THe NC-09 special election is too close to call. We can flip this.

SIREN … NEW PARTY POLLING … NEXT MONTH’S special election in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District is truly a squeaker. Internal Republican polling has shown GOP candidate DAN BISHOP anywhere from 2 points to 4 points ahead of Democrat DAN MCCREADY. And believe it or not, that’s an improvement, because Bishop was down big in the Charlotte-and-east-area district just a few weeks ago.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY INTERNAL POLLING has MCCREADY up 1 point. So both parties are seeing the same thing: that this race is truly a toss-up, with all results in the margin of error.

REMEMBER: This is a district President DONALD TRUMP won by nearly 12 points, and this race is within the margin of error 10 days before Election Day. THE PRESIDENT is going to try to move the needle with a visit the week after next, but some Democrats are whispering the trend lines are in their direction, with the early indications favoring McCready. McCready ran in 2018 -- so he has a lot of momentum, and recognition.

SPENDING HAS BEEN BIG HERE: The NRCC, Congressional Leadership Fund and Club for Growth have combined for nearly $6 million in spending in this race. The DCCC and House Majority PAC are in for a bit more than $1 million. McCready has vastly outspent Bishop, with the Democrat doling out $4.7 million compared to Bishop’s $1.7 million.

A DEMOCRATIC WIN, of course, would be a very big deal. Combine that with the wave of Repbulican retirements -- and the expectation for more after the recess -- and Republicans are going to have a tough time explaining their current political fortunes. Republicans could easily still pull this thing out.



https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2019/08/30/new-trump-heads-into-buzzsaw-in-north-carolina-473536?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=0000014e-f0ed-dd93-ad7f-f8edad790000&nlid=630318

Tweet of the Day

Election 2019: Virginia GOP state senator attacks Muslm challenger over 'Islamic terrorism'

State Sen. Richard Stuart, R-Stafford, launched Facebook ads this week attacking his Democratic challenger over the issue of “Islamic terrorism.”

Qasim Rashid, a lawyer challenging Stuart in Senate District 28, said Stuart’s allegations were false and an attempt to distract voters from real issues in the campaign, like the need to raise pay for teachers and improve Virginia’s infrastructure.

“He wants to talk about my faith. He wants to talk about Islam,” said Rashid, who is Muslim and lives in Stafford. “I want to talk about the issues. Every allegation he’s made is a complete lie.”

Cooper Mohr, Stuart’s campaign manager, said in a statement that the campaign is running a series of online ads “highlighting Mr. Rashid’s statements on policy issues that place him outside of the mainstream in the 28th Senate District. These ads are based on actual tweets from Rashid and other public statements. We stand by all of our ads and will continue running them. Don’t take our word for it, take a look at Mr. Rashid’s twitter feed.”


https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/government-politics/gop-state-senator-attacks-his-radical-challenger-a-muslim-over/article_d0d5374d-9941-529d-9b55-098ccd2081ad.html

Qasim Rashid

?cache=aqmtqizf50&ops=scalefit_720_noupscale


https://rashidforva.com

KS-SEN: Her father just pleaded guilty to raping her, but she hopes that won't define her Senate bid

Usha Reddi, a Democrat who launched her Kansas Senate campaign Thursday, never meant for her experience as a survivor of sexual assault to be central to her platform.

But when her father pleaded guilty this summer to raping her when she was a child, Reddi, a city commissioner in Manhattan, Kansas, decided she should be the one to make it an issue.

“My personal life and my public life were about to intersect,” she told CQ Roll Call in an interview. “I thought the community needed to hear about it from me first.”

Reddi, 54, is one of several Kansas Democrats vying to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Pat Roberts. Local backlash against the deep budget cuts instituted by former Gov. Sam Brownback has convinced many Democrats that they have a shot at the seat, even though they haven’t won a Senate race in Kansas since 1932 — the longest dry spell for either party in the country.

Those hopes have been compounded by the lack of an obvious Republican front-runner, though Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been rumored for months to be weighing a bid. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race Solid Republican.



https://www.rollcall.com/news/campaigns/her-father-just-pleaded-guilty-to-raping-her-but-usha-reddi-hopes-that-wont-define-her-senate-bid

MA-SEN: Kennedy Holds Huge Lead Over Markey

A new Change Research poll in Massachusetts finds Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA) leading Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) in a possible Democratic U.S. Senate primary, 42% to 25%.

Businessman Steve Pemberton earned 7% and attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan got 5%.



https://politicalwire.com/2019/08/29/kennedy-holds-huge-lead-over-markey/

CA-50: Former Rep. Darrell Issa launching an exploratory committee for Rep. Duncan Hunter's seat

Former California Rep. Darrell Issa is likely to launch an exploratory committee Thursday in a challenge to embattled Rep. Duncan Hunter, according to a not-yet-unveiled website.

“I have formally launched an exploratory committee for the 50th Congressional District in California,” the site reads. “I have received such a tremendous outpouring of encouragement from supporters inside the district, and around the state and across the Nation.”

Under “issues,” the website reads “placeholder for 1st issues title” and “placeholder for 2nd issues title” with dummy text underneath.

The site was first reported by San Diego NBC 7.

Issa, a Republican, withdrew in 2018 from the race for his competitive 49th District seat after nine terms in office. Democrat Mike Levin flipped the seat in the general election.

Hunter represents the neighboring 50th District, more favorable territory for a Republican. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race Lean Republican. Issa would join several other Republicans already in the race.



https://www.rollcall.com/news/campaigns/former-rep-darrell-issa-is-launching-an-exploratory-committee-for-rep-duncan-hunters-seat

Far-right party eyes big gains in German state elections

AUTZEN, Germany (AP) — As the sun sets over the medieval towers of Bautzen, crowds flock to the market square. Most are old, white men. A few wave German flags as they gather for a rally with leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

Supporters of the party, which hopes to make big gains Sunday in two state elections, are quick to blame Chancellor Angela Merkel and her center-right Christian Democratic Union for their region’s woes.

“We need a change,” retiree Volker Nowak said as he stood among some 500 followers of the party known as AfD. “It’s only the old people left behind here ... We don’t have any doctors, any nurses, any teachers, any tradesmen and also any youth.” The CDU “ruined everything.”

The votes in Saxony — which includes Bautzen, a hilltop town of 40,000, and neighboring Brandenburg — threaten to deliver another blow to Germany’s traditional big parties and further destabilize Merkel’s national coalition government. Coming weeks before the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the elections are also likely to highlight the economic and social issues that still divide the country more than a generation after reunification.

The formerly communist east, and Saxony in particular, has become a stronghold for the 6-year-old AfD, which is eyeing a possible first-place finish in both states.

Many people in Germany’s rural, eastern periphery feel left behind. Some never recovered from losing their jobs after the wall fell. Promises of equal living standards did not always become reality, and salaries in the east still lag behind those in the west. Many young people left long ago.

The CDU has governed Saxony since reunification in 1990, first with an absolute majority and more recently with coalitions. Polls for a time showed it neck-and-neck with the AfD, but recent surveys put it a few points ahead, with support around 30% — down from 39% five years ago. The AfD appears set to more than double its 9.7% score from 2014.

Neither Merkel’s CDU nor the center-left Social Democrats — Merkel’s partners in the tense national “grand coalition” — will form a coalition with the AfD. But the far-right party’s strength could make forming new governments in both states difficult.



https://apnews.com/a18d327465ea41a6bed70becff2eb4db?utm_medium=AP&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter

Tweet of the Day

GA-SEN: Jon Ossoff Is Seriously Considering A Run For Senate

WASHINGTON — Jon Ossoff, who ran an unsuccessful special election campaign in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, is now seriously considering a run at one of the two open Senate seats in Georgia, three sources familiar with Ossoff’s plans told BuzzFeed News.

A Democratic source with direct knowledge of Ossoff’s conversations spoke on the condition of anonymity and said Ossoff is already considering a run in the Democratic primary to challenge incumbent Sen. David Perdue. On Wednesday, Georgia’s other Republican senator, Johnny Isakson, announced Wednesday he would resign at the end of the year, citing health issues. Two sources said the development made Ossoff more likely to run, with some kind of a formal announcement about his intentions coming soon.


Ossoff did not respond to an email from BuzzFeed News seeking comment. In a brief interview, an Ossoff aide declined to speak about Ossoff’s future plans on the record.

In 2017, Ossoff, who is 32, was a newcomer to politics and relatively unheard of. But his formidable fundraising — he raised nearly $30 million in his race against Republican Karen Handel — and profile as a young, telegenic up-and-comer put his name on the map. According to his last filing, Ossoff still had several hundred thousand dollars in the bank.

Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath now holds the seat Ossoff lost, defeating Handel in 2018. McBath is running for reelection and has established herself in Washington as an effective lawmaker and one of the House Democratic Caucus’s most important voices on gun control legislation, as her son died as a result of gun violence.

Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost her race for Georgia governor in 2018, announced that she would not run for president in 2020, but told the New York Times that she remains open to joining a presidential ticket as a running mate. Abrams recently announced the launch of Fair Fight 2020, a voter protection organization dedicated to stepping up efforts to promote election fairness.



https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/darrensands/jon-ossoff-johnny-isakson-georgia-senate

AZ-SEN: McSally Gets a Primary Challenger

PHOENIX — Businessman Daniel McCarthy announced his intention to run against Martha McSally in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in 2020 during an interview with ABC15 today.

It has been rumored for several months that the cosmetic company executive and Glendale resident would challenge the senator, who was appointed to the position by Governor Doug Ducey in December of last year to fill the seat vacated after the passing of Senator John McCain.

McCarthy comes into the race against McSally with considerable personal resources as the co-founder of The Original Makeup Eraser company and is capable of putting tens of millions into the race according to a source close to the campaign.

Republican primary voters in Arizona do not have a history of choosing challengers over incumbents as their general election nominee so the challenge to McSally could be considered a long-shot bid. While McSally was not an incumbent Senator in the 2018 primary, she still received more votes than both of her other opponents combined.

National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez says the NRSC stands behind Senator McSally in the race.

“Senator McSally has been a champion for Arizona – working to secure the border and lower taxes for hard-working families. She’s received President Trump’s endorsement because she’s most conservative candidate on the ballot and we look forward to her winning next fall.”



https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/martha-mcsally-picks-up-primary-challenge-from-daniel-mccarthy