Tuesday’s primaries yielded another slate of strong Democrats fighting for a new direction, and another crop of Republican extremists who will vote against American working families.

• Out of the Fray: 4 New Candidates
• DCCC Memo on New York Primaries
• DCCC Memo on New Hampshire Primaries
• DCCC Memo on Arizona Primaries

Out of the Fray: 4 New Candidates

Arizona’s 8th Congressional District: Democrat Gabrielle Giffords

Meet Gabrielle Giffords, the youngest woman ever elected to the Arizona State Senate, Gabrielle Giffords represents her hometown of Tucson. In 2005 Gabrielle was named Woman of the Year by Tucson Business Edge. She was also recently named one of America’s Eight Young Leaders Worth Watching by Gannett News Service. She faces off against Republican Randy Graf in this open seat.

Learn more about Gabrielle Giffords >>

DCCC Chairman Rahm Emanuel:

“With prescription drug prices skyrocketing, Arizona families need a Representative who will fight for them,” said Congressman Rahm Emanuel, Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Arizonans now have a clear choice between Randy Graf, who wants to eliminate Medicare and force seniors to pay top-dollar for the medicines they need, and Gabrielle Giffords, who will fight to ensure that Arizona seniors never take a back seat to the profits of big drug companies.”

Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District: Democrat Patty Wetterling

Meet Democrat Patty Wetterling, a national child advocate who has worked as a private citizen to rally support and get laws passed protecting children, from Megan’s Law to the Amber Alert system in Minnesota. She’ll be facing off against Republican Michelle Bachmann in this open seat.

Learn more about Patty Wetterling >>

DCCC Chairman Rahm Emanuel:

“This November, Minnesotans will have a chance to vote for a Democratic candidate who is fighting for their families,” said Congressman Rahm Emanuel, Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Republican Michele Bachmann has spent her political career voting against protecting Minnesota kids while Patty Wetterling has dedicated herself to the fight to keep kids healthy and safe. Minnesotans are ready for Patty Wetterling’s leadership in Congress.”

Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District: Democrat Steve Kagen

Meet Steve Kagen, an allergist who was voted one of the "Best Doctors in America," and for seven years was the Allergy Consultant for CNN. In 2005 he received the Children’s Environmental Health Recognition Award from the EPA. He’ll be facing off against Republican John Gard in this open seat.

Learn more about Steve Kagen >>

DCCC Chairman Rahm Emanuel:

“John Gard has made it clear that if there’s a gas tax hike he doesn’t like, he hasn’t found it yet,” said Congressman Rahm Emanuel, Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Wisconsin voters have a clear choice between more of the same in Washington from a Bush crony like John Gard who hikes taxes at the pump for Wisconsin drivers, and a new direction from Steve Kagen, who has real ideas to move Wisconsin forward.”

New York’s 19th Congressional District: Democrat John Hall

Meet John Hall, award-winning musician and citizen activist, former county legislator and school board president, 35 year member of Local 802, A.F. of M and AFTRA. He’ll be challenging entrenched Republican incumbent Sue Kelly.

Learn more about John Hall >>

DCCC Chairman Rahm Emanuel:

“I congratulate John Hall in New York’s 19th district for his victory this evening. New Yorkers will choose change this November because Republicans in the state have become rubber stamps for failed leadership in Washington,” said DCCC chairman Rahm Emanuel. “The Republican Congress has failed to secure our borders, failed to pass legislation that would slow the soaring cost of gas and failed to address the needs of middle class New Yorkers trying to find good paying jobs. They’ve walked in lock-step behind a White House that has failed to come up with a strategy for success in Iraq and when faced with the prospect of two more years, voters in New York will choose to go in a new direction.”

DCCC Memo on New York Primaries

TO: Interested Parties FR: DCCC Communications RE: New York Primary DA: 9/13/06

“New Yorkers will choose change this November because Republicans in the state have become rubber stamps for failed leadership in Washington,” said DCCC chairman Rahm Emanuel. “The Republican Congress has failed to secure our borders, failed to pass legislation that would slow the soaring cost of gas and failed to address the needs of middle class New Yorkers trying to find good paying jobs. They’ve walked in lock-step behind a White House that has failed to come up with a strategy for success in Iraq and when faced with the prospect of two more years, voters in New York will choose to go in a new direction.”

Background: New York stands to be one of the most fertile grounds for change this November. With at least six incumbents being put to the toughest tests they’ve faced and a moderate open seat, in a cycle where voters are looking for a new direction, Democrats are well positioned for gains in New York this November. Democrats will benefit from a strong top of the ticket with Senator Hillary Clinton and Attorney General Elliot Spitzer focused on turning out the Democratic vote in the upstate swing districts.

Turnout: Democrats in New York are excited to send a message to George Bush and the Republican Congress. Despite only a handful of competitive primary races, hundreds of thousands turned out to support Democrats statewide sending the sign that the grassroots machine is ready for action in November.

In the 19th district, more than 21,000 (509 of 526 precincts reporting) Democrats turned out to support four congressional candidates representing a turnout increase of 100% over the primary in 2004. (19th CD: Dem Primary – 9,373). In NRCC Chairman Tom Reynolds’ district 65% of voters supported Democrat Jack Davis’ campaign for the Independence Party line signaling a major bump in the road for Reynolds’ re-election effort. In 2004, the Independence Party line was worth approximately 3% of the vote in the general election.

Spending: Republican incumbents John Sweeney, Tom Reynolds, Randy Kuhl and Jim Walsh have all been up on the air with commercials earlier than ever before. Combined, the Republican incumbents in the state have spent more $2.7 million in 2006 alone fighting for their own survival.

NRCC Chairman Tom Reynolds has even been forced to spend the summer campaigning for his own re-election effort in his district instead of traveling the country fundraising and campaigning for vulnerable House incumbents.

DISTRICT by DISTRICT

NY-19 After a competitive primary, John Hall emerged as the clear choice of families in the 19th district. With the united support of Democrats throughout the district, John Hall stands a strong chance against Sue Kelly. Kelly votes with the President 75% of the time supporting him on special interest legislation like the Medicare Rx Drug bill. It is clear that Bush needs loyal foot soldiers like Sue Kelly to return to Congress in order to succeed with his plan to privatize Social Security and continue putting the special interests ahead of the interests of New York families.

NY-24: The seat being vacated by moderate Republican Sherwood Boehlert after nearly 24 years in office is the top pick up opportunity for Democrats in the state. State Senator Ray Meier is the Republican candidate with a record of voting 99% of the time with corrupt Republican leadership in Albany. Meier has a record of opposing a raise to the minimum wage, a position that the Republican leadership in Washington holds fast to. He is the handpicked choice of NRCC Chairman Tom Reynolds and has even received help from Dick Cheney for his campaign.

Arcuri will run on the Democratic, Working Families and Independence Party lines in November. A new non-partisan poll conducted by Constituent Dynamics and RT Strategies, shows likely voters supporting a Democratic congressional candidate 53% to 38% over a Republican one in the 24th District. These results demonstrate growing support from Arcuri’s early August polling, which showed him leading Republican Ray Meier 40% to 36%. Information on that poll can be viewed here: http://www.arcuriforcongress.com/breaking_news/index.php#news138.

NY-20: From ethics problems to questions about his behavior, Republican incumbent John Sweeney has been under fire this year and it appears that “Congressman Kickass", as President Bush fondly refers to him, has worn out his welcome. While voting in lockstep with President Bush on the War in Iraq, Sweeney has also managed to tangle himself in a series of scandals involving lobbyist paid ski trips and lavish yachting adventures while his biggest legislative accomplishment appears to be a bill addressing the needs of horses.

Even while Sweeney’s campaign runs one of the most negative attack machines against a challenger in the country targeting his opponent’s family and personal life, recent polls in the district show Kirsten Gillibrand within striking distance with a narrow eight point gap.

NY-26: Republican incumbent Tom Reynolds likes to talk about how all politics is local, and that in his district, jobs are what is on the minds of voters. Reynolds has his own re-election problems with a struggling economy that has lost thousands of jobs since Bush took office and the challenge of running against self-funding opponent who has also stolen the Independence Party line.

Tom Reynolds, the incumbent and endorsement recipient in his past campaigns decided not to seek the Independence Party endorsement. Citing concerns that he could lose the general election if he lost this Independence Primary, he withdrew and put up a proxy opponent to face Jack Davis. Generally, the endorsement goes to the Republican incumbents and has gone to Tom Reynolds almost every time. This year, the Independence Party chose Jack Davis, and Reynolds’ decision not to seek the endorsement is a sign that he is in trouble. In 2004, the Independence line counted for approximately 3% of the vote in 2004.

Amherst Times EDITORIAL: Tom Reynolds, The Coward We All Know (9/10/06): Thomas Reynolds, the coward, decided not to face Jack in the IP primary on September 12th. If he ran but lost the IP primary he would most likely lose the major race for Congress. As Tuesday’s Primary election nears we see and hear more and more comical ads from Reynolds, the man who has voted for all the tariffs his ads accuse his opponent, Jack Davis, of wanting to revoke. Reynolds is THE man in Washington who has cost our area a great deal by not procuring any projects, or very little work, for Amherst and the surrounding area. Tom Reynolds decided it was too dangerous for himself to run in the IP Primary on Sept. 12 because of his chances of losing to such a powerful opponent as Jack Davis. [Amherst Times, 9/10/06]

NY-29: The news broke this week that Randy Kuhl will be hosting Vice President Dick Cheney in the upcoming weeks for a fundraiser to aide his campaign. Navy War Veteran and cancer survivor Eric Massa has been running a strong campaign focused on his commitment to changing the failed policies of Kuhl and the Republican Congress on Iraq. After Kuhl returned from Iraq last month, he painted a rosy picture of the progress even while US military commanders testified on the same day that the country was headed for a civil war. Massa was recently joined by Max Cleland on the campaign trail in calling for Congress to implement the bi-partisan 9-11 Commission recommendations.

NY-25: Dan Maffei won the Working Families Party primary last night with 70% of the vote securing his name on another party line in November. Dan Maffei has run a strong race to the general election focused on holding Walsh accountable for his opposition to increasing the minimum wage, Walsh’s abysmal record on veteran’s issues and his strong support for the President’s failed policies in Iraq. During the last six years, Walsh has voted with the President almost 90% of the time, while representing a district won by John Kerry. With massive job losses across western New York, Maffei has also been strong proponent of stem cell research highlighting not only the medical, but the financial benefits the science could offer to the economy of Syracuse and the surrounding areas.

NY-03: Dave Mejias is running an aggressive campaign against Bush’s loyal lapdog Peter King. Peter King’s approval numbers have held steady under 50%, while Mejias has built momentum off of his popularity as a Nassau County legislator and his successful fundraising operation that has raised more than $400,000 since he entered the race just three months ago. Long Island has been trending Democratic in recent years. Long Island now has two Democratic County Executives, two democratically controlled county legislatures, and two Democratic District Attorneys. Last year, Dennis Dillon, the 31 year incumbent Republican DA in Nassau, considered a law enforcement legend, was defeated by a Democratic newcomer.

DCCC Memo on New Hampshire Primaries

TO: Interested Parties FR: DCCC Communications RE: New Hampshire Primary DA: 9/13/06

“After years of rubber stamp representation and blind loyalty to failed leadership, come November, Granite State voters will reject the status quo of Charlie Bass and Jeb Bradley,” said Bill Burton, communications director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “After losing more than 2,600 American lives and spending $314 billion, this Republican Congress has failed to provide the American public accountability for spending and failed policies in Iraq. When faced with the prospect of two more years of more of the same, voters in New Hampshire will choose a new direction.”

Background:

NH-02: Democratic challenger Paul Hodes ran an impressive primary campaign pulling almost even with Republican Charlie Bass in fundraising. A poll commissioned by the Hodes campaign in late August and conducted by Anzalone research shows the race is dead even. Meanwhile, Bass faced a challenge from local Mayor Bob Danderson and activist Mary Maxwell who drew 26% combined in the primary election.

John Kerry won the district with 52% in 2004 and since that time the dissatisfaction of New Hampshire voters with the direction of the War in Iraq and Charlie Bass’ rubberstamp support for the President’s failed policies has made the district even more fertile ground for change.

NH-01: After a tough primary battle, Carol Shea Porter emerged as the Democratic nominee against incumbent Republican Jeb Bradley. Shea Porter showed she has the grassroots support and the New Hampshire based campaign operation to win the nomination and head into the general election. Jeb Bradley has voted to support President Bush’s failed leadership four-out-of-five times in Washington and supports the Republican leadership in Congress nearly 90% of the time.

DCCC Memo on Arizona Primaries

Memorandum To: Political Reporters, Interested Parties Fr: DCCC Communications DA: September 13, 2006 RE: Arizona primary results

AZ-08

“With prescription drug prices skyrocketing, Arizona families need a Representative who will fight for them,” said Congressman Rahm Emanuel, Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Arizonans now have a clear choice between Randy Graf, who wants to eliminate Medicare and force seniors to pay top-dollar for the medicines they need, and Gabby Giffords, who will fight to ensure that Arizona seniors never take a back seat to the profits of big drug companies.”

Giffords Well-Positioned to Beat Radical Graf The 8th district of Arizona has been represented by a moderate Republican for nearly 22 years and Randy Graf’s hard-right positions do not sit well with voters. By contrast, Giffords is a moderate with a proven record of working across the aisle to get results in the Arizona state House.

• Giffords has a record of real accomplishment in Arizona on securing the border, lowering taxes, protecting retirement security and cutting prescription drug costs for seniors.

• Democratic voters are motivated and turning out more aggressively than Republican voters. Despite a 20,000-voter Republican registration advantage in AZ-08, the vote totals in both primaries were nearly equal: about 53,700 votes were cast in the Democratic primary, while just 55,400 votes were cast in the Republican primary.

• Non-partisan analysts consistently list AZ-08 as a top pick-up opportunity for Democrats this fall. Popular moderate Governor Janet Napolitano is running for reelection this fall, giving Democrats a boost at the top of the ticket and bringing both Democrats and Dem-leaning independents to the polls in higher numbers.

National Republicans don’t think Randy Graf can win the general election…

“What is apparent is that the Republican Party doesn't believe Graf, a hard-liner compared with the moderate Huffman, would win in the general election.” [Arizona Daily Star, 9/9/06]

Retiring Rep. Jim Kolbe doesn’t think Randy Graf can win the general election… “I’ll be honest, I think we can do better than Randy Graf. I don’t believe Randy Graf could win a general election.” [Arizona Republic, 11/24/05]

Because Randy Graf’s record is too radical for moderate Southern Arizona

• Randy Graf supports the elimination of Medicare. Randy Graf advocated eradicating federal health care programs like Medicare that would force seniors to pay out of pocket for staggeringly expensive medical care. When asked about what should happen to seniors in the face of costly medical care, Randy Graf said simply that “hard decisions” will have to be made. [Arizona Daily Star, 8/29/04]

• Randy Graf voted against prescription drug help for seniors. In 2001, Graf was one of only four House members to vote against a prescription medication benefit program for low-income seniors. [HB 2607, 3/13/01]

• Randy Graf advocated limiting health care coverage for Arizona families. In 2004, Graf supported limiting health-care coverage to catastrophic events and slashing comprehensive coverage for Arizona families to cut costs. [Tucson Citizen, 8/16/06]

• Randy Graf voted against allowing emergency contraception for rape victims. Graf voted against a bill that would have required health professionals who provide care for victims of sexual assault within seventy-two hours of the incident to provide the patient with accurate information about emergency contraception and provide emergency contraception upon request. [HB 2374, 2/6/03]

AZ-05

“Between the status quo of J.D. Hayworth, who is closer to Jack Abramoff than any member of Congress, and Harry Mitchell, who has worked for Tempe families for decades, Arizona families will choose change,” said Congressman Rahm Emanuel, Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “After years of J.D Hayworth’s rubber stamp representation that has failed to secure our borders, failed to fund healthcare for veterans and cut aid for students, Arizona voters will choose a new direction.”

• J.D Hayworth’s close ties to indicted former lobbyist Jack Abramoff continue to raise questions in the district about his ethical conduct in Washington. By contrast, Mitchell, a beloved leader in the Tempe community, enjoys high favorable numbers in the district. • Recent controversy surrounding Hayworth’s endorsement of Henry Ford’s “Americanization” philosophy, which had strong anti-Semitic undertones, have forced Hayworth to defend his position in both the national and local press.

• Harry Mitchell has earned a massive display of bi-partisan support, garnering endorsements from prominent local and state Republicans who are committed to a Mitchell victory.

AZ-01

“Ellen Simon’s primary win shows just how strong her grassroots support is across the first district, “ said Congressman Rahm Emanuel, Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Rick Renzi follows George Bush and the Republican leadership in Congress nine out of ten times and it’s time for a change. Ellen Simon has the support and resources to show Arizona families that she represents a new direction.”

• Rick Renzi has struggled to raise money this year. His pre-primary filing listed him as having just $765,000 cash-on-hand, lagging far behind other GOP incumbents in contested seats.

• Polling in the district puts Rick Renzi’s reelect number at just 38%. By contrast, Governor Napolitano enjoys a 57% reelect number in the district.

• Congressional Quarterly recently shifted AZ-01 out of the “Safe Republican” category based on the financial and grassroots momentum of Simon’s campaign after she jumped in the race.