Dem
53
Ties
3
GOP
44
Some more reports on local races, including a couple of the ones addressed in the item above about commercials.
N.K. in Cleveland Heights, OH, writes: We just got a mailer at our house with the dire warning that "Amy Acton is too conservative for Ohio," blasting her for some anti-trans positions she has taken and also complaining that (horror of horrors) she advised a Republican governor's administration on medical mandates. It's paid for by "Progressive Families PAC," which according to some cursory googling, is a newly formed PAC with ties to a bank that funds Republican candidates. Their website is one page of platitudes and zero tangible information about policy positions or, you know, who they actually are. The flyer was addressed to my name "or current resident," so it doesn't seem to be targeting me personally based on whatever they think my voting pattern is. I hope this bit of rodent reproduction implies that some Republicans, at least, are feeling desperate about this race.
At any rate, the flyer came too late for me and my husband, since we both voted early in-person last week. When I went on Wednesday at around 3:00 p.m., there were about 40 people in line ahead of me but lots of election officials processing people, and I was in and out in 20 minutes. (When my husband went on Friday afternoon, it took him around 40 minutes.) There were little Halloween decorations up, and while I was there, at one point an election worker called out "first-time voter!" and we all clapped. There's only one early voting site here in Cuyahoga County, which is home to Cleveland and its suburbs, but it's in downtown Cleveland, so it's conveniently located for anyone who works there, and even from the most far-flung corners of the county I think it's not much more than a half-hour drive. Apparently Ohio is on track to break its previous record for number of early votes cast, which doesn't surprise me, given how many people passed in and out of the early voting site during 20 minutes on a Wednesday afternoon.
S.D. in Holmen, WI, writes: Here in Wisconsin's hotly contested 3rd congressional district, I find the campaigns of both the Republican incumbent, Derrick Van Orden, and the Democratic challenger, Rebecca Cooke, unpersuasive. Both campaigns seem to rely entirely on television ads, glossy mailers and billboards. There is no ground game that I can detect, except that I have received three postcards encouraging me to vote. Presumably, the sending campaign knows my preferences. I recycle at least ten glossy mailers per week, 75% from Van Orden. The mailers and television ads just recycle the same handful of trite phrases. A new commercial supporting Van Orden features a half dozen middle aged white guys standing around a pickup truck, talking about socialism and guns. Envision a Saturday Night Live parody of people uncomfortable on camera and you'll get the picture. The incongruous round hay bale in the back of the truck screams "I actually know nothing about agriculture," completing the unhelpful whole. Cooke will get my vote in a heartbeat, but I am disappointed that I twice offered to volunteer for her campaign on her campaign website and twice received no response. Perhaps modern campaigns don't involve any two-way communication with any voters, but I find the whole thing disheartening.
J.T. in Bastrop, TX, writes: I just wanted to share my experience here in red rural south central Texas. I grew up here, and lived here most of my life, but now I live closer to Austin and drive an hour south for work every day.
I take a little two-lane highway south through four small towns along the way to the small town I work in. The only Ken Paxton or Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signs I have seen are in one of those towns, in front of two obviously vacant homes. Plenty of signs for the more local candidates, like U.S. House or state House. The area is obviously red, but the excitement just doesn't seem to be there this go-round.
D.C. in Oscoda, MI, writes: MI-01 feels like the least noticed, least talked about congressional race in the country. If it is mentioned at all, it is described as "non-competitive," even thought we have an excellent candidate in Democrat Callie Barr (attorney, veteran's advocate, local upbringing, mother, wife). She is going up against a MAGA carpetbagger, Rep. Jack Bergman (R), who has been invisible in the district for 10 years and has voted with Trump all the way. To top it off, he has been hit with not one but two separate financial and ethical scandals this year, both reported on in the Detroit News, our state's conservative newspaper. Many of us continue to work hard for our candidate, but it's frustrating that there is seemingly no notice of the fight she's bringing against this truly awful sitting congressman.
L.B. in Canby, OR, writes: I almost fell off the kitchen stool last night when the evening news showed Donald Trump in Port Huron, MI. I grew up across the river in Sarnia, ON, Canada. Although I have not lived there since 1972, I do have close friends and family who do. Port Huron is even more of a podunk town than Wasilla, AK. Why are they sending the President to all these small places? Yes, there are lots of good freeways leading to Port Huron, as it is a major border crossing into Canada. Port Huron has a population of 29,000 people and I wonder how many of them have been hurt by the trade wars with Canada (and Canadians who used to shop a lot in Port Huron are now staying home). Plus the arena only holds 4,800 people and news reports say only 3,000 showed up. Instead of talking about Nikki Minaj's ass, the news should be covering that the Idiot-in-Chief can only get 3,000 people to show up for a rally. Barack Obama and Abdul El-Sayed got more than that in Detroit and they were speaking in a high school gym with some overflow space.
M.G.M. in Portland, OR, writes: I was in Toronto airport duty free, and thought I need a nice bottle of bourbon. I walked through the store a few times and only found a small section of Ontario-based offerings.
\0x2028M.N. in Falls Church, VA, writes: My heart goes out to my fellow citizens where the races are tight due to the constant television commercials.
I live in Northern Virginia (NoVa, if you're nasty) and there are ZERO competitive races in the region so we're getting NO political ads.
Sure there are signs in yards and medians but none of this "one ad after another."
Hang tight, kids, it's almost over!
That's good advice, M.A.—just have to hang on a little longer. If any reader has a report for Local Bytes, please send it to us at comments@electoral-vote.com. (Z)