Elections Blog

…and the Republicans lose the Senate:
A Democratic takeover of the Senate is appearing likely after an ongoing canvass of votes in Virginia produced no significant changes in the outcome of the hard-fought race led by Democratic challenger Jim Webb, sources told CNN Wednesday.
Wednesday night, with Webb leading Republican Sen. George Allen by about 7,200 votes [...]

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…though an honest observer must admit the momentum has been going Webb’s way.  On the outside chance that I have any undecided Virginia readers, let me remind you once more why a vote for Allen is your best option (it’s the economy, stupid! - oh, wait, if I’m trying to sway your vote, I shouldn’t [...]

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I’ve been harping on Republicans to run on tax cuts and the economy for literally months now, and with the exception of George Allen, I’ve heard mostly crickets chirping.  Maybe that’s changing now:
Republicans seized on a drop in the unemployment rate to assert on Friday that tax cuts were invigorating the economy, highlighting just four [...]

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…it’s still not a sure thing:
…[T]hree races [are] clear Toss Ups: Missouri, Virginia and Montana. Assuming a Ford loss in Tennessee, Democrats will need to sweep all three of these states to win control of the Senate. Montana had been a race that Democrats felt they had in the bag due to Burns’ Abramoff problems, but [...]

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With the elections little more than two weeks away, I still don’t see enough of a coordinated effort by the Republicans to use perhaps their best remaining argument to stay in power.  I’m talking about the Bush tax cuts.  Here’s George Will:
…[S]ince the Bush tax cuts went into effect in 2003, the economy’s growth rate [...]

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The George Allen blog notes The Nation looking on with approval at James Webb’s nods to…Marx and Engels.  I’ve noted before Webb’s solid progressive (read: populist or socialist, pick your poison) credentials on economic matters, causing one commenter to note with exasperation:
Can we all agree that we’re OK with the free market system? Can we [...]

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The brouhaha over George Allen’s newly discovered Jewish roots has clarified one thing: progressives really, really, really don’t much care for Virginians:
What do the liberal allies of Jim Webb think of Virginians?

“the racist crowd” (Kos)
“the bubba vote” (Kos)
“Virginia. Eeewww.” (MaxSpeak)
“He may have been concerned that Jewish roots wouldn’t play well in [...]

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If you didn’t see it, there was a good (if you’re a Republican) debate on Meet The Press today between incumbent George Allen and his Democratic challenger James Webb.  Jon Henke live-blogged it here; it’s actually still on-going in my time zone, but I do want to share a few impressions.
First, Webb is not a [...]

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The Democrats haven’t even finished their primary, and now George Allen wants a piece of the action. So he’s buying one, on television screens across the state beginning Tuesday. Allen’s first campaign ad will be a positive piece, according to campaign manager Dick Wadhams. It will be “about Senator Allen, talking about his accomplishments as a senator and as governor.” U.S. Sen. George Allen That prompted Steve Jarding, a consultant to Democratic candidate Jim Webb, to ask: “So, there will be an intro, then 30 seconds of silence and then a disclaimer? Harris Miller adviser Mo Elleithee added: “For the spot to be TRULY positive, he’d have to run away from his support of President Bush. But I guess he thinks another candidate has already cornered that market. Wadhams said the ad will run across the state, including on broadcast television stations in the costly Northern Virginia market. He said

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