Oh-fer Four?

The usually smart Smart Politics, one of my favorite spots for political geek numbers trivia, considers the possibility that Iowa Republicans may be shot out in US House races for the first time since... well, since the Whigs and Know-Nothings died.

My bet is still Braley, Loebsack, Vilsack, Latham... and Leonard Boswell did himself no favors by over-reacting to Ed Fallon's bribe claim and endorsement of a write in. Leonard says he's suing, having apparantly never heard of the Streisand effect.

Speaking of oh-fer, the reluctance of Iowa Republicans to play the early voting game is like a baseball manager letting the pitcher go 0 for 4 at the plate because he doesn't like the designated hitter rule. We Iowa Dems have been counting down to Thursday's opening Day of voting for weeks, while this Craig Robinson piece is the first I've seen on the R side. And from the comments it looks like quite a few Republicans are sticking with the early voting = fraud party line of the 2000s decade, and forgetting the excellent vote by mail programs Terry Branstad and Chuck Grassley has in the 1990s. (Sad but true: both those guys are lifetime undefeated.)

Interesting local campaign note: the first forum on the justice center proposal is scheduled for Monday, but it may be an empty chair debate:

Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek and County Attorney Janet Lyness will speak in favor of the justice center. Any group advocating against the plan should call (319) 338-0431, and they will be given time to speak at the forum.

And just for fun: here's where this year's Senate candidates would rank in seniority if elected. But how will this affect me, Al Franken?