This is a big deal.  Remember, this is Rhode Island.

Coaty defeated Cicilline 872 to 511, with 53 mail ballots still to be counted, in the race in Newport’s District 75, according to preliminary results from Newport’s Board of Canvassers

While long-time Newporter Cicilline supported expanding the sales tax to more goods and cautioned against cuts that would harm the disadvantaged, newcomer Coaty emphasized that he would seek to cut state spending and would not raise any taxes.

“We got our message out. People in the city of Newport are very concerned about the state of the fiscal crisis that we are facing,” he said, adding that residents “are sick and tired of one-party rule.”

The Providence Journal

I hope he’s right.  They’ve got their work cut out for them.

CAROLINE COUNTY, VA. — State Del. Rob Wittman won Virginia’s 1st Congressional District Republican nomination Saturday in a heated and sometime raucous party convention to replace the late Rep. Jo Ann Davis. Wittman claimed victory in the 6th round of balloting, after conservative anti-tax activist Paul Jost conceded.

Jost had led through all five rounds of balloting, but a late endorsement by Davis’ husband, retired firefighter Chuck Davis, helped push Wittman over the top. Davis entered the convention as one of the leading candidates.

The Politico

I am disappointed in this result. Jost was the Club for Growth endorsed candidate and a strong anti-tax conservative. This is a Republican district so I think he would have been easily electable. I don’t know anything about Wittman, however, so he may be fine. I’m not judging him by any means, but Jost was my preference for this race. This election is December 11th.

Like Beltway Democrats, Governor Ted Kulongoski and his legislature wanted to broaden eligibility for Oregon’s “Healthy Kids” Schip program to 300% of the federal poverty level. They would also allow all families to opt in, regardless of income, though higher earners wouldn’t get subsidies. Again like Congress, Salem intended to pay for the expansion with cigarette taxes, which would increase to $2.02 from $1.18 a pack. That would be one of the highest state tobacco levies in the nation.

Democrats couldn’t dredge up the three-fifths approval required for a tax increase in the legislature, so they kicked the expansion over to the ballot. And already, Measure 50’s defeat is being blamed on $12 million in advertising by Big Tobacco. “What happened was, the tobacco industry bought the election,” Governor Kulongoski declared yesterday.

We’re surprised the Governor thinks voters in his left-leaning state are so easily gulled–especially in a contest between “healthy kids” and cigarettes. More persuasive is the notion that voters didn’t want to pass a state tax increase to finance a health-care expansion that Congress might soon pass, along with buckets of federal dollars. But most likely, voters understood that a tax increase on cigarettes is still a tax increase, and a highly regressive one at that. Only about 20% of Oregonians smoke, and most of those are lower income.

They may also have figured that to the extent tobacco taxes reduce smoking, they will soon not yield enough revenue to pay for ever-growing health costs. An analysis by William Conerly, a member of Governor Kulongoski’s own Council of Economic Advisors, found that a straight Schip expansion funded by a tobacco tax was unsustainable, with costs exceeding revenues by $115 million by 2017.

Wall Street Journal

That last paragraph is something that the Socialists on Capitol Hill never mention, but is common sense if you think about it for a minute or two. Raising taxes on cigarettes will eventually produce less smokers so what do we do at that point, when there are no longer enough smokers to fund the program and most of America’s kids are then addicted to the gubmint health care? The answer is easy. It will be another whopping tax increase on all of us, not just those who smoke.

You have to give the land of Hippie-dom some credit for having a little bit of sense anyway. They rejected this measure two to one.

Ballard, a 52-year-old retired lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps, didn’t have much money and didn’t have the support of party insiders or the business community. But he had something better: votes.

 

With votes from nearly all of the city’s 917 precincts tallied, Ballard was ahead by almost four percentage points. Peterson called him shortly before 10:30 p.m. to concede.

Only a few months ago, Peterson was expected to cruise to an easy re-election to a third term. But voter anger about rising taxes and crime blew massive change into the City-County Building, from the mayor’s office to the council, where Republicans also recaptured the majority they lost four years ago.

 

The repudiation by voters sent shock waves through Democrats who thought they had built an unbeatable majority in Marion County, and revived a county Republican Party that had been declared all but dead by some political insiders.

 

The Indianapolis Star

Wow, this is unbelievable.  Not only did the Republicans win the mayoralship, they also practically swept the City Council.  They now have a 17 to 12 majority.  The best part is all of those local party hacks who wrote Ballard off will now be kissing his bum.

10:08 PM EST - The AP has announced Governor Haley Barbour as the winner in his bid for reelection in Mississippi.  The entire Republican slate of statewide offices is winning handily, with the exception of Attorney General where incumbent Democrat Jim Hood is cruising to reelection.

9:47 PM EST - Pittsburgh blew it like always. With 76% of precincts reporting, Ravenstahl leads 64% to 34%. We can call that one. It’s all over.

9:39 PM EST - Indianapolis, with 82% of precincts reporting, Republican Ballard is leading Democrat Incumbent Mayor Peterson 50% to 47%. That is going to be a nail biter.

9:25 PM EST - Pittsburgh, with 55% of precincts reporting, Ravenstahl is leading DeSantis 63% - 35%. DeSantis is not going to win.

9:23 PM EST - In Mississippi, Governor Haley Barbour is leading his Democrat challenger 62% - 38%

9:15 PM EST - I just heard on the radio that the Associated Press has declared Republican Mayor Pat McCrory the victor in his reelection to his seventh term as Charlotte’s mayor.

8:58 PM EST - In Pittsburgh, Ravenstahl has now widened his lead to 61% with DeSantis at 36%.

8:42 PM EST - In Pittsburgh, Democrat Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is leading Republican challenger Mark DeSantis 53% to 44%

8:41 PM EST - In Indianapolis with 63% of the vote in, Republican mayoral challenger Greg Ballard is beating incumbent Democrat Mayor Bart Peterson 53% to 47%. That’s a welcome surprise.

8:20 PM EST - In Charlotte, Republican Pat McCrory is pummeling Democrat Beverly Earle in the Mayoral race. It appears that McCrory is going to successfully win a 7th term as Charlotte mayor. Did you hear that Pittsburgh?? We have a REPUBLICAN MAYOR IN CHARLOTTE!

8:15 PM EST - In Kentucky, WHAS 11 News has already declared Democrat Steve Beshear as the winner of the gubernatorial race, which was predictable. Ernie Fletchner was very unpopular and if the GOP had ousted him in the primary we may have been able to hold it. The Louisiana victory will cancel this out.

BATON ROUGE –In a campaign that had the air of both inevitable and the historical, Bobby Jindal was elected governor Saturday, claiming the electoral prize that eluded him four years ago.

By winning more than 50 percent of the primary vote against a field of 12 candidates, Jindal became the first candidate to win an open gubernatorial seat since Louisiana adopted its nonpartisan primary system in 1975. Buddy Roemer was elected governor in 1987 when incumbent Edwin Edwards dropped out after trailing in the primary. Jindal also is the first member of an ethnic minority to become the state’s chief executive since Reconstruction.

The 36-year-old Jindal becomes the nation’s youngest governor and the first chief executive of any state who is of Indian-American descent. When he officially takes over from Gov. Kathleen Blanco in January he will be the second-youngest person to serve in that office after Huey P. Long, who was 35 when voters first elected him in 1928.

Times-Picayune

An expected and a deserved victory. Louisiana is definitely turning around. They are throwing out the corrupt politics of the old Democrat guard and ushering in a new era. If anyone can turn that place around it’s Jindal.

In making his announcement, Black said his decision to run for the seat is based on the strong support and urging of many friends in the First Congressional District of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The 1st Congressional District seat became available with the tragic passing of Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis, Virginia’s first female representative in the U.S. Congress.

Black is a decorated Marine who headed the Pentagon’s Army Criminal Law Division where he was responsible for military justice throughout the Army. In 1998, Black was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. During his four terms, he authored key legislation including: Providing $200 Million to build highway interchanges, expanding heart and lung coverage under Workers’ Comp, prohibiting abortions on minors without their parent’s consent, expanding 2nd Amendment rights, and tightening bail for sexual predators.

Black is considered one of Virginia’s most consistently conservative members of the General Assembly. He served on Committees on Courts, Transportation, Education, and Elections and helped elect over 30 Public Officials to House, Senate and local offices throughout Virginia–including three Delegates in the 1st Congressional District.

Black For Congress ‘07

Not being from Virginia I have never heard of the guy, but he has some pretty solid ratings from conservative groups out there.

100% Rating: National Assn. of Independent Business
100% Rating: Family Foundation
100% Rating: Fairfax County Taxpayers Association
A+ Rating: National Rifle Association

• National Right to Work: America’s Top Legislator of the Year, 2003
• Family Foundation: Northern Virginia Legislator of the Year, 2003
• Christian Coalition: Chairman, Northern Virginia 1993-95
• Brent Society: Distinguished Legislator of 2006–“for constant and courageous defense of innocent human life, the sanctity of marriage, and the traditional family.”
• Church of the Valley: American Eagle Award for 2007–”for bold defense of family values.”
• Tax Payers Pledge: Signed it and kept it. Delegate Black never voted for a single tax in eight years.

H/T to Red State

Congressman Bobby Jindal is a model of fresh thinking on health care reform. His plan is bold yet coherent, his action items are doable, and his results would be the real change that Louisiana needs. Jindal’s message is one that should be part of campaigns across the country, including the race for the White House.

Congressman Jindal recently unveiled nine pages outlining his agenda to make high quality health care more available and affordable for the people of Louisiana. Nine pages. Too many candidates barely have nine words on their campaign website. Too few pro-actively talk about how to improve health care. And this is on an issue of central importance to voters everywhere.

Ouachita Citizen

There is way too much here for me to really summarize, but I have read over Jindal’s proposal and it’s not bad. While I would really like to keep the government out of this issue, I think it will take government to remove government. As Gingrich points out this is not an issue the Republicans can ignore any longer.

No, we do not have a health care crisis in this country, but Democrats learned a long time ago that if you repeat something enough times, people will start to believe it, true or not, so we must address it.

Meanwhile, National Republican Congressional Committee head Tom Cole declared Ogonowski’s close call a moral victory, arguing that Ogonowski “sent a message to the Washington establishment and Democratic party that will reverberate throughout next year’s election.

“Democrats have officially forfeited the mantle of change,” Cole said in a statement. “Jim’s hard-fought, grassroots campaign exposed a shift in the political tide, and most impressively, he did it in the bluest of blue states.

“He proved that a Republican challenger, who centers their campaign on the core issues of lower taxes, less government spending, respect for the rule of law, and most importantly, the issue of bringing change to Washington, can effectively garner votes from independents and swing voters.”

Politico

Isn’t that what we have been saying all along?  More importantly, Ogonoswki ran on a message of Washington being broken no matter who is in charge and he wasn’t afraid to place guilt on his own Republican Party when necessary.  He really ran as more of a non-partisan independent candidate with a goal of fixing Washington.  Unless his showing was a fluke, he showed the GOP how to win next year, even in hostile New England territory.

The results are here.

Very close race and that in itself is somewhat of a victory. In the current environment it shouldn’t have even gotten this close, especially in a state like Massachusetts.

With 100% reporting:

Tsongas 51%

Ogonowski 45%

The SEIU just began running the ad below against Jim. We need your help to send a shock to the system. Donate. Volunteer.

A poll just released by WBZ-TV shows that the race in the Fifth Congressional District is surprisingly close, with Democrat Niki Tsongas up only 10 percent over Republican Jim Ogonowski.

Republicans have been trumpeting the Oct. 16 election as their first chance in years to gain back a congressional seat, but this is the first sign that they are within range and could trigger attention from the national parties.

Boston Globe

This is exciting news.  I really hope Ogonowski wins this race.  He is hands down the better candidate.  In my opinion, the only reason Tsongas is even slightly ahead is because she is running on her husband’s name.  People shouldn’t vote based on that, but many do.  I’ve seen it before.

The Republican front-runner, Jim Ogonowski, is a candidate with a compelling life story that has attracted national attention to the race and brought in money from around the country. The district also has a strong Republican history and one of the most conservative electorates in the state. And for the first time in six years, a Republican congressional candidate in Massachusetts does not have to contend with the power of incumbency.

US Representative Martin T. Meehan, who held the seat for 14 years, created the vacancy when he announced in March that he was resigning to become chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

“Open seats in Massachusetts are extremely rare, and an open seat where Republicans are competitive is even rarer,” said Torkildsen, now chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party.

The GOP has been updating its e-mail list with plans to mobilize volunteers to hold signs, knock on doors, and work the phones.

“We think it’s an opportunity for us,” Torkildsen said. “There’s no such thing as an easy Republican win in Massachusetts, but it’s definitely going to be a competitive race.”

Boston Globe

I really like this Ogonowski and I hope he can pull this off.  He’s about the only one who could, and I think he probably would if there was not so much animosity toward this current administration.

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