The Northeast (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island & Vermont) has been sharply trending towards the Democratic party for some years now. Increasingly at a State and Federal level Republicans are finding it harder to get elected in the Northeast, be they conservatives or moderates, particularly in statewide races. And this years election seems certain to thin out their ranks even further.
We now have 7/9 Governors, 14/18 Senators and 51/65 House Districts!
Below the line for a look at the 14 GOP held House Races in the Northeast in 2008.
In the last couple days, there have been several posts across the blogosphere citing what various candidates running for Congress have said on FISA and retroactive immunity for the telecoms. But so far, it's been all over the map. I'll try to corral all their statements into this diary, so you can see who the "good guys" are.
First, let's start off with the current House and Senate members who voted against this bill. They do deserve credit, as it's their jobs on the line.
Follow me below the fold to see the dozens of Democratic challengers who are standing up for the Constitution, and are against this FISA bill and retroactive immunity.
Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) has acknowledged that he is the father of a 3-year-old daughter with divorcee Laura Fay, the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who picked him up from an Alexandria, Va., jail last week after he was busted for DWI.
"I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a three year old daughter," the married Fossella said in a prepared statement e-mailed to reporters by consultant Susan Del Percio. "My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry."
Ms. Del Percio said Fossella would not personally address the media today.
Fossella and his wife, Mary Pat, have three children.(...)
Fossella was arrested for DWI in Alexandria around 12:15 a.m. last Thursday. He told cops that he was on his way to Grimm Drive, which is where Ms. Fay lives, because his daughter was sick and had to go to the hospital.
Fossella's blood alcohol level was .17, court papers said, more than twice the legal limit of .08 in Virginia. He faces a mandatory five-day jail sentence if convicted of DWI. He could also face a House ethics probe if he remains in office.
Second, he is going to jail over this. Usually congresspeople don't go to jail while they are sitting in the House. That kind of looks bad.
Third, he had a child with a different woman while he was in Congress and still married to someone else. The way I figure it, people should live anyway they want to. However, this clearly involved a lot of lying to his legal wife and family, and a lot of neglect to his other family.
Fourth, NY-13 is a very purple and winnable seat. It actually has a partisan voting index of D +0.8. After all of this, Republicans probably have a better chance if Fossella resigns than if he stays in office. And, in a year like this, their odds in an open-seat race in a district that is slightly lean-Dem in an even year, are not very good.
The number of house seats that keep showing up for Democrats is remarkable. We should reach at least 250 seats (235 right now), and probably 260. For all intents and purposes, a margin of that size should put progressives in control of the House.
STATE BLOGS
