Posted on 09/12/2006 9:22:25 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Rhode Island's independent-minded Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee (news, bio, voting record) confronted stiff opposition Tuesday in his bid for a second term, the latest race with a moderate targeted by his own party's hard-line critics.
Nine states and Washington, D.C., were holding primary elections Tuesday, but Chafee's race has drawn the most attention as another test of the depth of anti-incumbent sentiment and the erosion of the political middle ground.
Chafee has a remarkable amount of support from national Republicans, especially for a senator who has often been at odds with the party, bucking the administration on tax cuts, civil liberties and the Iraq war. He faces Steve Laffey, a former investment banker and mayor of Cranston, R.I.
In Maryland, Democrats were choosing a Senate candidate to go up against Republican Michael Steele, the lieutenant governor. An open House seat in Arizona has drawn a contentious crowd of GOP candidates, as well as several hopefuls on the Democratic side. Minnesota Democrats will pick a candidate for a House seat left open by retiring 14-term Democratic Rep. Martin Sabo.
Many races won't be close, but they will set up important November contests that include Senate seats in Arizona and Minnesota, and the race for governor in Maryland, Minnesota, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. Other states holding primaries are Delaware, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont, while the District of Columbia will select mayoral candidates.
Observers will be eyeing the Rhode Island race to gauge the strength of the anti-incumbency mood. Connecticut's Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman was beaten in the primary by anti-war candidate Ned Lamont, though Lieberman is still running as an independent. Michigan Rep. Joe Schwarz, a moderate Republican targeted by the anti-tax Club for Growth, also was defeated.
Two other incumbents lost primaries in the last two months, though both had grown unpopular for their personal behavior — Alaska GOP Gov. Frank Murkowski and Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia.
Chafee himself acknowledged that his race could hinge on turnout in heavily Democratic Rhode Island, saying a low turnout could mean his defeat. His campaign has encouraged Democrats to drop their party registration so they could vote for him.
Chafee has also been targeted by the Club for Growth, a Washington-based group that has tried, not always successfully, to force candidates to vote against taxes. Polls showed Chafee and Laffey running about even.
The battle comes amid a national fight for Congress, with Democrats hoping national dismay with the Bush administration and the GOP-led Congress could boost their efforts to win majorities in the House and Senate.
Democrats need to gain six seats to control the Senate, and Rhode Island's is one of the more vulnerable. Polls have indicated that Laffey would lose the general election to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, a former state attorney general, and a race between Chafee and Whitehouse could go either way.
The fight for Congress also fueled a primary race for an open House seat in southeastern Arizona, where five Republicans and six Democrats jumped in when 11-term GOP Rep. Jim Kolbe (news, bio, voting record), a moderate Republican, announced his retirement.
Candidates have argued about border security, illegal immigration and the war, but the campaign flashed into national view after the National Republican Congressional Committee ran an ad supporting moderate state Rep. Steve Huffman for the seat. Other candidates were furious.
Other races to watch include:
• The New York Democratic primary for attorney general, with former federal Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo — son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo — against Mark Green, the former New York City Public Advocate.
Also in New York, frontrunning Democratic gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer faces a challenge from Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, while Sen. Hillary Clinton was far ahead of anti-war candidate Jonathan Tasini.
• The Maryland Democratic Senate primary, where Rep. Ben Cardin and Kweisi Mfume, a former congressman and one-time head of the NAACP, are among 18 contenders for an open seat. The winner will face Steele, who, if he wins in the fall, would be the Senate's only black Republican.
• The Democratic primary for a House seat in Minnesota in an open, reliably Democratic district which includes Minneapolis. Four candidates are running, including state legislator Keith Ellison, who won his party's backing. If he won, Ellison would be the first Muslim member of Congress.
Sen. Lincioln Chafee, R-R.I., feeds his ballot into the voting machine at the Metcalf Elementary School in Exeter, R.I., Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2006. Chafee, seeking his second full term, is engaged in a heated primary battle with Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey in a race that may have national significance. (AP Photo/Joe Giblin)
The Republican Party would be better off without Mr. Chaffee.
The argument that we may need him in the Senate to maintain control is hogwash. If it were so close that control would switch to the Rats if he changed parties, he would do so in a heartbeat. Hence keeping him in the Senate does absolutely nothing positive.
Election Night is gonna be interesting.
One poll has Laffey up by over 10 points - and another one has Chaffee up by over 10 points.
Who's gonna win tonight? Why?
Anyone?
After looking at that picture, I'm inspired to suggest that Chaffee should marry Pinch Sulzberger and the two of them should go riding off into the sunset together.
I heard Linc likes his opposition stiff.
Vote Laffey.
Candidates have argued about border security, illegal immigration and the war, but the campaign flashed into national view after the National Republican Congressional Committee ran an ad supporting moderate [open borders liberal] state Rep. Steve Huffman for the seat. Other candidates were furious.
Rightly so. Last poll had Graf ahead. Vote Graf.
Go Laffey BTTT
"Tis is how I vote. See meh vote. I put paper in tis' way an' it counts my vote. I um doin' tis fer the chilren."
LOL, here we go. The media has it's spin on a Chafee primary loss all ready to go, to further their "The Republicans are in for it in November" template! No, it's not that we think Chafee has gone too far to the left, it's that we're all chomping at the bit to vote Republicans out of control. No, rather than seeing Chafee does not represent the Republican party, it will be: "Chafee's loss shows how mad people are at Republicans and how bad this election is going to be for the president!" They leave out one small detail: Chafee is about as Republican as Ted Kennedy. Sorry this has nothing to do with "anti-incumbent" sentiment. It is about a guy who has stabbed the GOP and the president in the back too many times now, so much so that even relatively moderate Republicans like me who say you never vote out a GOP incumbent is saying this turd needs to go. And this has nothing to do with the "erosion of the middle ground" in politics, which by the way I wonder if AP used that to describe Ned Lamont's victory over Lieberman. No, Chafee is no moderate. He is a hard core liberal and getting rid of him is about taking out someone on the political extreme just as we would act to take out someone with this guy's views yet who honestly wears the Democratic label. I like how just because he wears the Republican label but has the views of a hardline liberal, that makes him a "moderate" with the Clown Car Media.
The US Congress will get a radical makeover if opposition Democrats win Novembers midterm election. The new Financial Services Committee chairman would be Barney Frank, seen here in March 2006, a liberal activist on social policy issues and one of only a handful of openly gay lawmakers in Congress.(AFP/File/Tim Sloan)
What "personal behavior" brought down Gov Murkowski? Sounds like they are trying to equate him with McKinney!
If Chafee loses it will be quite a blow to "moderate" Republicans. If only we could replace more of them with real conservatives but the trend in the northeast is not good. New Hampshire is about the only state where right leaning Republicans can win.
If Chafee is out, and Rob Simmons and Chris Shays of CT lose in Nov, then New England moves farther and farther to the left. In a few years I think the N.E. states, plus NY, NJ, and Maryland will be like the new "solid south," where the GOP is practically shut out. Pretty sad.
Here's hoping for a Laffey win tonight. Finally get rid of that traitor Chafee.
I hope Laffey wins over Chafee in this Taffey pull.
Can Chaffe run as an independent if he loses like Leiberman?
I agree we'd be better of without him. Appeasing him is ridiculous. I don't believe he'd switch parties.
I'm much happier having Laffey on the ticket and letting him see what he can do. If we can't win with a conservative in R.I., then let R.I. have the Dem leadership they crave.
He said he will support Chafee if Chafee wins. Linc has not reciprocated. Makes sense since he is a Dem in reality...
"The US Congress will get a radical makeover if opposition Democrats win Novembers midterm election. The new Financial Services Committee chairman would be Barney Frank, seen here in March 2006, a liberal activist on social policy issues and one of only a handful of openly gay lawmakers in Congress.(AFP/File/Tim Sloan)"
Liberal leftwing takeover of Congress possible if we don't work hard to defeat Democrats and help Republicans.
Hmmmm.
Broken-glass time, Republicans! Save the Congress!
So, if Chafee wins...we get...Chafee.
If Laffey wins...we get...Whitehouse.
Great choice.
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