Voters head to the polls — not just in Connecticut

August 9, 2006

Obviously, the Connecticut primary was the race to watch yesterday, but let’s not forget that there were a handful of key races elsewhere.

For example, Rep. [tag]Joe Schwarz[/tag], a moderate, pro-choice Republican in Michigan, lost a GOP primary to a far-right former state lawmaker.

Republican Rep. Joe Schwarz lost his party’s nomination Tuesday, falling to a staunchly conservative challenger in a primary race dominated by a struggle over GOP principles that attracted more than $1 million in spending by outside groups.

Schwarz, a moderate who supported abortion rights, was defeated by former state lawmaker [tag]Tim Walberg[/tag]. With 92 percent of precincts reporting, Walberg had 53 percent, or 31,869 votes, to 47 percent for Schwarz, or 28,168 votes.

Walberg, a former pastor, contended Schwarz’s views did not represent those of constituents in the rural southern Michigan district. He vowed to vote against pork-laden spending plans, tax increases and the expansion of abortion and gay marriage.

Schwarz had the backing of the Bush White House, John McCain, and the GOP establishment, but Walberg surged with the support of Right to Life of Michigan and Club For Growth, both of which denounced Schwarz’s centrism in the House.

I now look forward to hearing the media obsess over the Schwarz example to highlight how the Republican Party is driving moderates out of the party as some kind of ideological purge. Oh wait, that only applies to Connecticut.

I am also pleased to report that [tag]Cynthia McKinney[/tag] (D-Ga.), my least favorite Democrat in Congress, lost her primary fight by a large margin.

[tag]Hank Johnson[/tag], the soft-spoken DeKalb County commissioner who forced U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney into a surprising runoff, finished the job Tuesday, decidedly defeating the 4th Congressional District lawmaker in their fierce rematch. […]

Johnson’s message during brutal campaign simple: “Replace McKinney.” On Tuesday, Johnson found that a majority voters in the district had come to the same conclusion. He received nearly 59 percent of the votes.

“What we have done today is something that has been watched by the nation,” Johnson said. “It is clear, where most people have a low opinion of the work of our Congress, that they want to see things done differently.”

He added, “I pledge I’m going to work with each and every person to work for solutions,” Johnson said. “I am here to serve you, to make you proud.”

Combining this result with the primary in Connecticut, Kevin Drum argued that the Democratic Party “acquitted itself pretty well.”

[T]the Democratic voters in Connecticut, who believe that the war in Iraq is hurting the broader war against radical jihadism, now have a Senate candidate who agrees with them. Likewise, the Democratic voters of DeKalb County, who want a representative who spends more time on district business than on investigating weird conspiracy theories, now have a congressional candidate who promises to do just that.

Republicans rejected a rare House centrist, while Dems embraced a strong-yet-sensible candidates. All in all, it’s a good day for the reality-based community.

“Walberg, a former pastor”

Is there ever a good reason why someone retires as a pastor? I mean, do you ever see ‘honorable discharges’ from the vocation? As the Catholic Bishop once said, “I’ve never lost a good priest”.

I’ll have to remember that. When some wingnut comments on Lamont/Lieberman I’ll ask for his opinion on Walberg/Schwarz.

Thanks

  • The Schwarz upset was big. I live in the district Shwarz represents. He had a big war chest, and was everywhere – huge billboards on the highways, tons of signs everywhere, etc. I don’t think I could have named any of his opponents. I did not see any TV ads for any of the candidates, although I don’t watch much TV. I would have thought he was running for governor or president.

    He was pro-choice, which was how he managed to stay in office – he was the only pro-choice repub to vote for, and the pro-lifers split the rest of the votes. I hope that means that voters will choose the dem option this year…

    Sadly, even though MI voted blue in the last pres election, the state tends to be more red – the state gov’t majority is republican, and only our dem governor has kept things in check. The election of republican representatives reflects the small to mid-sized towns in the district, most of which are pretty conservative.

  • I’m expecting Hank to shake hands with the Capitol Hill cops on an almost daily basis; it’s better than using them for punching bags. As for Walberg…I wonder how much money “he” got from Club for Growth? I mean—they invested about $1.8 million in Toomey a couple years ago, trying to unseat Specter…and they blew a bunch on anti-Voinovich ads here in Ohio when he wasn’t “getting in line” behind Herr Bush….

  • One common thread in the CT and MI races: the DC establishment trying to tell local voters who best represents their interests, and local voters saying “bite me.”

    In terms of a good night for D’s, lets not forget Perlmutter in Colorado, who had the audacity to run declaring himself “a Democrat’s Democrat.” And won.

    Finally, many here have said that the DNC midterm slogan should simply be “Had Enough?” It appears, at least in the McKinney race, a slogan that blunt and simple has now been shown to work.

  • Although I don’t live in GA-04, I’ve met and spoken with Hank Johnson at a Democratic rally. He is soft-spoken and articulate, and the exact opposite of Cynthia McKinney in that he exudes competence and self-assurance (not arrogance). I wish I was represented by him, but I will feel better about Georgia’s representatives in general with him in office and Cynthia gone.

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