The Midterms Minute is a look at the candidates and races in battleground districts that you need to know about, shout about and support to make the biggest impact possible in the election on November 6th.
As of the release date of episode #1222, we are exactly 12 days out from election day. Time is running out to make a difference. No one wants to wake up on November 7th wishing they had done more, so, do it for yourselves, do it for your family, do it for the most vulnerable among us. Get out there and canvas, get out the vote, email and text friends, donate - whatever you can do, do it. These elections will effect us, and the world, for decades to come. According to the latest early voting reports, Republicans are outpacing Democratic voters in key states. Do not take the “blue wave” hype for granted.
Early voting is now open many states, so check out all early voting information by state, including the three vote by mail states. Information for ALL of the battleground races and how to get involved can be found at The Midterms Minute H.Q..
Today we’re wrapping up the toss up battleground races for the House that we haven’t covered yet. As a reminder, to take the House, Democrats must flip 24 Republican seats.
Let’s dive in….
OH-01: In Ohio’s first district, Democratic attorney Aftab Pureval is challenging Republican incumbent Steve Chabot. Chabot lost this seat to a Democrat in 2008, but got it back in 2010 and has held it since. Trump won here by 6 points, but it was his narrowest margin of victory in Ohio’s congressional districts. Chabot was one of those no-shows when constituents demanded a town hall on healthcare last year and then voted for Trumpcare. Healthcare is at the core of Pureval’s campaign, along with protecting social security, but he is currently behind in the polls.
UT-04: In Utah’s 4th district, Democratic Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams is challenging Republican incumbent Mia Love, the only Republican member of the Congressional Black Caucus. This district was only created in 2010, but was held by a Democrat until Love took the open seat in 2014. The latest polls have the candidates tied at 46 percent each with 8 percent undecided. Love is following the GOP playbook by trying to align McAdams with the Clintons and Nancy Pelosi. McAdams has said he won’t support Pelosi as Speaker and has expressed support for anti-corruption legislation to restrict the influence of lobbyists.
WA-08: And finally, Washington’s 8th district is another open seat race. Democratic pediatrician with a degree in Astrophysics Kim Schrier is challenging Republican former state senator Dino Rossi. The last incumbent won reelection by 20 points, but the district has voted Democratic in the last three presidential elections by 2 to 5 points. Rossi calls himself a “fiscal conservative with a social conscience,” but his record doesn’t back that up. Schrier is calling for a Medicare buy in on a sliding scale, pointing to the outrageous overheads of private insurance and the minuscule overheads of Medicare. Rossi has lost his campaign for governor and both campaigns for U.S. Senate. He got to the state house by appointment.
As a reminder, voter purging is happening across the country so we urge you to confirm your voter registration ASAP. Visit HeadCount.org to quickly be directed to your state’s specific website to confirm your voter registration. If there is a problem, contact 866-OUR-VOTE to report the problem and get guidance ASAP. If your registration is okay, help someone else confirm theirs or obtain the necessary ID they need to ensure there are no surprise problems on election day.
So, if making the Blue Wave a reality in November is important to you, be sure to hit the share buttons to spread the word about supporting Democrats in battleground races across the country via social media so that others in your network can spread the word too.
THE MIDTERMS MINUTE (Quick Links)
REGISTER TO VOTE: RocktheVote.org/register-to-vote/
CONFIRM VOTER REGISTRATION: HeadCount.org/verify-voter-registration/
CHECK VOTING DATES & POLICIES: RocktheVote.org/voting-information/
VOTER ID INFO/HELP: VoteRiders & 866ourvote.org
All Battleground Info/Resources: THE MIDTERMS MINUTE H.Q.
Early Voting Information by State
TOSS UP BATTLEGROUND HOUSE SEATS (part 3)
Ohio
OH-01: Aftab Pureval
Utah
UT-04: Ben McAdams
Washington
WA-08: Kim Schrier
Posted October 26th, 2018; Researched & Written by Best of the Left Communications Director, Amanda Hoffman
Hear the segment in the context of Best of the Left Edition #1222: A crisis of illegitimacy of our institutions
