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Posts with the tag VIRIGNIA

US Senator Charles Schumer's Letter: Obama and Details on the 2008 Races in Battleground States, from Democrat Perspective

By Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor New Mexico Sun News - Sep 6th, 2008 at 2:22 pm EDT

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Here is something I am absolutely certain of: The only reason we're poised to achieve once-in-a-lifetime change in the Senate is because our grassroots - people just like you - have done everything we've asked to give the DSCC all the campaign resources we need to execute our proven campaign plan.

For that, you have my deep, sincere thanks. And if we elect that filibuster-proof majority in November, you'll have the gratitude of an entire nation.

Let me tell you where we stand.

There are 11 battleground states. [OREGON, ALASKA, COLORADO, NEW MEXICO, MINNESOTA, KENTUCKY, NORTH CAROLINA, VIRIGNIA, MISSISSIPPI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND MAINE]

And that doesn't even count the five other states just on the horizon that we'll all be talking about on Election Day. Here are just a few examples of the success we're seeing this cycle.

Democrat Tom Udall holds a commanding lead in New Mexico. In fact, just a few days ago we learned that the NRSC canceled its entire $2.3 million television buy here, essentially conceding the race.

The nation's most vulnerable Republican incumbent, John Sununu, trails Democratic ex-Governor Jeanne Shaheen by 11 points.

Even in a Republican stronghold like North Carolina, two recent polls show Democratic State Senator Kay Hagan pulling even with incumbent Republican Elizabeth Dole.

I know that we can make the most of our opportunity this year because we're using the same proven strategy that took back the Senate in 2006. You're helping us frame the terms of each race, respond to every attack, and directly connect with millions of voters to drive them to the polls.

Thanks to your overwhelming support, the DSCC was able to launch TV ads in North Carolina that exposed Dole as the 93rd most effective senator, undercutting her hollow message of experience and results.

In Colorado, Democrat Mark Udall was under siege by $6 million worth of attack ads paid for by shadowy third-party Republican groups. The DSCC rushed to his defense with ads of our own and now Mark has an impressive lead.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, your contributions support a bigger and better version of the sophisticated voter contact strategy that took back the Senate two years ago. Already this year, we've made more 2.5 million phone calls and knocked on 650,000 doors in our battleground states nationwide.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. All told, the DSCC has already spent $28 million of your money to put us in position for a monster November.

Like I've said before: there is no doubt we are in such a strong position to deliver a filibuster-proof Senate majority entirely because we have you on our side.

Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Chuck Schumer

P.S. We're ahead in 5 races for current Republican seats. But that's only halfway to a truly filibuster-proof majority. We can't get there without your continued support.

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2008 Senate Battlegrounds

Alaska
Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) vs. Sen. Ted Stevens (R)

The corruption scandal sweeping through the Alaska Republican Party has put Ted Stevens - a 7-term incumbent - on the brink of losing his seat in November.

Democrat Mark Begich has opened up a lead in the latest polling, but nobody is under any illusion that this race is over. Alaska has always been a Republican stronghold, and with Governor Sarah Palin on the presidential ticket, the party is sure to be energized to turn out in November.

Begich is doing everything necessary to hold on to his lead. He's raising money and reaching out to voters. Just this week he launched a new ad to drive home his commitment to repeal the disastrous No Child Left Behind law.

Stevens won't let a 40-year career end without a fight, so we won't let up for a second before Election Day. With your help, the DSCC will do everything possible to ensure that Mark Begich wins in November.

Colorado
Rep. Mark Udall (D) vs. Rep. Bob Schaffer (R)

Six months ago, this race was neck and neck. Now, Mark Udall leads by 10 points in the latest Denver Post poll.

What happened? First, Bob Schaffer was discovered to have been the recipient of an all-expense paid tropical vacation from a front group for convicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Then, it was revealed that when he was vice-president of Aspect Energy, he negotiated an oil deal in Iraq that the State Department officials specifically identified as detrimental to stability in Iraq.

Then there were two different DSCC TV ads paid for by grassroots supporters like you. Our investment here is another key reason Udall enjoys a strong position heading into the stretch run.

Colorado will be a battleground state in November, so we're not taking anything for granted in this race. In fact, Udall has already seen more third-party attack ads than any other Democratic candidate this cycle. It's our job to help him fight back.

Kentucky
Bruce Lunsford (D) vs. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R)

No matter how much money Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spends, he can't shake the tough challenge posed by Democratic business leader Bruce Lunsford. McConnell is even getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in help from corporate Republican third-party organizations.

None of it is slowing Lunsford, who is on the air with a devastating straight-to-camera indictment of Republican failures in Washington.

Let's be blunt. It's always tough to beat an entrenched incumbent, but Mitch McConnell has been the man responsible for all of those Republican filibusters blocking progress on health care, energy costs, and the housing crisis. It's critical that he is held accountable in November.

Maine
Rep. Tom Allen (D) vs. Sen. Susan Collins (R)

Republican incumbent Susan Collins likes to portray herself as a voice of Republican moderation, but the truth is that she's been a reliable cheerleader for even the worst of George Bush's policies.

Democrat Tom Allen is ready to hold Collins accountable for her record. He has built a formidable campaign organization and has more than $3 million in the bank for the stretch run. He will have the resources to bring his message of change to Mainers.

Allen and the DSCC have both taken to the airwaves to push Allen's proven record of results. This race is poised for a strong finish.

Minnesota
Al Franken (D) vs. Sen. Norm Coleman (R)

The race between Al Franken and Norm Coleman is a dead heat, and the massive TV blitz has begun. Coleman has launched attack ads against Franken, and corporate special interests are blanketing the state against Franken.

That's why the DSCC has unleashed a striking new ad this week that apes a blockbuster movie trailer to make sure that every Minnesota voter knows Norm Coleman is a classic Bush Republican. We think it's pretty terrific and will break through the noise in this race to get a lot of attention from voters. Take a look and see for yourself.

Mississippi
Gov. Ronnie Musgrove (D) vs. Sen. Roger Wicker (R)

The polls in the race for Trent Lott's old seat are just about as close as they can get. Democrat Ronnie Musgrove and interim Senator Roger Wicker have been trading the lead for months.

Make no mistake. Mississippi is top territory for Democrats. But Republicans always do well in the Deep South, so Musgrove is working hard to persuade independent and even Republican voters. Both sides are blitzing the state with TV ads.

What's going to make the difference in this race? You are. Thanks to your support, the DSCC is already running ads in Mississippi to expose Wicker's sordid record. As long as we can count on you along the way, the DSCC will be able to make the investments necessary to win on Election Day.

This is going to be one of those races - like Montana and Virginia in 2006 - where we win by just a few thousand votes. You helped the DSCC make all the difference before and I know we will do it again.

New Hampshire
Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) vs. Sen. John Sununu (R)

Jeanne Shaheen is another big target for third-party attacks ads. By our count, seven different groups have spent more than $2.5 million trying to drag Shaheen through the mud.

These groups don't have to disclose their donors, so they can't be held accountable. Instead, the DSCC just has to fight back. With our new ad this week targeting John Sununu's dismal record on supporting funding for Medicare, that's exactly what we're doing.

The DSCC's job is to level the playing field when our candidates are under attack, and it's working in New Hampshire. Shaheen has sustained a strong lead in this race, and John Sununu remains the most vulnerable Republican incumbent in the country.

Still, New Hampshire is another presidential battleground state, and John Sununu has a history of taking advantage of dirty political tricks to win. We can't take a moment off if we're going to elect Jeanne Shaheen.

New Mexico
Rep. Tom Udall vs. Rep. Steve Pearce (R)

Democrat Tom Udall holds a solid lead in the latest polling and has more than five times as much campaign cash on-hand as Steve Pearce.

While Udall continues to connect with voters and run TV ads focused on the middle class squeeze, the NRSC has all but given up in this state. They cancelled a $2.3 million planned ad buy and have essentially told Pearce that he's on his own now.

The Washington Post has called a Udall victory a "done deal" and the venerable political handicapper Charlie Cook has declared that Pearce doesn't have a "fighting chance" in November. Very good news for Democrats.

However, the United States Chamber of Commerce - one of the most reliable Republican attack organizations - didn't get the memo and is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads against Udall. We haven't seen much movement in the polls as a result, but the DSCC watches this race every day. You know we'll be ready to support Udall whenever he needs it.

North Carolina
State Sen. Kay Hagan (D) vs. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R)

Senator Dole is scared. We used to call this the sleeper race of the cycle. Now, it's just another terrific opportunity to pick-up a Republican held seat in one of the most closely-watched races in the country.

After trailing by as many as 12 points in recent months, two new polls give Democrat Kay Hagan a slim lead in this race.

The Republicans are launching a major counter-offensive. Dole fired back with her first negative attack against Hagan this cycle. Even the NRSC is spending some of their meager budget attacking our candidate. They will not go down without a fight.

At the DSCC, we always say we can level the playing field for our challengers facing well-financed incumbents. The race in North Carolina is a perfect example. We'll need your help along the way, but you better believe that we'll do everything in our power to defeat Elizabeth Dole in November.

Oregon
Speaker of the State House Jeff Merkley (D) vs. Sen. Gordon Smith (R)

Oregon remains one of the hottest Senate races in the country. Republican incumbent Gordon Smith is clinging to a single-digit lead despite outspending Democrat Jeff Merkley by a wide margin. In fact, in numbers released Wednesday, Smith scored the highest disapproval rating of his career in the Senate.

It really makes for a strong pick-up opportunity, which is why we've already seen the Republicans' third-party friends taking aim at Merkley. Remember, these organizations don't have to disclose their donors and therefore can't be held accountable for the mud they sling.

Again, one of the keys to Democratic victory in this state will be a strong and vibrant investment by the DSCC. We've known Oregon would be a strong pick-up opportunity months ago and we have been airing TV ads statewide week after week since May.

In our latest spot, we are directly responding to Smith's claims last week that he's a strong opponent of the war in Iraq. The DSCC immediately launched a new ad reminding Oregonians that no matter what he says now, Smith supported George Bush's failed Iraq policy for 1,518 days.

In 58 days, we can show Gordon Smith just what we think about that and send him packing. When you make a contribution, winning states like Oregon is exactly where your money goes.

Virginia
Gov. Mark Warner (D) vs. Gov. Jim Gilmore (R)

Mark Warner has maintained a strong, double-digit lead in the polling in this race, and it's easy to see why.

Warner has more than $5 million in campaign cash on hand. Gilmore is nearly broke. Warner has been running TV ads emphasizing his bipartisan record of accomplishment. Gilmore has been reduced to sleazy personal attacks.

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