) will not face any major
party opposition in November. The other incumbents are heavily
favored to win again. 
Jim
Bryson (R) must first get past nine minor opponents before advancing
to the general election against Bredesen. One Green and five Independents
also filed for Gov. Race rating: Dem Favored. In the US Senate
race, Congressman Harold Ford Jr. is heavily favored in the Democratic
primary over State Senator Rosalind Kurita and four others. The
real fight is the GOP primary between centrist former Chattanooga
Mayor Bob Corker and conservative former Congressmen Ed Bryant
and Van Hilleary. Corker's primary strategy smartly appears to
rely on Bryant and Hilleary splitting the conservative base --
which recent polling indicates is taking place. The two open Congressional
seat contests are also worth watching. In CD-1 -- where Congressman
Bill Jenkins (R) is retiring -- 12 Republicans are competing in
the primary for this heavily GOP seat. Frontrunners for the CD-1
seat include Sullivan County Executive Richard Venable, State
Senator David Davis, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters, and former
Johnson City Mayors Bill Breeding and Vance Cheek. In CD-9 --
Ford's open seat and a safe Dem district -- 15 Democrats filed
to run. Candidates include former Ford aide Nikki Tinker, State
Senator Steve Cohen, former Hillary Clinton aide Tyson Pratcher,
State Representative Joe Towns Jr., former Memphis mayoral aide
Ron Redwing, and Ford nephew Joe Ford Jr. The CD-9 primary will
be a free-for-all in which nearly anyone could win. 
CIA
agent Valerie Plame to a newspaper reporter based upon instructions
from President Bush, as passed to Libby through Vice President
Cheney. The leak was intended to undermine the credibility of
former Ambassador Joe Wilson -- Plame's husband -- who had become
a vocal critic of the Bush Administration and the Iraq War. According
to the 
Capitol
Hill police officer for provoking the incident in which she punched
a cop who stopped her as she tried to rush past a security checkpoint.
The racism allegations -- that she was stopped and being harassed
because she was African-American -- seemed to fall apart when
numerous white House Members said they are likewise stopped from
time-to-time by officers who do not recognize them. Next McKinney
tried the "much ado about a new hair-do" excuse, in
that the officer screwed-up by not recognizing her because of
her new 'do. Dem leaders -- and even some of McKinney's African-American
colleagues -- distanced themselves from that approach, too. Finally,
in the face of this response from Dems, McKinney took to the House
floor -- on the day the matter was being presented to a criminal
grand jury -- and entirely reversed her story. On Thursday McKinney
admitted she was wrong and apologized for striking the officer.
"I am sorry that this misunderstanding happened at all and
I regret its escalation, and I apologize. There should not have
been any physical contact in this incident," said McKinney.
It remains to be seen whether criminal charges will be filed against
her. McKinney -- who lost her 2002 primary before recapturing
the seat in 2004 -- faces a competitive primary from DeKalb County
Commissioner Hank Johnson in this safe Dem district.
position
-- i.e., pro-civil unions but anti-same sex marriage -- US Senator
Russ Feingold (D-WI) this week became the first of the major 2008
White House hopefuls to endorse gay marriage. "I will be
voting against the harsh amendment that's been proposed in Wisconsin,
and I thought it was an appropriate occasion to indicate my feeling
that if two people care enough about each other to get married,
that it probably is a positive thing for society ... Gay and lesbian
people in our country are fighting a mean-spirited movement to
harm them and to discriminate against them. I stand with them
against that movement, and I'm proud to stand with them,"
said Feingold. According to the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force, the only other US Senators to endorse same-sex marriage
are Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Lincoln Chafee (R-RI).
Even Democrats viewed as liberal -- like John Kerry, Howard Dean
and Hillary Clinton -- take a pro-civil union/anti-gay marriage
stance. This move places Feingold at odds with all of his other
likely Dem rivals for the Presidential nomination. Feingold said
he understands the position could have negative "national
implications" -- but he took the position in response to
the "mean-spirited" anti-gay marriage ballot campaign
currently waging in his home state.
but
not much to report. Governor Mike Rounds (R) -- who recently signed
the controversial bill into law that bans all abortions in the
state except when the life of the mother is endangered -- drew
four challengers. Former State Representative Jack Billion (D),
former State Farmers Union President Dennis Wiese (D), businessman/minister
Steve Willis (Constitution) and Tom Gerber (Libertarian) all filed
for Governor. In the state's lone US House race, GOP activist
and graduate student Bruce Whalen (R) and farmer Larry Rudebusch
(Libertarian) filed to run against Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth
(D). Herseth has raised over $815,000 to date, while her opponents
have yet to even start fundraising. Race Ratings: Rounds and Herseth
are both favored -- very heavily favored. As for the other statewide
constitutional officers, the state party conventions this summer
will select nominees. 
Dodd
(D-CT) is once again looking at making a run for President. He
weighed a possible 2004 White House run, but ultimately passed
on the race and supported his fellow Nutmeg State colleague Joe
Lieberman. In 1994, Dodd ran for the Democratic Leader post in
the US Senate as a last-minute candidate -- and lost to Tom Daschle
by just one vote. As a consolation prize, President Clinton tapped
Dodd to be Democratic National Chairman in 1995-97. A traditional
Northeastern liberal, Dodd is passionate on his issues and well-liked
by his colleagues. Since his 1980 election to the Senate, he's
won four landslide re-elections. The 61-year-old Dodd told the
AP that his desire to be President is "an itch. Could grow.
Could disappear. It's an itch. It's not a bad word to use."
Speaking like a candidate, he already is referring to himself
in a second person voice: "If you have any thoughts of doing
it, you ought to make up your mind pretty quickly because the
window closes." If he switches to the third-person voice
("Chris Dodd has a record of working for ..."), we'll
know he's getting ready to really enter the race. 
Attorney
General Mike Beebe (D) and former Congressman Asa Hutchinson (R)
were unopposed for their respective gubernatorial nominations.
Hutchinson became the GOP nominee by default when the favored
Republican candidate -- Lieutenant Governor Win Rockefeller --
was forced to withdraw for health reasons last fall. Former State
Representative Jim Lendall (Green) and musician Rod Bryan (Independent)
are also running to succeed Governor Mike Huckabee (R). Polls
currently give Beebe an edge. Gov Race Rating: Leans Dem.
The most crowded race is the open contest for Lieutenant Governor,
as seven candidates filed. By contrast, two other statewide incumbents
drew no opponents. In the Congressional races, all four incumbents
drew opposition. In CD-1, Cabot Mayor Stubby Stumbaugh (R) filed
against Congressman Marion Barry (D). CD-1 Race Rating: Dem
Favored. In CD-2, Congressman Vic Snyder (D) will race the
winner of the GOP primary between wealthy health care executive
Tom Formicola and former state economic development official Andy
Mayberry. CD-2 Race Rating: Dem Favored. As for the other
two races, we'd rate both Congressional incumbents as safe. 
Ken
Blackwell claims he "accidentally" purchased Diebold
stock prior to his decisions which benefited the maker of controversial
electronic voting machines. "While I was unaware of this
stock in my portfolio, its mere presence may be viewed as a conflict,"
wrote Blackwell, in a letter he submitted with his annual disclosure
statement required by state law. Attorney General Jim Petro (R)
-- a gubernatorial rival -- quickly attacked Blackwell for the
revelation. A Petro spokesman said Blackwell's "pretty unique
history with this company ... should be investigated." At
the time Blackwell placed Diebold on the very small list of state-approved
voting machines, a rival company had accused Blackwell of "improperly
favoring" Diebold. Blackwell said his money managers made
the purchases without his knowledge and against his instructions
to "avoid conflicts of interest." Blackwell claims he
only learned of the stock purchases this past weekend. "If
Ken Blackwell didn't know how his own money was being spent, why
would the people of Ohio think he would be a good steward of their
checkbook," asked a spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Party.
These
revelations undercut Blackwell's positioning of himself in the
primary as the anti-Taft/Petro, pro-integrity candidate -- but
it remains to be seen if many primary voters will care about the
news as it appears the first stock purchases were only in January
2005. In related news, a new SurveyUSA poll conducted for three
network TV affiliates in the state shows Blackwell and Congressman
Ted Strickland (D) favored to win their respective primaries.
Blackwell leads Petro by a 46% to 32% vote in the GOP contest.
On the Dem side, Strickland leads former State Representative
Bryan Flannery by a landslide 60% to 15% vote.
Congressman
Curt Weldon (R) announced this week that former Congressman Ron
Klink and former CIA Director James Woolsey will both serve on
his "Democrats for Weldon" committee. However, retired
Navy Admiral Joe Sestek (D) announced he raised over $420,000
in less than two months since he launched his campaign. Considering
the combination of (1) Sestek's fundraising success, (2) that
CD-7 went for Kerry in '04, and (3) Weldon's extensive ties to
the Moonie cult, we're changing our competitive rating on this
contest. This will be a race to watch. Race Rating: Leans
GOP.
Isn't
it sad that apparently the Bush/Rove/Falwell crowd could apparently
do the one thing the Viet Cong were unable to do over a period
of years at the dreaded "Hanoi Hilton" prison: break
John McCain's will to resist. I guess White House ambitions do
strange things to the human mind. That's a shame, because I used
to really respect the guy (even when I rarely agreed with him
on issues) ... One more thing: Another day, another new look for
the homepage stories. Still trying the bigger headline thing --
and not gonna try the dual-column look -- but reduced the headlines
by one font size. So, compare today's look to the old look (see:
April 2) or yesterday's look (April 3). So, which version do you
like best
Former
Howard Dean campaign manager and Internet political guru Joe Trippi
is hooked-up again with another Democratic former Governor and
physician. Former two-term Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber is online
with his Trippi-inspired 
parties
held their nominating conventions over the weekend, setting the
November contests. Anderson Town Councilman and farmer Dwight
Grotberg was unopposed for the GOP nomination against popular
US Senator Kent Conrad (D). Race rating: Safe Dem. In the US House
race, a political newcomer scored a major victory over the candidate
backed by Governor John Hoeven and nearly all of the state GOP
leadership. Soybean farmer Matt Mechtel, 37, never ran for office
before -- but he still managed to defeat State Representative
Duane DeKrey for the Congressional nomination by a vote of 270-255.
"He was much more dynamic and much more upbeat. I'm kind
of the back room guy that gets the work done. I'm not the guy
that's up front, charging everybody up, and he definitely is,
and I think that's why he's going to make an excellent candidate,"
said DeKrey after the vote. Mechtel will face Congressman Earl
Pomeroy (D) in the general election. Race rating: Dem Favored.
The conventions also selected nominees for Attorney General, Secretary
of State, State Agriculture Commissioner, and State Tax Commissioner.
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