2008 Democratic Challengers

There are some of the "aggressive progressive" Democratic challengers we're watching. More at AfterDowningStreet.org. Special props to those who attended Netroots Nation in July 2008.

Progressive Democratic PACs (Other Progressive and Democratic PACs)
- BA: BlueAmerica
- BD: BushDemocrats (Democrats.com)
- DFA: Democracy For America
- DWT: Down With Tyranny
- ESC: Eschaton/Atrios
- JSt: JStreet
- MyD: MyDD
- NOW: NOW
- Olbd: OpenLeft Better Democrats
- OtB: Orange to Blue (DailyKos.com - criteria)
- PDA: Progressive Democrats of America
- PEN: People's Email Network
- SNA: SNAPPac/Students for a New American Politics

Progressive Endorsements
- ADS: AfterDowningStreet
- DWT: DownWithTyranny

    Challenger Incumb Gen
eral
Prim
ary
Pac Out of Iraq  Wiretap Other
S AK Mark Begich Stevens (R)     BA
DWT
"gradual withdrawal" No  
S ID Larry LaRocco open (R)        within 12-14 months No  
S KY Greg Fischer McConnell (R)   5/20
lost
BA Responsible
Plan
   
S KY Bruce Lunsford           No  
S ME Tom Allen Collins (R)     BA
DWT
ESC
SNA
  No  
S MN Al Franken Coleman (R)     OtB
SNA
     
S NC Jim Neal Dole (R)   5/6
lost
BA ASAP   vs. Primary opponent Kay Hagan:
opposed Mukasey
opposes telecom immunity
supports S-CHIP
opposes tax cuts for the rich
S NE Scott Kleeb Johans (R)     ESC      
S NH  Jeanne Shaheen Sununu (R)     NOW
SNA
     
S NM Tom Udall       DWT
ESC
  No  
S OK Andrew Rice Inhofe (R)     BA
DWT
OtB
ASAP but orderly No pro-choice, pro-gun, civil unions, mandatory health insurance 
S OR Jeff Merkley Smith
(R)
  5/20
won!
BA
DWT
Olbd
now No universal health care, stop global warming, restore the Constitution, voter verifiable paper trail
S OR Steve Novick Smith
(R)
  5/20
lost
       
S TX Rick Noriega Cornyn (R)     BA
DFA
DWT
OtB
  No  
H AL02 Bobby Bright Everett (R) won          
H AL03 Josh Segall Rogers (R) lost         ePluribus Radio
H AL05 Parker Griffith (open-D) won          
H AK00 Diane Benson Young (R)   lost DWT
NOW
     
H AK00 Ethan Berkowitz Young (R)             
H AZ01 Howard Shanker (open)   lost BA
DWT
  No primary v. Ann Kirkpatrick, endorsed by DCCC
H AZ01 Ann Kirkpatrick   (open) won          
H AZ03 Bob Lord Shadegg (R) lost   DWT
OtB
     
H CA03 Bill Durston Lungren (R)     PDA      
H CA04 Charlie Brown (open)     BA
DFA
DWT
OtB
  No  
H CA08 Shirley Golub Nancy Pelosi (D)   6/3
lost
PEN     Impeach
H CA16 Cynthia Papermaster Zoe Lofgren (D)   6/3
lost
      Impeach
H CA24 Mary Pallant Gallegly (R)   6/3
lost
ADS
MyD
PDA
     
H CA26 Russ Warner Dreier (R) lost   BA
DWT
  No  
H CA42 Ron Shepston Miller (R)   6/3
lost
BA      
H CA45 Julie Bornstein   lost   BA      
H CA46 Debbie Cook Rohrabacher (R) lost   BA
DWT
Responsible Plan  No  
H CA48 Steve Young Campbell (R)     PDA phased withdrawal    
H CA50 Cheryl Ede Bilbray (R)   6/3
lost
PDA      
H CA50 Nick Leibham Bilbray (R) lost       No  
H CA52 Vickie Butcher (open)   6/3
lost
PDA phased withdrawal    
H CA53 Mike Copass Susan Davis (D)   6/3
lost
PDA Out-of-Iraq Pledge!   Defend the U.S. Constitution
Separation of Corporation and State
Repeal NAFTA
H CO02 Joan Fitz-Gerald (open)   8/12 PDA
NOW
     
H CO02 Jared Polis (open)   8/12   Responsible Plan     
H CO04 Betsy Markey Musgrave (R) won   NOW   No  
H CO05 Hal Bidlack Lamborn (R)       Responsible Plan    25 years as an officer in the United States Air Force, retiring in September, 2006, as a Lt. Colonel.
H CT04 Jim Himes Shays (R) WON   BA
DWT
ESC
SNA
  No  
H FL08 Corbett Kroehler Keller (R)     PDA      
H FL08 Alan Grayson Keller (R) WON   BA
DWT
  No  
H FL10 Samm Simpson Young (R)     PDA      
H FL12 Doug Tudor Putnam (R) lost   DFA
DWT
Responsible Plan  No just retired from the Navy as a chief petty officer and his wife is still on active duty (and deployable)
H FL15 Bob Bowman Weldon (R)            
H FL21 Raul Martinez Diaz- lost           
H FL18 Annette Taddeo Ros-Lehtinen (R) lost   BA
DFA
DWT
Responsible Plan  

FL-18 is the most Democratic leaning (R +4) of the three Miami cuban districts and Annette's campaign is both well-organized and well-funded.

Blog 7/23/08

H FL24 Clint Curtis Feeney (R)   lost PDA   No  
H FL24 Suzanne Kosmas Feeney (R) won          
H FL25 Joe Garcia Diaz-Balart (R) lost   BA
DFA
DWT
OtB
  No  
H GA08 Bob Nowak Jim Marshall (D)         No  
H GA10 Bobby Saxon Broun (R)           veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan
H GA12 Regina Thomas John Barrow (D)   7/15 BA
Olbd
"adamantly opposed to the occupation" No Barrow voted with Bush on HR 976  SCHIP; S 1927 FISA; HR 2956 Redeploy troops in 120 days; HR 2206 Iraq funding without withdrawal deadlines; HR 1591 Iraq benchmarks and withdrawal deadlines; HR 6 Repeal tax cuts for oil companies.
District is 45% African-American and African-Americans are 70% of the voters in Democratic primaries.
H GA13 Donzella James David Scott (D)   7/15 ADS "would vote No on funding occupation"   "supports impeachment"
2006 primary lost 67%-31%
H IA03 Ed Fallon Leonard Boswell (D)   6/3
lost
DFA
PDA
    As in his seven previous campaigns in the Iowa Legislature, all of which he won, Fallon is running a grassroots campaign that focuses on contacting voters through door-to-door canvassing and phone banking, as well as creative use of YouTube. Recent productions include a mockumentary “Campaigns of the Rich and Powerful” and a rap video on fiscal responsibility and tax reform.
H ID01 Walt Minnick Bill Sali (R) won          
H IL03 Mark Pera Dan Lipinski (D)   2/5
lost
BA
BD
     
H IL08 Randi Scheuer Melissa Bean (D)   2/5
lost
BD
PDA
     
H IL10 Dan Seals Kirk (R) lost   OtB
SNA
NOW
  No  
H IL11 Debbie Halvorson (open) won   JSt      
H IL14 John Laesch open (R)   2/5
lost
BA
PDA
     
H IN06 Barry Welsh Pence (R) lost   BA   No  
H IN09 Gretchen Clearwater Baron Hill (D)   5/6
lost
BA Out-of-Iraq Pledge!   Civil liberties, equal rights and justice for all; Single payer universal healthcare; jobs @ living wage
H KY01 Heather Ryan Whitfield (R)         No  
H LA06 Michael Jackson Don Cazayoux (D)   9/6   asap No Cazayoux was elected in a special election in 2008 and immediately became one of the strongest Bush Democrats.
H MD01 Frank Kratovil  open (R)  won          
H MD04 Donna Edwards Al Wynn (D)   2/12
won!
BA
BD
JSt
Olbd
PDA
     
H ME01 Mark Lawrence  open (D)   6/10
lost
      pro-impeachment
H ME01 Chellie Pingree open (D)     NOW   No  
H MI07 Mark Schauer Walberg (R) WON   BA
DWT
  No  
MI09 Gary Peters Knollenberger (R) WON   BA
DWT
NOW
  No "I believe in civil rights and equality for all people and to me gay marriage is a basic human rights issue, one I feel very strongly about. When I take a position based on core principles, I'm not going to waiver from it"
H MN03 Ashwin Madia open (R) lost   DWT   No  
H MO02 Byron DeLear Akin (R)           pro-impeachment
H NC08 Larry Kissell Hayes (R) WON   BA
DWT
  No  
H NC09 Harry Taylor Myrick (R)     PDA
NOW
    known for his courageous—and courteous—confrontation of President Bush in Charlotte in April 2006.
H NJ01 Mahdi Ibn-Ziyad Rob Andrews (D)   6/3
lost
PDA      
H NJ05 Camille Abate  Garrett (R)   6/3
lost
  now   local Moveon leader, pro-impeachment
H NJ05 Dennis Shulman Garrett (R) lost 6/3
won!
BA
DWT
JSt
Responsible Plan No blind rabbi
H NJ07 Linda Stender open (R) lost   NOW   No  
H NM01 Martin Heinrich (open) WON 6/3
won!
BA
DWT
  No  
H NM02 Bill McCamley (open)   6/3
lost
       
H NM02 Harry Teague (open) won         multimillionaire oilman
H NY08 Adam Sullivan Jerrold Nadler (D)   9/9
BD     Impeach
H NY10 Kevin Powell Ed Towns (D)   9/9        
H NY13 Steve Harrison Fossella (R)   lost DWT
NOW
PDA
now    
H NY13 Michael McMahon open (R) won          
H NY21 Darius Shahinfar  open (D)   9/9     No  
H NY21 Tracey Brooks open (D)   9/9 NOW      
H NY25 Dan Maffei (open) WON   BA
DWT
OtB
  No  
H NY26 Jon Powers Jack Davis (D)   lost BA
DWT
OtB
  No  
H NY29 Eric Massa Kuhl (R) WON   DFA
DWT
PDA
Olbd
OtB
  No  
H OH02 Victoria Wulsin Schmidt (R)     BA
DWT
NOW
SNA
  No  
H OH03 Jane Mitakides Turner (R) lost   NOW      
H OH15 Mary Jo Kilroy (open)  lost   JSt
NOW
SNA
     
H OR01 Mark Welyczko David Wu (D)   5/20
lost
PEN     Impeach
H OR03 Joe Walsh Blumenauer (D)   5/20
lost
PEN     Impeach
H OR05 Nancy Moran (open)   5/20
lost
PEN     Impeach
H PA15 Sam Bennett Dent (R) lost   BA
DWT
NOW
Olbd
  No  
H TN09 Steve Cohen     won BA
DWT
JSt
    primary by Harold Ford Jr. supporter
H TX10 Larry Joe Doherty McCaul (R) lost   BA
DWT
  No  
H VA02 Glenn Nye Drake (R) won          
H VA04 Andrea Miller Forbes (R)      DWT   No progressive social activist
pro-impeachment
former MoveOn.org Regional Coordinator and
Dennis Kucinich Regional Coordinator
H VA05 Tom Perriello Goode (R)     ADS
BA
DWT
Olbd
SNA
  No  
H VA06 Sam Rasoul Goodlatte (R)            
H VA10 Judy Feder Wolf (R)     BA
DWT
NOW
  No Dean of Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute (1999-2007)
nationally recognized expert in health care policy
H VA11 Leslie Byrne (open)   6/10
lost
BA
NOW
    She opposed the war in Iraq from the start, will fight to make health care more affordable and more accessible, and has always supported a woman's right to choose.
H VA11 Gerry Connolly open (R) won         developer/contractor
H WA03 Cheryl Crist Brian Baird (D)   8/19
lost
      Impeach
H WA04 George Fearing Hastings (R)            
H WA06 Paul Richmond Norm Dicks (D)   8/19
lost
      Impeach
H WA08 Darcy Burner Reichert (R)     BA
DFA
DWT
ESC
Jst
NOW
Olbd
OtB
SNA
  No  
H WI01 Marge Krupp Ryan (R)     NOW      
H WY00 Gary Trauner (open) lost   OtB   No  

I urge all Democrats to take the unequivocal Out-of-Iraq Pledge:

I solemnly pledge to vote against any additional funds for the occupation of Iraq, except what is absolutely required to bring all our troops home. I recognize that I will be under tremendous pressure from Democratic leaders and the Corporate Media to fund various missions like "fighting terrorism" or "training Iraqi forces" or "protecting Iraqi democracy," but I will not waver. We have already spent far too much of our blood and treasure for a war and occupation based on never-ending lies, and I will not sacrifice one more American soldier's life or one more taxpayer's dollar for those lies.