Blanche Lincoln’s Primary Challenger Raises $1M in 36 Hours

[babylonsister]

Blanche Lincoln’s Primary Challenger Raises $1M in 36 Hours


Many senators will go down in infamy as having played the role of roadblock on the path to comprehensive health care reform. Remember the fun Ben Nelson had as ringleader of the Gang of Six last year? Harry Reid’s wavering indecision is, of course, another example of obstruction. Joe Lieberman! Mary Landrieu! OK, I could go on forever… and I’ve not yet named a single Republican.

But Blanche Lincoln may be the first to experience real payback for her role in abandoning her Arkansan constituents. As we wrote earlier this week, her state’s lieutenant governor, Bill Halter, has announced that he will challenge her in the Democratic primary this year.

And now comes the news that in a mere 36 hours since Halter announced his candidacy, progressives have donated nearly $1 million to his nascent campaign. (According to Adam Green of BoldProgressives.org, the million-dollar mark will be crossed any second now.)

MoveOn.org members have donated $854,000; PCCC/DFA members have given $61,000; and DailyKos readers have added $30,000 to Halter’s campaign coffers.

Lincoln should be shaking in her Capitol Hill heels. Polling shows that she is trailing Republican challengers by a large margin — and adding a challenge from within her own party to the mix is only going to make things even harder for her.

more...

http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/03/02/blanche-lincolns-primary-challenger-raises-1m-in-36-hours/

[still_one]

1. Since Arlene Spector became a Democrat, he leads in the polls in his state. He also supports

a public option, labor, and issues that blue dog Democrats should be embracing, but they don't

Instead these blue dogs want to take positions that the republicans stand for. What kind of choice does that give to the people of the blue dog's respective states?

[mmonk]

2. Will the DLC, the monarchy of the Democratic Party get it?

No of course. Anything that interferes with their ideology they ignore.

[RB TexLa]

3. bookmarking this for election night

[ThomWV]

4. He may have raised a $1 Million yesterday, but Blanche has reportedly got $5 Million in the bank

[1776Forever]

8. And I am sure a lot of it from Wal-Mart influence! Check out her top 5 contributors:

Top 5 Contributors, 2005-2010, Campaign Cmte

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=n00008092

Contributor Total Indivs PACs

Nix, Patterson & Roach $60,200 $60,200 $0
Stephens Group $47,600 $37,600 $10,000
Wal-Mart Stores $41,550 $31,550 $10,000
Southwestern Energy $38,550 $28,550 $10,000
Blue Cross/Blue Shield

[Larkspur]

12. The AFL-CIO have committed $3 million to Halter

and the SEIU have paid off Halter's Lt. Gov election debt.

[wroberts189]

5. karma ..you might not believe in it ..but sometimes it is fun to. knr/nt

[1776Forever]

6. Ed Schultz spoke to this guy yesterday brought up Wal-Mart influence.

They (Wal-Mart) have a stranglehold on this state. Here is just one example of that:

Lincoln announces opposition to Employee Free Choice.
By Ryan Powers on Apr 6th, 2009

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/06/lincoln-no-efca/

Earlier today, Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) announced that she would oppose the Employee Free Choice Act — which would make it easier for workers to organize unions — should it come up for vote in the Senate in its current form. Lincoln, who is running for reelection in 2010, is the first Democratic Senator to openly oppose the legislation. The AP reports:

“I cannot support that bill. I cannot support it in its current form,” Lincoln told those gathered for the luncheon at the governor’s mansion. “I may not have said that as clearly before, but I’m saying it now.” … “It is one of those issues that creates great division, as well as distraction, at a time when we need all hands on deck,” Lincoln said. <...>

“We need workers and we need business at the table, if we’re going to put this economy back on track, and I don’t think the discussion on the Employee Free Choice Act has helped us do that.”

The Arkansas-based Wal-Mart corporation had hired a former Blanche Lincoln staffer to lobby against the Employee Free Choice Act. Notably, Lincoln waited until after Vice President Biden helped her raise $800,000 before announcing her opposition to a piece of legislation that both Biden and Obama strongly support.

[mucifer]

7. I'm curious, how much did "you lie" wilson raise in 36 hours?

[mmonk]

9. I don't know but I do know Halter's monetary support isn't coming

from the same donors.

[wroberts189]

10. Take a lookie here...... :)

S.C.'s Wilson Rakes In $750,000 in Less Than 48 Hours; Opponent Tops $1 Million
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/09/scs_wilson_rakes_in_750000_in.html


Rob Miller, Wilson's Opponent, Raises Over $1 Million Off "You Lie"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/10/rob-miller-wilsons-oppone_n_281931.html

[customerserviceguy]

11. The Arkansas primary is in May

Presuming she loses in that election, the forces looking to bring this miserable excuse for HCR have only until then to get it done. An actual drubbing of Lincoln will completely freak out Blue Dogs in the Senate, even if they've doubled their Prozac since Massachusetts.