Oh my: Ted Cruz now leads Dewhurst by five points in Texas senate primary
[HotAir.com]
posted at 6:21 pm on July 12, 2012 by Allahpundit
The campaigns’ internal polls are, unsurprisingly, contradictory. Dewhurst’s has him up eight points, Cruz’s has him up nine. We need an impartial pollster (impartial as regards this race, at least) to settle this.
This race is one of the most stark examples of the Tea Party movement propelling a candidate that we’ve seen to date. 40% of voters identify themselves as members of that movement and Cruz has a 71-26 advantage with them. Dewhurst leads 57-34 with non-Tea Partiers, and they are 50% of the electorate, but it’s not nearly enough to drown out Cruz’s advantage with that group.
Texas is also an exceptionally rare state where Hispanic voters might be the difference maker in a Republican primary. Cruz has a 78-19 advantage with them…
The large name recognition advantage Dewhurst has enjoyed throughout the campaign has pretty much disappeared. 85% of runoff voters have an opinion about him, and Cruz is not far behind at 81%. We frequently found in our earlier polling that Cruz was winning with voters who knew him, but that he was losing overall because of the name recognition gap. That’s not a problem anymore. Cruz’s net favorability of +31 (56/25) is better than Dewhurst’s +19 (52/33). Since our final pre primary poll Cruz’s net fav has improved by 25 points, while Dewhurst’s has declined by 17.
Senate candidate who ousted Lugar credits Tea Party, as Dems pounce
[FoxNews.com]
Published May 09, 2012
The conservative challenger who ousted longtime Republican Sen. Richard Lugar in the Indiana primary Tuesday is pointing to his victory as a sign the Tea Party is alive and well — as Democrats pounce on the win to argue the GOP is once again taking an “extremist” turn.
State Treasurer Richard Mourdock crushed Lugar, who has held his seat since 1977, by more than 20 percentage points. The frustration of defeat showed overnight, as Lugar criticized Mourdock’s “unrelenting partisan mindset.”
Mourdock, in an interview with Fox News Wednesday morning, said Lugar is “in my thoughts.”
“He is a great American, a historic figure,” Mourdock said, adding that his margin of victory must be “difficult” for Lugar.
But, he said, “it’s time to move forward,” and was unapologetic about the hard-charging race he ran and his vision for a strong conservative majority across Washington. In pointing to his win, he rejected the idea that the Tea Party is moving toward irrelevance.
GOP Senators renew plea to avoid ‘devastating’ defense cuts
Before departing for a two-week Easter recess Thursday, Republican senators renewed a plea for bipartisan collaboration to avoid a round of crippling budget cuts to the Defense Department.Under an agreement reached last year by legislators on both sides of the aisle, automatic budget cuts to the Defense Department could reduce its funding by $500 billion over the next 10 years–on top of the $487 billion the department has already been ordered to find and slash. The cuts, which Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has repeatedly called a “meat ax,” would take effect on Jan. 1 and would create particularly dire financial straits for the department in Fiscal 2013.
Other federal departments, including Education, are expected to take a budget hit under this Budget Control Act requirement, called sequestration, but DoD has received most of the attention on the issue, as it is slated to absorb half of the cuts.
Bellwether: Santorum blows past Gingrich in Pennsylvania, now leads Romney by one
[HotAir.com]
posted at 8:37 pm on February 9, 2012 by Allahpundit
I know what you’re thinking. “Who cares, AP? It’s his home state and their primary isn’t until the last week of April.” True. Pennsylvania might not matter much. But these numbers are important right now because they might — might — give us a window into how the race is going next door in Ohio, one of the key states voting on March 6, a.k.a. Super Tuesday.Ohio could matter a lot.
The statewide poll of 500 Republicans showed Santorum’s support more than doubled from 14 percent six weeks ago to 30 percent, putting him in a statistical dead heat with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who increased his support to 29 percent from 18 percent. Santorum’s gain was former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s loss, as his numbers here plunged from 35 percent to 13 percent…
James Lee, president of Susquehanna Polling and Research, which conducted the poll, said Santorum’s growing strength among Republicans suggests conservatives are tuning in to the race.
“Rick speaks their language. They believe he’s the real deal, but they seem to draw the line when it comes to moving on to the fall,” Lee said. “They don’t seem to think he’s electable. That’s the real conundrum he’s in: How does he persuade mainstream voters he’s the guy who can win in November?” [Yes!]
Obama $68M fourth quarter haul dwarfs Republicans
[FoxNews.com]
Associated Press
Published January 12, 2012
President Barack Obama raked in more than $68 million combined for his re-election campaign and the Democratic Party during the final three months of 2011, gearing up for a formidable challenge against his Republican opponent later this year.
The large fundraising quarter helped Obama’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee surpass $220 million in 2011, bankrolling the president’s re-election campaign as Republicans settle on a nominee. Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney raised $56 million for the primary through Dec. 31, his campaign announced Wednesday, far outpacing his GOP opponents.
Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said Thursday in a video to supporters that the campaign collected more than $42 million for the quarter, with the DNC bringing in more than $24 million, along with $1 million for a joint fund to help state parties in key states. The amount helped the president’s team beat an internal goal of $60 million combined for the quarter.
Obama’s campaign collected $750 million in 2008, prompting speculation that it could top $1 billion this time. Messina said the lofty figures have created “a challenge that keeps coming up. Too many Obama supporters think we don’t need their money or they don’t need to give now.”
However, Messina said, “The billion-dollar number is completely untrue.”
Obama, facing no primary opponent, has stockpiled a large campaign bank account, but Democrats expect parity with Republicans once the party chooses a nominee. Romney has been a formidable fundraiser and most party leaders expect a large amount of money to flow into his campaign if he sews up the nomination. Republican-leaning Super PACs have also fared better than Democratic-backed outside groups, further offsetting the president’s fundraising.
Obama’s campaign has emphasized a large number of donors and small donations generated from online giving. Messina said the campaign and DNC had generated 1.3 million donors, with 583,000 people giving during the most recent quarter. More than 98 percent were for donations of $250 or less and the average donation was $55, Messina said.
The GOP Is on Probation
BigGovernment.com
Posted Nov 8th 2010 at 8:04 am
by Jamie Radtke
For nearly two years, the tea parties have warned the Ruling Class there would be serious consequences to ignoring the will of the people, and that day finally arrived this past Tuesday, Nov. 2. The tsunami was felt at all levels of government as a majority of House, Senate and Governor races were won by candidates who had substantial support from tea party voters. Previously the tsunami had been felt within the GOP when tea party voters ousted many incumbent and “establishment-preferred” Republicans in primaries.
Now it is important that Republicans read the right message in the tea leaves: “You are on probation!”
It seems paradoxical that a political party could win such commanding victories, yet be held in such low regard by voters. A recent NYT/CBS poll (10/26) found the favorable rating for the Republican Party was 41% and a recent AP poll (10/18) pegged the job performance approval rating for Congressional Republicans at 28%. As my parents always used to say, “trust must be earned” – and it is earned with actions, not pledges.
Republicans have failed us miserably in the recent past by failing, among other things, to curb spending and debt, reform entitlements, or tackle illegal immigration. In fact, they have bloated spending, increased debt and expanded entitlement programs.
Republicans cannot afford to play politics at the margins, focus more on maintaining their power rather than changing Washington, or return us to the business-as-usual approach of “plodding along.” It isn’t often that one can claim to speak for the entire tea party movement without swift rebuke, but I feel confident in saying that the tea parties will not tolerate timid or self-motivated politics.
The stakes could not be higher. Americans are threatened with a disastrous fiscal collapse unless immediate and drastic action is taken to address the underlying causes. Neither major party has had the political fortitude to offer such a plan. The Republican Pledge to America released in September was plainly inadequate. The tea parties demand courageous action – now.
Bob McCarty Missouri Senate Candidate Guilty of ‘Stealing Tea’
Posted Jul 24th 2010 at 3:01 pm
BigGovernment.com
by Bob McCarty
When men who didn’t serve in the armed forces pretend to be decorated war heroes, they’re labeled as “fake veterans” and can even be prosecuted for for what many call “stolen valor.” Recently, one Missouri politician began mailing campaign literature that leads me to believe he’s guilty of stealing the valor of members of the Tea Party Movement (i.e., freedom-loving patriots who sacrifice time, talent and treasure in an effort to save their country from socialism). In short, he’s guilty of “stealing tea.”
The politician at the heart of this matter is Scott Rupp, a RINO Republican running for re-election in Missouri’s 2nd Senatorial District.
This week, I learned from friends in the Tea Party Movement that Rupp had mailed a four-color piece that features a photo of him standing, arms crossed, in front of a bright yellow Gadsden (a.k.a., “Don’t Tread On Me!”) flag. In addition to featuring the flag that’s become a symbol of the Tea Party Movement, the photo features people holding up signs in the background.
The problem I have with Rupp’s brochure is that it gives voters a false impression about a candidate who, according to everyone with whom I’ve spoke, has never been to a single Tea Party event in the district — and I’ve attended dozens of ‘em!
Chuck MacNab, one of the leaders of an anti-socialism group in O’Fallon, Mo., shared feelings about Rupp’s tactics with recipients of his RITEON.org e-newsletter. An excerpt of that e-mail appears below:
As we see it, his flyer attempts to create an illusion. For instance, we have never seen him show up to meet people or to help out at a Saturday rally of K & N Patriots, the largest and primary “tea party” group that has met every Saturday for over a year in his District. Cynthia Davis, his opponent, has shown up to help out, hold a sign and converse with participants at the corner of K & N almost every Saturday, sometimes for the entire duration of the rally.
MacNab had better things to say about Rupp’s opponent, Cynthia Davis, the owner of a Christian book store owner and member of the Missouri House of Representatives since 2003:
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