Political Note #189 Doug Jones AL US Senate

Post published:December 26, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections General Election 2020 Alabama US Senate Year State Type of Election Political Notes

You might think the Civil Rights Movement was over by 1992. Not in Alabama. Five months after taking office as US Attorney, Doug Jon. s received national attention when a bomb exploded at a Birmingham women’s health clinic, killing a police officer and maiming a nurse. As US Attorney, he coordinated the task force (the FBI, local police, and other law enforcement) that led to Eric Rudolf’s capture and guilty plea to several bombings. The Birmingham bombing, the Atlanta Olympic bombing, and others. Specially authorized to act in state court, US Attorney Doug Jones was the successful prosecutor of the remaining perpetrator who could be brought to trial for the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Four young black girls had been killed. Jones brought the Ku Klux Klansman back to Alabama from Texas, tried him, and convicted him for killing those four girls.

070818 Political Note #140 Jenny Wilson UT Senator

Post published:July 8, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections General Election US Senate Lose 2018 Year Result State Type of Election Political Notes Utah

Jenny Wilson was press secretary for Democrat Les Aucoin from Oregon. She was chief of staff for Democrat Bill Orton from Utah. She is a Councilwoman in Salt Lake County. She has been elected twice to an at-large seat on the County Council. One third of the people in Utah live in Salt Lake County where she received a majority of the vote twice.

Political Note #120 Mike Espy MS US Senate

Post published:May 5, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections Political Summary US Senate Lose 2018 Year Result Special Election Type of Election Political Notes Mississippi

Mike Espy was the first African-American Congressman from Mississippi since reconstruction. He was Secretary of Agriculture in the Clinton administration. He is practicing law now. In Mississippi. He resembles many of the Democrats running for Congress in Republican districts. He is a moderate Democrat. As a Member of Congress, he got NRA support. As a Member of Congress, he was not controversial. He was on the Agriculture Committee. He was a member of Bill Clinton's moderate Democratic Leadership Council. Mike Espy was successful in attracting a substantial portion of the white vote in his district.

Political Note #115 Tina Smith MN US Senate

Post published:April 13, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election US Senate 2018 Year Result State Type of Election Political Notes Minnesota

Tina Smith has been involved in Minnesota politics for a long time. She came to Minnesota from Arizona to take a marketing job at General Mills. She later worked on her own as a marketing consultant. She also worked for the Planned Parenthood office serving Minnesota and the Dakotas. She worked as chief of staff for mayors and governors, ran political campaigns for governors. Now she is running for the US Senate, seeking to get elected on her own.

Political Note #100 Bob Menendez NJ US Senate

Post published:February 13, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election US Senate 2018 Year Result State Type of Election Political Notes New Jersey

Bob Menendez is back. He originally entered politics fighting corruption in Union, New Jersey. He has returned to his position as ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. is vulnerable. Federal prosecutors have just dropped plans for a second corruption trial after the first one ended with a hung jury. Dropping the second corruption trial does not guarantee that Bob Menendezwill have an easy time being reelected. Some people claim there is fire where there is smoke.

Political Note #91 Phil Bredesen TN US Senate

Post published:January 5, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections General Election US Senate Lose 2018 Year Result State Type of Election Political Notes Tennessee

Phil Bredesen was a popular two term governor of Tennessee. Before that, he was a successful mayor of Nashville. Before that, he became a millionaire selling the insurance company he created. Before the insurance company, he had a career that included some mysterious classified work and work in London for an international pharmaceutical company. He brings a lot to the Senate race.

Political Note #86 Jane Raybould NE US Senate

Post published:December 20, 2017
Post category:Federal Elections General Election US Senate Lose 2018 Year Result State Type of Election Political Notes Nebraska

Jane Raybould is a businesswoman. She's religious. She does local politics in an old fashioned and pretty conservative way. Her family businesses -- a chain of grocery stores and related retail stores have been operating in Nebraska for over 50 years. She sees her public service as a kind of religious calling. She is now on the Lincoln City Council. She touts success reducing property taxes by cutting waste and making government more efficient.

Political Note #76 Tim Kaine VA US Senate

Post published:November 7, 2017
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election US Senate Year Result State Type of Election Political Notes Virginia

Tim Kaine is an incumbent Virginia US Senator. His running for reelection is sad because he is not the Vice President. In the 2016 campaign, we learned a lot about him. Midwestern nice (born in Minnesota, Bachelor’s Degree from Mizzou, he came to Virginia by way of Harvard Law School and a Jesuit mission to Honduras. He joined a Richmond law firm, taught at the University of Richmond, represented clients subject to housing discrimination. He had developed an interest in politics through his wife's family. His father-in-law was a former Republican governor of Virginia. Elected to the Richmond city council for his first term by a 97 vote majority; the council elected Tim Kaine mayor in his third term. Tim Kaine had real successes as mayor. While serving as mayor, Tim Kaine ran for Lt. Governor. With a one-term limitation on Virginia governors, Tim Kaine, like many Virginia Lt. Governors, ran for Governor four years after being elected. After he completed his one term limit, he ran for US Senator successfully.

Political Note #73 Joe Manchin WV US Senate

Post published:October 27, 2017
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election US Senate 2018 Year Result State Type of Election Political Notes West Virginia

Joe Manchin is a US Senator from a state that Trump won in 2016 by 42 points. Joe Manchin is the most conservative Democrat in the Senate at a time when the parties have become polarized. He is a Democrat. He is not a conservative. The American Conservative Union gives him a lifetime rating of 28.17%. Way too low to be a conservative. CrowdPac rates politicians based on a combination of their donations, their statements, and their votes with a 20 point scoring system from 10C to 10L. They rate Joe Manchinas slightly liberal at 1.7L. The Americans for Democratic Action rate him 60% liberal. He votes for a Democrat to be the Senate Majority Leader. He is a Democrat.

Political Note #59 Bill Nelson FL US Senate

Post published:September 3, 2017
Post category:Federal Elections General Election US Senate Lose Lt. Governor 2018 Year Result State Type of Election Political Notes Florida

Bill Nelson went to the University of Florida where he became a member of Blue Key. He left for Yale and the University of Virginia Law School. In 1965 he came back to Florida and joined the US Army Reserve. After his widowed mother died, he went on active duty as a pilot. Notwithstanding his political successes, being elected to Congress and the Senate, there was nothing he loved more than flying. His greatest political commitment was to the US space program.