Free Republic

EAST LANSING - Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Republican challenger Dick DeVos jostled over jobs and taxes, stem cell research and public safety in the first of three televised debates. With the election barely five weeks away, the 60-minute showdown offered voters clear contrasts as they focus on who should lead the state for the next four years. Polls show it is a very close race. DeVos offered Michigan's highest-in-the-nation jobless rate as evidence of the need for change. "The atmosphere is clearly not here for job creation. That's why we need leadership," he said. Granholm said the state has...

The growing power of Latino voters, the state's stark east-west social divide and the skyrocketing number of absentee voters have changed California's political landscape, a new Field Institute study shows. Voters already are seeing the results of those changes. The barrage of political mail has started arriving earlier, and partisan TV spots are interrupting programs long before election day. Latino voters are seeing an explosion of Spanish-language political advertising, while candidates are using very different messages to attract votes in Oakland than they are in Riverside. Although these trends have been visible in recent voting, their long-term effects have for...

Wallace to run for Baxley's job Friday, June 24, 2005 By SALLIE OWEN Capital Bureau MONTGOMERY -- Public Service Commissioner George Wallace Jr., son of two previous governors, said he is running for lieutenant governor in the Republican primary next June. A recent survey indicates he has unusually high support among labor and minority voters for a GOP candidate, so Wallace said he would "strengthen the party's ticket." Despite the position's reduced influence, Wallace, 53, said there is room for him to make an impact. "The lieutenant governor can be more proactive and innovative," he said. The office's primary duty...

Terry, a nationally known abortion opponent and spokesman for Terri Schiavo's parents this year, is scheduled to announce today he will run to unseat King next year. He had previously announced he was considering a run. Terry says the district has no room for moderation and that he can better represent Republican principles. "I want a smaller government, lower taxes and more respect of life and marriage," he said Tuesday. King helped lead a group of nine Republican senators who blocked a bill aimed at saving Schiavo, sealing the brain-damaged woman's fate. She died March 31, and autopsy results released...

'A rousing revival of "Johnny B. Goode" swept through a third floor ballroom at the Westin Copley hotel Friday night, as Senator John F. Kerry asked 200 of his volunteers to use their enthusiasm for his presidential campaign to volunteer for other Democrats in Massachusetts. "We did an amazing job -- you did an amazing job -- and I want you to leave here today convinced that if we keep on working, keep on fighting, keep on organizing, and keep on caring nobody has to redefine the Democratic Party," said the unsuccessful presidential candidate, to cheers and digital camera flashes....

Here is the letter I just sent to David Limbaugh on the subject of "Where do we go from here?" I'll let you know how/if he responds. Chris Dear Mr. Limbaugh, I don't want to seem like one of those people who don't know how to win, but I see a major effort going on by liberal Democrats in both parties to mischaracterize the real significance of last Tuesday. I suspect that Hillary is dancing for joy, anticipating a run against a "moderate" Republican in 2008. If Guiliani runs, the Republican Party insiders will have a harder time trying to...