Look at the recent Daily Bits on the website. Democratic Progress, Lindsay Graham follows Donald Trump; over a cliff?
Political Note #249 Jon Hoadley MI CD 06
2020 General Election
Thirty years and worlds apart. Jon Hoadley https://jonhoadley.com/ is the latest Democrat to try to defeat Fred Upton. Thirty five years ago, thirty one year old Fred Upton was elected to Congress. He defeated the incumbent Republican who had identified himself with Ronald Reagan.
In Congress, Upton was a moderate Republican, a member of the Tuesday Group. Membership in the 1994 founded group has been estimated as high as fifty. A conservative writer described membership as secretive. She outed members and noted which member of the media the identification came from. She listed Fred Upton as a co-chair along with John Katko and Susan Brooks.
Her list of members Tuesday Club Members 2017. My organization of her list according to what has happened to them.
Susan Brooks (IN) Still there, but retirement announced
Rodney Davis (IL) Still there
Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) Still there
Bill Johnson (OH) Still there
John Katko (NY) Still there
Adam Kinzinger (IL) Still there
Tom Reed (NY) Still there
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA) Still there
Elise Stefanik (NY) Still there
Mike Turner (OH) Still there
Fred Upton (MN) Still there (11)
Charlie Dent (PA) Retired
Frank LoBiondo (NJ) Retired
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL) Retired
Rodney Frelinghysen (NJ) Retired (4)
Barbara Comstock (VA) Defeated in 2018
Mike Coffman (CO) Defeated in 2018
Carlos Curbelo (FL) Defeated in 2018
Dan Donovan (NY) Defeated in 2018
John Faso (NY) Defeated in 2018
Leonard Lance (NJ) Defeated in 2018
Tom MacArthur (NJ) Defeated in 2018
Erik Paulsen (MN) Defeated in 2018 (8)
Chris Collins (NY) Resigned, plea deal
Pat Tiberi (OH) Resigned, to private sector
Pat Meehan (PA) Resigned, sexual misconduct (3)
Martha McSally (AZ) Defeated for Senate, appointed to Senate (1)
Moderates are minorities among Republicans in Congress. There will be still fewer after 2020. Diminished in numbers and influence.
Jon Hoadley is a member of an ascending minority. A gay man among Democrats. He could win and add to their numbers.
Not long ago, it was the gay members of Congress who kept their identify secret. Not Republican who belonged to a group of moderates. Now 150 Democrats are members of the gay caucus. Sexual orientation is not secret, at least among Democrats. Some gay Members of Congress are among the Democratic d leaders.
:
David Cicciline (RI) Chair, Democratic Policy and Communications
Mark Pocan (WI) Co-Chair, Progressive Caucus
Sean Patrick Maloney (NY) Still there
Mark Takano (CA) Still there (4)
Angie Craig (MN) Elected 2018
Sharice Davids (KS) Elected 2018
Chris Pappas (NH) Elected 2018 (3)
Katie Hill (CA) Elected 2018, Resigned sexual scandal (1)
Tammy Baldwin (WI) Retired, Elected to US Senate, Reelected
Mike Michaud (ME) Retired, Lost election for Governor
Jared Polis (CO) Retired, Elected Governor
Krysten Sinema (AZ) Retired, Elected to US Senate (4)
Jon Hoadley is in line. He is thirty-three and a joiner. He is a member of the ACLU, the UAW, the Sierra Club, the League of Women’s Voters, the NAACP, the local Black Arts and Cultural Center. In the Michigan legislature, where he represents Kalamazoo, he is a member of, among other groups, the Progressive Women’s Caucus. He serves on apolitical boards — Mothers of Hope and CARES, serving victims of addiction and HIV/AIDS respectively. He serves on political boards – the County and State Democratic Party, the Stonewall Democrats, and an advisory committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights.
He has owned his own political consulting firm, Badland Strategies. He has managed individual campaigns and policy-question campaigns. This could leave you breathless. Like politicians who are more cautious than he is, his website does not outline his positions. Jon Hoadley does not have a plan for this or for that. His platitudes tell us it is “time we face the future…”, to “put people and community back at the center of our decision.”
So far, Jon Hoadley is the only Democrat running against Fred Upton. There is a good chance it will stay that way. This will be a generational fight. Are the values of a moderate Republican still viable in southwestern Michigan? Could a gay, progressive Democrat take his place.
What do they fight about in these days of early skirmishes? Health care? Foreign policy? Impeaching the president? Not exactly. The Republicans are attacking Jon Hoadley for his support of Michigan’s new Democratic Governor’s plan to increase the gasoline tax. They target Jon Hoadley’s support for the Governor’s “gift to supporters who are government retirees.”
They call Jon Hoadley a socialist and a bigot because he belongs to the same party (and, state) as Representative Rashida Tlaib). Jon Hoadley’s responses are pragmatic — he supports health insurance programs that allow people to start small businesses without worrying about how their health insurance; he supports people “pray[ing] or not however you want without intimidation…”
Can Jon Hoadley https://jonhoadley.com/ win? The pundits are skeptical. Cook rates MI 08 as likely Republican. But Upton won in 2016 by less than 5 points against a candidate who did not raise much money. If you can get decent odds, put some money on Jon Hoadley. More important Give some money to Jon Hoadley. Think about ways to volunteer for him.
The Midwest is a battleground for us. Focus there if it is an interest of yours. Support a few candidates. I have written several Notes so far this year about Congressional Candidates and Senate candidates.
Iowa:
Senate Theresa Greenfield for US Senate
IA 02 Rita Hart to win an open Democratic seat.
IA 03 Cynthia Axne for reelection, 13th closest D win in 2018
IA 04 J.D. Scholten to defeat Incumbent Steve King
Illinois:
IL 06 Sean Casten for reelection. Among the 25 closest winners
IL 13 Betsy Dirksen Londrigan to defeat incumbent Rod Davis
IL 14 Lauren Underwood for reelection, 18th closest D win
Michigan:
Senate Gary Peters for reelection
MI 06 Jon Hoadley to defeat incumbent Fred Upton
MI 08 Elisa Slotkin for reelection, 17th closest D win in 2018
Minnesota:
Senate Tina Smith for reelection
MN 01 Dan Feehan to defeat incumbent Jim Hagedorn
