State by State - finding House candidates

by: benawu

Wed Jul 25, 2007 at 20:30


With confirmed Democratic candidates in more than a third of the GOP House districts (317,) it's time to see how we are going state by state.

Below the fold to see the good news as well as some potential concerns.

And go take a look at the fantastic 2008 Race Tracker Wiki.

benawu :: State by State - finding House candidates
Alabama - 5/7 filled
The 2nd and 6th both need candidates. The 6th is one of ten districts we did not contest in 2006 and it wasn't contested in 2004 either. There is a rumoured candidate in the 2nd but ominous silence from the 6th.
AL-02,
AL-06,

Alaska - FULL SLATE

Arizona - 7/8 filled 
The only district left to fill is the sixth currently represented by Jeff Flake. Interestingly this is one of only ten districts that the Democratic party did not contest in 2006 and nor did we contest it in 2004.

Surely with months to go the Arizona Democratic party can find someone to fill the breach.

64% Bush District in 2004!
AZ-06,

Arkansas - FULL SLATE

California - 44/53 filled
Well 9 races is a lot to find candidates for but this is California and all of the currently uncontested districts had candidates in 2006.

The districts are all over the state and I guess at this stage we should watch this space.
CA-02,
CA-03,
CA-19,
CA-21,
CA-22,
CA-25,
CA-45,
CA-49,
CA-52,

Colorado - 5/7 filled
The 5th and 6th both need candidates with both 2006 candidates unlikely to run again. Despite the focus on the open senate race I expect the Colorado Dems to find candidates for both these districts so as to boost turnout for the senate race.
CO-05,
CO-06,

Connecticut - FULL SLATE

Delaware - 0/1 filled
Ah Delaware at large. A most frustrating district. One of only 8 districts that Kerry won in 04 that are held by Republican incumbents. With such a deep bench surely we can find a top tier candidate. Castle is apparently quite popular which is why top tier candidates have given this race a miss in the last few elections.
There are rumours that Castle might retire but I suspect not.
53% Kerry district in 04.

DE-AL,

Florida - 17/25 filled
8 Races to fill. It is a little early to be too concerned, particularly given the attention being paid to the 13th. None the less it would be good to see a few of these fill soon.

The 12th is one of ten districts uncontested in 2006.
FL-04,
FL-05,
FL-06,
FL-07,
FL-12,
FL-14,
FL-18,
FL-25,

Georgia - 6/13 filled
Not a happy scene. We do not have a declared candidate in a single GOP district. This is not good and even this far out a source for concern, particularly given our poor result in the special election in the 10th.
GA-01,
GA-03,
GA-06,
GA-07,
GA-09,
GA-10,
GA-11,

Hawaii - FULL SLATE

Idaho - 1/2 filled
Well Idaho 2 is unlikely to be even remotely competitive unless it becomes an open race, which is unlikely also.
Sure we will find a candidate here in the time remaining.
68% Bush district in 2004.
ID-02,

Illinois - 12/19 filled
Illinois too is of some concern. 7 unfilled races, no rumoured candidates. watch this space.
IL-06,
IL-11,
IL-13,
IL-15,
IL-16,
IL-18,
IL-19,

Indiana - 8/9 filled
Only the 5th left to fill and certainly a candidate will step up.
IN-05,

Iowa - FULL SLATE

Kansas - 2/4 filled
Early days yet and we only need to fill two races. Wait and see.
KS-01,
KS-04,

Kentucky - 2/6 filled
With a competitive gubernatorial race coming in November it is no great surprise that 4/5 of the GOP incumbents do not have declared opponents. Wait until after November.
KY-01,
KY-02,
KY-04,
KY-05,

Louisiana - 3/7 filled
See Kentucky - however the precarious state of the Louisiana Democrats does not bode well. Also the 6th is one of the uncontested 10 districts from 2006.
LA-04,
LA-05,
LA-06,
LA-07,

Maine - FULL SLATE

Maryland - FULL SLATE

Massachusetts - FULL SLATE

Michigan - 7/15 filled
It is more than a little concerning that more than half of the house districts in Michigan do not have declared Democratic candidates and tha only one GOP incumbent is currently facing a Democratic candidate. What is going on in Michigan? Why are they lagging so far behind the other states?

MI-02,
MI-03,
MI-04,
MI-06,
MI-08,
MI-09,
MI-10,
MI-11,

Minnesota - 6/8 filled
Ho hum two races to fill shouldn't be a problem. Be good to get someone running in the 3rd it is only a 51% Bush 2004 district.

MN-02,
MN-03,

Mississippi - 2/4 filled
Only 2 districts to fill which I assume democrats will turn their minds to filling after this years elections. Note that the 3rd was not contested by us in 2006 or 2004.
MS-01,
MS-03,

Missouri - 6/9 filled
2 GOP districts filled and 3 to go. With the focus on the gubernatorial contest in 08 expect the Missouri Dems to find candidates for all 3 districts.
MO-02,
MO-07,
MO-08,

Montana - FULL SLATE

Nebraska - 1/3 filled
2 districts to fill with Kleeb likely to run again in the 3rd. No problems here at this stage.
NE-01,
NE-03,

Nevada - 2/3 filled
Only 1 district to fill should happen soon hopefully.
NV-02,

New Hampshire - FULL SLATE

New Jersey - 10/13
We are doing surprisingly well in New Jersey this cycle. Months to go and state legislative elections in november and we still have filled half of the GOP districts with challengers. The other 3 will no doubt fill after november.
NJ-02,
NJ-03,
NJ-04,

New Mexico - FULL SLATE

New York - 27/29 filled
Only 2 more to fill here both in and around NYC. expect announcements soon.
NY-03,
NY-13,

North Carolina - 10/13
Another state where we have only a handful of races to fill.
The 5th will almost certainly have a candidate soon and the other two should fill in due course also.
NC-05,
NC-06,
NC-10,

North Dakota - FULL SLATE

Ohio - 13/18 filled
hhhhmmmm 5 races without candidates that's not good. But if you look at the quality of the candidates that the Ohio Dems are fielding in the other 6 GOP incumbents then perhaps a little more time is required. Watch this space.
OH-03,
OH-04,
OH-05,
OH-08,
OH-12,

Oklahoma - 1/5 filled
None of the GOP incumbents opposed at this stage not a good sign at all. Oklahoma being as red as it is this is one to be concerned about IMHO.
OK-01,
OK-03,
OK-04,
OK-05,

Oregon - 4/5 filled
The only question is who will step up in the 2nd a 61% bush 2004 district, particularly if the rumours about Waldens retirement are true.
OR-02,

Pennsylvania - 16/19 filled
3 races to fill here; 1 with rumoured candidates. The PA Dems will fill these 3 races easily.
PA-05,
PA-06,
PA-19,
Rhode Island - FULL SLATE

South Carolina - 2/6 filled
None of the GOP incumbents have declared opponents - this is a worry. The state of the SC Dems is probably worse than everywhere else bar Georgia and Louisiana. Hopefully candidates will step up.
SC-01,
SC-02,
SC-03,
SC-04,

South Dakota - FULL SLATE

Tennessee - 5/9 filled
Another southern state with all GOP incumbents currently unopposed. *sigh* This one too could be a problem. Watch this space.
TN-01,
TN-02,
TN-03,
TN-07,

Texas - 19/32 filled
Well 13 unfilled races says it all. Texas is a perennial concern for house wonks such as myself, largely because it sends more house repubs to congress than any other state (19). Texas also has a very early filing deadline so this is to be watched. On the upside there was only one unopposed district in 2006 and that has allready got a Dem candidate. Expect to hear more about this state later in the year.
TX-01,
TX-02,
TX-03,
TX-05,
TX-06,
TX-07,
TX-12,
TX-19,
TX-21,
TX-24,
TX-26,
TX-31,
TX-32,

Utah - 1/3 filled
Well it comes as no shock that we have unfilled races in Utah however there are only two GOP incumbents without declared opponenets so we will wait and see.

Vermont - FULL SLATE

Virginia - 6/11 filled
Virginia is a little slow out of the blocks. Of concern is the 4th which we did not contest in 2006 or 2004. To be fair however there is both state house and senate elections this november as well as the potential open senate race. Wait and see at this point. On the upside the 6th will be contested for the first time since 2002.

Washington - 8/9 filled
Only the 5th left to fill and that should happen.
57% Bush 2004 district.
WA-05,

West Virginia - FULL SLATE

Wisconsin - 7/8 filled
Only the 5th left to fill and that should happen.
57% Bush 2004 district.
W1-05,

Wyoming - FULL SLATE

So in the main things are looking great on the house candidate front. However a number of states are of concern; Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. On the upside however 17 states have a full slate and 5 only 1 race to fill.

Onwards to 435


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Here we go (4.00 / 2)
Onwards and forwards

IL-19 (0.00 / 0)
John Shimkus got a challenger today. She's barely a Democrat and there are rumors of better challengers on the way, but you can cross that one at least off the list.

thanks (0.00 / 0)
Has she got a website?

[ Parent ]
No (0.00 / 0)
Just announced on Tuesday. Rumor has more candidates jumping in. I'll try to keep you updated.

[ Parent ]
IL-16 (0.00 / 0)
Don Manzullo also has a challenger in IL-16. Bob Abboud is again, perhaps a more conservative candidate then we might like, but he does seem to be a credible challenger.

abboud (0.00 / 0)
Need a website or fec listing for him to be confirmed.

[ Parent ]
Yeah (0.00 / 0)
I spent some time after posting this looking through the FEC reports and didn't find anything on him. Strange since he declared in early June (late May?). Local newspapers, at least, are treating him as if he were a confirmed candidate. Again, I'll try to keep you in the loop.

[ Parent ]
Great Work (4.00 / 1)
The only improvement I could suggest for next time would be maybe highlighting the top 10 or so in terms of most vulnerable seats that we don't have a challenger for yet.  It's my feeling that we have a real chance for another wave election, with major GOP drop-off across the board.  That means that 60-40 seats, for example would be within reach for a really well-run campaign, and even 65-35 seats aren't utterly futile (remember Larry Flynt!)

If we have challengers pushing on enough of them, they could suffer a massive collapse.  Then, if we're headed for 330+EV landslide or better in the last two weeks--a very distinct possibility--a shift of resources into House and Senate races could dramatically change the complexion of both Houses.

Of course it's important to fill all the seats.  But the better we are on the most vulnerable ones, the better folks feel about getting the others filled, too.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3


I can't wait (0.00 / 0)
I'm making a move next month and will be residing on the edge of FL-13 and FL-16, two red hot races.  In 06 I had to go long distance as I was living in an uncontested district.  Hopefully everyone can find a handful of competitive races to adopt, long distance or otherwise.

I feel it in my bones, this is a year where we can net 50 plus.


[ Parent ]
That seems needlessly subjective (0.00 / 0)
This is research, not analysis. Everyone's going to have their own criteria for top races that'll distract from the task at hand of simply filling the races.

On a related note Paul, it looks like we have our hands full in California.  Pull out your rolodex.

John McCain opposes the GI Bill.


[ Parent ]
I Think You Misunderstand My Intent (0.00 / 0)
Sure, it's bound to be somewhat subjective, but so what?

Set up a clear set of criteria, including stats such as registration, Bush/Kerry, Incumbent/Challenger.  Then factor in how much time is left before the filing deadline.

No two analysts will ever agree completely.  But the point is simply to find some reasonable criteria to highlight a handful of targets to try to fill first.  This won't deter people from other recruitment efforts, but it will create a more manageable subset that can help concentrate efforts of those who don't already have a recruiting focus.

Take California. Might it not help to have everyone focused on two of three of those seats first?

The point is, the sooner some sort of prioritization guide is added, the sooner folks can focus attention, get those seats filled, and move on the next most likely prospects.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3


[ Parent ]
Give me an hour, I'm working on that for CA n/t (0.00 / 0)


John McCain opposes the GI Bill.

[ Parent ]
We've lost (0.00 / 0)
The Democratic challenger in the FL-21st (Frank Gonzalez) because of some state level scandal involving the Democratic Party that upset him.  He'll be running as an Independent.

Oh Shit (0.00 / 0)
Terrible news but thanks for the update.

[ Parent ]
FL-12 (0.00 / 0)
The Florida 12th does not yet have a solid challenger lined up, but there is a list about 15 long of people interested. 

There is a large cooalition of on the ground bloggers, activists, and Democrats tired of having their asses handed to them election after election, which is coalessing around the idea of making one big stand to Putnam. 

The FL-12th, for perspective, was unchallenged in 2006, and 2002... and essentially challenged (a protest campaign) in 2004. 

That means that, besides his first race, Adam Putnam... also known as the 3rd ranking member of the house GOP, and one of the youngest, meanest, worst members of Congress... has never been challenged. 

In 2008 that is not going to be the case.

If anyone from the area wants to know more, or is interested in being a candidate, please contact me.  My email is john
(at) midwestdems (dot) com. 


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