Political Note #191 Lucy McBath GA CD 06

Post published:January 2, 2019
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election 2020 US Congress Year US Congress 2020 Result State Type of Election Political Notes Georgia

Lucy McBath ran to unseat Karen Handel. She had no intention to be in politics. She was a stewardess for Delta Airlines. She worked for Delta for thirty years. The impetus for Lucy McBath to run for office was Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump. Lucy McBath had been living an apolitical life. Her son, Jordan Davis, was murdered. The murder got national attention. In a Jacksonville, Florida convenience store parking lot, Jordan Davis’ car radio was too loud, his music was offensive. Dunn told the teenagers in the car to turn the music down. One kid in front did. From the back, Jordan Davis told him to turn it back up again. Dunn didn’t like Jordan Davis’ attitude. So he shot him. He kept on shooting as the car drove away.

Political Note #188 Jennifer Boysko VA SD 33

Post published:December 8, 2018
Post category:Win State Elections 2019 State Senate Year Result State Special Election Type of Election Political Notes Virginia

Jennifer Boysko grew up in Alabama. She went to college in Virginia -- Hollins University. Still a women's school. With a reputation for gentility. And for literacy, for writing. For personal attention. Fewer than eight hundred undergraduates.Her first political job was for an Alabaman. She was an aide to Senator Richard Shelby - when he was a Democrat. She became a policy maven. Federal policy and local policy. She worked for a township supervisor in Virginia. She did particular work with homeowners groups. Governor McAuliffe appointed her as a Citizen Member of the state Real Estate Board. After training from Emerge, she ran for HD 86 for a second time in 2015. The incumbent retired. Maybe he knew she was coming back. Other Democrats knew. No one opposed her in the primary. She won the general election 54 -- 42 despite being outspent. She is now running for the State Senate from a position of strength.

Political Note #169 Laura Kelly KS Governor

Post published:October 1, 2018
Post category:Win Governor General Election State Elections 2018 Year Result State Type of Election Political Notes Kansas

Eighteen years as Executive Director of the Kansas Recreation and Parks Association, lobbying the legislature on behalf of parks. she was elected to the state Senate in 2004. She experienced the disaster of the Brownback experiment, has the support of moderate Republicans as well as Kansas's Democrats, and could be elected governor.

Political Note #167 Ned Lamont CT Governor

Post published:September 27, 2018
Post category:Win Governor General Election State Elections 2018 Year Result State Type of Election Connecticut Political Notes

Ned Lamont is the grandson of Thomas Lamont -- former chairman of the JP Morgan Company. He is the grandnephew of former American Civil Liberties Union Director Corliss Lamont. Ned's father worked for FDR on the Marshall Plan and for Nixon at Housing and Urban Development. In 2006, Ned Lamont beat Joe Lieberman in the Democratic Primary for the Senate -- opposing him because of his support for the Iraq War. Lieberman then ran as an independent and won the general election. Mostly, Ned Lamont went away. He ran for Governor in 2010, but Dan Malloy beat him in the primary. Ned Lamont went away again. To make money. Now he’s back.

Political Note #162 Tony Evers WI Governor

Post published:September 12, 2018
Post category:Win Governor General Election State Elections 2018 Year Result State Type of Election Political Notes Wisconsin

Tony Evers has had a string of victories. A former teacher, principal, and school superintedent, he has a more than respectable record of getting elected and of accomplishments. Since 2009, Evers has been elected and reelected three times, the same number of times as Walker, and by larger margins than Walker's margins. Evers education focus has been on children's safety and achievement.

Political Note #159 Kim Schrier WA CD 08

Post published:September 3, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election US Congress 2018 Year Result State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes Washington

Kim Schrier has a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. In astrophysics. Phi Beta Kappa. Her medical degree was from the University of California, Davis. She showed few hints of political interest, let alone ambition. Her interest in health care extended beyond the individual children and families she worked with. The proposals to abolish the Affordable Care Act got her attention. She prepared diligently to meet with her Congressman. She explained what was wrong, even dangerous about the Republican proposals. Her Congressman voted for Trumpcare in committee. Not long afterwards, he announced his retirement. Not long after that, Kim Schrier decided on her own candidacy.

Political Note #158 Sharice Davids KS CD 03

Post published:August 31, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election US Congress 2018 Year Result State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes Kansas

Sharice Davids in a Native American whose start was not easy. She worked low wage jobs. When she developed a focus, she attended and graduated from University of Missouri -- Kansas City. From there she went to Cornell Law School. Then mergers and acquisitions for Dentons, an enormous law school. She decided she preferred her hobby, mixed martial arts. She decided she would rather help fellow Native Americans become entrepreneurs. From that work, she has moved on to politics.

Political Note #157 Cynthia Axne IA CD 03

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

Cynthia Axne Cynthia Axne was a back of the house person for several agencies in Iowa. She focused on budgets, personnel management, technology -- unglamorous work. “I made sure state agencies had proper processes and strategies in place to implement their services in a tighter fashion — making sure they used taxpayer dollars wisely.”"It's not policy, it's problem solving." Not always. She was fired by a Republican governor. Her views about health care and gun safety are very different from the views of the incumbent she is running against.

Political Note #154 Ben McAdams UT CD 04

Post published:August 19, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election Political Summary US Congress 2018 Year Result State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes Utah

Ben Adams is a Utahan. He is a graduate of the University of Utah where he began as an electrical engineer major and ended as a political science major. As a senior, he married his high school girlfriend. After his mission to Brazil, they left together for Columbia Law School. He worked as an attorney for a Wall Street firm, earned enough to make a dent in his loans, and returned to Utah for his life and career.

Political Note #153 Xochitl Torres Small NM CD 02

Post published:August 16, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election US Congress 2018 Year Result State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes New Mexico

Xochitl Torres Small is a Las Cruces attorney for Kemp, Smith an El Paso Texas-based law firm, a former clerk for a federal judge, and former head of US Senator Tom Udall's regional office. She is an ideal Democratic candidate to run for Congress. She knows the district and this is the year for Democratic women to run for Congress. She went away to college -- to Georgetown, but came home for law school -- the University of New Mexico. She stayed home for her clerkship, for her legal work and for her family.