How National Dems Sabotage Winnable Races

Wonder why repug congressional candidates seem to breathe fire while your "Democratic" congressional candidates seem so mild and insubstantial a puff of wind would knock them down?

Because that's how the people who run the national "Democratic" funding machines want it to be.

Every congressional district, no matter how red, harbors fire-breathing progressive candidates who might just be able to turn the tide with the power of their passion, but they are locked out of contention by the DCCC and DSCC poohbahs who starve them of money or chase them out of the race.

It's even more inexcusable in swing districts or those with weak repug competition where a decent Democratic candidate could win.

But the national dems don't want to win. They want milquetoast "centrists" who will vote with the money power to keep the money power in, you know, power.

Gaius Publius at Hullabaloo:

Your bottom line, both Senate and House leadership are willing to lose winnable seats. Their real goal — keep real progressives from ever holding office. In other words, they'd rather run money-corrupted, insider-friendly candidates who could easily lose than real populists who might win.

Read the whole thing.

The Real Reason Dems Can't Take Back the House: The Self-Sabotaging DCCC

Bad enough that state legislative Dems allowed repugs to gerrymander congressional districts such that nothing less than 100 percent Democratic voter turnout can elect a Democrat.

But to hand over to repugs without a fight the few swing districts in which real Democratic candidates could win is nothing less than betrayal.

If repugs picked someone to destroy any chance of actual Democratic winning congressional races, they could not have done better than Steve Israel.

Down with Tyranny:

A good red-to-blue program would have strong, progressive candidates running against Republicans in blue-leaning districts. Instead, Israel's personal agenda had him out-right protecting Republicans in many of these districts. These are all districts Democrats should be able to win but that Israel has screwed up-- as he chases impossible districts with revolting Blue Dogs and New Dems in deep red territory.

• NY-02- Peter King (R+1)
• MI-06- Fred Upton (R+1)
• WA-08- Dave Reichert (R+1)
• FL-13- Dave Jolly (R+1)
• FL-27- Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R+2)
• WI-08- Reid Ribble (R+2)
• WI-07- Sean Duffy (R+2)
• MN-03- Erik Paulsen (R+2)
• PA-07- Patrick Meehan (R+2)
• PA-15- Charlie Dent (R+2)
• MI-08- Mike Rogers (retiring) (R+2)
• WA-03- Jaime Herrera Beutler (R+2)
• NY-22- Richard Hanna (R+3)
• CA-25- Buck McKeon (retiring) (R+3)
• WI-01- Paul Ryan (R+3)
• OH-10- Michael Turner (R+3)

In each of these winnable districts Israel has either screwed up the recruiting or refused to back the Democratic candidate-- when there is one. Unless the Democrats win these seats they cannot take back the House. Steve Israel isn't even competing in any of them. His reappointment by Nancy Pelosi after his catastrophic loss in 2012 (while Obama and the Senate Dems slaughtered the Republicans), must have been reason for the Republicans to be popping corks on cartons full of Dom Pérignon.

Israel has been tricking grassroots Democratic donors into sending money to the grotesquely corrupt DCCC in the hope that it would somehow prevent the GOP from impeaching President Obama. Pretty disgusting tactic to use against low-info but sincere Democrats who don't know what a scumbag Israel is! Instead of helping with impeachment, the money is being wasted on the horrible Red to Blue candidates with no chance to win. Tell me which of these districts is as good a bet as the districts Israel is aggressively ignoring up top:

• NE-02- Brad Ashford (R+4)
• MI-01- Jerry Cannon (R+5)
• IN-02- Joe Bock (R+6)
• MT-AL- John Lewis (R+7)
• AR-02- Patrick Henry Hays (R+8)
• OH-06- Jennifer Garrison (R+8)
• KY-06- Elisabeth Jensen (R+9)
• ND-AL- George Sinner (R+10)
• WV-02- Nick Casey (R+11)
• AR-01- Jackie McPherson (R+14)
• WV-01- Glen Gainer (R+14)
• AR-04- James Lee Witt (R+15)

And these are basically a bunch of garden variety conservatives with not an ounce of courageousness between them. It's a stretch to even call most of these candidates "Democrats." Many are anti-Choice, pro-NRA and anti-LGBT and the whole bunch of them are corporate shills who would be-- were they to win (none of them will)-- on the wrong side of the battle lines between the 1% and normal American families.

So, yes, Israel has been on track to having the worst batting average of any DCCC chairman in history. That makes perfect sense, since he clearly is the worst DCCC chairman in history. But to be able to argue otherwise after the debacle in November, he's slipped in a few ringers. Ringers? Yes, these are Democrats running in blue districts replacing Democrats who are leaving Congress. I'm saying they don't deserve support (Pat Murphy running to replace Bruce Braley certainly does), but that they have nothing to do with Red-to-Blue except to make the decrepit program look better when most of Israel's wretched actual Red-to-Blue recruits are defeated in November.

• IA-01- Bruce Braley (D+5)
• ME-02- Mike Michaud (D+2)
• NY-04- Carolyn McCarthy (D+3)

And this is a good place to mention CA-31, the D+5 Inland Empire district that Israel screwed up in 2012 and handed to a Republican, Gary Miller, who knew he could never be reelected so decided to retire this year. Israel's pick for the race is a shady conservative ex-bank lobbyist, Pete Aguilar, who not only is a disguised Republican but has already endorsed a right-wing Republican against a Democrat in the neighboring district. Another great Steve Israel recruit (for John Boehner).

What the DINOs are Buying in KY-6

We're all already sick of the campaign ads here in Central Kentucky, and we've got 52 days to go.

But while you're watching Ben Cowardly Worm Chandler's ads, remember who's paying for them, and why.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is supposed to help get more Democrats elected to Congress.  But it's ignoring big, fat repug targets like Paul Ryan who have strong progressive opponents and instead spending your donations defending repug-lite Blue Dogs like ol' Cowardly Worm.

Down with Tyranny:

And, I'm afraid, a good portion of the DCCC targets this cycle-- carefully chosen by corrupt "ex"-Blue Dog Steve Israel, have opponents who are unworthy of support from anyone who cares about making progress in America. Many of their Frontline candidates, incumbents in trouble because Democrats don't want to support them because of their basically GOP voting records, define all that's wrong with the Democratic Party, from Blue Dogs John Barrow (GA), Jim Matheson (UT), Larry Kissell (NC), Ben Chandler (KY) and Mike McIntyre (NC) to reactionary fellow travelers Bill Owens (NY), Mark Critz (PA) and Ron Barber (AZ). They all have horrendous voting records and no one should consider voting for any of them without reading those records and seeing how often they back the Republican and corporate agendas.

Among Cowardly Worm's many repug votes you can count the one in favor of the anti-woman Stupak amendment that nearly derailed health care reform, and the one supporting the repugs' despicable false charges against Attorney General Eric Holder.

Back in July, Down with Tyranny wrote this:

Yesterday Sam Stein blew the whistle on how the DCCC has "favored" the worst Democrats in Congress. If you're a regular DWT reader you're well aware of the overall narrative: the DCCC recruits and finances conservatives and discourages and starves progressives. We've mentioned it... frequently. In fact, it's gotten even worse since "ex"-Blue Dog Steve Israel took over the committee and has systematically gone forward institutionalizing a policy Rahm Emanuel put in place in 2006 and that lapsed slightly when Chris Van Hollen ran the show-- but just slightly. Now, however, it's full steam ahead.

SNIP

If you want to contribute to the DCCC, at least be aware what you're throwing your money away on. And if you'd like to support progressive Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt type Democrats, like David Gill and Patsy Keever, mentioned above, you can do it directly through ActBlue, where the DCCC doesn't rake off a cut for themselves.

The DCCC is not giving a dime to Proud Obama-Supporting Democrat Bill Adkins in Kentucky's Fourth District Open Seat. Yes, it's a red district and the repug is a teabagger backed by a teenaged billionaire from Texas,  but the Fourth elected a Democrat to Congress in 1998, 2000 and 2002. The Fourth has the Real Democratic candidate it needs; some national encouragement could make all the difference.

Help Bill Adkins put on the air a campaign ad that will make you proud to support him.



As opposed to this, which is just depressing the shit out of everybody:

DCCC Trying to Lose the Election

Wondering if your local Democratic congressional candidate is as progressive as she claims? Worried she'll join the Blue Dogs and start voting with the repugs as soon as she's sworn in?

Here's an easy test to find out: if she's getting financial support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, you can be sure you've got a reliable Boehner-voter on your hands.

Down with Tyranny, which covers this issue like a blanket:

This week the DCCC was bragging how they are continuing "on offense since Congressman Paul Ryan was named to lead the Republican ticket, launching new automated phone calls to expose 50 vulnerable Republicans for backing Ryan’s budget that ends Medicare." Here's a sample call:

Hi. This is Julie calling from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to alert you to a new development about Medicare.

Your Congressman, [insert Republican freak's name], voted for a budget that would end Medicare and now the budget’s architect, Paul Ryan, is the Republican candidate for Vice President.

A nonpartisan analysis showed that Ryan’s budget would raise health care costs for seniors by $6,400. The Tax Policy Center also said the Ryan budget would give people making over $1 million a year an average tax break of $265,000. And Congressman [insert Republican freak's name] supported all of it.

That’s just wrong.

Call Congressman [insert Republican freak's name] at (xxx) xxx-xxxx and tell him to stop protecting millionaires at the expense of Medicare and the middle class.

And they did a variation on the theme for GOP challengers who didn't get to vote for the Ryan budget but have in some way embraced it. Sounds kosher, right? Look a little deeper. The first hint that something's not kosher is that the DCCC ran these robo calls in Wisconsin 7 and 8 but not in Wisconsin's first CD, the southeast Wisconsin district Paul Ryan himself represents. Alarm bells started ringing. Here was the hand of Steve Israel again-- undermining Rob Zerban's already tough race against Ryan by sending a signal to whoever takes signals from the DCCC that they're just not interested in defeating Ryan. This is a message that the DCCC has been sending for Ryan's entire career. Obama won the district in 2008 and Rob is in a much better position to win than either of the DCCC candidates in WI-07 and WI-08.

So then I went through all 50 seats they're running the calls in. And it was the same everywhere across the country. In state after state, with just a very few exceptions, they've left off progressives and put their money behind reactionary Blue Dogs and New Dems, including rightwingers and anti-Choice fanatics who would be sure to vote with the GOP. Take Michigan for example. They're running the calls in MI-01 against Dan Benishek and in MI-03 against Justin Amash, respectively for Blue Dog Gary McDowell and anti-Choice freak Steve Pestka. But they left off MI-11, an open seat that Obama won that would be FAR easier to win than either of these other Michigan seats. Why would they do that. Dr. Syed Taj just won the primary there and he's a progressive, exactly what Steve Israel is trying to prevent from getting into the caucus. Here are a list of winnable seats with progressive candidates where the DCCC should be running ads like this-- and would be if it was serious about taking back Congress:

CA-25: Lee Rogers vs Buck McKeon
CA-39: Jay Chen vs Ed Royce
FL-09: Alan Grayson vs Todd Long
FL-26: Joe Garcia vs David Rivera
MI-08: Lance Enderle vs Mike Rogers
MI-11: Syed Taj vs random crazy teabagger
NC-10: Patsy Keever vs Patrick McHenry
NY-23: Nate Shinagawa vs Tom Reed
OH-15: Pat Lang vs Steve Stivers
PA-03- Miss Eaton vs Mike Kelly
PA-16: Aryanna Strader vs Joe Pitts
TX-18: Beto O'Rourke vs Barbara Carrasco
VA-07: Wayne Powell vs Eric Cantor
WI-01: Rob Zerban vs Paul Ryan
WV-1: Sue Thorn vs David McKinley

The DCCC needs to take back 25 seats to win back Congress. Here are 15. Steve Israel flushing money down the toilet in pursuit of absolutely unwinnable seats for his corrupt Blue Dog cronies like Hayden Rogers (NC-11) isn't going to do anyone any good at all-- especially while he throws away 15 seats just because the Democratic candidates are actual Democrats, not his kind of corrupt corporate whore. If you'd like, you can help most of these candidates on this ActBlue page.

As Down with Tyranny notes later, many of the DINOs the DCCC supports are also anti-women, anti-abortion fanatics as bad as Paul Ryan if not worse. 

"Everyone Knows" the DCCC is Killing the Democratic Party

From Steve Benen, evidence that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is trying to exploit the attempt by House repugs to destroy the country with catastrophic budget cuts:

Indeed, here's a press release the DCCC sent out yesterday in a key North Carolina district: "Everyone knows that the government needs to cut spending, but Rep. Renee Ellmers and House Republicans voted to put North Carolina families at risk by dangerously slashing funding for port security and transit security. Instead of cutting their own office budgets, Ellmers voted to gut port and transit security by two-thirds which even the Republican Homeland Security Chairman says is dangerous."

Trying, and failing miserably.

"Everyone knows that the government needs to cut spending"? Are you fucking kidding me?

Everyone with a brain knows that the government needs to ramp up spending - immediately and massively - in order to prevent the economy from tanking - spectacularly and permanently.

The only people who say "the government needs to cut spending" are Koch-sucking repugs trying to destroy the economy in advance of the 2012 elections, and cowardly Blue Dogs so delusional they think jumping on that bandwagon will get them repug votes.

Here's how a press release attacking House repugs for their budget vote should read:

"Everyone knows the most important thing members of Congress need to do right now is create jobs. But instead of creating jobs, Rep. Brett Guthrie is killing 975,000 jobs and gutting the very programs that support a healthy economy."

Do NOT give a fucking dime to the DCCC. Ever. Instead, talk to your Democratic neighbors.

National Democrats Still Hooked on Blue Dogs

If health care reform finally passes Congress, it will be thanks to dirty fucking hippie liberals like Dennis Kucinich, who betrayed the insane So-Beyond-Left-They're-Right to do the right thing for the country.

It will pass despite the determined and desperate efforts of Blue Dog DINO scumbuckets like Ben Wire Hanger Chandler, who claims to be pro-choice but voted for Stupak and against the actual bill.

So, the Democratic Establishment is gearing up to support all the liberals making primary challenges against Blue Dog traitors like Stupak. Right? RIGHT???!

Sigh.

Down with Tyranny exposes the DCCC's hypocrisy in attacking certain repug representatives while continuing to support worthless DINOs who commit the same crimes.

Anyway, yesterday's full frontal against Ryan by the DCCC-- which, ironically, still refuses to give the time of day to his opponent, progressive activist Paulette Garin-- asks the straightforward question, "As insurance premiums skyrocket, will Representative Paul Ryan continue protecting insurance company profits?"

SNIP

So is that D-trip hypocrisy? I mean, sure, Ryan is a disgrace to America. But what's Suzanne Kosmas, who they are pointlessly pouring resources into protecting? And John Barrow has a thoroughly progressive and incorruptible former state senator, Regina Thomas, running against him in the primary. If the DCCC can denounce Ryan, they can denounce Barrow for the exact same crime. Of course, like I said, they're not supporting the progressive running against him either!

Earlier, DWT noted that the DCCC's "Red to Blue" campaign is pouring resources into promoting yet more Blue Dogs rather than supporting liberals who actually could, like Alan Grayson, turn a red district blue.

The good news yesterday was that the DCCC added Donna Edwards (D-MD) as a vice chair of their Red to Blue program, which, in the past, has been badly flawed. The less good news is that Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who once ran the Red to Blue program herself and is now the real power at the DCCC, has decreed that all serious resources are going to protect Front Line incumbents, primarily a bunch of conservative aisle crossers who are barely Democrats.

Although they have promised to stop the anti-grassroots practice of taking sides in contested primaries, the Wasserman Schultz has forced the reluctant professional staff to keep doing it. She was behind the decision to endorse a lobbyist-backed ultra-conservative, Lori Edwards. with not a glimmer of a chance to win in November, for the seat being vacated by Adam Putnam (FL-12). Edwards is being sponsored by the Blue Dog caucus and Patrick Murphy, the Blue Dog who heads the Red to Blue program this year, jumped into the race early at the behest of Wasserman Schultz and Lori Edwards' main backer, Allen Boyd, the right-wing Democrat who was the only member of his party to back Bush's legislation to kill Social Security and who is facing likely defeat in his own primary this year.

Today the DCCC announced their first round of Red to Blue candidates. These are the challengers who Democratic members are encouraged-- some would say strong-armed-- to donate to. As we saw last month, Blue Dogs always give to conservatives likely to vote with the Blue Dog caucus (and the GOP) against progressive legislation. Progressives, inexplicably, seem to go along for the ride!

When I complained to the DCCC that they had endorsed a Blue Dog with no local backing from Democratic activists over a grassroots progressive who did well against Putnam when he ran in 2008, I was told, ingenuously, that Edwards had raised lots of money and that Tudor hadn't. Turns out all that Edwards money-raising prowess was actual contributions from the Blue Dog caucus and by individual Blue Dog shitheads with a vested interest in electing new anti-progressive members of the caucus. Oh, and then there was the lobbyist funder that Wasserman Schultz and Boyd put on for Lori Edwards in DC. But Wasserman Schultz has always hated straight-talking ordinary Americans who didn't play the Inside the Beltway game that is so despised throughout the country.

Read the whole thing.

Passing Health Care Reform gives us a chance - a small one, but there - to do what the 2008 elections failed to do: Create More Liberals. But the DCCC and DNC are so terrified by the idea of a Congress full of Alan Graysons and a nation full of voters who love their Graysons that national Democrats would rather turn the country back to the repugs.

UPDATE, 12:52 p.m. In comments, anonymous writes "You might be interested to know that Doug Tudor, the Progressive candidate in FL-12, was raised in Danville, Kentucky, and still has family living there. He returns to Danville about twice a year and will be there in June for his 30-year high school reunion. Your readers can learn more about Doug at www.teamtudor.org."

DCCC Polling for Boswell?

Somebody from "Washington" is conducting polling in the Second District for David Boswell.

They were calling last night, and started out with the usual questions: voter registration, intention to vote, who do you support in presidential and senate races.

Then they got down to their real problem: David Boswell.

After the respondent reluctantly admits that, forced to choose between Boswell and Brett Guthrie, Boswell is the least horrible choice, this:

"I'm going to read you a series of positive statements about David Boswell, and want you to tell me whether you think each one is a strong, moderate or weak reason to vote for Boswell."

This is the problem with polls: no essay answers. If you told me that David Boswell supported having George W. Bush and Dick Cheney flayed alive and then slowly roasted over an open fire, I'd still think Boswell is a racist, mysogynistic DINO who doesn't belong in the state senate, much less Congress.

Well, at least it was a chance to provide proof that yes, Virginia, there are Obama-supporting Proud Liberals in KY-2 and we're not afraid to say so.

And Rahm? If this was, as I suspect, a DCCC poll, let me save you a lot of money and grief and strongly advise you dump Boswell now.

You want a real Democratic asset? You want family values? You want to turn a red district blue? Invest in Navy Veteran, mother-to-be and Mitch nemesis Heather Ryan, KY-1.

Do it now.

Cross-posted at BlueGrassRoots.

Boswell Ad: Vote for Me, I'm a Republican!

Boy, there's nothing that revs up the Democratic base and gets 'em off their duffs and out to the polls to vote like a Democratic nominee who runs television ads bragging about being a republican.

"I'm pro-life, pro-gun and against higher taxes," says a denim-clad Boswell ....

Not one image, not one word in the ad even hints that Boswell is running as the Democratic nominee.

Which figures, since Boswell is not a Democrat. Something the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has yet to figure out.

Last week, Boswell sent out a press release bragging about making the DCCC's priority list of races in its Red to Blue Program. The day before that press release, I'd sent him an email asking for details about his elevation to that list and his participation in it.

I see that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has promoted your campaign from an emerging race to a highlighted Red to Blue Race. Congratulations!

Could you please provide more details about what this means for your campaign? The DCCC's Red to Blue web page states: "The Red to Blue program highlights top Democratic campaigns across the country, and offers them financial, communications, and strategic support. These candidates earned a spot in the program by surpassing demanding fundraising goals and skillfully demonstrating to voters that they stand for change and will represent new priorities when elected to Congress."

What specific "financial, communications and strategic support" have you received from the DCCC since the announcement September 12?

What specific "demanding fundraising goals" did you surpass to earn a place in the Red to Blue program?

How did you specifically "demonstrate to voters that you stand for change and will represent new priorities when elected to Congress?" What specific change do you propose? What new priorities will you represent?

How much money have you raised through the ActBlue DCCC Red to Blue page for donations to your campaign?

I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you very much.

Although I received an email from Boswell's campaign the same day - September 15 - acknowledging receipt of my message, I have not received a reply to my questions.

Can't blame him. If I were a misogynistic, racist coward and waste of oxygen hoping to sneak into Congress on the coattails of a party I despise and betray, I wouldn't answer those questions either.

According to the Swing State Project, the DCCC is dropping a cool $1.75 mil on ads for its Red to Blue candidates, but not a dime for Boswell. Maybe it's not as dumb as it seems.

And the Courier-Journal noted that once again, a "debate" between Boswell and the republican nominee failed to reveal any actual policy or philosophical differences between the two.

Cross-posted at BlueGrassRoots.

DCCC Ad Buys Ignore KY-1, KY-2, KY-4

TPM Election Central has the latest list of swing district Congressional races to which the Democratic National Committee has allocated ad money, and it mostly ignores Kentucky.

The latest list, which adds up to $17.6 million in 20 districts across the country, paints an extraordinary picture of just how grim the GOP's outlook is in House races: About three fourths of the money the DCCC is plunking down is going to races for seats that the GOP currently holds and now has to defend.

But the new list, as well as the previous list, ignores three GOP-held seats being challenged by Democrats in Kentucky.

Heather Ryan in the First, David Boswell in the Second and Michael Kelley in the Fourth don't make the DCCC's lists of races worth spending money on, even though Boswell is running for an open seat and recent polls showed him slightly ahead.

Now I'm no fan of Boswell's, but the Second is a probable dem pickup - certainly more likely than the First or Fourth, even though Ryan and Kelley are far better Democrats as far as I'm concerned.

What's more, some of these districts where Dems are vying to knock off GOP incumbents are historically hostile territory for Dems, such as the open Second District in Alabama, or the Idaho seat now held by right-wing Rep. Bill Sali.

But in Kentucky, the DCCC is playing it safe by supporting only John Yarmuth, incumbent in Louisville's Third District, who is up by double digits over two-time loser Anne Northup.

I realize that even in this year of Democratic campaign wealth, the DCCC's resources are limited, and I am grateful that the DCCC is actually fighting to win in 50 districts, as opposed to its usual 10 or 12.

But I can't help but resent that national Democratic resources are being sunk into Idaho, of all the dem-forsaken places, when a courageous Navy veteran like Heather Ryan, who personally challenged Mitch McConnell, fights a tough campaign with chewing gum and paper clips.

Check out the full listing.

Cross-posted at BlueGrassRoots.

What Congressional Races is the DCCC Targeting in Your State?

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting Congressional races in 33 states in 2008.

Does it matter? According to the DCCC:

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is the official campaign arm of the Democrats in the House. The DCCC is the only political committee in the country whose principal mission is to support Democratic House candidates every step of the way through this critical election year.

Candidates campaign for DCCC support, and celebrate when they get it, but sometimes find "support" is not what they expected.

In 2006, the DCCC targeted Kentucky's Second District, where Vietnam combat veteran Col. Mike Weaver was challenging repug six-term incumbent Ron Lewis. The DCCC sent a couple of sitting southern congressmen to make speeches, and assigned a couple of D.C. interns to the campaign, apparently so they could get experience, but remained stingy with the actual cash, and failed to make a difference.

Weaver lost by 11 points.

In 2008, the DCCC is again targeting the Second, and might actually succeed, given that Lewis has retired, leaving an open seat.

The DCCC is also targeting Louisville's Third District, a decision which manages to be ironic and stupid at the same time.

Proud Liberal Democrat John Yarmuth took the Third away from five-term repug incumbent Anne Northup in 2006 all by his lonesome - conventional wisdom claiming he had no chance and terror of his liberalism kept the DCCC as far away from Yarmuth as it could get.

Until he won, that is. Won by only 6,000 votes, which is why the DCCC thinks Yarmuth needs their help this year in a rematch against Northup.

Three predictions:

- Yarmuth will beat Northup by at least six points.
- He'll do it without significant help from the DCCC.
- The DCCC will steal all the credit for his victory.

You read it here first.

What's the DCCC up to in your state? Check out this clickable map showing the targeted races in each state and region, with thumbnail summaries of each race.

h/t Cooler King.

Cross-posted at Watching Those We Chose.