I have to run out, but I do want to note that there are important Congressional primaries today.
The first is in Virginia, pitting defense contractor and local public official Gerald Connolly against former Congresswoman and progressive Leslie Byrne. Connolly got the endorsement of the Washington Post, and turnout is extremely low. I would back the antiwar Byrne over Connolly, though he does have some good urban planning ideas. If you have a vote in this district, use it. In Fairfax City, out of 14,000 votes, by 8am the registrar reported less than 150 votes recorded. The internets can swing this one.
The second is in Maine, in a six way race on the Democratic side. Chellie Pingree and Ethan Strimling are the progressive candidates, while Adam Cote is the conservative in the race. If you have a vote, it's probably best to go for Pingree so as not to split the progressive vote and let a Bush dog slip into a progressive seat.
In these races, Pingree is the favorite in Maine and Connolly is the favorite in Virginia. It's a useful test to see if progressive older women can defeat conservative hawkish men. I really have no idea. I had thought this was going to be a really good year for women to be running, so I guess now we'll see.
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