Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Loebsack – Miller-Meeks Debate Preview

Tonight Congressman Dave Loebsack squares off against Dr. Marriannette Miller-Meeks for an hour long debate sponsored by the Cedar Rapids Gazette and KCRG TV9. The Debate will last 60 minutes and will be televised live starting at 7:00 p.m.

While Republican congressional challengers in the 1st and 3rd congressional districts have run less than stellar campaigns, Miller-Meeks has run an aggressive campaign, and outraised Congressman Loebsack over the last three months of the campaign. Tonight’s debate is a huge opportunity for Miller-Meeks to show thousands of people in the 2nd CD what her loyal supports have known for over a year, she’s personable, intelligent, and tenacious.

Yesterday her campaign released a new TV ad going after Loebsack.



This could be a fun debate to watch tonight!

State House Money Watch

I’ve been tracking how our Republican candidates are doing in terms of fundraising vs their opponents. All the reports are still not in, but a quick look at some key challenger and open seat races shows the Republican candidates having strong support. More to come when all the reports are in.

Divided we Fail?

It seems my friends over at the Iowa Defense Alliance don’t think I cover our legislative candidates well enough. There may be some truth to that. Now I’ve promoted Jamie Johnson and a few others on this site, but I have not spent time promoting Jane Jeck, David Kerr, or Mark Brandenburg.

Why? Because I don’t know them. Sorry, but I just don’t write things about candidates or campaigns I don’t know anything about. All three are running against incumbents in democrat districts.

Brandenburg is running against Gronstal, yeah I hate Gronstal but the $6.336.00 dollars Mark has in the bank isn’t going to get the job done, sorry.

Kerr is running against Sen. Courtney is a district that has 6,000 more Democrats than Republicans. Kerr raised just over 4 grand in his last report.

Jeck has raised $13,905.00 in the most recent filing period for her State House campaign, but she too is running in a Democrat District and got an F grade from the NRA.

I’ve focused on candidates like Ross Paustian in the Quad Cities, Danny Carroll in Grinnell/Oskaloosa, Renee Schulte in Cedar Rapids, Scott Belt in Council Bluffs, and Carlin Hageman in Cedar Falls. Why, because they have a shot to win.

10 comments:

  1. I am sorry Krusty. I didn't mean to call you out specifically, but the conservative blogosphere as a whole. It seems that no one wants to promote our candidates. If you look at the liberal side of the spectrum they are constantly promoting their candidates. I just think that our side could be doing a much better job. Once again I was not calling you out specifically, you just popped into my head first.

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  2. No offense taken. I don't get a single press release from a legislative candidate, I wish that wasn't the case.

    I can't write about what's going on unless someone clues me in. In some cases I have some very loyal people who keep me informed, in others like the districts you mention I don't hear a thing.

    If campaigns want the new media to cover their campaigns they need to engage them.

    By the way you should be commended for your efforts this year. Great job.

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  3. Coming from you Krusty that means a lot. If you want to learn more about some of the candidates we do have a sister site that is nothing but information on Republican candidates. If you would like, you are more than welcome to use it for research or to bone up on candidates. That is what it is there for. That website is www.iowabrigade.wordpress.com. If you have any questions that you would like us to ask in the future, just let us know and we will include them as well. We want to do everything that we can to ensure that we retake the house.

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  4. I agree, Krusty. I have had equal frustration in getting information to cover candidates. They have got to understand that what we are doing is the wave of the future and they need to engage the online world. AND WE'RE FREE ADVERTISING!

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  5. bring back cyclone conservative blog - that guy promoted candidates

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  6. This may sound harsh, but I don't want blanket coverage of candidates. I would hope we would instead focus on the more viable candidates.

    Blogging about candidates with no money and no prospects is a waste of our time. However, I'm glad to get word about candidates making noise and how we should get involved.

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  7. 7:56 Candidates become viable by getting name recognition. The more information that we get out about them and the more that we contrast them with their opponents the better off we are.

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  8. every candidate is important wether they have raised enough money or not. I agree with iowadefense. that would be a big slap on the faces of the R's if the so called viable candidates don't make it and the so called not viable makes it.

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  9. can you list down the endorsements on the so called viable candidates ? One " so called viable " candidate I know got an F from the NRA and is a pro choice. I heard the candidate with the opponent on a fourm and the lies the Republican candidate made makes me want to vote for the opponent. It was a shame. How can this person sit there and lie ?

    Can you list down how many PAC's are supporting the viable candidates ?

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  10. 9:46 I don't know what candidate that you are talking about. But we detailed the race between McKinley Bailey and Jamie Johnson this week. We specifically looked at campaign contributions of these two candidates. The result was the revelation that Bailey's vote seems to be bought and paid for by special interest groups. That is where the majority of his campaign funds have come from. Johnson on the other hand has received most of his donations from individuals rather than special interest groups.
    Another race we have looked at is Jarret Heil against Steve Sodders. Sodders is being supported by a shadowy 527 group whose contributions come almost exclusively from business entities from out of state. In all of our research we are beginning to see a pattern here. For the most part the Democrats are being supported by special interest groups and business interests whereas the Republicans tend to be supported by the grassroots.

    Al

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