Posted on 03/16/2014 4:29:54 PM PDT by Din Maker
Democrats are facing their toughest Michigan Senate fight in two decades.
A sour national political climate, a little-known candidate and big spending by conservative outside groups have given Republicans a real shot at winning an open seat and boosted their chances at seizing Senate control.
Republicans had all but written off the Democratic-leaning state last summer after they failed to recruit either Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) or Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) to run, leaving them with former Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land (R) as their nominee.
But President Obama’s dismal poll numbers, millions spent by conservative groups and Land’s high name recognition compared to Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) have given her a small lead in most recent public polling. Land is also building a big campaign warchest, and has $3.4 million to Peters’s $2.9 million. Michigan also behaves a lot more like a swing state in midterm elections than presidential years. “The race is close. It will be close. Off-year elections here are often close,” says Michigan-based pollster Ed Sarpolus.
Some Democrats are nervous.
“This is a national race. If we lose Michigan, it's over for us controlling the Senate,” said one Democrat involved in the race. “This race has become more competitive… We have to take this campaign to a different level now.”
Democrats also worry privately about infighting between the state’s unions, which Democrats rely on more in Michigan than anywhere else, and former Rep. Mark Schauer’s (D-Mich.) struggling gubernatorial campaign.
Most believe the race is still Peters’s to lose, however. No Republican has won a Senate race in Michigan since 1994, and Democrats think Land’s small edge in the polls is due mostly to her position as former statewide official. They say when both sides begin spending in earnest Peters will bounce back.
Americans for Prosperity, a group backed by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch, has already spent $2 million blasting Peters for his ObamaCare support.
Those attacks went unanswered for two months until the pro-Democratic Senate Majority PAC launched $450,000 worth of ads tying Land to the Koch brothers in late February. Democrats admit the ads hurt Peters some in the polls, and served as a wake-up call for donors and activists in the state.
“The Kochs beating up Gary was a big deal,” said the Michigan Democratic strategist. “This race is absolutely in a different place than it was before… For the first time people are saying 'this is going to be more work than we thought.’”
President Obama’s approval rating and ObamaCare’s early struggles are also taking a toll. Obama’s approval rating has hovered slightly above 40 percent in most polls in a state he won by 9 percentage points in 2012.
Peters recently replaced his campaign manager, bringing in Paul Tencher, a well-regarded Democratic tactician who helped Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) pull off his come-from-behind 2012 win.
Tencher, who’s leaving the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, acknowledged the high stakes.
“Michigan is an important state. It's a real middle-class place that Democrats fight for and is essential to our mission,” he told The Hill. “And keeping the majority is a very important thing, not only for Americans but for working-class people here in Michigan.”
Peters has been hitting Land for the Koch ads, attacking her for supporting a new Michigan law that bars insurance companies from covering abortion in most cases, and ripping her for opposing the auto bailout many in Michigan believe helped Michigan avoid major job losses.
Land’s campaign plans to rip Peters for his support of Obama’s priorities, including ObamaCare, climate change legislation and the stimulus.
“The number one thing in Michigan is jobs and the economy, and Congressman Peters's record is riddled with expensive, failed economic policies like the stimulus bill,” says Land spokeswoman Heather Swift. “Terri, as a mom and a small business owner, has the right ideas for Michigan families.
The race could hinge on how well Land presents herself when the race engages in earnest and she comes under closer scrutiny. She has kept a very low profile, mostly avoiding the press, and when she has talked publicly has committed minor gaffes.
“She misspeaks,” Sarpolus said. “For the last several months they have been hiding Terri Lynn Land, they haven't been putting her out there and letting her speak. She has a history of making misstatements.”
Are you about 12?
Terri Land is well known for her integrity and if looks are what you’re interested in, then just maybe you should stick to voting for American Idle candidates.
Per the article, they were attempting to recruit two other candidates to run against her and then wrote the race off when she was only candidate remaining...until she was shown to have good fundraising numbers and was polling well and are now giving the race a second look.
Kind of reminds me of the threads back in 2002 where a bunch of FReepers celebrated the victory of Mary Landrieu in Louisiana because she was better looking in their view than the Republican candidate and that the GOP candidate deserved to lose for supposedly being too ugly.
She’s certainly better by far than Rodgers or Camp. Despite the union organizer who calls her gaffe prone, nobody can remember any serious stumbles.
She comes from the establishment but has been friendly with the tea party and has a reputation for integrity.
There’s more info on the earlier thread.
the GOP can win that seat assuming all of the dead voters don’t show up to vote in November.
You know what happens when you “Assume”?
Wow replacing Combover Carl with a Republican would be awesome.
well not just hoping the dead don’t come back to life, we also need to make sure that half of the NFL is removed from the lists,along with every registered park bench,tree,squirrel and stray dog in Michigan.
Spending money in Michigan is probably not something the Democrats thought they would be doing. Even if we don’t win it this could take money away from more reasonable races in swing states.
The MI race is not a Primary. It will be the General Election in November.
Well, Cen-Tejas, put your pic on here and let us see how pretty you are. LOL... j/k. She’s not gorgeous but she’s not “dog-ass” ugly either. Here’s some more info for you.
What? I can’t ever remember Mary Landrieu looking better than anybody. If I had a dog that looked like her, I’d shave it’s butt and teach him to walk backwards.
“And, OMG, she is no Sarah Palin in the looks department either. “
Neither am I.
.
the GOP can win that seat assuming all of the dead voters don’t show up to vote in November.
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Well, now that Detroit is bankrupt and the population has dropped to nothing but about 400,000 crack heads, crack HOs and Welfare Queens, I don’t think Detroit is much of a threat. I think the new White Mayor is on top of things like voter fraud.
Speak of the devil. This Article, about Gary Peters, Dem Senate candidate in Michigan, just posted tonight:
The War on Julie Boonstra and other cancer victims who criticized ObamaCare.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3134023/posts
The crackdown on vote fraud is a result of the Secretary of state and Attorney general. The white mayor of Detroit (Mike Duggan) has benefited from the crackdown because the powers that be did try to keep him out.
.......Let us set aside the ‘integrity’ issue you raise and assume arguendo that you are correct about it and this woman does have all the integrity you allege. Ok fine, “integrity” is indeed a great qualifier to be a senator, though rarely practiced, but it was not part of my comments and was not what I was concerned with in my comments tonight. Excuse me for being unclear. I will try a little harder.
What I AM concerned with is sir that too many people in the U.S. with your “apparent” views don’t “get it” and some of us believe that some just never will.....and, after having been had for decades, this time, we just want to focus all our efforts on electing a TRUE CONSERVATIVE to each seat resulting in a strong conservative Senate and NOT a senate populated with a group of spineless/clueless followers of the likes of Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid! This means taking a real, real HARD look at each candidate.
Now, namely, in my opinion, the most important thing a true conservative is looking for in a candidate is INNER STRENGTH, CORE CONSERVATIVE BELIEFS, CORE CONVICTIONS and most of all a strong, strong appearing candidate in November, attractive enough on the issues (and looks) to all groups yes, but particularly one that true conservatives will show up and support so we can throw Harry Reid out. Remember 2012.
Unfortunately, I don’t see anything in my five minute reading of Lynn’s resume tonight on Wiki to suggest or that is encouraging to any reader (i.e. an interested voter) that she is a Ted Cruz a Sarah Palin, a Mike Lee, Trey Gowdy, the recently elected Mr. Jolly, a Gov. Walker and on and on.
Regarding my comments on her looks, and ignoring your silly observation about American Idle, which I have never seen one minute of, “looks” are important in a candidate whether male or female. This particular womans “looks” do not score her any points or make her a stronger candidate. If you think “looks” is unimportant then we must agree to disagree.
I respectfully suggest that you point out some links to me to prove me wrong. I may be wrong about her and hope I am because I want all 33 Republican candidates to be strong, strong so they can save this country from the brink it is on. An ingredient in that effort though is for all of us, in my opinion, to dispense with PCbs and say what we think.
In the meantime, thank you for commenting on my post tonight.
Don’t bother, I don’t respect your kind enough to give it further thought.
You may go worry about your own state.
Vote fraud is very cheap to invoke.
"Delirious Debbie" must be crazy for Obamacare---
so proud when hubby was present at the signing.
John Dingell (right) looks on approvingly as Obama signs
"The Big Effin' Deal" (now known as "The Big Effin" Debacle").
Mrs Dingell baring it all in voluptuous red taxpayers
bought for her........to no avail, hubby can hardly walk.
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