2018 General Election Elected 54 – 46
We don’t know who will challenge most of the vulnerable Republicans in Congress. Primaries will sort that out. Many Democrats want to challenge vulnerable Republicans in Congress. The goal of these Political Notes is to support Democrats running against Republicans, not Democrats running against each other.
Most of the Congressional candidates who’ve been supported so far in these Notes are vulnerable incumbent Democrats — the ten Democrats who beat Republicans by the narrowest margins, for instance. Some have been candidates in special elections.
Here is another category of vulnerable Democratic incumbents who need support — Democrats who won election in districts that Donald Trump carried. Tom O’Halloran is one of those.An Illinois farm kid.A Chicago cop. A member of the Chicago Board of Trade. A Republican. A liberal Republican. A Republican state rep in Arizona. A Republican state senator in Arizona. A Republican state senate primary loser. Loser of a state senate race as an independent.
Winner as a Democratic candidate for Congress. A winner of a Democrat.
Tom O’Halloran http://www.tomohalleran.com is in his first term in Congress. He won that Congressional seat in 2016 replacing an incumbent congresswoman who ran against John McCain for Senate. O’Halleran and his Democratic primary opponent were both former Republicans. As Republicans move their party out of the mainstream of American politics, liberal Republicans who become Democrats help Americans recognize how far right the Republican Party has moved.
Tom O‘Halleran’s victory in a tough year for Democrats was made possible, in part, by his opponent. Readers from Massachusetts, especially those from western Mass, especially the educators from western Massachusetts may remember him. New Yorkers who go to the Berkshires may remember him. Tom O‘Halleran’sopponent was a failed candidate for city office in North Adams and a Berkshire County legislative seat. Republican Sheriff Paul Babeau ran the Desisto special education school in Massachusetts– a problematic place before, during, and after his tenure as executive director, a rare school that was closed by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
Tom O’Halleran has focused on education and children’s issues. In the state legislature as a Republican, he was part of a successful bipartisan effort to support full day kindergarten. He led another successful effort to reorganize what he described as the dysfunctional Children’s Protective Services. There was a cost to that leadership — loss of his committee chairmanship and, perhaps, gaining a right wing primary opponent.
As a Congressional candidate and Congressman, Tom O‘Halleran harnesses the skepticism that so many people feel about that institution. He argues for a tougher ethics committee, a five day work week for Congressmen, freezes in the pay and the budget for Congressmen, an end to what he describes as the luxurious life of Congressmen and the influence of lobbyists.
Like almost every candidate for Congress, Tom O‘Halleran first describes a commitment to jobs. His commitment rests on high quality education, support for community colleges, and making college affordable. He argues for higher minimum wages, equal pay for women, tax cuts for businesses that have profit sharing with their employees. He argues for greater support for research and for infrastructure.
Immigration is a difficult issue in Arizona. Tom O‘Halleran supports secure borders and the DREAM Act and the DREAMERS. He wants families kept together (that would be in opposition to deportations) and values immigrants as part of the economy.
Social security is not a difficult issue for Tom O‘Halleran. He sees social security as earned after years of work and deserving protection, not as an entitlement.
He spent more than $1.5 million to win election in 2016 — a little more than the national average. He will have to spend a lot again. His opponent will probably be tougher in 2018. His financial support came from retirees (not too surprising in Arizona), from people who identify as liberal Democrats, from lawyers, from the Democratic Party, and from public sector unions. Help Tom O’Halleran http://www.tomohalleran.com. Provide him with some support. As with all candidates whose election is as far away as November, 2018, consider a small monthly donation. It will be a big deal.
