Posted on 01/24/2009 9:21:59 AM PST by Raider Sam
NEW YORK – The departure of four sitting Democratic senators this year has cast a new — and at times, unflattering — light on the nation's governors and their outsize power to fill Senate vacancies. While governors must call a special election to replace members of the House who resign or die before their term is up, 38 states allow governors the sole power to appoint an interim senator, according to the National Council of State Legislatures. Just nine states require a special election to fill a Senate vacancy. In three other states — Hawaii, Utah and Wyoming — governors must select a candidate from a list of prospective appointees submitted by representatives of the departing incumbent's political party. Choosing a new senator has led to considerable drama for the four governors tasked with doing so this year. All have weathered some level of opprobrium for their choices or for how they handled the selection, with one — Rod Blagojevich of Illinois — facing criminal charges for trying to barter President Barack Obama's former seat for cash and favors.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The leftist media is in a tizzy because their choice of blue blood liberal royalty has not been annointed to the positions of their choosing.
Oh poor overpriviledged Caroline Kennedy, how while the fantasy legacy live on?!
"Politically, the choices made by the governors so far have been pretty odd," said Seth Masket, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Denver.Most recently, New York Gov. David Paterson... announced Friday he had selected Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, a moderate from the upstate region. But even that choice produced its share of grumbling.
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, citing Gillibrand's opposition to gun control, vowed to challenge her in the 2010 Democratic primary, or to find another candidate to do so. McCarthy came to Congress after her husband was killed and son wounded during a shooting rampage on the Long Island Railroad in 1993.
"Gillibrand seems fine for her district, but this is a state where liberals can actually win statewide," Masket said. "It's not clear why the governor wouldn't pick someone more liberal."
Translation: The picks weren't liberal enough for the AP.
Yeah, and maybe Paterson isnt as liberal as Spitzer or other NYC Dems. And maybe he thinks he needs upstate to win an election. Or, maybe he thinks upstate deserves a Senator (that was Hillary’s slogan, right?).
Anyway, Im just happy to watch the other side eat their own for a change.
You are correct. The left is upset because Patterson happened to pick someone that actually believes guns aren’t as evil as many liberals and might even want to protect our borders from illegals crossing it. That can not be allowed by the left. I live in NY and I have never heard of Gillibrand so I have no idea what she is really like. However, I think the left is a little too theatrical in their protests.
The departure of four sitting Democratic senators this year has cast a new -- and at times, unflattering -- light on the nation's governors and their outsize power to fill Senate vacancies. While governors must call a special election to replace members of the House who resign or die before their term is up, 38 states allow governors the sole power to appoint an interim senator, according to the National Council of State Legislatures. Just nine states require a special election to fill a Senate vacancy. In three other states -- Hawaii, Utah and Wyoming -- governors must select a candidate from a list of prospective appointees submitted by representatives of the departing incumbent's political party. Choosing a new senator has led to considerable drama for the four governors tasked with doing so this year. All have weathered some level of opprobrium for their choices or for how they handled the selection, with one -- Rod Blagojevich of Illinois -- facing criminal charges for trying to barter President Barack Obama's former seat for cash and favors.
I think that the bottom line here is that there are four 'Rat seats that might well be vulnerable in 2010 because they will be either "open" or will lack entrenched big-name 'Rat incumbents. Since mid-term elections generally favor the party out of the WH anyhow, the GOP will have more opportunities in the Senate elections in 2010.
Please see my post # 7.
The governor’s mansion in Michigan will be getting someone new in 2010 — probably not Cherry, the LG, who’s succeeding Jenny Grandstand.
And that’s why the leftist media is in a tizzy
That's cause no one cares about that outdated nonsense.
Appointees should only be able to serve for a few months until a special election is held. Almost 2 full years is too long for unelected Senators to hold office.
The Senate is tough. The GOP could even lose seats due to what seats are up and open. Hopefully there will be at least a little wind at our backs to prevent this.
2 of the 4 appointed seats do top the target list.
Colorado and Illinois (where we need to make sure Burris wins the primary)
The other 2 may or may not be competitive. Gillibrand is a tough match for King. Republicans need to “roll” upstate to even come close to winning.
Biden’s spawn will run in Delaware. RINO Congressman Mike Castle is likely the only one who could beat him.
Anyone who has looked at the history does.
You seriously want corrupt state legislators picking Senators instead of the voters?
You’ll see the Blagojevich scandal played out from coast to coast
Winning two of the four wouldn’t be bad. Sure beats losing all four, which would have been the likely result if these seats hadn’t changed hands.
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