Others have covered this area already, but have tended to focus on their own CDs; the basic raw numbers from all CDs with active committees are included in this post.
Key - candidate - net contributions, individual contributions, PAC contributions, net expenditures, cash on hand. (Net contributions may not match the total of individual and PAC contributions due to refunds, candidate contributions to their own campaigns, or other reasons. Generally, any such variance isn't significant.
CD1 -
Ann Kirkpatrick (D), challenger - $328053.05, $218453.05, $109600.00, $125340.27, $668177.46
Howard Shanker (D), challenger - $33274.60, $33274.60, $0, $46603.04, $20972.36
Mary Kim Titla (D), challenger - $54104.75, $52466.36, $1638.39, $45039.94, $57385.88
Sydney Hay (R), challenger - $95033.73, $76518.73, $18515.00, $59959.65, $257408.09
Preston Korn (R), challenger - $2885.00, $2885.00, $0, $7362.48, $9173.96
CD2 -
John Thrasher (D), challenger - $8295.00, $7895.00, $0, $6599.59, $14207.90
Trent Franks (R), incumbent - $88386.00, $53261.00, $35625.00, $44885.27, $129774.83
CD3 -
Bob Lord (D), challenger - $233202.50, $161794.90, $73507.60, $158933.66, $706523.25
John Shadegg (R), incumbent - $536024.78, $421210.36, $140014.42, $121592.91, $1354246.30
The Shadegg campaign is gloating about their fundraising success during the April - June reporting period, but there's more than a little element of "whistling past the graveyard" in their press releases - Bob Lord is easily the strongest challenger, Dem or Rep, in the state and he's mounting a challenge to Shadegg that is far tougher than any challenge he's faced since entering Congress.
Note: The grand opening of the Lord campaign headquarters is this Saturday, July 19, at 4736 N. 44th St., Phoenix (just south of Camelback) from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
CD4 -
Ed Pastor (D), incumbent - $229493.13, $117377.88, $113515.25, $69158.20, $1428843.55
CD5 -
Harry Mitchell (D), incumbent - $335002.66, $224962.13, $113175.00, $85554.75, $1372464.22
David Schweikert (R), challenger - $162749.05, $162749.05, $0, $155851.16, $520990.10
Jim Ogsbury (R), challenger - $49783.24, $46783.24, $3000.00, $79435.55, $323442.10
Laura Knaperek (R), challenger - $34249.00, $37549.00, $0, $23200.05, $105520.79
Mark Anderson (R), challenger - $29278.14, $29278.14, $0, $25618.73, $68791.33
Susan Bitter Smith (R), challenger - $150379.51, $110603.51, $7000.00, $52363.67, $247945.89
The Republican challengers to Harry Mitchell have made some major bets on their abilities to emerge victoriously from the primary and then move on to defeat Mitchell - they've accumulated over $700K in loans and debts - Ogsbury and Schweikert at $250K each, Bitter Smith at more than $156K, and Knaperek has $50K in campaign debt. The only CD5 Rep who lists no campaign loans or obligations is Mark Anderson. In most cases, the loans/debt constitute a significant percentage (half or more) of the candidates' cash on hand totals.
Expect the following headline in mid-November - "Join the LD8 and LD17 Republicans for a joint campaign-debt retirement bake sale and car wash."
OK, OK, probably not... :))
Candie Dates (love that name!) at Sonoran Alliance has a post with some good graphs showing the CD5 challengers' financial positions.
CD6 -
Chris Gramazio (D), challenger - $3137.15, $3075.00, $0, 2539.24, $597.91
Jeff Flake (R), incumbent - $200035.00, $194835.00, $8800.00, $74097.13, $1091474.52
CD7 -
Raul Grijalva (D), incumbent - $125,398.00, $64,398.00, $61,000.00, $89,625.11, $171,043.21.
CD8 -
Gabrielle Giffords (D), incumbent - $562167.97, $381748.16, $181753.35, $156814.05, $2077845.80
Tim Bee (R), challenger - $390406.65, $307856.32, $79950.00, $229078.66, $687703.62
No reports that I could find from challengers Rebecca Schneider (D - CD6), Lee Gentry (R - CD5), Don Karg (R - CD4), or Joe Sweeney and Gene Chewning (Rs - CD7).
Withdrawn candidates - Annie Loyd (I - CD3).
Later!
Showing posts with label Pastor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pastor. Show all posts
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
How do you split 30 pieces of silver 105 ways?
On Friday, the House passed an update of FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by a vote of 293 -129. The bill includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that aided the Bush Administration in their efforts to spy on Americans.
In addition to the immunity provision (Title II of the bill) it allows the government to "initiate a wiretap without court permission if "important intelligence" would otherwise be lost." (AP)
AZ delegation votes: Renzi, Shadegg, Franks, Mitchell, Giffords, Flake - yea; Pastor, Grijalva - nay.
I suppose I could expound at length on why this was a horrible move, but it's late, I'm tired, and work starts early tomorrow, so let me sum up -
'Nuff said.
For those who wonder why the Republicans seem to be getting a free pass on this one, they're just receiving the benefit of *really* low expectations here - expecting them to start showing concern for their constituents or respect for the Bill of Rights at this point would be the height of foolishness and an utter waste of time.
Daniel Patterson at Daniel's News & Views offers his far more succinct take on the situation here.
ACLU press release here.
Good night.
In addition to the immunity provision (Title II of the bill) it allows the government to "initiate a wiretap without court permission if "important intelligence" would otherwise be lost." (AP)
AZ delegation votes: Renzi, Shadegg, Franks, Mitchell, Giffords, Flake - yea; Pastor, Grijalva - nay.
I suppose I could expound at length on why this was a horrible move, but it's late, I'm tired, and work starts early tomorrow, so let me sum up -
To Congressman Harry Mitchell, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and the 103 other Democrats who joined the entire Republican caucus (excepting Rep. Tim Johnson of Illinois, who, for some unknown reason, voted against the measure) in supporting the bill that George Bush wanted:
1. One of the rationalizations given to support this bill was that it was "necessary" in order to ensure the safety of Americans. The only problem with that story is that it is put forth by the President and his lackeys, who, as evidenced by the testimony on Friday by former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, lie the way that normal people breathe, and have been doing so for nearly eight years.
2. Some of you might say that it was necessary to compromise to get the FISA update passed. Perhaps it was, but when the President gets everything that he wanted, it isn't "compromise," it's "surrender."
3. Each and every one of you should remember that you were elected to work for your constituents' best interests, not the President's. In no way does retroactive immunity for telecoms or decreased judicial oversight of Administration activities benefit your constituents.
'Nuff said.
For those who wonder why the Republicans seem to be getting a free pass on this one, they're just receiving the benefit of *really* low expectations here - expecting them to start showing concern for their constituents or respect for the Bill of Rights at this point would be the height of foolishness and an utter waste of time.
Daniel Patterson at Daniel's News & Views offers his far more succinct take on the situation here.
ACLU press release here.
Good night.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Whew - got scared there for a minute
Here I was, all prepared to write a post criticizing the Democrats in Congress for passing H.R. 6074, the Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act of 2008. The bill passed by a 324 - 84 margin (Giffords, Mitchell, Pastor, Grijalva - yea; Franks, Flake, Renzi, Shadegg - nay).
The reason for my intended criticism was not based on the language in the bill, but on some of the press coverage, which calls the bill a move to allow the U.S. to sue OPEC over high gas prices.
AP coverage here; TimesOnline coverage here; AFR coverage here.
The coverage gives the impression that in an era of record-breaking oil prices, and equally record-breaking oil company profits, that Congress has determined that the best solution is to take foreign nations to court.
Assuming that those nations would even bother to face the U.S. in court, given the low regard for international law that is typically exhibited by the U.S. government.
The U.S. government only participates in that process when it suits them - why should any other country behave any differently when it is the U.S. initiating the proceedings?
Based on the MSM coverage, I thought that the bill was pointless and insipid, and reeked of a little election year pandering, and that's always worthy of criticism.
I was sitting at my keyboard, profoundly disappointed in my fellow Democrats, and when the White House threatened a veto of the legislation, I was worried that my agreement with that position might indicate that I'd hit my head, come down with some sort of mental illness, or just plain had my soul sucked out of me.
Then I read the actual language of the bill, and was greatly relieved to find the real teeth of the measure.
The section goes on to delineate some of the areas of interest of the Task Force, including looking for price gouging, market manipulation, anti-competitive behavior, collusive behavior and more.
And it isn't restricted to international cartels and the like. Specifically included are petroleum refiners and wholesalers of gasoline and petroleum products.
In short, the oil companies themselves are in the crosshairs of this bill.
Which thoroughly explains why the White House and the four Republican members of Arizona's delegation so thoroughly oppose the bill.
The "I'm not totally naive" caveats -
It *is* an election year, and I'm fully aware that many of the Democratic supporters of this bill did so to take advantage of the anti-OPEC nature (aka - the "anti-foreigner" nature) of the bill. It's always easier to blame an amorphous "them" for our problems than to tell voters that they might bear some of the responsibility for the creation of and the ultimate solution for the current mess.
In addition, I'm fully aware of the fact that many of the Republicans who supported the bill did so with the full knowledge that it will never become law, either because of a veto they won't vote to override, or because it will die in the Senate.
While this move has some merit (holding Big Oil's feet to the fire is always a good thing), how about an effort to not just wean the U.S. off of *foreign* oil (which is just Republican-speak for "let's destroy ANWR"), but to wean us off of petroleum in general.
Supporting efforts to create something other than the internal combustion engine to power our transportation infrastructure would be a good start, no matter how much Big Oil and Big Auto scream about it.
The reason for my intended criticism was not based on the language in the bill, but on some of the press coverage, which calls the bill a move to allow the U.S. to sue OPEC over high gas prices.
AP coverage here; TimesOnline coverage here; AFR coverage here.
The coverage gives the impression that in an era of record-breaking oil prices, and equally record-breaking oil company profits, that Congress has determined that the best solution is to take foreign nations to court.
Assuming that those nations would even bother to face the U.S. in court, given the low regard for international law that is typically exhibited by the U.S. government.
The U.S. government only participates in that process when it suits them - why should any other country behave any differently when it is the U.S. initiating the proceedings?
Based on the MSM coverage, I thought that the bill was pointless and insipid, and reeked of a little election year pandering, and that's always worthy of criticism.
I was sitting at my keyboard, profoundly disappointed in my fellow Democrats, and when the White House threatened a veto of the legislation, I was worried that my agreement with that position might indicate that I'd hit my head, come down with some sort of mental illness, or just plain had my soul sucked out of me.
Then I read the actual language of the bill, and was greatly relieved to find the real teeth of the measure.
SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY ANTITRUST TASK FORCE.
The section goes on to delineate some of the areas of interest of the Task Force, including looking for price gouging, market manipulation, anti-competitive behavior, collusive behavior and more.
And it isn't restricted to international cartels and the like. Specifically included are petroleum refiners and wholesalers of gasoline and petroleum products.
In short, the oil companies themselves are in the crosshairs of this bill.
Which thoroughly explains why the White House and the four Republican members of Arizona's delegation so thoroughly oppose the bill.
The "I'm not totally naive" caveats -
It *is* an election year, and I'm fully aware that many of the Democratic supporters of this bill did so to take advantage of the anti-OPEC nature (aka - the "anti-foreigner" nature) of the bill. It's always easier to blame an amorphous "them" for our problems than to tell voters that they might bear some of the responsibility for the creation of and the ultimate solution for the current mess.
In addition, I'm fully aware of the fact that many of the Republicans who supported the bill did so with the full knowledge that it will never become law, either because of a veto they won't vote to override, or because it will die in the Senate.
While this move has some merit (holding Big Oil's feet to the fire is always a good thing), how about an effort to not just wean the U.S. off of *foreign* oil (which is just Republican-speak for "let's destroy ANWR"), but to wean us off of petroleum in general.
Supporting efforts to create something other than the internal combustion engine to power our transportation infrastructure would be a good start, no matter how much Big Oil and Big Auto scream about it.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
House Republicans abdicate their professional responsibilities
Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives failed to pass part of H.R. 2642, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2008. The part that they failed to pass was the part provided supplemental funding for Bush's occupation of Iraq.
I call today's move a "failure" not because I support continuing to pay for Bush's war, but because the bill wasn't defeated (though much of the MSM coverage will paint it as such), but because the Republicans basically didn't show up.
The final vote - 141 in favor, 149 opposed, 132 present.
All 132 members of the House refusing to take a stand on one of the biggest issues facing our nation today by voting present were Republicans.
As evidenced by the split in the Democratic caucus (85 yeas, 147 nays), this is an issue that deeply divides the country; the Republicans' refusal to take a stand, any stand (even one I disagree with!) nearly constitutes en masse job abandonment.
And 'job abandonment' is grounds for termination of employment.
See you in November.
By the way - the part of the measure that they failed to take a stand on is the part of the bill that would have ensured that there is money to continue paying the troops after June 15.
Can't wait to see how they spin that into "support for the troops."
Other details of today's votes -
The vote split among the Democratic members of Arizona's Congressional delegation reflected the split among the whole caucus - Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ8) and Harry Mitchell (D-AZ5) voted yea; Ed Pastor (D-AZ4) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ7) voted nay,
Among the Republicans from Arizona, only Rick Renzi (R-AZ1) took a stand, voting yea. John Shadegg (R-AZ3), Trent Franks (R-AZ2), and Jeff Flake (R-AZ6) all sat on their hands.
A second part of the bill that establishes a timeline for withdrawal passed 227 - 196, with Arizona's delegation splitting along party line - Democrats in favor, Republicans opposed.
The third and final section of the bill, containing some domestic spending such as the new G.I. Bill and unemployment relief, passed 256 - 166, with Democrats Grijalva, Giffords, Mitchell and Pastor, and Republican Renzi supporting, and Republicans Flake, Franks, and Shadegg opposing.
Note: there is an expectation that the Senate will restore the funding portion of the bill and return it to the House for another vote.
Note2: Bush has threatened to veto any supplemental bill that includes any restrictions or timelines (he's not too fond of education benefits for veterans, either.)
The Hill's coverage here.
AP coverage here.
Later!
I call today's move a "failure" not because I support continuing to pay for Bush's war, but because the bill wasn't defeated (though much of the MSM coverage will paint it as such), but because the Republicans basically didn't show up.
The final vote - 141 in favor, 149 opposed, 132 present.
All 132 members of the House refusing to take a stand on one of the biggest issues facing our nation today by voting present were Republicans.
As evidenced by the split in the Democratic caucus (85 yeas, 147 nays), this is an issue that deeply divides the country; the Republicans' refusal to take a stand, any stand (even one I disagree with!) nearly constitutes en masse job abandonment.
And 'job abandonment' is grounds for termination of employment.
See you in November.
By the way - the part of the measure that they failed to take a stand on is the part of the bill that would have ensured that there is money to continue paying the troops after June 15.
Can't wait to see how they spin that into "support for the troops."
Other details of today's votes -
The vote split among the Democratic members of Arizona's Congressional delegation reflected the split among the whole caucus - Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ8) and Harry Mitchell (D-AZ5) voted yea; Ed Pastor (D-AZ4) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ7) voted nay,
Among the Republicans from Arizona, only Rick Renzi (R-AZ1) took a stand, voting yea. John Shadegg (R-AZ3), Trent Franks (R-AZ2), and Jeff Flake (R-AZ6) all sat on their hands.
A second part of the bill that establishes a timeline for withdrawal passed 227 - 196, with Arizona's delegation splitting along party line - Democrats in favor, Republicans opposed.
The third and final section of the bill, containing some domestic spending such as the new G.I. Bill and unemployment relief, passed 256 - 166, with Democrats Grijalva, Giffords, Mitchell and Pastor, and Republican Renzi supporting, and Republicans Flake, Franks, and Shadegg opposing.
Note: there is an expectation that the Senate will restore the funding portion of the bill and return it to the House for another vote.
Note2: Bush has threatened to veto any supplemental bill that includes any restrictions or timelines (he's not too fond of education benefits for veterans, either.)
The Hill's coverage here.
AP coverage here.
Later!
Monday, April 28, 2008
AZ's Democratic Delegation Finalized
At Saturday's meeting of the Democratic State Committee, members selected PLEO (party leader/elected official) and At-Large delegates to this summer's national convention. Some delegates are pledged to Clinton, some to Obama.
The big news of the convention concerned the election of a new 1st Vice-Chair (and automatic superdelegate) of the ADP. Early expectations were that the slot would go to a Clinton supporter, but in a bit of a surprise, Charlene Fernandez, chair of the Yuma County Democratic Party, won the slot after announcing that she supports Sen. Barack Obama for the nomination.
There is an as-yet-unconfirmed rumor (from a state committee member) that one of the Clinton superdelegates may challenge the election of Fernandez. I'll look into this, but if anything comes of it, Tedski will probably have the scoop first (something about him being on the state committee, a brother on the state committee, a mom on the state committee, and so forth :)) ).
The final (pending any challenges) list, courtesy the website of the Arizona Democratic Party (superdelegate endorsement info courtesy PolitickerAZ) -
Uncommitted superdelegates -
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (AZ8)
Congressman Harry Mitchell (AZ5)
State Attorney General Terry Goddard
Chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party Don Bivens
Clinton delegates
Superdelegates -
Congressman Ed Pastor (AZ4)
Democratic National Committee member Janice C. Brunson
DNC member Joe Rios
DNC member Carolyn Warner
PLEO -
Arizona Sen. Amanda Aguirre
Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community President Diane Enos
Arizona Democratic Party Vice-Chairman Tony J. Gonzales
Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley
At-Large -
Arizona Sen. Ken Cheuvront
Fountain Hills Councilwoman Ginny Dickey
Adam Falk
Katie Hobbs
Michael Incorvaia
Amanda Simpson
Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox
At-Large Alternates -
DNC Member-elect and Arizona Democratic Party secretary Judy Kennedy
Arizona Rep. Robert Meza
District level delegates -
Jack Jackson, Jr.
Greg Kaighn
Dawn Knight
Nikki Basque (alternate)
Bree Boehlke
Debra Boehlke
Robert Boehlke
Matthew Miller (alternate)
Howard Bell
Jim Pederson
Lois Pfau
Lisa White (alternate)
Dana Kennedy
Jose Rivas
Angie Crouse
George Paterakis
Beverly Fox-Miller
Roman Ullman
Elizabeth Brown (alternate)
David Martinez
Gail Beeler
Elly Anderson
Chris Campas
JoJene E. Mills
Bruce Heurlin (alternate)
Obama Delegates
Superdelegates -
Governor Janet Napolitano
Congressman Raul Grijalva (AZ7)
ADP 1st Vice Chair Charlene Fernandez
PLEO -
Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Ned J. Norris
Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez
Arizona Rep. Kyrsten Sinema
At-Large -
Magdalena Barajas
Sen. Dennis DeConcini
Ruben Gallego Arizona
Rep. David Schapira
Brandan Spradling
At-Large Alternate -
Phoenix Councilman Michael Johnson
District level delegates -
Christopher Clark-Dechene
Angela Lefevre
Shirley A. McAllister
Eddie Smith
Mark Manoil
Genevieve M. Vega
David Gass
Katharine Widland
Sean Bowie
Donna M. Gratehouse
Lauren Kuby
James J. Brodie (alternate)
John Chiazza
Kit Filbey
Paul Eckerstrom
Lisa Fernandez
John C. Adams
Patricia L. Canady
Congratulations to everyone, and hope to see you in Denver...
The big news of the convention concerned the election of a new 1st Vice-Chair (and automatic superdelegate) of the ADP. Early expectations were that the slot would go to a Clinton supporter, but in a bit of a surprise, Charlene Fernandez, chair of the Yuma County Democratic Party, won the slot after announcing that she supports Sen. Barack Obama for the nomination.
There is an as-yet-unconfirmed rumor (from a state committee member) that one of the Clinton superdelegates may challenge the election of Fernandez. I'll look into this, but if anything comes of it, Tedski will probably have the scoop first (something about him being on the state committee, a brother on the state committee, a mom on the state committee, and so forth :)) ).
The final (pending any challenges) list, courtesy the website of the Arizona Democratic Party (superdelegate endorsement info courtesy PolitickerAZ) -
Uncommitted superdelegates -
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (AZ8)
Congressman Harry Mitchell (AZ5)
State Attorney General Terry Goddard
Chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party Don Bivens
Clinton delegates
Superdelegates -
Congressman Ed Pastor (AZ4)
Democratic National Committee member Janice C. Brunson
DNC member Joe Rios
DNC member Carolyn Warner
PLEO -
Arizona Sen. Amanda Aguirre
Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community President Diane Enos
Arizona Democratic Party Vice-Chairman Tony J. Gonzales
Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley
At-Large -
Arizona Sen. Ken Cheuvront
Fountain Hills Councilwoman Ginny Dickey
Adam Falk
Katie Hobbs
Michael Incorvaia
Amanda Simpson
Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox
At-Large Alternates -
DNC Member-elect and Arizona Democratic Party secretary Judy Kennedy
Arizona Rep. Robert Meza
District level delegates -
Jack Jackson, Jr.
Greg Kaighn
Dawn Knight
Nikki Basque (alternate)
Bree Boehlke
Debra Boehlke
Robert Boehlke
Matthew Miller (alternate)
Howard Bell
Jim Pederson
Lois Pfau
Lisa White (alternate)
Dana Kennedy
Jose Rivas
Angie Crouse
George Paterakis
Beverly Fox-Miller
Roman Ullman
Elizabeth Brown (alternate)
David Martinez
Gail Beeler
Elly Anderson
Chris Campas
JoJene E. Mills
Bruce Heurlin (alternate)
Obama Delegates
Superdelegates -
Governor Janet Napolitano
Congressman Raul Grijalva (AZ7)
ADP 1st Vice Chair Charlene Fernandez
PLEO -
Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Ned J. Norris
Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez
Arizona Rep. Kyrsten Sinema
At-Large -
Magdalena Barajas
Sen. Dennis DeConcini
Ruben Gallego Arizona
Rep. David Schapira
Brandan Spradling
At-Large Alternate -
Phoenix Councilman Michael Johnson
District level delegates -
Christopher Clark-Dechene
Angela Lefevre
Shirley A. McAllister
Eddie Smith
Mark Manoil
Genevieve M. Vega
David Gass
Katharine Widland
Sean Bowie
Donna M. Gratehouse
Lauren Kuby
James J. Brodie (alternate)
John Chiazza
Kit Filbey
Paul Eckerstrom
Lisa Fernandez
John C. Adams
Patricia L. Canady
Congratulations to everyone, and hope to see you in Denver...
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Quarterly FEC Reports Are Pouring In...
They're not all into the FEC yet, so I'll update over the next few days.
The quarterly numbers so far -
CD1 (open seat)
Shanker (D) (challenger) - Total raised $33,688.73; $31,354.75 from individuals; $0 from PACs; $34,320.21 cash on hand. Note: Shanker's committee has $9,367.88 in outstanding debt (credit card statement).
Hay (R) (challenger) - Total raised $98,618.19; $88,118.19 from individuals; $10,500.00 from PACs; $222,334.01 cash on hand. Note: Hay's committee has $70K in outstanding debt (loans by the candidate).
Kirkpatrick (D) (challenger) - Total raised $257,400.17; $194,650.17 from individuals; $62,250.00 from PACs; $465,464.68 cash on hand. Note: Kirkpatrick's committee has $20K in outstanding debt (loan).
Riley (D) (challenger) - Total raised $15,825.00; $15,825.00 from individuals; $0 from PACs; $216,165.31 cash on hand. Note: Riley's committee has $205K in outstanding debt (candidate loan). Note2: According to PolitickerAZ, Riley has dropped out of the race.
Titla (D) (challenger) - Total raised $39,114.05; $39,114.05 from individuals; $0 from PACs; $48,321.07 cash on hand.
Korn (R) (challenger) - Total raised $14,567.00; $12,266.00 from individuals; $0 from PACs; $10,494.16 cash on hand. Note: Korn's committee has $3,185.36 in outstanding debt (candidate loan and credit card).
Renzi (R) (outgoing incumbent) - $0 raised; $3966.46 cash on hand; $456,073.37 in outstanding debt (legal fees, candidate loans).
CD1 note: According to Tedski at Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion, rumored Republican candidate Ken Bennett has chosen (again!) to pass on the CD1 race.
CD2
Franks (R) (incumbent) - $88,386.00 total raised; $53,261.00 from individuals; $35,625.00 from PACs; 129,774.83 cash on hand. Note: Franks' committee owes $304,100 in outstanding debt (candidate loan).
Thrasher (D) (challenger) - Total raised $3,023.50; $3,023.50 from individuals; $0 from PACs; $12,512.49 cash on hand.
CD3
Lord (D) (challenger) - Total raised $220,166.47; $163,116.47 from individuals; $51,550.00 from PACs; $632,485.41 cash on hand.
Shadegg (R) (incumbent) - Total raised $150,716.41; $163,516.41 from individuals; $47,000.00 from PACs; $937,672.59 cash on hand. Note: The reason that the total raised is less than the combined totals of individual and PAC contributions is that Shadegg's committee refunded nearly $60K in contributions.
Annie Loyd (I) (challenger) - Quarterly report not posted yet.
Shadegg's flirtation with retirement may have cost him some contributions - Shadegg outraised the incumbent, even when ignoring the refunds (which included a refund of $10K in illegal contributions from his own PAC.)
From a Lord press release -
CD4
Pastor (D) (incumbent) - Total raised $260,827.71; $164,020.98 from individuals; $96,306.73 from PACs; $1,266,599.90 cash on hand.
CD5
Mitchell (D) (incumbent) - Total raised $321,160.18; $209,028.59 from individuals; $112,110.00 from PACs; $1,121,680.84 cash on hand.
Schweikert (R) (challenger) - Total raised $175,210.23; $171,941.95 from individuals; $2,500.00 from PACs; $514,092.21 cash on hand. Note: Schweikert's committee has $250K in outstanding debt (candidate loan).
Ogsbury (R) (challenger) - Total raised 40,421.17; $37,921.17 from individuals; $2,500.00 from PACs; $353,094.41 cash on hand. Note: Ogsbury's committee has $250K in outstanding debt (candidate loan).
Hatch-Miller (R) (committee terminated) - Owes $17K; cash on hand $245.20.
Knaperek (R) (challenger) - $49,618.00 total raised; $49,518.00 from individuals; $100 from PACs; $44,471.84 cash on hand.
Anderson (R) (challenger) - $55,115.00 total raised; $55,115.00 from individuals; $0 from PACs; $69,985.52 cash on hand.
CD5 Notes: Susan Bitter Smith (R) is still 'exploring', but given the facts that the signature deadline is fast approaching (early June) and that her name is dirt with many of Scottsdale's grassroots Republicans (see: Hanover Project, The), my guess is that she isn't going to jump into the race.
Oh yeah - that Schweikert guy has the money race locked up, if not the balloting race. I don't know what the polling numbers among CD5 Republicans looks like, but Schweikert looks like the frontrunner based on contributions from individuals.
Oh yeah2 - Mitchell has more cash on hand that all of his Republican challengers combined. Mitchell still faces a Republican registration advantage in his district, but he is well-positioned to face whichever Rep makes it out of the primary.
CD6
Flake (R) (incumbent) - Total raised $58,342.00; $52,742.00 from individuals; $6,000.00 from PACs; $974,536.74 cash on hand.
CD7
Grijalva (D) (incumbent) - Total raised $91,312.93; $54,296 from individuals; $37,010.00 from PACs; $139,670.64 cash on hand.
CD8
Giffords (D) (incumbent) - Total raised $466,786.20; $333,616.20 from individuals; $138,070.00 from PACs; $1,672,821.88 cash on hand.
Bee (R) (challenger) - Total raised $466,092.60; $406,992.60 from individuals; $40,000 from PACs; $525,439.88 cash on hand.
The quarterly numbers so far -
CD1 (open seat)
Shanker (D) (challenger) - Total raised $33,688.73; $31,354.75 from individuals; $0 from PACs; $34,320.21 cash on hand. Note: Shanker's committee has $9,367.88 in outstanding debt (credit card statement).
Hay (R) (challenger) - Total raised $98,618.19; $88,118.19 from individuals; $10,500.00 from PACs; $222,334.01 cash on hand. Note: Hay's committee has $70K in outstanding debt (loans by the candidate).
Kirkpatrick (D) (challenger) - Total raised $257,400.17; $194,650.17 from individuals; $62,250.00 from PACs; $465,464.68 cash on hand. Note: Kirkpatrick's committee has $20K in outstanding debt (loan).
Riley (D) (challenger) - Total raised $15,825.00; $15,825.00 from individuals; $0 from PACs; $216,165.31 cash on hand. Note: Riley's committee has $205K in outstanding debt (candidate loan). Note2: According to PolitickerAZ, Riley has dropped out of the race.
Titla (D) (challenger) - Total raised $39,114.05; $39,114.05 from individuals; $0 from PACs; $48,321.07 cash on hand.
Korn (R) (challenger) - Total raised $14,567.00; $12,266.00 from individuals; $0 from PACs; $10,494.16 cash on hand. Note: Korn's committee has $3,185.36 in outstanding debt (candidate loan and credit card).
Renzi (R) (outgoing incumbent) - $0 raised; $3966.46 cash on hand; $456,073.37 in outstanding debt (legal fees, candidate loans).
CD1 note: According to Tedski at Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion, rumored Republican candidate Ken Bennett has chosen (again!) to pass on the CD1 race.
CD2
Franks (R) (incumbent) - $88,386.00 total raised; $53,261.00 from individuals; $35,625.00 from PACs; 129,774.83 cash on hand. Note: Franks' committee owes $304,100 in outstanding debt (candidate loan).
Thrasher (D) (challenger) - Total raised $3,023.50; $3,023.50 from individuals; $0 from PACs; $12,512.49 cash on hand.
CD3
Lord (D) (challenger) - Total raised $220,166.47; $163,116.47 from individuals; $51,550.00 from PACs; $632,485.41 cash on hand.
Shadegg (R) (incumbent) - Total raised $150,716.41; $163,516.41 from individuals; $47,000.00 from PACs; $937,672.59 cash on hand. Note: The reason that the total raised is less than the combined totals of individual and PAC contributions is that Shadegg's committee refunded nearly $60K in contributions.
Annie Loyd (I) (challenger) - Quarterly report not posted yet.
Shadegg's flirtation with retirement may have cost him some contributions - Shadegg outraised the incumbent, even when ignoring the refunds (which included a refund of $10K in illegal contributions from his own PAC.)
From a Lord press release -
“We could not have come this far or raised this much without the support of the over 1,000 Democrats, Independents, and Republicans who have contributed to my campaign,” Lord said. “I’d like to thank everyone for their continued support. We will change Washington – together.”
CD4
Pastor (D) (incumbent) - Total raised $260,827.71; $164,020.98 from individuals; $96,306.73 from PACs; $1,266,599.90 cash on hand.
CD5
Mitchell (D) (incumbent) - Total raised $321,160.18; $209,028.59 from individuals; $112,110.00 from PACs; $1,121,680.84 cash on hand.
Schweikert (R) (challenger) - Total raised $175,210.23; $171,941.95 from individuals; $2,500.00 from PACs; $514,092.21 cash on hand. Note: Schweikert's committee has $250K in outstanding debt (candidate loan).
Ogsbury (R) (challenger) - Total raised 40,421.17; $37,921.17 from individuals; $2,500.00 from PACs; $353,094.41 cash on hand. Note: Ogsbury's committee has $250K in outstanding debt (candidate loan).
Hatch-Miller (R) (committee terminated) - Owes $17K; cash on hand $245.20.
Knaperek (R) (challenger) - $49,618.00 total raised; $49,518.00 from individuals; $100 from PACs; $44,471.84 cash on hand.
Anderson (R) (challenger) - $55,115.00 total raised; $55,115.00 from individuals; $0 from PACs; $69,985.52 cash on hand.
CD5 Notes: Susan Bitter Smith (R) is still 'exploring', but given the facts that the signature deadline is fast approaching (early June) and that her name is dirt with many of Scottsdale's grassroots Republicans (see: Hanover Project, The), my guess is that she isn't going to jump into the race.
Oh yeah - that Schweikert guy has the money race locked up, if not the balloting race. I don't know what the polling numbers among CD5 Republicans looks like, but Schweikert looks like the frontrunner based on contributions from individuals.
Oh yeah2 - Mitchell has more cash on hand that all of his Republican challengers combined. Mitchell still faces a Republican registration advantage in his district, but he is well-positioned to face whichever Rep makes it out of the primary.
CD6
Flake (R) (incumbent) - Total raised $58,342.00; $52,742.00 from individuals; $6,000.00 from PACs; $974,536.74 cash on hand.
CD7
Grijalva (D) (incumbent) - Total raised $91,312.93; $54,296 from individuals; $37,010.00 from PACs; $139,670.64 cash on hand.
CD8
Giffords (D) (incumbent) - Total raised $466,786.20; $333,616.20 from individuals; $138,070.00 from PACs; $1,672,821.88 cash on hand.
Bee (R) (challenger) - Total raised $466,092.60; $406,992.60 from individuals; $40,000 from PACs; $525,439.88 cash on hand.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thank you Harry...
Earlier today, in spite of Republican tactics that reeked of hysteria, grandstanding, and attempts to baldly intimidate them, Congressman Harry Mitchell (D-AZ5) and 212 other Democrats approved the House version of H.R. 3773, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008.
The House version did not include the main clause that the President and the other Republicans in D.C. wanted, the one that retroactively granted immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in warrantless wiretapping in the past.
The final vote was 213 - 197, 1 voting 'present.' The voting in the Arizona delegation fell along party lines - Democrats Giffords, Grijalva, Pastor, and Mitchell voting 'yea'; Republicans Flake, Franks, Renzi, and Shadegg voting 'nay.'
Last August, I criticized Harry Mitchell and the Blue Dogs for voting for a very bad bill, one that didn't require judicial oversight of electronic surveillance; it's only fair that I compliment him and them (mostly, anyway - 12 Dems crossed over today) now.
They've earned it.
Washington Post coverage of today's vote here.
WaPo coverage of President Bush's remarks on the topic yesterday here (summary: he says that he will veto any bill without immunity.)
White House statement on today's vote here.
ACLU statement on today's vote here.
Later!
The House version did not include the main clause that the President and the other Republicans in D.C. wanted, the one that retroactively granted immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in warrantless wiretapping in the past.
The final vote was 213 - 197, 1 voting 'present.' The voting in the Arizona delegation fell along party lines - Democrats Giffords, Grijalva, Pastor, and Mitchell voting 'yea'; Republicans Flake, Franks, Renzi, and Shadegg voting 'nay.'
Last August, I criticized Harry Mitchell and the Blue Dogs for voting for a very bad bill, one that didn't require judicial oversight of electronic surveillance; it's only fair that I compliment him and them (mostly, anyway - 12 Dems crossed over today) now.
They've earned it.
Washington Post coverage of today's vote here.
WaPo coverage of President Bush's remarks on the topic yesterday here (summary: he says that he will veto any bill without immunity.)
White House statement on today's vote here.
ACLU statement on today's vote here.
Later!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Arizona earns another low rating when it comes to protecting children
This time, it's the state's Congressional delegation that has let children down.
The Children's Defense Fund Action Council has released its 2007 Congressional scorecard. The scoring was based on 10 key votes each in the House and Senate (the list of votes was slightly different for each chamber.)
Arizona's delegation ended up tied for 44th with Louisiana's.
Hey - at least we beat Nebraska, South Carolina, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.
On the other hand, Georgia, Texas and Mississippi beat us, and that's not exactly something to brag about.
By comparison, my old home state of Massachusetts ranked 3rd, with an average score of 97%; the only negative marks were due to absences, not bad votes.
As could be expected, the Arizona delegation split along party lines -
In the House, Democrats Ed Pastor and Raul Grijalva each scored 100%, Gabrielle Giffords 80%, and Harry Mitchell 60%.
On the Republican side, Rick Renzi scored 60%, Trent Franks and John Shadegg scored 10%, and the ever-reliable Jeff Flake earned a big ol' goose egg (he's like Mikey from the Life cereal commercial - he hates *everything.*)
It seems that John Shadegg's 'expertise' on health care doesn't extend to healthy children, only healthy corporate bottom lines. As for Trent Franks, apparently his concern for children stops once they are born.
As for Renzi's 60%, well, you knew that there had to be a real reason that a Republican U.S. Attorney pursued an indictment of a Republican Congressman - I mean, there was no way a Bush appointee would go after a Republican for simple extortion and fraud, right?
:))
And as for Harry Mitchell's 60%, I supposed he can take heart in the high-wattage company he's keeping - Nancy Pelosi was also at 60%, Joe Biden was at 50%, Barack Obama 60%, Hillary Clinton 70%.
Over in the Senate, Jon Kyl scored at 30% and John McCain earned a 10%.
Of course, given that McCain missed 8 of the 10 key votes, maybe his grade should be 'Incomplete.' However, according to the 2006 Scorecard, he made all of the 10 key votes that year, and scored a resounding
10%.
Come November, that's something that parents all over the state might want to think about before they cast a 'favorite son' vote in the general election.
Later!
The Children's Defense Fund Action Council has released its 2007 Congressional scorecard. The scoring was based on 10 key votes each in the House and Senate (the list of votes was slightly different for each chamber.)
Arizona's delegation ended up tied for 44th with Louisiana's.
Hey - at least we beat Nebraska, South Carolina, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.
On the other hand, Georgia, Texas and Mississippi beat us, and that's not exactly something to brag about.
By comparison, my old home state of Massachusetts ranked 3rd, with an average score of 97%; the only negative marks were due to absences, not bad votes.
As could be expected, the Arizona delegation split along party lines -
In the House, Democrats Ed Pastor and Raul Grijalva each scored 100%, Gabrielle Giffords 80%, and Harry Mitchell 60%.
On the Republican side, Rick Renzi scored 60%, Trent Franks and John Shadegg scored 10%, and the ever-reliable Jeff Flake earned a big ol' goose egg (he's like Mikey from the Life cereal commercial - he hates *everything.*)
It seems that John Shadegg's 'expertise' on health care doesn't extend to healthy children, only healthy corporate bottom lines. As for Trent Franks, apparently his concern for children stops once they are born.
As for Renzi's 60%, well, you knew that there had to be a real reason that a Republican U.S. Attorney pursued an indictment of a Republican Congressman - I mean, there was no way a Bush appointee would go after a Republican for simple extortion and fraud, right?
:))
And as for Harry Mitchell's 60%, I supposed he can take heart in the high-wattage company he's keeping - Nancy Pelosi was also at 60%, Joe Biden was at 50%, Barack Obama 60%, Hillary Clinton 70%.
Over in the Senate, Jon Kyl scored at 30% and John McCain earned a 10%.
Of course, given that McCain missed 8 of the 10 key votes, maybe his grade should be 'Incomplete.' However, according to the 2006 Scorecard, he made all of the 10 key votes that year, and scored a resounding
10%.
Come November, that's something that parents all over the state might want to think about before they cast a 'favorite son' vote in the general election.
Later!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Priorities Of House Republicans -
1. Retroactive telecom immunity.
2. Failing that, heavily armed communities.
Not a priority -
1. Public housing.
Today, the House debated H.R. 3521, the Public Housing Asset Management Improvement Act of 2007. According to a summary from the Congressional Research Service, the bill concerns a number of rules regulating public housing authority (PHA) management and PHA asset management.
The fun part was when Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) moved to recommit the bill to the Financial Services Committee with instructions to amend the bill by substituting to become S. 2248, the FISA amendments bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecom companies that participated in George Bush's warrantless wiretapping of Americans program.
That motion was determined to be out of order because the proposed amendment wasn't relevant to the underlying bill. Rep. Smith moved to appeal the chair's ruling to the whole House; the whole House voted to table the appeal by a vote of 218 - 195, with the Reps voting mostly along party lines. (AZ delegation: Pastor, Mitchell, Grijalva - Yea; Renzi, Shadegg, Franks, Flake, and Giffords - Nay)
After that, under the rules of the House, the Republicans could still make a motion to recommit, and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) did so.
Her motion included instructions "inserting provisions that state that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall not accept as reasonable any fees for enforcing any provision of a dwelling lease agreement or other similar agreement that requires the registration of or prohibits the possession of any firearm that is possessed by an individual for his or her personal protection or for sport the possession of which is not prohibited, or the registration of which is not required, by existing law."
Further proceedings on that motion, as well as the underlying bill, were postponed (not sure why yet.)
Nice to see that even with a week off to think about the error of their ways, the House Republicans still place corporate interests and ideological purity above human interest.
Wonder who they're going to blame when they have their butts handed to them in November? Undocumented immigrants?
...Oh wait - undocumented immigrants don't vote.
It should be noted that after regular legislative business was completed that Trent Franks (R-AZ2) took to the floor of the House to talk about the significant issue of the day.
Which, given that it was Trent Franks speaking, of course that issue was abortion.
Later!
2. Failing that, heavily armed communities.
Not a priority -
1. Public housing.
Today, the House debated H.R. 3521, the Public Housing Asset Management Improvement Act of 2007. According to a summary from the Congressional Research Service, the bill concerns a number of rules regulating public housing authority (PHA) management and PHA asset management.
The fun part was when Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) moved to recommit the bill to the Financial Services Committee with instructions to amend the bill by substituting to become S. 2248, the FISA amendments bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecom companies that participated in George Bush's warrantless wiretapping of Americans program.
That motion was determined to be out of order because the proposed amendment wasn't relevant to the underlying bill. Rep. Smith moved to appeal the chair's ruling to the whole House; the whole House voted to table the appeal by a vote of 218 - 195, with the Reps voting mostly along party lines. (AZ delegation: Pastor, Mitchell, Grijalva - Yea; Renzi, Shadegg, Franks, Flake, and Giffords - Nay)
After that, under the rules of the House, the Republicans could still make a motion to recommit, and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) did so.
Her motion included instructions "inserting provisions that state that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall not accept as reasonable any fees for enforcing any provision of a dwelling lease agreement or other similar agreement that requires the registration of or prohibits the possession of any firearm that is possessed by an individual for his or her personal protection or for sport the possession of which is not prohibited, or the registration of which is not required, by existing law."
Further proceedings on that motion, as well as the underlying bill, were postponed (not sure why yet.)
Nice to see that even with a week off to think about the error of their ways, the House Republicans still place corporate interests and ideological purity above human interest.
Wonder who they're going to blame when they have their butts handed to them in November? Undocumented immigrants?
...Oh wait - undocumented immigrants don't vote.
It should be noted that after regular legislative business was completed that Trent Franks (R-AZ2) took to the floor of the House to talk about the significant issue of the day.
Which, given that it was Trent Franks speaking, of course that issue was abortion.
Later!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Ahhh...Congress is back in session...
...and the House Republicans are already in mid-session form...
They're already hard at work safeguarding the interests of big business and blaming workers for everything.
Today, they were "fighting the good fight" for mine owners as House Democrats worked to address mine safety in the aftermath of the recent spate of deadly mine disasters, such as Crandall Canyon in Utah and Sago in West Virginia.
During consideration of H.R. 2768, the S-MINER Act (Supplemental Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response), House Republicans, led by Buck McKeon (R-CA), opposed every safety improvement as too onerous for mine owners and operators. In fact, the only 'safety improvement' that they supported (and supported strongly, at that) was an intensive drug testing requirement for mine workers.
Guess it's more fun to play "blame the victims" than it is to "govern responsibly."
Many of the Republican opponents of increased mine safety cited this Washington Post article from Sunday that chronicles a growing trend in West Virginia's mine country - painkiller addiction.
The Republicans so strongly favored increased drug testing they twice tried to wedge it into the bill, once in this amendment proposed by Joe Wilson (R-SC) (starting on page 2 of the .pdf) and in their standard 'motion to recommit with instructions', proposed by Mark Souder (R-IN).
The Wilson amendment also sought to water-down implementation of safety measures, substituting secrecy, studies and commissions for refuge chambers with emergency air supplies, flame-resistant conveyor belts, and transparency.
Note: The Wilson amendment failed by a vote of 188 - 229; the motion to recommit failed by a vote of 197 - 217, with the AZ delegation splitting along party lines for each vote.
In the end, the House passed the S-Miner bill by a vote of 214 - 199, with the AZ delegation again splitting along party lines.
As could be expected, the White House has threatened to veto the bill.
AP coverage here.
...I know that in this election year, the presidential campaigns are getting most of the attention from voters and the MSM (hey, even I think it's easier to focus on 10 or so candidates for 1 office than it is to focus on more than 900 candidates for the 468 House and Senate seats up for grab this year), we all need to remember that those seats are just as important as the Presidency, and those races are far more easily affected by local activists.
Whether it's for Harry Mitchell, Gabrielle Giffords, Raul Grijalva, Ed Pastor, Bob Lord, John Thrasher, or one of the Democrats looking to replace Rick Renzi (R-Mantech) in CD1, volunteer where you can, contribute where you can.
They're already hard at work safeguarding the interests of big business and blaming workers for everything.
Today, they were "fighting the good fight" for mine owners as House Democrats worked to address mine safety in the aftermath of the recent spate of deadly mine disasters, such as Crandall Canyon in Utah and Sago in West Virginia.
During consideration of H.R. 2768, the S-MINER Act (Supplemental Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response), House Republicans, led by Buck McKeon (R-CA), opposed every safety improvement as too onerous for mine owners and operators. In fact, the only 'safety improvement' that they supported (and supported strongly, at that) was an intensive drug testing requirement for mine workers.
Guess it's more fun to play "blame the victims" than it is to "govern responsibly."
Many of the Republican opponents of increased mine safety cited this Washington Post article from Sunday that chronicles a growing trend in West Virginia's mine country - painkiller addiction.
The Republicans so strongly favored increased drug testing they twice tried to wedge it into the bill, once in this amendment proposed by Joe Wilson (R-SC) (starting on page 2 of the .pdf) and in their standard 'motion to recommit with instructions', proposed by Mark Souder (R-IN).
The Wilson amendment also sought to water-down implementation of safety measures, substituting secrecy, studies and commissions for refuge chambers with emergency air supplies, flame-resistant conveyor belts, and transparency.
Note: The Wilson amendment failed by a vote of 188 - 229; the motion to recommit failed by a vote of 197 - 217, with the AZ delegation splitting along party lines for each vote.
In the end, the House passed the S-Miner bill by a vote of 214 - 199, with the AZ delegation again splitting along party lines.
As could be expected, the White House has threatened to veto the bill.
AP coverage here.
...I know that in this election year, the presidential campaigns are getting most of the attention from voters and the MSM (hey, even I think it's easier to focus on 10 or so candidates for 1 office than it is to focus on more than 900 candidates for the 468 House and Senate seats up for grab this year), we all need to remember that those seats are just as important as the Presidency, and those races are far more easily affected by local activists.
Whether it's for Harry Mitchell, Gabrielle Giffords, Raul Grijalva, Ed Pastor, Bob Lord, John Thrasher, or one of the Democrats looking to replace Rick Renzi (R-Mantech) in CD1, volunteer where you can, contribute where you can.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
It's just one of those days...
...one of those days when the hundreds of thousands of people who put in millions of volunteer hours last year working to get Democrats elected to Congress and other offices have to sit back and wonder -
Was all of the effort - the calls, the walking, the talking, the contributions, the organizing, and more - worth it?
Did it made a real difference, or was the only real effect to change the names of the head porters on the gravy train running from K Street to Capitol Hill?
As of this writing, the House is considering approval of HR3688, the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act. While the final vote won't come until tomorrow morning, it will pass. The resolution that established the rules for debating HR3688 passed by a margin of 349 - 55.
Note: The only member of the AZ delegation to vote against that particular resolution was Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ7). Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ8) did not vote on the rule.
Earlier in the day, Congress *did* pass HR3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007 by a vote of 235 - 184.
AZ delegation: Mitchell, Grijalva, Pastor - aye; Shadegg, Flake, Renzi, Franks - nay; Giffords not voting.
That Act means that gay American workers can't lose their jobs because they are gay.
Of course, the Peru Trade Act means that gay American workers can lose their jobs because they are American.
Not exactly an improvement.
Progressive columnist David Sirota's take on the Agreement is here.
A Teamsters Union press release on the Agreement here.
Edit on 11/8 to update:
As predicted, the Peru trade act passed easily by a 285 - 132 margin. The AZ delegation also voted as expected - Mitchell, Shadegg, Renzi, Franks, and Flake: aye; Pastor and Grijalva: nay; Giffords: not voting.
End edit.
Later!
Was all of the effort - the calls, the walking, the talking, the contributions, the organizing, and more - worth it?
Did it made a real difference, or was the only real effect to change the names of the head porters on the gravy train running from K Street to Capitol Hill?
As of this writing, the House is considering approval of HR3688, the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act. While the final vote won't come until tomorrow morning, it will pass. The resolution that established the rules for debating HR3688 passed by a margin of 349 - 55.
Note: The only member of the AZ delegation to vote against that particular resolution was Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ7). Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ8) did not vote on the rule.
Earlier in the day, Congress *did* pass HR3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007 by a vote of 235 - 184.
AZ delegation: Mitchell, Grijalva, Pastor - aye; Shadegg, Flake, Renzi, Franks - nay; Giffords not voting.
That Act means that gay American workers can't lose their jobs because they are gay.
Of course, the Peru Trade Act means that gay American workers can lose their jobs because they are American.
Not exactly an improvement.
Progressive columnist David Sirota's take on the Agreement is here.
A Teamsters Union press release on the Agreement here.
Edit on 11/8 to update:
As predicted, the Peru trade act passed easily by a 285 - 132 margin. The AZ delegation also voted as expected - Mitchell, Shadegg, Renzi, Franks, and Flake: aye; Pastor and Grijalva: nay; Giffords: not voting.
End edit.
Later!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Short Attention Span Musing...
edited to add a link below...
Edit2 on 10/26 to add to the "Trent Franks" part of the post below...
...and reminders of a couple of events...
...Tonight, Thursday October 25, the Arizona Chapter of the National Jewish Democratic Council will meet at 6991 E. Camelback in Scottsdale at 7:00 p.m. Congressional candidate Bob Lord (CD3) is scheduled to speak. For more info, contact Jerry at njdc[at]cox.net.
...Saturday, October 27 - Presidential candidate Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) is visiting Tucson and Phoenix.
Phoenix event info: Fajita Fundraiser and Launch of Inaugural Phoenix Chapter of Mi Familia con Bill Richardson, IBEW Building, 5808 North 7th Street, Phoenix, AZ. Time: 2:00 p.m.
Now on to the snarkiness (aka the 'short attention span' part of the post :) )
...The Tancredo campaign seems to be getting desperate, or perhaps he's just getting back to his Catholic roots. In an effort to eliminate one of the frontrunners for the Republican nomination, he's throwing the political equivalent of a "Hail Mary" pass.
From boston.com -
As you can see from the headline to the piece, the Romney campaign declined to accept the bet.
Tom, face facts - the Rockies have a far better chance of winning the World Series than you ever did of winning the Presidency. Hell, my nephew's little league team has a better chance of winning the WS than you do of winning the Presidency, but I digress. :)
...In other Romney news, the latest Rolling Stone has an in-depth article on him. However, he may not like the national publicity.
The title -
...continuing with the whole "Mitt" theme, today, he showed that he has the same attitude toward, and knowledge of, the use of military force as does Bush.
From AP via Yahoo! News -
"Bombardment of some kind"??
Nice incisive military analysis there, Mitt.
...Bush is showing in southern California that perhaps he (or more likely, his handlers) has learned some lessons from the Katrina debacle.
From AP via Yahoo! News -
Yup, Bush has learned some lessons.
Either that, or the victims of the wildfires in southern Cal tend to be somewhat paler and wealthier than the victims of Katrina in New Orleans and the Gulf Region were.
Not that I'm a cynic or anything... :))
...Edit to add: Blogger and activist Eli Blake at Deep Thought makes the same observation in this post, and does a far better job of it. He is perhap the best pure writer in the AZ political blogosphere, right or left, and his blog is worthy of bookmarking.
End edit...
Note: LA Times coverage of Bush's California visit here.
...The House passed HR3963, the revised SCHIP bill by a vote of 265 - 142. From the Arizona delegation: Pastor, Giffords, Grijalva, Mitchell, and Renzi voted 'aye'; Franks, Flake, and Shadegg voted 'nay.'
I didn't get to see the entire debate, but in a 'one-minute speech' after regular legislative business, Trent Franks (R-AZ2) surprisingly *didn't* cite a concern for insurance company profits, the Republicans' usual reason for voting against health care for poor children.
Nope, in an exhibition of Bush-like reasoning skills, he concocted a hobo's stew of reasons, stirring in "Hillary-care", abortion, and "attacks on the family" among others as the reasons that he opposed SCHIP.
John Thrasher 2008. 'Nuff said.
Edit to add: Apparently, I wasn't the only person to watch and comment on Congressman Franks' diatribe.
From Melissa McEwan at the blog Shakespearessister, who puts it far more *colorfully* than I did :)) -
As indicated in the quote, she posted a video of Franks' floor speech. Follow the link - it's worth watching.
End edit.
Later!
Edit2 on 10/26 to add to the "Trent Franks" part of the post below...
...and reminders of a couple of events...
...Tonight, Thursday October 25, the Arizona Chapter of the National Jewish Democratic Council will meet at 6991 E. Camelback in Scottsdale at 7:00 p.m. Congressional candidate Bob Lord (CD3) is scheduled to speak. For more info, contact Jerry at njdc[at]cox.net.
...Saturday, October 27 - Presidential candidate Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) is visiting Tucson and Phoenix.
Phoenix event info: Fajita Fundraiser and Launch of Inaugural Phoenix Chapter of Mi Familia con Bill Richardson, IBEW Building, 5808 North 7th Street, Phoenix, AZ. Time: 2:00 p.m.
Now on to the snarkiness (aka the 'short attention span' part of the post :) )
...The Tancredo campaign seems to be getting desperate, or perhaps he's just getting back to his Catholic roots. In an effort to eliminate one of the frontrunners for the Republican nomination, he's throwing the political equivalent of a "Hail Mary" pass.
From boston.com -
Romney passes on high-stakes baseball bet
{snip}
Republican presidential hopeful Tom Tancredo wants to put something important on the line -- his candidacy. His campaign called ABC News to issue this challenge: The Colorado congressman will drop out of the race if the Rockies lose the World Series -- if rival Mitt Romney agrees to pack it in if the Red Sox lose.
As you can see from the headline to the piece, the Romney campaign declined to accept the bet.
Tom, face facts - the Rockies have a far better chance of winning the World Series than you ever did of winning the Presidency. Hell, my nephew's little league team has a better chance of winning the WS than you do of winning the Presidency, but I digress. :)
...In other Romney news, the latest Rolling Stone has an in-depth article on him. However, he may not like the national publicity.
The title -
Mitt Romney: The Huckster
He May Have Made $250 Million as a Venture Capitalist, but the Republican Candidate Is Trying to Sell a Party that's Gone Bankrupt
...continuing with the whole "Mitt" theme, today, he showed that he has the same attitude toward, and knowledge of, the use of military force as does Bush.
From AP via Yahoo! News -
Republican Mitt Romney said Thursday he would be willing to use a military blockade or "bombardment of some kind" to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon.
"Bombardment of some kind"??
Nice incisive military analysis there, Mitt.
...Bush is showing in southern California that perhaps he (or more likely, his handlers) has learned some lessons from the Katrina debacle.
From AP via Yahoo! News -
Bush visits California wildfire victims
{snip}
In San Diego's hard-hit community of Rancho Bernardo, Bush stepped through rubble on a street of Mediterranean-style homes, where houses that remained unscathed were interspersed with what amounted to mere shells of the American dream. He stood with Jay and Kendra Jeffcoat near where a single spiral staircase rested amid rubble that used to be their home and where their burnt-out car had melted into the scorched earth.
"Those of us who are here in government, our hearts are right here with the Jeffcoats," the president said, his arm draped around Mrs. Jeffcoat. Holding her small brown dog on a leash, she fought back tears and Bush kissed her on the head.
Yup, Bush has learned some lessons.
Either that, or the victims of the wildfires in southern Cal tend to be somewhat paler and wealthier than the victims of Katrina in New Orleans and the Gulf Region were.
Not that I'm a cynic or anything... :))
...Edit to add: Blogger and activist Eli Blake at Deep Thought makes the same observation in this post, and does a far better job of it. He is perhap the best pure writer in the AZ political blogosphere, right or left, and his blog is worthy of bookmarking.
End edit...
Note: LA Times coverage of Bush's California visit here.
...The House passed HR3963, the revised SCHIP bill by a vote of 265 - 142. From the Arizona delegation: Pastor, Giffords, Grijalva, Mitchell, and Renzi voted 'aye'; Franks, Flake, and Shadegg voted 'nay.'
I didn't get to see the entire debate, but in a 'one-minute speech' after regular legislative business, Trent Franks (R-AZ2) surprisingly *didn't* cite a concern for insurance company profits, the Republicans' usual reason for voting against health care for poor children.
Nope, in an exhibition of Bush-like reasoning skills, he concocted a hobo's stew of reasons, stirring in "Hillary-care", abortion, and "attacks on the family" among others as the reasons that he opposed SCHIP.
John Thrasher 2008. 'Nuff said.
Edit to add: Apparently, I wasn't the only person to watch and comment on Congressman Franks' diatribe.
From Melissa McEwan at the blog Shakespearessister, who puts it far more *colorfully* than I did :)) -
Brain-Numbing Dipshittery During the SCHIP Debate
...here is video of Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) on the House floor earlier today, explaining why he must cast a vote against SCHIP, with a giant picture of a fetus behind him. It's like someone bet this douchebag money that he couldn't hit every square on an anti-choice Bingo card, and he said, "Oh yeah? Watch me."
As indicated in the quote, she posted a video of Franks' floor speech. Follow the link - it's worth watching.
End edit.
Later!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Quarterly FEC reports - updated
Updated on 10/16 with every incumbent now reporting; many of those who are just 'exploring' haven't filed yet. Many of those, because of the timing of their organization, won't *have* to report until after the first of the year.
Key: Candidate name, affiliation ( * signifies incumbents) - total contributions, PAC and other committee $, individual contributions, cash on hand
CD1
Rick Renzi, Republican* - $1,200; $1,000; $200; $2,085.59
Note: Renzi still owes over $100K in legal fees from earlier in the year.
Ann Kirkpatrick, Democrat - $217,050.00; $1,000; $216,050.00; $173,227.81
Sydney Hay, Republican - $57,933.81; $0; $57,933.81; $106,267.60
Note: $50,000 of Ms. Hay's fundraising came in the form of a loan to the campaign by the candidate.
Howard Shanker, Democrat - $18,160.24; $0; $18,160.24; $9,367.88
Note: $2,586.34 of his total came from the candidate and the campaign owes $9,300 on a credit card.
Ellen Simon, Democrat - $1,550.00; $0; $1,550.00; $4.41
Note: All $1,550 of Ms. Simon's funds came from the candidate herself.
CD1 note: To borrow a phrase from the film "Bull Durham" - Ms. Kirkpatrick has "announced [her] presence with authority." Her strong quarter sends a loud message both to potential Democratic primary opponents and potential Republican opposition in the general. Her candidacy is for real, and anyone thinking of jumping into the race (either side of the aisle) better be prepared for the long haul.
CD2
Trent Franks, Republican* - $49563.00, $23,500, $26,063.00, $72,153.87
John Thrasher, Democrat - $2,218.51; $0; $2,215.00; $3,619.87
CD3
Bob Lord, Democrat - $142,133.52; $5,000.00; $137,133.52; $332,189.52
John Shadegg, Republican* - $192,653.00; $36,400.00; $156,253.00; $450,930.26
Annie Loyd, Independent - $12,139.24; 0; $12,139.24; $5,001.16
Bob Stump, Republican - $0; $0; $0; $13,484.68
CD3 notes: You know that Independent Loyd has an uphill fight when the numbers show that her active campaign has less cash on hand than the inactive (for many years) campaign of Republican Stump. Also, the Lord campaign seems to have legs; while the incumbent Shadegg has outraised him and leads in COH, the differences are fairly insignificant, especially when the majority of the fundraising difference is rooted in Shadegg's advantage in PAC money.
This one is going to be a real race and one to keep an eye on.
Note on the note - Mr. Lord will be speaking at the next meeting of the Arizona chapter of the National Jewish Democratic on next Thursday. More on that in my "events calendar" post later this week.
CD4
Ed Pastor, Democrat* - $53,935.94; $39,190.94; $14,745.00; $1,229,812.71
CD5
Harry Mitchell, Democrat* - $354,638.52; $140,470.52; $214,168.00
Laura Knaperek, Republican - $30,700.00; $0; $30,700.00; $28,846.25
JD Hayworth, Republican - $0; $0; $0, $20,279.70
Larry King, Democrat - $0; $0; $0; $0
CD5 Note: Laura Knaperek's max contributors ($4600) include Ken Kendrick, owner of the Diamondbacks, and Randy Kendrick, lawyer. Other contributors include Nathan Sproul (Arizona's version of Karl Rove) and his wife Tiffani, who gave $2300 each.
CD6
Jeff Flake, Republican - $225,765.78; $22,500.00; $203,265.78; $749,738.38
CD7
Raul Grijalva, Democrat* - $63,122.02; $0; $63,122.02; $94,425.00
CD8
Eva Bacal, Democrat - $0; $0; $0; $2,957.80
Tim Bee, Republican - $134,620.00; $0; $134,620.00; $119,316.25
Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat* - $257,800.05; $96,548.41; $161,251.64; $1,126,838.82
Note: Giffords' info has been corrected by an update; a previous "October" report that was filed in September is NOT the October quarterly report. Oops - I should've caught that in my original post. :(
CD8 note: With a cash on hand total that is slightly more than 10% of Gabrielle Giffords', the fundraising effort of sitting State Senate President Bee can only be termed as "disappointing" for the Republicans.
Of course, I'm a Democrat. :)))))
Yet another note: Some other blogs have reported numbers for other candidates (Sonoran Alliance post on the Ogsbury campaign in CD5 here) but until the FEC posts them, I won't list them. I'm not saying that SA has it wrong (their source is an email from the campaign, which is good enough for me) but I want to be consistent. The numbers that candidates tout to their supporters can be different than the ones they report to the FEC.
The FEC numbers count more. :))
A Sonoran Alliance post on the significance of the numbers in CD5 and CD8 here.
A Sustainablity, Equity, Development post on CD8 is here.
Later!
Key: Candidate name, affiliation ( * signifies incumbents) - total contributions, PAC and other committee $, individual contributions, cash on hand
CD1
Rick Renzi, Republican* - $1,200; $1,000; $200; $2,085.59
Note: Renzi still owes over $100K in legal fees from earlier in the year.
Ann Kirkpatrick, Democrat - $217,050.00; $1,000; $216,050.00; $173,227.81
Sydney Hay, Republican - $57,933.81; $0; $57,933.81; $106,267.60
Note: $50,000 of Ms. Hay's fundraising came in the form of a loan to the campaign by the candidate.
Howard Shanker, Democrat - $18,160.24; $0; $18,160.24; $9,367.88
Note: $2,586.34 of his total came from the candidate and the campaign owes $9,300 on a credit card.
Ellen Simon, Democrat - $1,550.00; $0; $1,550.00; $4.41
Note: All $1,550 of Ms. Simon's funds came from the candidate herself.
CD1 note: To borrow a phrase from the film "Bull Durham" - Ms. Kirkpatrick has "announced [her] presence with authority." Her strong quarter sends a loud message both to potential Democratic primary opponents and potential Republican opposition in the general. Her candidacy is for real, and anyone thinking of jumping into the race (either side of the aisle) better be prepared for the long haul.
CD2
Trent Franks, Republican* - $49563.00, $23,500, $26,063.00, $72,153.87
John Thrasher, Democrat - $2,218.51; $0; $2,215.00; $3,619.87
CD3
Bob Lord, Democrat - $142,133.52; $5,000.00; $137,133.52; $332,189.52
John Shadegg, Republican* - $192,653.00; $36,400.00; $156,253.00; $450,930.26
Annie Loyd, Independent - $12,139.24; 0; $12,139.24; $5,001.16
Bob Stump, Republican - $0; $0; $0; $13,484.68
CD3 notes: You know that Independent Loyd has an uphill fight when the numbers show that her active campaign has less cash on hand than the inactive (for many years) campaign of Republican Stump. Also, the Lord campaign seems to have legs; while the incumbent Shadegg has outraised him and leads in COH, the differences are fairly insignificant, especially when the majority of the fundraising difference is rooted in Shadegg's advantage in PAC money.
This one is going to be a real race and one to keep an eye on.
Note on the note - Mr. Lord will be speaking at the next meeting of the Arizona chapter of the National Jewish Democratic on next Thursday. More on that in my "events calendar" post later this week.
CD4
Ed Pastor, Democrat* - $53,935.94; $39,190.94; $14,745.00; $1,229,812.71
CD5
Harry Mitchell, Democrat* - $354,638.52; $140,470.52; $214,168.00
Laura Knaperek, Republican - $30,700.00; $0; $30,700.00; $28,846.25
JD Hayworth, Republican - $0; $0; $0, $20,279.70
Larry King, Democrat - $0; $0; $0; $0
CD5 Note: Laura Knaperek's max contributors ($4600) include Ken Kendrick, owner of the Diamondbacks, and Randy Kendrick, lawyer. Other contributors include Nathan Sproul (Arizona's version of Karl Rove) and his wife Tiffani, who gave $2300 each.
CD6
Jeff Flake, Republican - $225,765.78; $22,500.00; $203,265.78; $749,738.38
CD7
Raul Grijalva, Democrat* - $63,122.02; $0; $63,122.02; $94,425.00
CD8
Eva Bacal, Democrat - $0; $0; $0; $2,957.80
Tim Bee, Republican - $134,620.00; $0; $134,620.00; $119,316.25
Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat* - $257,800.05; $96,548.41; $161,251.64; $1,126,838.82
Note: Giffords' info has been corrected by an update; a previous "October" report that was filed in September is NOT the October quarterly report. Oops - I should've caught that in my original post. :(
CD8 note: With a cash on hand total that is slightly more than 10% of Gabrielle Giffords', the fundraising effort of sitting State Senate President Bee can only be termed as "disappointing" for the Republicans.
Of course, I'm a Democrat. :)))))
Yet another note: Some other blogs have reported numbers for other candidates (Sonoran Alliance post on the Ogsbury campaign in CD5 here) but until the FEC posts them, I won't list them. I'm not saying that SA has it wrong (their source is an email from the campaign, which is good enough for me) but I want to be consistent. The numbers that candidates tout to their supporters can be different than the ones they report to the FEC.
The FEC numbers count more. :))
A Sonoran Alliance post on the significance of the numbers in CD5 and CD8 here.
A Sustainablity, Equity, Development post on CD8 is here.
Later!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Quarterly FEC filings are rolling in...
from the various Congressional campaigns. The list isn't complete (the due date is the 15th) but here's a partial summary of reports from active committees (not necessarily active candidates) -
Key: Candidate name, affiliation - total contributions, PAC $, individual contributions, cash on hand
CD1
CD2
Trent Franks, Republican - $49563.00, $23,500, $26,063.00, $72,153.87
John Thrasher, Democrat - $2,218.51; $0; $2,215.00; $3,619.87
CD3
Annie Loyd, Independent - $12139.24; 0; $12139.24; $5001.16
CD4
Ed Pastor, Democrat - $53,935.94; $39,190.94; $14,745.00; $1,229,812.71
CD5
Laura Knaperek, Republican - $30,700.00; $0; $30,700.00; $28,846.25
Larry King, Democrat - $0; $0; $0; $0
CD5 Note: Laura Knaperek's max contributors ($4600) include Ken Kendrick, owner of the Diamondbacks, and Randy Kendrick, lawyer. Other contributors include Nathan Sproul (Arizona's version of Karl Rove) and his wife Tiffani, who gave $2300 each.
CD6
CD7
CD8
Eva Bacal, Democrat - $0; $0; $0; $2,957.80
Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat - $663,297.91; $228,891.49; $434,406.42; $407,041.71
Yet another note: Some other blogs have reported numbers for other candidates (Sonoran Alliance post on the Ogsbury campaign in CD5 here) but until the FEC posts them, I won't list them. I'm not saying that SA has it wrong (their source is an email from the campaign, which is good enough for me) but I want to be consistent. The numbers that candidates tout to their supporters can be different than the ones they report to the FEC.
The FEC numbers count more. :))
Yes, it's a little early for this post, but I work weekends and won't have the time to do a more complete post until early next week.
Key: Candidate name, affiliation - total contributions, PAC $, individual contributions, cash on hand
CD1
CD2
Trent Franks, Republican - $49563.00, $23,500, $26,063.00, $72,153.87
John Thrasher, Democrat - $2,218.51; $0; $2,215.00; $3,619.87
CD3
Annie Loyd, Independent - $12139.24; 0; $12139.24; $5001.16
CD4
Ed Pastor, Democrat - $53,935.94; $39,190.94; $14,745.00; $1,229,812.71
CD5
Laura Knaperek, Republican - $30,700.00; $0; $30,700.00; $28,846.25
Larry King, Democrat - $0; $0; $0; $0
CD5 Note: Laura Knaperek's max contributors ($4600) include Ken Kendrick, owner of the Diamondbacks, and Randy Kendrick, lawyer. Other contributors include Nathan Sproul (Arizona's version of Karl Rove) and his wife Tiffani, who gave $2300 each.
CD6
CD7
CD8
Eva Bacal, Democrat - $0; $0; $0; $2,957.80
Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat - $663,297.91; $228,891.49; $434,406.42; $407,041.71
Yet another note: Some other blogs have reported numbers for other candidates (Sonoran Alliance post on the Ogsbury campaign in CD5 here) but until the FEC posts them, I won't list them. I'm not saying that SA has it wrong (their source is an email from the campaign, which is good enough for me) but I want to be consistent. The numbers that candidates tout to their supporters can be different than the ones they report to the FEC.
The FEC numbers count more. :))
Yes, it's a little early for this post, but I work weekends and won't have the time to do a more complete post until early next week.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Quarterly numbers, anyone?
The FEC has posted candidates' quarterly financial reports online.
Summary of interesting stuff for Arizona's Congressfolk and would-be Congressfolk -
Ed Pastor of CD4 has the most cash on hand, at $1,185,109.24 but in a bit of a surprise, freshman Gabrielle Giffords of CD8 is second with a whopping $941,489.64.
Whoever the Reps throw against her next year will have a steep uphill fight.
In terms of fundraising, the two freshman Democrats in Congress, Giffords and Harry Mitchell of CD5, led the way raising $580,637.32 and $354,638.52 respectively.
Coming in 3rd, however, playing catch-up to (and surpassing) the surprising fundraising totals of challenger Bob Lord from last quarter's reports, Republican John Shadegg of CD3 raised $311,532. He now has a lead in cash on hand over Lord by approximately $50K.
Leading the state's Congressional delegation in the 'seriously scuffling' category is Republican Rick Renzi of CD1.
He's down to $20,418.16 cash on hand after raising just over $40k during the quarter.
The best part of the numbers? He paid out $25,000 in legal fees, and owes over $100K more.
And speaking of a (former) Congressman with legal issues, here are JD Hayworth's numbers:
Cash on hand: $23,134.64 (that's good news)
Raised: $0 (that's better news)
Spent: $107,879.42, with nearly $100K of that in legal fees. (that's *great* news :) )
Later!
Summary of interesting stuff for Arizona's Congressfolk and would-be Congressfolk -
Ed Pastor of CD4 has the most cash on hand, at $1,185,109.24 but in a bit of a surprise, freshman Gabrielle Giffords of CD8 is second with a whopping $941,489.64.
Whoever the Reps throw against her next year will have a steep uphill fight.
In terms of fundraising, the two freshman Democrats in Congress, Giffords and Harry Mitchell of CD5, led the way raising $580,637.32 and $354,638.52 respectively.
Coming in 3rd, however, playing catch-up to (and surpassing) the surprising fundraising totals of challenger Bob Lord from last quarter's reports, Republican John Shadegg of CD3 raised $311,532. He now has a lead in cash on hand over Lord by approximately $50K.
Leading the state's Congressional delegation in the 'seriously scuffling' category is Republican Rick Renzi of CD1.
He's down to $20,418.16 cash on hand after raising just over $40k during the quarter.
The best part of the numbers? He paid out $25,000 in legal fees, and owes over $100K more.
And speaking of a (former) Congressman with legal issues, here are JD Hayworth's numbers:
Cash on hand: $23,134.64 (that's good news)
Raised: $0 (that's better news)
Spent: $107,879.42, with nearly $100K of that in legal fees. (that's *great* news :) )
Later!
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Since the campaign season started early, so has the endorsement season...
The hardest working, wisest, smartest and the best-looking members of AZ's legislative and Congressional membership have proven their superior political acumen once again with their incredibly prescient endorsements of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson for the Democratic nomination for President.
[OK, I think that covers my 'butt-kissing' quota for the week, lol.]
From the Business Journal of Phoenix -
In other AZ-related presidential campaign news, John Edwards will be in Tucson on Thursday (probably 'later today' as you read this) for a Community Meeting.
Location - Plumbers and Pipefitters Hall, 2475 Water St. (Off Tucson Blvd. and Grant Road)
Time - 4:30 pm
Expect Tedski to have the scoop on any endorsements.
Later!
[OK, I think that covers my 'butt-kissing' quota for the week, lol.]
From the Business Journal of Phoenix -
Phoenix Congressman Ed Pastor and a number of Arizona Democratic state lawmakers are backing New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's 2008 presidential bid.
{snip}
State Reps. Kyrsten Sinema, Steve Gallardo, Theresa Ulmer and David Lujan and state Sen. Meg Burton-Cahill are also backing Richardson's White House run.
In other AZ-related presidential campaign news, John Edwards will be in Tucson on Thursday (probably 'later today' as you read this) for a Community Meeting.
Location - Plumbers and Pipefitters Hall, 2475 Water St. (Off Tucson Blvd. and Grant Road)
Time - 4:30 pm
Expect Tedski to have the scoop on any endorsements.
Later!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Quarterly FEC reports are in...
...and I'll let others write about the presidential candidate numbers.
Some of the FEC's quarterly financial reports for active Congressional candidate committees in Arizona.
Incumbents bolded, challengers italicized.
Note: "PAC" numbers include all contributions from non-political party committees. Generally speaking, Republicans had a lot of corporate contributions; Democrats had a lot of union contributions.
CD1 -
Democrat Ellen Simon raised $4,295.54, more than $4K from herself.
Republican Rick Renzi raised $117,698.70, $76,950.00 from PACs.
CD2 -
Republican Trent Franks raised $40,031.00, $9,000 from PACs.
Democrat John Thrasher raised $4,340.00, $3,000 from himself.
CD3 -
Democrat Bob Lord raised $137,968.15, $0 from PACs.
Republican John Shadegg raised $19,338.57, $4,500.00 from PACs.
CD4 -
Democrat Ed Pastor raised $11,650.00, $1,000 from PACs.
CD5 -
Democrat Harry Mitchell raised $234,768.46, $107,162.35 from PACs.
Republican JD Hayworth raised $136.00.
CD6 -
Republican Jeff Flake raised $84,065.00, $3100.00 from PACs.
CD7 -
Democrat Raul Grijalva raised $26,843.86, $25,500 from PACs.
CD8 -
Democrat Gabrielle Giffords raised $325,252.61, $104,966.17 from PACs.
Democrat Jeff Latas raised $900.00, all from himself.
Active during the quarter, but no contributions received - Bob Stump (R-CD3), Ron Drake (R-CD7, committee termination report filed), Eva Bacal (D-CD8), Jim Kolbe (R-CD8), Larry King (D-CD5), Herb Paine (D-CD3, termination report filed 03-01-2007),
Brief observation: By far, Mitchell, Giffords, and Renzi were the most active incumbent fundraisers this quarter, but that's no surprise - they are all targeted for defeat in the next election; Mitchell and Giffords because they are in their first terms, and Renzi because of his ethical and residency issues.
Brief prediction: Expect Shadegg to get his fundraising organization into gear after the showing of Bob Lord (top fundraiser among the non-incumbents, #3 overall) this quarter.
Some of the FEC's quarterly financial reports for active Congressional candidate committees in Arizona.
Incumbents bolded, challengers italicized.
Note: "PAC" numbers include all contributions from non-political party committees. Generally speaking, Republicans had a lot of corporate contributions; Democrats had a lot of union contributions.
CD1 -
Democrat Ellen Simon raised $4,295.54, more than $4K from herself.
Republican Rick Renzi raised $117,698.70, $76,950.00 from PACs.
CD2 -
Republican Trent Franks raised $40,031.00, $9,000 from PACs.
Democrat John Thrasher raised $4,340.00, $3,000 from himself.
CD3 -
Democrat Bob Lord raised $137,968.15, $0 from PACs.
Republican John Shadegg raised $19,338.57, $4,500.00 from PACs.
CD4 -
Democrat Ed Pastor raised $11,650.00, $1,000 from PACs.
CD5 -
Democrat Harry Mitchell raised $234,768.46, $107,162.35 from PACs.
Republican JD Hayworth raised $136.00.
CD6 -
Republican Jeff Flake raised $84,065.00, $3100.00 from PACs.
CD7 -
Democrat Raul Grijalva raised $26,843.86, $25,500 from PACs.
CD8 -
Democrat Gabrielle Giffords raised $325,252.61, $104,966.17 from PACs.
Democrat Jeff Latas raised $900.00, all from himself.
Active during the quarter, but no contributions received - Bob Stump (R-CD3), Ron Drake (R-CD7, committee termination report filed), Eva Bacal (D-CD8), Jim Kolbe (R-CD8), Larry King (D-CD5), Herb Paine (D-CD3, termination report filed 03-01-2007),
Brief observation: By far, Mitchell, Giffords, and Renzi were the most active incumbent fundraisers this quarter, but that's no surprise - they are all targeted for defeat in the next election; Mitchell and Giffords because they are in their first terms, and Renzi because of his ethical and residency issues.
Brief prediction: Expect Shadegg to get his fundraising organization into gear after the showing of Bob Lord (top fundraiser among the non-incumbents, #3 overall) this quarter.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
And the rankings are in...
Thanks to Taegan Goddard's Political Wire for the heads-up on this...
...courtesy of the National Journal.
[Note: I wasn't going to do this post as it's the type of post that Stacy at AZ Congress Watch usually does, and does very well. However, she skipped this one and covered the Humane Society's Congressional report card.
...Guess she thinks that puppies and kittens are more fun than ideology.
...Guess she's right. :)) ]
The National Journal has published in 2006 Congressional vote ratings and has ranked Congressfolk on a most conservative/liberal scale.
AZ Summary: Trent Franks (with the now-departed JD Hayworth close behind) was among the most conservative of all of members of the House; Jon Kyl was nearly the most conservative in the Senate. Raul Grijalva was among the most liberal members of the House.
The AZ delegation's numbers at a glance:
In the Senate (ranked as 'most conservative) -
Jon Kyl is the more conservative of our two U.S. Senators. He ranked 3rd overall, coming in as tied for the most conservative on economic policy, 19th on social policy, and tied for first on foreign policy;
John McCain is the 46th most conservative. He was 36th most conservative on economic policy, 53rd on social policy, and 42nd in foreign policy.
In the House -
Note: As new members, Gabrielle Giffords and Harry Mitchell are not part of these rankings.
[Key: overall ranking, economic policy votes, social policy votes, foreign policy votes]
Republicans, ranked as 'most conservative':
Rick Renzi (CD1) - 177th, 160th, 159th, 186th
Trent Franks (CD2) - 37th, 67th, 13th, 80th
John Shadegg (CD3) - 144th, 114th, 138th, 144th
JD Hayworth (CD5) - 46th, 88th, 15th, 82nd
Jeff Flake (CD6) - 216th, 182nd, 230th, 230th
Jim Kolbe (CD8) - 166th, 15th, 248th, 188th
Democrats, ranked as 'most liberal':
[Key: overall ranking, economic policy votes, social policy votes, foreign policy votes]
Ed Pastor (CD4) - 75th, 117th, 19th, 102nd.
Raul Grijalva (CD7) - 3rd, 25th, 3rd, 2nd
The only real surprise in all this?
I didn't realize that Jeff Flake is the face of the "reasonable conservative" in D.C. This isn't a dig at him or at his 'conservative' cred; have no fear, I think he is verrry conservative and disagree with him on most social and political issues.
I just didn't realize how much he votes the issue, his constituents, or even his conscience over the party line.
[Hey, it's either that or the Republican Party has moved so far to the loony end of the political spectrum that a staunch social and fiscal conservative like Flake looks like a moderate by comparison.]
Of course, the nutjob wing (aka - 'Coulter Wing') of the Repubs may look at the National Journal's numbers (and this post!) and run someone at Flake during the next primary as punishment for his backsliding.
Good God, I think I just complimented a Republican; even though the compliment is of a 'back-handed' nature, I must be tired.
Good night!
...courtesy of the National Journal.
[Note: I wasn't going to do this post as it's the type of post that Stacy at AZ Congress Watch usually does, and does very well. However, she skipped this one and covered the Humane Society's Congressional report card.
...Guess she thinks that puppies and kittens are more fun than ideology.
...Guess she's right. :)) ]
The National Journal has published in 2006 Congressional vote ratings and has ranked Congressfolk on a most conservative/liberal scale.
AZ Summary: Trent Franks (with the now-departed JD Hayworth close behind) was among the most conservative of all of members of the House; Jon Kyl was nearly the most conservative in the Senate. Raul Grijalva was among the most liberal members of the House.
The AZ delegation's numbers at a glance:
In the Senate (ranked as 'most conservative) -
Jon Kyl is the more conservative of our two U.S. Senators. He ranked 3rd overall, coming in as tied for the most conservative on economic policy, 19th on social policy, and tied for first on foreign policy;
John McCain is the 46th most conservative. He was 36th most conservative on economic policy, 53rd on social policy, and 42nd in foreign policy.
In the House -
Note: As new members, Gabrielle Giffords and Harry Mitchell are not part of these rankings.
[Key: overall ranking, economic policy votes, social policy votes, foreign policy votes]
Republicans, ranked as 'most conservative':
Rick Renzi (CD1) - 177th, 160th, 159th, 186th
Trent Franks (CD2) - 37th, 67th, 13th, 80th
John Shadegg (CD3) - 144th, 114th, 138th, 144th
JD Hayworth (CD5) - 46th, 88th, 15th, 82nd
Jeff Flake (CD6) - 216th, 182nd, 230th, 230th
Jim Kolbe (CD8) - 166th, 15th, 248th, 188th
Democrats, ranked as 'most liberal':
[Key: overall ranking, economic policy votes, social policy votes, foreign policy votes]
Ed Pastor (CD4) - 75th, 117th, 19th, 102nd.
Raul Grijalva (CD7) - 3rd, 25th, 3rd, 2nd
The only real surprise in all this?
I didn't realize that Jeff Flake is the face of the "reasonable conservative" in D.C. This isn't a dig at him or at his 'conservative' cred; have no fear, I think he is verrry conservative and disagree with him on most social and political issues.
I just didn't realize how much he votes the issue, his constituents, or even his conscience over the party line.
[Hey, it's either that or the Republican Party has moved so far to the loony end of the political spectrum that a staunch social and fiscal conservative like Flake looks like a moderate by comparison.]
Of course, the nutjob wing (aka - 'Coulter Wing') of the Repubs may look at the National Journal's numbers (and this post!) and run someone at Flake during the next primary as punishment for his backsliding.
Good God, I think I just complimented a Republican; even though the compliment is of a 'back-handed' nature, I must be tired.
Good night!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Nancy Pelosi's visit to ASU
In the overflowing Arizona Ballroom in ASU's Memorial Union, protected from the drizzle and wind outside, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, along with U.S. Reps Barbara Lee (D-CA9), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ7), Ed Pastor (D-AZ4), and Harry Mitchell (D-you know where :) ) spoke to over 700 people of all ages about efforts in Congress to make a college education more affordable for America's working and middle classes.
After being introduced by Elizabeth Simonhoff, Vice-President of the ASU Undergraduate Student Government, Speaker Pelosi started off by letting the assemblage know that it was a great personal and political pleasure for her first non-district trip as speaker to be to Arizona. The personal part is that her daughter and her family live here; in fact, her son-in-law teaches in Tempe and her grandchild attends school in Scottsdale. [Note: she'll be visiting that school tomorrow.]
She also gave a plug for the AZ Congressfolk present, as well as Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ8), for their work to make higher education more affordable.
Pelosi spoke for a while on the importance of education, and educational opportunity, to achieving the American dream, and to the greatness of America throughout our history.
She moved on too talking about the Democrats' 1st 100 Hours agenda, and how the passage of that agenda signalled a change in Washington. She also noted the bipartisan support in the House for reducing education's financial burden on America's families.
Pelosi promised that what has been done so far (lower student loan interest rates from 6.8% to 3.4%) is "only a start" and that there's more to come.
When Harry Mitchell rose to cheers and a chant of "Harry! Harry! Harry!", he talked about how the average ASU grad started with a debt of $15,000 and that number is rising, and that expanding access to education is a prime goal of this Congress.
Ed Pastor drew the biggest laugh of the day when he mentioned "compassionate conservatives," noting that most of their compassion is for the very rich. He noted that under this administration, Pell Grant funding has been reduced, student loan interest rates were increased, and the wealthiest got a tax cut.
He compared Congress' passage of the continuing resolution to fund the government (after the "do-nothing" 109th Congress failed to do so), a CR that contained an increase in Pell Grant funding with the President's latest budget proposal, which includes an increase in Pell Grants, but takes the money from other financial aid programs.
Pastor drew a loud round of cheers when he told the audience that Congress would tackle immigration in March, and that their immigration reform act would include the DREAM Act (link to 2004 bill; I'll post a link to the new one when I can find it.)
Raul Grijalva got a chuckle at the beginning of his speech when he admitted that "maybe everything has been said already, but *I* haven't said it. He spoke about some of the goals of this Congress, which include increasing funding for loans, lower interest rates, a goal of a $5100 Pell Grant and a loan forgiveness program for people who go to work in areas of need.
He said that it was time to "stop the raid on higher education" and talked about how 400,000 students per year delay or forgo their education due to the cost, and the need to change that.
Barbara Lee bonded with the crowd by letting us know, that like Speaker Pelosi, she has family living in Arizona, including her mom, dad, and an aunt.
She advised us that her career in Congress can be credited to student financial aid - the education that placed her on the path to public service and elected office that she received at Mills College and UC-Berkeley was only available to her because of financial aid.
She also called for America in general, and Congress in particular, to "reorder our priorities so that education stays at the top of the national agenda."
After the guests of honor finished their speeches, they took some questions from the audience before adjourning, letting the crowd out into the pounding sprinkles.
Notes from the day:
...A broad cross-section of Democratic Party notables was present today - before the session, Attorney General Terry Goddard, Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, and former Senator Dennis DeConcini were introduced. Others in the crowd, and I'm pretty sure I didn't everybody who attended, included new Kyrene Constable Jon Levenson, MCDP Chair Mark Manoil, State Representative Ed Ableser, and State Representative David Schapira. Governor Napolitano had a scheduling conflict with the afternoon event, but was supposed to meet with the Speaker in the evening, and Congresswoman Giffords is in Iraq.
The notices about the event advised attendees to arrive an hour early to ensure a seat; I arrived over 90 minutes before the start of the forum, and there were already hundreds in a line that snaked around that level of the Memorial Union.
Highlight of the day, pre-event: walking by the ASU Republicans' table outside the MU, with four Republicans seated at it, talking to each other. They *had* to talk to each other - no one else was at the table. :))
Highlight of the day, post-event: meeting the Speaker and talking to her for a moment. I made a crack about how I would have introduced her as "The First Italian-American Speaker." She laughed, saying that she was also "The First Californian...," and "The First Marylander..." among other firsts.
It was seriously cool. :))
Geo at Geo's Precinct 134 has his coverage here.
Overall, it was a great day, but the right-wing media is already starting its spin:
The Phoenix Business Journal's story about the event focused on the appointment of Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) (of the $90K cash in the freezer fame) to the House Homeland Security Committee, not on the event itself.
Later!
After being introduced by Elizabeth Simonhoff, Vice-President of the ASU Undergraduate Student Government, Speaker Pelosi started off by letting the assemblage know that it was a great personal and political pleasure for her first non-district trip as speaker to be to Arizona. The personal part is that her daughter and her family live here; in fact, her son-in-law teaches in Tempe and her grandchild attends school in Scottsdale. [Note: she'll be visiting that school tomorrow.]
She also gave a plug for the AZ Congressfolk present, as well as Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ8), for their work to make higher education more affordable.
Pelosi spoke for a while on the importance of education, and educational opportunity, to achieving the American dream, and to the greatness of America throughout our history.
She moved on too talking about the Democrats' 1st 100 Hours agenda, and how the passage of that agenda signalled a change in Washington. She also noted the bipartisan support in the House for reducing education's financial burden on America's families.
Pelosi promised that what has been done so far (lower student loan interest rates from 6.8% to 3.4%) is "only a start" and that there's more to come.
When Harry Mitchell rose to cheers and a chant of "Harry! Harry! Harry!", he talked about how the average ASU grad started with a debt of $15,000 and that number is rising, and that expanding access to education is a prime goal of this Congress.
Ed Pastor drew the biggest laugh of the day when he mentioned "compassionate conservatives," noting that most of their compassion is for the very rich. He noted that under this administration, Pell Grant funding has been reduced, student loan interest rates were increased, and the wealthiest got a tax cut.
He compared Congress' passage of the continuing resolution to fund the government (after the "do-nothing" 109th Congress failed to do so), a CR that contained an increase in Pell Grant funding with the President's latest budget proposal, which includes an increase in Pell Grants, but takes the money from other financial aid programs.
Pastor drew a loud round of cheers when he told the audience that Congress would tackle immigration in March, and that their immigration reform act would include the DREAM Act (link to 2004 bill; I'll post a link to the new one when I can find it.)
Raul Grijalva got a chuckle at the beginning of his speech when he admitted that "maybe everything has been said already, but *I* haven't said it. He spoke about some of the goals of this Congress, which include increasing funding for loans, lower interest rates, a goal of a $5100 Pell Grant and a loan forgiveness program for people who go to work in areas of need.
He said that it was time to "stop the raid on higher education" and talked about how 400,000 students per year delay or forgo their education due to the cost, and the need to change that.
Barbara Lee bonded with the crowd by letting us know, that like Speaker Pelosi, she has family living in Arizona, including her mom, dad, and an aunt.
She advised us that her career in Congress can be credited to student financial aid - the education that placed her on the path to public service and elected office that she received at Mills College and UC-Berkeley was only available to her because of financial aid.
She also called for America in general, and Congress in particular, to "reorder our priorities so that education stays at the top of the national agenda."
After the guests of honor finished their speeches, they took some questions from the audience before adjourning, letting the crowd out into the pounding sprinkles.
Notes from the day:
...A broad cross-section of Democratic Party notables was present today - before the session, Attorney General Terry Goddard, Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, and former Senator Dennis DeConcini were introduced. Others in the crowd, and I'm pretty sure I didn't everybody who attended, included new Kyrene Constable Jon Levenson, MCDP Chair Mark Manoil, State Representative Ed Ableser, and State Representative David Schapira. Governor Napolitano had a scheduling conflict with the afternoon event, but was supposed to meet with the Speaker in the evening, and Congresswoman Giffords is in Iraq.
The notices about the event advised attendees to arrive an hour early to ensure a seat; I arrived over 90 minutes before the start of the forum, and there were already hundreds in a line that snaked around that level of the Memorial Union.
Highlight of the day, pre-event: walking by the ASU Republicans' table outside the MU, with four Republicans seated at it, talking to each other. They *had* to talk to each other - no one else was at the table. :))
Highlight of the day, post-event: meeting the Speaker and talking to her for a moment. I made a crack about how I would have introduced her as "The First Italian-American Speaker." She laughed, saying that she was also "The First Californian...," and "The First Marylander..." among other firsts.
It was seriously cool. :))
Geo at Geo's Precinct 134 has his coverage here.
Overall, it was a great day, but the right-wing media is already starting its spin:
The Phoenix Business Journal's story about the event focused on the appointment of Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) (of the $90K cash in the freezer fame) to the House Homeland Security Committee, not on the event itself.
Later!
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