Will Batcher Save Boswell's Bacon?

Ed Fallon may have cost his old nemesis Leonard Boswell a few write in votes this week, but another candidate, actually on the ballot, may save Boz's bacon.

Under-reported in the recent statistical tie poll showing Boswell and Tom Latham tied at 45% was the 7% that went to independent Scott Batcher, a tea partier who pulled an insignificant share of the vote in the old 3rd CD GOP primary in 2010. That's gotta be coming 95%+ out of Latham's numbers. (SФCIALIST ШФЯКЗЯ DAVID ЯФSЭИЬЗЯG ЩAS ЙУЭT polled.)


Still, I feel like we're going to come out of this election with a delegation of Braley, Loebsack, Vilsack... and Latham.

Not every poll can be believed. Take for example this interesting chart of Senate races ranked. Mostly legit, but Tennessee shows incumbent Bob Corker up by only three. That's... gotta be an outlier. With a field of many unknown Some Dudes, Democrats inadvertently nominated certifiable loon Mark Clayton, a member of a right wing hate group who the Tennessee Dems denounced immediately.

The Senate Republicans once denounced Todd "Legitimate Rape" Akin... but he called their bluff and the withdrawal deadline is safely past as of yesterday. I don't know what's less surprising: the GOP's post-deadline reversal, or Democrat Claire McCaskill immediately launching the "legitimate rape" ads she had loaded and ready.

As for choice in the Carroll area, voters have a "choice" between "pro-life" Dem incumbent Dan Muhlbauer, who will concede to rape/incest exceptions, and Republican Barney Bornhoft, who will not. Just once I want to hear a candidate say "life begins when the woman damn well says it does."

In other candidate forums, we saw multiple races (few competitive and some uncontested) in Dubuque, Dem incumbent Helen Miller in a rematch with Republican Matt Alcazar in Ft. Dodge's House 9, and Dem Rep. Nate Willems and Republican Dan Zumbach in top tier Senate 48.