Lamont wins
Ned Lamont is the Democratic nominee for Senate in Connecticut and incumbent Joe Lieberman is off running as an independent. I was surprised at the lack of TV coverage last night. Given how this race had played out on the internet, I expected the MSM to give it more coverage. As it turned out, I ended up watching the results on the web.
The race was far tighter than anyone predicted. I read earlier in the week that there was a surge in independents changing their registrations to Democrat in order to vote in the primary. I guess some of them changed to vote for Lieberman.
I didn’t have a horse in this race but I’m disappointed in Lieberman’s decision to run as an independent. I would have preferred that he not participate in the primary if he was going to do that. Why spend all that time and money to run and lose in a primary and then turn around and run as an independent? He should have pulled out. As best I can tell, there was almost no way he was going to win the primary.
The polls so far show that Lieberman will win as an independent. Interestingly enough, there were more votes in the primary for the Senate candidates (283,055) than there were for the gubernatorial ones (266,674). (The LG primary voting was even worse – only 213,986 votes cast.) I think this is indicative of the fact that the people who went to the polls weren’t necessarily Democrats; instead, they went mainly to vote in the Senatorial primary. How this will play in the fall will be worth watching.
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George Allen bringing in the big guns
The Pilot reported today that President George Bush will attend a private fundraiser for Allen in NoVA later this month. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) will be here in Norfolk on August 16 as a part of the announcement of the forming of a veterans’ group supporting Allen. And former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani will be in the area to host a public fundraiser.
I hope Webb has his big guns cocked for doing similar fundraising.
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McKinney out
Georgia representative Cynthia McKinney lost her runoff yesterday. Her opponent, lawyer Hank Johnson, will be a heavy favorite. McKinney was known for being outspoken but her scuffle with a Capital Hill police officer is probably what did her in. Why she took offense that the officer didn’t recognize her is beyond me. Such is the arrogance of some elected officials.
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Doping in athletics
There is a good article in the Pilot today about how elite athletes use testosterone patches. The article originally appeared in the NY Daily News and is available here. I guess it’s naive to think that athletic prowess is a natural occurrence anymore.
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Marshall Newman amendment
There have been a couple of stories over the last few days that are worth a read. The Washington Post covers gays who have chosen to leave Virginia, citing an increasingly unwelcoming climate in the state. The Richmond Times-Dispatch printed a guest editorial on the effect of the amendment in context with Virginia’s Declaration of Rights.
I have been – and will continue to be – vocal in this space that the Marshall Newman amendment should be defeated. When I saw that piece on the Post, I was immediately reminded of Oregon and how their state constitution prohibited blacks from living there. Is Virginia headed down that path?
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The Shad Plank
The Daily Press has launched a new political blog – The Shad Plank. They plan to cover all of Virginia. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over time.
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Rumor
I’ve heard that another Democrat is planning to challenge Senator Yvonne Miller next year. Even though I do not live in the 5th, I’m a big fan of Miller. The supposed challenger is someone that I like as well. I hope this does not come to pass. Senator Miller deserves our support. She has been a great champion for all people.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Good point about the vote counts, Vivian, but wait for the post-eelction polls on a 3-way race. Lieberman’s support may tumble.
Anyone who wants to run as an independent should be encouraged to do so. When we start talking people out of running, we are hurting democracy.
The system allows Lieberman to run as an independent, just like when Marshall Coleman ran in the Robb-North race. Don’t remember too many Democrats speaking out against independent candidates.
Brilliant on your other points, except in your constant efforts to change the Amendment subject away from gay marriage. Today its racism, again. What’s tomorrow’s distraction going to be?
When Ned Lamont started his campaign, not many of the pundits thought he would win the primary. It’s too early to tell what will happen in the general election. The Republican in the race, from all accounts, is pretty much a non-entity. Even Connecticut Republicans now seem unhappy he is even running.
It’s going to be another race between Lamont and Lieberman. It will be interesting to see how it plays out in November. I won’t count Lieberman out and I don’t have the negative feeling about him that some others do, but I think Lamont could well pull it off. And I was a skeptic about that a few weeks ago.
Lamont came from behind once. Who’s to say he won’t do it again? By definition, that’s what an upset means.
Insider – If I recall correctly, Marshall Coleman ran as an independent and did not seek the party nomination. I know that Lieberman would not have been able to run in VA as an independent because it is not allowed. Part of the paperwork candidates sign prohibits it. I know it was a part of what I signed before last year’s primary.
And yes, civil rights are civil rights.
AIAW – I guess we’ll find out soon enough whether Lamont can win. I suspect it will be a fairly close race.
With so many states passing marriage protection amendments, those who want to move don’t have many places to go.
Hi Vivian,
I am not nit picking you but the Veterans for Allen kicked off July 15 at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond. Commander Paul Galanti, USN (Ret.) is the chair. It was well attend with over 50 vets taking positions to spearhead this group. I am sure McCain will proudly join in! This will be the kickoff for Norfolk area group.
I just repeated what the linked article said:
So nitpick at the Pilot 😉