Political Note #57 Gretchen Driskell MI CD 07

Post published:August 28, 2017
Post category:Federal Elections General Election Lose US Congress 2018 Year Result State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes Michigan

Until her loss in 2016, Gretchen Driskellhad only successes as a politician. In non-partisan elections, she was elected to the Saline City Council in 1992 and reelected twice. She was elected as the first female mayor of Saline in 1998 and was elected four more times before running successfully for the state senate. As mayor, Gretchen Driskellnotes she passed 14 balanced budgets in 14 years. Saline was named one of the top 100 small cities in America three times. She ran for the state legislature as a Democrat -- defeating a popular Republican in what was considered a Republican District. While the state legislative election was partisan, the negative campaign in her run for Congress was a shock.

Political Note #55 Shelly Simonds VA HD 94

Post published:August 21, 2017
Post category:General Election Lose State Elections Year 2017 Result State House of Representatives or House of Delegates or Assembly State Type of Election Political Notes Virginia

A former teacher and current member of the Newport News School Board , Shelly Simonds stepped in as a substitute Democratic candidate for District 94 of the Virginia House of Delegates. Having lived in Spain, Costa Rica, and Chile, she is a fluent Spanish speaker. Her recent focus has been at home -- her family, her business, and her politics. She has been managing her family's real estate investments. She served as president of a middle school PTA which was followed by her successful campaign for the school board. She wants to help Newport News retain the last large piece of waterfront property and help the city make it a waterfront park.

Political Note #49 Nancy Soderberg FL CD 06

Post published:July 31, 2017
Post category:Federal Elections General Election Lose US Congress 2018 Year State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes Florida

If resumes count, Nancy Soderberg would be elected to anything she ran for. She is CEO of Soderberg Global Solutions and Director of the Public Service Leadership Program at the University of North Florida.Soderberg is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a regular commentator on national and international television and radio. She is the author of numerous articles and two books on American foreign policy. She was Deputy National Security Advisor to President Clinton, senior advisor to Senator Edward Kennedy. President Obama appointed her as Chair of the Public Interest Declassification Board (2011-2014). She has also served as President of Connect U.S. Fund, as Vice President of the International Crisis Group, and on the Board of the Jacksonville Port Authority.

Political Note #47 Donte Tanner VA HD 40

Post published:July 24, 2017
Post category:General Election Lose State Elections Result State House of Representatives or House of Delegates or Assembly State Type of Election Political Notes Virginia

Donte Tanner is a Newport News native. Son of mother who was a cop and a Navy veteran father who became a cop after leaving the military. Tanner went to the Air Force Academy from high school. As a Captain in the Air force he led a team working on space and missile systems. As a private contractor, working for the government and in the private sector, he worked on issues that ranged from marketing to efficiency. As ex-military and a brand new father in middle class suburbs, he fits right into the community. Except, of course, he is African-American in a district that is 5% black.

Political Note #46 Tia Walbridge VA HD 33

Post published:July 20, 2017
Post category:Lose State Elections Result State Political Notes Virginia

Tia Walbridge is a sheep farmer who wants to turn Virginia into a more Democratic state. She is pro-business, but in a way that reflects her rural vision. A Virginian might say her vision is Jeffersonian -- small farms and businessmen who are craftsmen. She expresses gratitude for state-funded small business development centers which helped her start her farm and dismay that the Republican dominated legislature has decreased the resources for those centers.

Political Note #37 Kathryn Allen UT 03

Post published:June 22, 2017
Post category:Federal Elections Lose US Congress Year 2017 Result State Special Election Type of Election US Congress 2017 Political Notes Utah

Kathryn Allen grew up in the California desert far to the east of Los Angeles riding motorcycles and horses. 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. he successful campaign led to a couple of jobs, but she ultimately returned to her interest in medicine. As a doctor in Utah, she was active in her professional organization and was moving toward retirement when 2016 happened. She urged her congressman 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 for congress.

Political Note #33 Rick Nolan MN CD 08

Post published:June 8, 2017
Post category:Federal Elections General Election Lose State Elections Lt. Governor US Congress Withdraw Primary 2018 Year Result State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes Minnesota

Rick Nolan is an unusual man and an unusual politician. In his seventies, his current stint as a Congressman is his third career. His first career was also as a politician and Congressman. A young aide to Walter Mondale, after a brief stint as a teacher, he ran for Congress in 1972, lost in a close race, but won handily in the next three elections. In between his stints as a Congressman, Rick Nolan was a politically connected businessman. He was President of the US Export Corporation, then became head of the Minnesota World Trade Center.

Political Note #29 Beto O’Rourke TX US Senate

Post published:May 23, 2017
Post category:Federal Elections General Election US Senate Lose 2018 Year Result State Type of Election Political Notes Texas

Beto O'Rourke is just plain interesting as a candidate for the US Senate. He's not a liberal Democrat or a conservative one. He favors infrastructure, supported rebuilding downtown El Paso, and was accused of ties to his father-in-law's construction plans. In Congress, he has urged reconsideration of the War on Drugs and supports the legalization of marijuana. He has proposed legislation supporting children in foster care and education for veterans. He not only pressed for a vote on modest gun control legislation, but joined the Democratic sit-in to attempt to force a vote. When the Republican leadership turned off C-SPAN's coverage of the sit in, BetoO'Rourke was one of two congressmen to transmit cellphone videos to C-SPAN so it could continue coverage.

Political Note #16 Willie Randall VA HD100

Post published:April 9, 2017
Post category:General Election Lose State Elections Year 2017 Result State House of Representatives or House of Delegates or Assembly State Type of Election Political Notes Virginia

Willie Randall is an African American running in the Virginia Eastern Shore in a district that is 60% white. He is veteran running in a district that is dominated by the military. He distinguished himself in the military -- earning the rank of Major and a Bronze Star during the Persian Gulf war. Retired now, Willie Randall is a civic leader was a member and twice President of the Northampton Board of Supervisors was the crucial figure in bringing universal preschool to Northampton County.

Political Note #11 Joe Donnelly IN US Senate

Post published:March 23, 2017
Post category:Federal Elections General Election US Senate Lose 2018 Year Result State Type of Election Political Notes Indiana

Joe Donelly is running for reelection to the US Senate. He came to Indiana from Long Island to go to college at Notre Dame.And stayed. He graduated from Notre Dame Law School in 1981, practiced law for fifteen years before opening a printing business. He served on a Catholic School Board and on the state election board. He ran for Attorney General in 1988 but did not get the nomination. He ran for Congress in 2004 and lost to the Republican. He ran again in 2006 and won and was elected to the US Senate in 2012. Joe Donnelly is not in it for the money. His financials show him as being in Joe Biden territory.