2017 Special Election Lost 58 – 26
Nevertheless, we persist.
April 11, 2017: Special Election — Kansas 04. Democrat Jim Thompson loses by 7 points, 52.5% to 45.7%
May 25, 2017: Special Election — Montana AL. Democrat Rob Quist loses by 6 points, 49.9% to 43.8%
June 20, 2017: Special Election — Georgia 06. Democrat Jon Ossoff loses by 4 points, 51.9% to 48.1%
June 20, 2017: Special Election — South Carolina 05. Democrat Archie Parnell loses by 3 points, 51.1% to 47.9%.
THESE ARE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS THAT DEMOCRATS TYPICALLY LOSE BY 20 OR 30 POINTS. WE ARE GAINING GROUND. THIS IS THE 50 STATE STRATEGY.
I don’t know how much you have spent on these campaigns. I know that I have spent some money on each of the four candidates. The money was well spent. This is taking the battle to our adversaries. There have been opportunities to tell our story of creating a better American by ensuring that everyone, everyone, has the kind of education, health care, housing, and safe environment that gives them the opportunity to have a successful life. This is the story of what America can be.
These special elections are being held in places where that story has been received with some skepticism. As we tell that story and retell it, more and more people will hear it and accept it. We will win elections in places where Democrats usually win. We will win elections where elections are usually close. We will win elections where Democrats usually lose by modest margins. We won’t win many elections where Democrats usually lose by big margins.
There are obstacles to overcome. The House of Representatives is gerrymandered to make Republican victories probable. Democrats have a lot of Senate seats to defend.
Democrats have not yet found a way to respond to attacks. Nancy Pelosi represents San Francisco values? Effete values? Perhaps she should invite the Golden State Warriors to visit her?
Nevertheless, we will persist. The cruelty and cupidity of Republican goals for America; the deviousness of the Senate leadership, the President’s behavior that goes beyond reasonable bounds in both the political and personal arenas – these are not what America should be. These special elections where Democrats have come closer and closer to winning are evidence that the message begins to be heard. Democrats do win special elections where they are supposed to win — in Los Angeles for instance.Winning is better than losing. But a close loss in places you are expected to lose is a sign of victories to come. There are more special elections coming up — in places that are even more improbable than the past four Congressional elections. As we persist in these special elections, we can push our adversaries back on their heels.
One of them is the special Senate election in Alabama. I have already written about Doug Jones http://dougjonesforsenate.com/. He is an historic civil rights and environment attorney. A former US attorney in Alabama, he prosecuted the Ku Klux Klansmen church bombers and the Olympic bomber. The Democratic and Republican primaries are on August 15. Runoffs, if necessary, are on September 26. And the general election will be on December 12. Give him some support.
Today’s note is about the special election in Utah 03. Even if this election moves so that is seems close, any Democrat confident of victory would have misplaced confidence. Dr. Kathryn Allenhttps://www.drkathieforcongress.com/ is the Democratic nominee. The election will be about health care. The Republican primary (to choose from among three candidates) is August 15. The general election will be on November 7.
The Republican congressman from Utah 03 resigned from Congress in disgust. LIke many of us he is disgusted with the President, with the ineffectiveness of Congress. But, he’s disgusted because Congress and the President are not Tea Party-ish enough. He was dismayed by “town hall meetings” in which he was denounced for his position on health care.
Kathryn Allen’s is an American story. She is proud of her distinctive heritage on both sides of her family. Her mother’s parents were Armenians who immigrated from Turkey to escape the Armenian genocide. Her father’s family is descended from the Lees of Virginia. Middle eastern refugees joined with the FFVs; that’s what makes America great.
Kathryn Allen grew up in the California desert far to the east of Los Angeles riding motorcycles and horses. Not so different from a lot of male politicians, she was both an athlete and a student — playing varsity tennis and graduating as salutatorian. She had a sample of politics as a college senior — working to support her Congressman’s widow’s campaign to replace him. The successful campaign led to a couple of jobs — first as an aide, then in a Community Housing Program. In the Community Housing Program, visiting people with no running water, people who needed housing repairs and improvement, she learned what politics could and should be for.
Despite the political interlude, Kathryn Allen really wanted to be a doctor. Nevertheless, she maintained her political interests. In medical school, she chaired the California delegation of medical students to the AMA. She did her residency in Utah, where she ultimately practiced family medicine. As a doctor in Utah, she continued to be active in her professional organization and won an award for leading an effort for legislation to ensure that insurers made payments appropriately. Independent of medical issues, she was also active in a campaign to end gerrymandering in Utah.
Kathryn Allen was moving toward retirement until 2016 happened. She was dismayed by Donald Trump’s election. Her response was to focus on her local Congressman, the now resigned Jason Chaffetz. She urged him to lead an investigation of Trump’s ties to Russia. His unresponsiveness on this issue and his unwillingness to allow speakers other than himself at a health care focused Town Hall, led her to plan a run against him. He had scolded attendees, telling them they wouldn’t need government support for health insurance if they refrained from buying iPhones.
Kathryn Allen decided to raise money unconventionally. She set up an exploratory CrowdPac account and set a CrowdPac one month record raising more than a half million dollars. Tweeting, @kethieallenmd, she wrote about Chaffetz: “if he won’t do his job, I will.” Gaining the attention of the Huffington Post for her fundraising, the Post wrote that Allen’s “platform focuses on promoting science, advocating for public education, protecting the planet and providing every American with health care.
In nearly impossible districts, three or four point losses are signs of hope for Democrats. Let’s persist. Provide some support for Dr. Kathryn Allenhttps://www.drkathieforcongress.com/in her campaign to win the special election in Utah 03. Remember, the election is this November. She needs support now. Effective as she may be raising money through CrowdPac, she needs support from elsewhere as well.
