More light at the end of the tunnel...
Tuesday's elections set the tone for a clean sweep for Democrats in 2008. Results from Kentucky and Virginia tell me that voters are ready for change and are looking to undo the damage of the Bush White House.
We need more Democrats in the Senate to make it happen. And it starts at the top.
GOP Leader McConnell side-by-side with scandal, again
Republican Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell hand-picked Ernie Fletcher to run for governor in 2003. This year, McConnell again endorsed Fletcher, saying he's "never met a finer man." But between 2003 and 2007, Fletcher was indicted on criminal conspiracy charges, pled the 5th, and pardoned his own staff. Still, McConnell chose to stand by him.
Kentuckians rejected Fletcher at the ballot box Tuesday by a margin of 18 points, sending a message of dismissal for the GOP status quo. With more Kentucky voters now disapproving of McConnell than approving of him, he has tacked on another setback on a growing list of scandals and he's running scared.
In an attempt to quell voter disdain, McConnell is releasing his first political ad this week, but the DSCC has him beat. We're out front with a video that reminds voters that McConnell's scandal-tarred choice for governor is just another reason he's out-of-touch with Kentucky.
On the verge of a full flip
It started in 2006 and it continues in 2007: Virginia is trending blue. Sen. Jim Webb unseated Republican George Allen last cycle, and now Democrats captured the Virginia state Senate on Tuesday. Looking to '08, the numbers couldn't be better for our Virginia candidate for U.S. Senate, former Gov. Mark Warner. Regardless of his opponent, Warner carries at least a 15-point lead in the polls against any potential Republican candidate.
The trend in Virginia is what Democrats are seeing across the country. Voters are looking for a change, and it's time to clear out Republican roadblocks and usher in progressive priorities.
Three polls, three blows to Coleman campaign
Any lead that Republican Sen. Norm Coleman once had in the Minnesota Senate race is now gone. Both Democratic candidates, Al Franken and Mike Ciresi, are now running neck-and-neck with the Republican incumbent. Three different polls released this week confirm that Coleman is below 50 percent when matched against Democratic challengers.
Coleman has voted with Bush on everything from the Iraq war to blocking life-saving stem cell research to drilling in the Arctic Refuge, and it's no surprise that his approval ratings are sinking and Democrats are gaining momentum in Minnesota.
Gordon Smith: 1 out of 3 ain't bad?
With Election Day less than one year away, Republican Sen. Gordon Smith has earned only a 33 percent - or 1 out of 3 - approval rating with Oregonians. Nearly half of voters give Smith negative marks for his job performance, and Democratic candidates are canvassing the state conveying our message of change. Smith can backpedal from his record of voting with Bush 90 percent of the time, but Oregon voters have had enough.
The map for Senate races is expanding for Democrats every day, and we're laying the groundwork for picking up seats in states once considered red. The DSCC counts on our committed grassroots supporters to help us along the way, because we're working toward a clean sweep in '08.
