News & discussion on house and senate races

I saw a poll, which I cannot cite, that Mr Bush's approval rating actually rose to 42%. Sorry for the lack of citation; not my habit.

The Dems are working to get the green candidate (funded with GOP money, of course) off of the ballot in that Pa. race, Nimh.

(1) Who is your source for the Republican funding?

Schmidt Mired in Another Scandal

The authenticity of a photo showing Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) finishing a marathon in under three-and-a-half hours is being questioned, according to the AP. Her alleged finishing time would have placed her among the top finishers, but "a newspaper list of the top runners does not include Schmidt." In addition, "Schmidt doesn't cast a shadow while other runners do."

"State law prohibits candidates from publishing false statements designed to promote their election." In response to the allegations, "a four-member commission panel ruled Thursday that there was enough evidence to" investigate further.

On her Web site, Schmidt, who is 54, said she has completed 59 marathons. In April, she received a public reprimand from the Ohio Elections Commission for claiming on her Web site that she had two college degrees when she had only one.

Harris' remarks on religion draw ire

U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris (news, bio, voting record) told a religious journal that separation of church and state is "a lie" and God and the nation's founding fathers did not intend the country be "a nation of secular laws." [..]

Harris made the comments in the Florida Baptist Witness, the weekly journal of the Florida Baptist State Convention, which interviewed political candidates and asked them about religion and their positions on issues.

Separation of church and state is "a lie we have been told," Harris said in the interview, published Thursday, saying separating religion and politics is "wrong because God is the one who chooses our rulers."

"If you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin," Harris said. [..]

Ohio senate: Brown (D) 45% DeWine (R) 42%

Once again, the challenger in Ohio's highly competitive race for U.S. Senate has edged out the GOP incumbent in the Rasmussen Reports election poll. Democrat Sherrod Brown now leads Republican Senator Mike DeWine 45% to 42%.

[T]he fact that the challenger has a narrow lead in three out of the last four polls is significant.

Early in the year, DeWine was consistently ahead [..] our three-poll rolling average confirms a long-term if very gradual movement in Brown's direction.

The question is whether either candidate can yank the closely watched race out of toss-up status [..].

DeWine is regarded as conservative by 34%, moderate by 44%. Brown is considered moderate by 38%, liberal by 32%. Twenty-four percent (24%) still aren't sure where Brown stands ideologically, which could give the incumbent a chance to paint him as too liberal in the remaining weeks of the campaign.

Before he secured the nomination, some Democrats in the state had shied away from Brown for being too liberal. According to National Journal's 2006 nonpartisan rankings of congressmen, Brown is one of the 20%-most-liberal members of the House. Despite this ranking, Brown currently captures 59% of moderates (compared to DeWine's 29%), and even 18% of conservatives.

The National Journal ratings say that DeWine is a plumb-line moderate in the U.S. Senate.

DeWine is viewed favorably by 51% of Ohio voters, unfavorably by 43%. Brown is viewed favorably by 49% and unfavorably by 35%.

Senate hopeful explains anti-gay columns

U.S. Senate candidate Stephen Laffey said he regrets that he wrote columns denigrating gays when he was a college student.

Laffey, the mayor of Cranston, acknowledged writing the columns in a story published Saturday in the Providence Journal. [..]

Laffey, 44, running a closely watched race against moderate Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee [said] "Do I regret some of these things? Sure," he said. "But at the time, we were just having fun. We thought it was funny."

The Republican candidate wrote them in 1983 and 1984 while studying at Bowdoin College in Maine. The articles appeared in a paper published by campus Republicans.

In one column, Laffey said he has never seen a happy homosexual.

"This is not to say there aren't any; I simply haven't seen one in my lifetime. Maybe they are all in the closet," he wrote. "All the homosexuals I've seen are sickly and decrepit, their eyes devoid of life."

In another column he wrote that pop music was turning the children of America into sissies, and criticized the singer Boy George, referring to him as "it."

"It wears girl's clothes and puts on makeup," he wrote. "When I hear it sing, 'Do you really want to hurt me, do you really want to make me cry,' I say to myself, YES, I want to punch your lights out, pal, and break your ribs."

realjohnboy wrote:

I saw a poll, which I cannot cite, that Mr Bush's approval rating actually rose to 42%. .

Bit off-topic, but for the context of this:

I agree with realjohnboy, this election will in large part be a vote about Bush.

Democrat Lead Down to Two Points in U.S.

The United States congressional election might be a closely contested affair, according to a poll by Gallup released by USA Today. 47 per cent of respondents would support the Democratic contender in their congressional district, while 45 per cent would vote for the Republican candidate.

Support for the Democrats dropped by six points since early June, while backing for the Republicans increased by three points. [..]

Polling Data

If the elections for Congress were being held today, which party's candidate would you vote for in your Congressional district? As of today, do you lean more toward the Democratic Party's candidate or the Republican Party's candidate?

Code: 20 Aug 4 Jun 30 Apr

Dem. candidate 47% 51% 54%

Rep. candidate 45% 42% 39%

Undecided/Other 7% 7% 7%

Source: Gallup / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,001 American adults, conducted from Aug. 18 to Aug. 20, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Democrats Lead, More Undecided Voters in U.S.

The Democratic Party remains on top in the United States, according to a poll by CBS News. 47 per cent of respondents would vote for the Democratic candidate in their congressional district, while 32 per cent would support the Republican contender.

Support for the Democrats increased by two points since early August, while backing for the Republicans fell by three points. [..]

Polling Data

If the 2006 election for U.S. House of Representatives were being held today, would you vote for the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate in your district?

(Registered Voters)

Code: August July May

Democrat 47% 45% 44%

Republican 32% 35% 34%

Other -- 1% 1%

Will not vote -- 1% --

Depends/Not Sure 20% 18% 21%

Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,206 American adults, conducted from Aug. 17 to Aug. 21, 2006. Margin of error is 4 per cent.