NV Primary Preview; New Polls; Congressional candidate arrested; Strickland = Castro?; more
August 15th, 2006
TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE.NEVADA: A PRIMARY DAY WHERE EVEN A DEAD CANDIDATE IS POLITICALLY ALIVE.
Voters go to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in several hotly contested races. In the open gubernatorial contest, Congressman Jim Gibbons will win the GOP primary by a comfortable margin over Lieutenant Governor Lorraine Hunt, State Senator Bob Beers, a porn star, and a frequent candidate. On the Democratic side, State Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus is facing off against Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson. Titus seems to be holding a fairly solid advantage in recent weeks, so look for her to win. In the open race for Lieutenant Governor, State Treasurer Brian Krolicki leads a field of six-GOP hopefuls. The marque race of the day is the GOP primary for the open CD-2 seat being vacated by Congressman Gibbons. Secretary of State Dean Heller, State Assemblywomen Dawn Gibbons and Sharron Angle, and two others are facing off. Gibbons, a conservative, is the wife of the departing incumbent. Heller is a popular GOP centrist who has held statewide office for years. Angle is a conservative backed by a over a $1 million in independent expenditures by the Club for Growth and other groups. Angle started the race at a distant third place, but appears to have the momentum to narrowly win. Finally, the oddest race on the ballot is clearly the open State Treasurer contest, in which state GOP leaders fear a dead person -- the late State Controller Kathy Augustine -- will defeat two live candidates to win the nomination. To avoid this, election officials are posting signs in all precincts announcing Augustine is deceased. The autopsy toxicology report is not yet back, so it is still uncertain whether Augustine died of a purported heart attack on July 11 or was possibly murdered. Her husband, a critical care nurse, remains the top focus of the state police investigation. State GOP leaders appear so certain Augustine will win that they've already scheduled a special meeting for this upcoming Saturday to select a replacement nominee.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.15.06
BY THE NUMBERS: LATEST INDEPENDENT NUMBERS.
COLORADO - GOVERNOR: Former Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter (D) - 48%, Congressman Bob Beauprez (R) - 39%. (Rasmussen Reports).
HAWAII - US SENATE - DEM PRIMARY: US Senator Dan Akaka - 47%, Congressman Ed Case - 45%. (Rasmussen Reports).
MARYLAND - GOVERNOR: Governor Bob Ehrlich (R) - 41%, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley (D) - 41%. (Credit Union Association/Public Opinion Strategies-R).
MARYLAND - CONGRESS - CD-3 - DEM PRIMARY: Attorney John Sarbanes - 34%, Baltimore Health Commissioner Peter Beilenson - 16%, State Senator Paula Hollinger - 14%, TV news reporter Andy Barth - 11%, Others/Undecided - 25%. (Credit Union Association/Public Opinion Strategies-R).
NEVADA - GOVERNOR - GOP PRIMARY: Congressman Jim Gibbons - 47%, State Senator Bob Beers - 25%, Lieutenant Governor Lorraine Hunt - 17%, Others - 3%. (KVBC-TV/SurveyUSA).
NEVADA - GOVERNOR - DEM PRIMARY: State Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus - 57%, Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson - 33%, liberal activist Leola McConnell - 3%. (KVBC-TV/SurveyUSA).
NEVADA - CONGRESS - CD-2 - GOP PRIMARY: State Assemblywoman Sharron Angle - 32%, Secretary of State Dean Heller - 32%, former State Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons - 19%. (Las Vegas Review-Journal/Mason-Dixon).
OKLAHOMA - CONGRESS - CD-5 - GOP RUN-OFF: Lieutenant Governor Mary Fallin - 58%, Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Cornett - 39%. (KFOR-TV/SurveyUSA).
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.15.06
OHIO: CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE ARRESTED, SUSPENDS CAMPAIGN.
Veterinarian Stephanie Studebaker -- the Dem nominee against Congressman Mike Turner (R) in CD-3 -- suspended her campaign Monday after she was arrested on domestic violence charges Sunday night. Police responded to calls about a fight, and observed visible injury marks on both. In response, police ended up arresting both Studebaker and her husband. Both signed complaints against each other, and both were released Monday morning on $25,000 bond apiece. Hours later, her campaign posted a notice on her campaign site: "Due to personal issues, the Studebaker for Congress campaign is suspending all campaign activities for the time being. We ... request that the privacy of our campaign be respected during this time." Turner was already rated a fairly safe bet to win reelection before these developments, but he can now be moved to the new "Super Safe" category.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.15.06
OHIO: BLACKWELL REALLY OVER-REACHES WITH LATEST ATTACK ON DEM.
Two weeks ago, a consultant working with Secretary of State Ken Blackwell's gubernatorial campaign was fired by the Ohio Republican Party for fabricating a rumor that Congressman Ted Strickland (D) was secretly gay. Well, if you thought Blackwell couldn't get more desperate -- as most polls show him running nearly 20-points behind Strickland -- you'd be wrong. Check out this desperate posting on the Blackwell campaign site mockingly comparing Strickland to ... ailing Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Castro??!! The item was posted by Matt Naugle, the campaign staffer who runs the official campaign blog site. With three months to go, and with a well-executed plan like this latest caper, Blackwell still has enough time to alienate nearly all the rest of those voters in the state who still support him.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.15.06
HAWAII: NO COFFEE BOOST FOR ALOHA STATE REPUBLICANS.
Hawaii Republicans' very slim hopes of taking advantage of Democratic Party strife in the US Senate race faded further as motivational speaker Jerry Coffee suspended his campaign. According to the Honolulu Advertiser, Coffee, 72, a former Vietnam prisoner of war and retired Navy captain, suspended his campaign after undergoing heart bypass surgery last week. A statement on Coffee's website states he is expected to make a full recovery. However, Coffee's son and campaign spokesman told the Advertiser that Coffee was unlikely to revive the campaign even if he had a speedy recovery. Coffee was supported by most of the state's prominent Republicans, including Governor Linda Lingle. The five remaining Republicans are virtual unknowns. On the Democratic side, incumbent Senator Dan Akaka continues to face a competitive primary challenge from Congressman Ed Case.
Writer: Steve Urey - 08.15.06
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
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Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.15.06;
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