Thursday, January 25, 2007

Iowa's political glass ceiling

Iowa's political glass ceiling

Women Not Winning In Iowa, the lecture. Does not reference current holders of congressional seats. Or senators from New York (details of that Cedar Rapids visit still TBA)... So let's look deeper at 2008:

  • GOP: I'm digging through my brain and not coming up with an Iowa Republican woman congressional candidate. This thing works both ways, ya know.
  • Senate: Harkin is clearly up and running again.
  • Districts 1 and 2: Braley and Loebsack brand new.
  • District 4: While he's not prohibitive or presumptive at this point, Selden Spencer is making another bid.
  • District 5: Joyce Schulte has made two bids on this tough turf, which could open up in `08 if Krazy King runs for Senate. Instinctively I I think this would cultrally be the hardest district for a woman - even a Republican - to win, but it hasn't been close enough to make a difference.

    That leaves the 3rd, with an aging incumbent who only won by five or six points in a banner year for Dems. Looks like the strongest potential chance to me, be it `08, `10, or reshuffle the map `12...

    Leach to alma mater Princeton thus once and for all killing my UI president theory. Still, I hope he finds time to write a book; he'd likely have some interesting things to say about the current state of his party. Would likely get national attention as the anti-Zell Miller.

    Iowa Senate approves minimum wage increase 40-8. Jim Hahn, the last Republican Senator representing a sliver of Johnson County, was a no. Hahn was one of the walk-out of the caucus, right-wing Stewie Iverson allies post-election.

    Nationally, Kos looks at the calendar and New Hampshire not being with the program.

    Ultimately, New Hampshire only has as much power as the presidential candidates give it.

    What better way to show the rest of the country that they can lead and show strength than by standing up to New Hampshire's blackmail?


    Same thing I've been saying. If the candidates boycott an unauthorized pre-window primary, it's a tree falling in the forest with no one listening.

    And the real story behind the Kerry withdrawal comes out: The "The Money Just Wasn't There".
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