Saturday, February 11, 2006

CD 8 Matters

A comment to a previous post asks about Jeff Latas’ fund raising. The campaign has raised about ten grand according to Open Secrets, the web site for the Center For Responsive Politics.

Latas is organizing an aggressive grass roots campaign. The campaign is launching a fund raising effort called “50/2000” which aims to raise fifty dollars from each of two thousand donors. Even if only partially successful that would be enough to take him through the primary.

If he wins the primary money will flow in torrents in the battle to lock down the seat for the Democrats.

Meanwhile, on the Giffords/Weiss front, the rumor gnomes report that Weiss is calling avowed Giffords supporters with a hard sell pitch to switch. It seems that Giffords might win the primary but that “because of her record” she “can’t win in the general.”

Weiss has it backwards. Giffords position as a centrist Democrat makes her slightly less palatable to the Democratic left, which is attracted to the Latas campaign in the primary. But CD 8 has independents and pissed-off Republicans who will welcome her in the general election.

Just a question: Is Latas being underestimated? Only polling will tell, but he doesn’t have enough money to poll and the others won’t say. Could he fly in under the radar?


4 comments:

Art Jacobson said...

Roger...

Of course you're right about Gabrielle's progressive bona fides, particularly on social issues. At the same time she is very sensitive to the needs of small businesses (understandable given her business background) and that has earned her support from the Democratic Leadership Council.

And who could forget that primary voters are different?

'gards!

Art

Anonymous said...

I'm sure that Giffords has a lot of supporters who know her well and thus are contributing time/money/etc. to her campaign.
However, I'm also sure that there is some bandwagon effect too.

We'll see who comes through the fire of a primary campaign the best.

As I said in my entry under your previous CD 8 thread--the primary is 6 months away. A lot can happen in 6 months.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Pastor, Mr. Grijalva and who next? Have they had an opportunity
to do anything of significence?

I respect the basic process and the
individual ideals of each candidate
but it won't make any difference.

Both parties are guilty of controlling
from the top while they allow the ants to believe that they can make a difference. i.e. how is Howard Dean doing?

Anonymous said...

To Kramajales--

I agree. Early volunteer support for voter contact is crucial--particularly in a district this large. The state I grew up in could fit in this district. However, it could be worse--we could be in Renzi's district. Take care.