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 #99 Robert Jackson NY SD 31

Post published:February 8, 2018
Post category:Win General Election State Elections Primary 2018 State Senate Year Result State Type of Election Political Notes New York

Robert Jackson ran for and was elected to City Council, but later lost campaigns for Borough President and twice for the State Senate. The 2016 State Senate loss was close. Three top candidates in the Democratic primary were within 1,000 votes of each other. Jackson is running again for Senate District 31 which covers the west side of Manhattan. He is running in the primary against an incumbent Democrat who is a member of the Independent Democratic Caucus, a group of eight state Senators who organized with the Republicans, allowing the Republicans to control the Senate.

Political Note #97 Elaine Luria VA CD 02

Post published:February 1, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election US Congress 2018 Year Result State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes Virginia

Elaine lLuria served for 20 years as a Surface Warfare Officer and nuclear engineer. She participated in and conducted operations in the Middle East and Western Pacific on destroyers, cruisers, and aircraft carriers. She enforced sanctions - boarding Iraqi oil smugglers in the Arabian Gulf. She launched jets off the deck of an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean - striking Iraq and Afghanistan. She was in charge of nuclear reactors, was second in command of a guided missile cruiser, was in command of a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors to provide assault craft in support of the U.S. Marine Corps Luria stepped in as the Democratic candidate in when another candidate had to drop out for personal reasons. She has that candidate's full support.

Political Note #95 Joseph Kopser TX 21

Post published:January 20, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election Lose US Congress Primary 2018 Primary run off Year Result State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes Texas

Joseph Kopser volunteered to serve in Iraq. Convinced the Bush administration did not have a plan to succeed there, he hoped to be part of a plan that would succeed. He helped organize elections to replace the old regime. Those elections were not a solution. Genuine elections turned out to be impossible. So he sought combat. He joined the First Cavalry Division, fought, and lost friends in Iraq and Afghanistan. He carried on, dismayed with America's leadership in the war. When he returned home and to civilian life, he co-founded a technology company (for commuter navigation), served as CEO, sold it to Daimler Benz. Not long after that, he turned to politics.

Political Note #94 Mikie Sherrill NJ CD 11

Post published:January 17, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election US Congress 2018 Year Result State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes New Jersey

Mikie Sherrill A graduate of the Naval Academy, she flew helicopters in the Middle East and in Europe. Married to a fellow Annapolis graduate, they now have four children. A Russian desk officer for the Navy in London, she added a Master's Degree from the London School of Economics. A graduate of Georgetown Law School, she has served as a prosecutor in the US Attorney's Office in New Jersey. She has proved to be a strong candidate and has raised a lot of money.

Political Note #93 Jeff Van Drew NJ 02

Post published:January 14, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election US Congress 2018 Year Result State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes New Jersey

Jeff Van Drew is the candidate that locals wanted. He is the candidate that the establishment wanted. He is a state Senator. Has been a state Senator since 2008, representing a district that covers South Jersey -- a pretty large piece of territory for an urban, eastern state. He won by 10 points the first time, 20 points the second time, and 30 points the third time. He may be the best liked dentist in the state.

Political Note #92 Debbie Mucarsel-Powell FL 26

Post published:January 9, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election US Congress 2018 Year Result State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes Florida

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and her sisters immigrated with their mother to California from Ecuador. Twenty years later, she left California for Florida. Married to a real estate figure, she made a career raising money for non-profits and universities. Her non-profit goals became her political goals -- curb climate change and its impact, ensure comprehensive health care, and create strong communities.

Political Note #90 Josh Harder CA 10

Post published:January 2, 2018
Post category:Federal Elections Win Election Run off US Congress Primary 2018 Year Result California State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes

Josh Harder has returned home -- to California's Central Valley. his great, great grandfather came to the Central Valley to farm. Josh Harder, himself, grew up in Turlock and Modesto. After graduating from Stanford, he worked as a venture capitalist at Boston. He left to work in Africa with the Gates Foundation and others. He organized small farmers in Kenya and Uganda. Harder returned to the States for a joint MBA and public policy degree at the Harvard Business School and the Kennedy school. From there he became vice president of San Francisco-based Bessemer Venture Partners - creating a close link for himself with Silicon Valley.

122617 Political Note #88 Conor Lamb PA 18

Post published:December 26, 2017
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election US Congress 2018 Year Result State Special Election US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes Pennsylvania

Conor Lamb is the Democratic nominee for the special election on March 13. He is local -- University of Pennsylvania (where he was a Howard Dean supporter as an undergraduate) and University of Pennsylvania Law School. He comes from a successful political family. His grandfather was the Democratic Majority Leader in the Pennsylvania state Senate and a Bob Casey cabinet member. His Uncle Michael is the City Controller for Pittsburgh. Conor Lamb was in the military. He was a Captain in the Marines. as a prosecutor in Okinawa, primarily prosecuting cases of sexual assault. He remains a member of the reserves. He is a prosecutor in civilian life, as well.

Political Note #87 Dean Phillips MN 03

Post published:December 23, 2017
Post category:Federal Elections Win General Election US Congress 2018 Year Result State US Congress 2018 Type of Election Political Notes Minnesota

Dean Phillips is a candidate of Minneapolis' western suburbs. A wealthy CEO, a frequent Democratic donor, he has almost as frequently declined to run for office. HIs father, Artie Pfeffer, died fighting in Vietnam when Phillips was six months old. His widowed mother married into the wealthy Phillips family. Adopted son of the family, Dean Phillips was educated for business and was a successful CEO. He says the real family business has been philanthropy. He looks like a pretty good politician, too.