Local campaign season & anecdotes

[Pom]

I didn’t feel like this comment really had a home in the other threads…

How is everyone participating and how are things in your neighborhood? Any anecdotes welcome here.

I mentioned in the other thread, that we are in northern lower Michigan, very red county. So many stupid flags and signs but none appeared really until after the shot as his ear.

We have written post cards encouraging voting through our county Dem party and we are also writing as many Vote Forward letters as we can to GOTV. Votefwd.org had many more letter campaigns to adopt if you have some time.

We saw some “Veterans against Trump” signs the other day and that was before the disrespect shown at ANC, so hopefully that sentiment grows. There will be a Trump boat parade in our neighborhood tomorrow so we won’t be home for that. I refuse to give them the attention they so desperately seek.

This morning, Mr. Pom went to exchange some iris and tulip bulbs with someone close by that was looking to share on local social media. He gets there and she has a magnificent “Kamala 4 President or Trump 4 Dictator” sign. My heart grows a tiny bit more hope for our neighborhood.

[pixy0stix]

Resident neighborhood Trumper has been quiet. No signs or her Trump flag have been put out. Her buddies around the corner have also not put out their Trump stuff. So... who knows? I don't want to ask her because every time I have a convo with her she ends up crying (I've known her pretty much my entire life so she feels free to emotionally unburden herself to me).

My "Don't Make it Weird" yard sign came in, and I'm really happy with it. Other Kamala/Walz signs have been slowly popping up in the neighborhood.

[underwaterrhymes]

H is canvassing in Wisconsin tomorrow and I’m writing postcards and will be phone banking.

We put our Madam President (and Tim!) sign in our window and as soon as our one we ordered from the campaign shows up, that will go in our yard.

We are in northern IL in a solidly blue and fairly diverse area, but we have our share of crazies here. Currently very few signs in our neighborhood either way, aside from the Trumper who always has a flag flying along with a Don’t Tread On Me flag, and their neighbor who is doing their part to combat their neighbor’s gross messaging by having a lovely inclusive sign in their window (the one that talks about how Black Lives Matter, Women’s Rights Are Human Rights and Science Is Real.)

[Pom]

“Don’t make it weird” I need that.

[eb777888]

I'm not typically one for yard sign anecdotes but seeing three Harris signs on my block and no Trump signs is making me happy (although, around here people don't put up Trump signs until closer to the election). There's the house that always has a democrat sign every election, and they have a "MAGA- Mothers Against Greg Abbot" year round, but two more Harris signs popped up over the past week at houses that have been politically quite in the past. Waiting on mine so I can join them! I did get my Madam President mug last week.

[pixy0stix]

Aug 30, 2024 11:09:33 GMT -5 Pom said:

“Don’t make it weird” I need that.

www.zazzle.com/dont_make_it_weird_yard_sign-256135874385114687

[Pom]

As a former Texas resident, I am always here for Greg Abbott hate. How anyone votes for him, Paxton, Cruz, Cornyn, or any of that GOP garbage, is astounding. Jasmine Crockett is a goddamn shining star tho. She is coming for them. So fuck Abbott and his band of creepy losers.

[stuffandthings]

My Harris for President shirt arrived yesterday, and my sign should be here in the next few days. We currently have a “Dictatorship Bad 2024” sign up, which someone actually flipped off as they drove past, hilariously. Like, who gets angry at the idea that dictatorships are bad??? It’s especially funny because this area is HEAVILY left-wing. It’s Madison, for God’s sake—there’s probably more registered Communists than Republicans.

I’m hosting a postcard party tomorrow at my house and two more before the election. I’m going to suck it up and go canvassing in September, too.

[tacokick]

I think my neighborhood is too overwhelmingly filled with Democrats (Biden got 90% of the city vote in 2020, even higher in my district) for people to bother with signs. I do get the impression that people are voting for her but aren’t as excited as I see people here about it which probably feeds into it. Very similar to how people talked about Biden.

That said, I have seen a few Harris combos with our Senate candidate (Alsobrooks) around and some that are just Harris. A few anti-Hogan signs. One RFK banner.

Out in the counties I see a lot fewer Trump signs than I have before and the ones I do see are largely the really unhinged homemade ones.

[Pom]

Aug 30, 2024 11:36:16 GMT -5 tacokick said:

I think my neighborhood is too overwhelmingly filled with Democrats (Biden got 90% of the city vote in 2020, even higher in my district) for people to bother with signs. I do get the impression that people are voting for her but aren’t as excited as I see people here about it which probably feeds into it. Very similar to how people talked about Biden.

That said, I have seen a few Harris combos with our Senate candidate (Alsobrooks) around and some that are just Harris. A few anti-Hogan signs. One RFK banner.

Out in the counties I see a lot fewer Trump signs than I have before and the ones I do see are largely the really unhinged homemade ones.

Do you think Alsobrooks can win? I haven’t looked at polling but sure hope so.

[redheadbaker]

Dave McCormick (who ran in the GOP primary for PA governor but lost to nutcase Mastriano oops, sorry, he ran in the 2022 GOP primary for the same Senate seat but lost to Dr. Oz) is now running for Bob Casey's Senate seat.

He claims he lives in PA (he does own a house here) but his primary residence seems to be in Connecticut.

He recently tweeted about a shooting, saying "MS-13 gang members are terrorizing Philadelphians because of Harris & Casey’s radical open border policies."

Except the incident happened in Philadelphia MISSISSIPPI. Opponents are having a field day.

thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4852659-mccormick-philadelphia-mississippi-mistake/

[tacokick]

Aug 30, 2024 11:47:29 GMT -5 Pom said:

Do you think Alsobrooks can win? I haven’t looked at polling but sure hope so.

I think it’s going to be close but hopefully yes! I have seen a lot of anti-Hogan stuff lately and info spelling out that the reason why we have the laws and protections we do is because his vetos were overruled.

His popularity is baffling to me!

I do worry that she doesn’t have the name recognition that he does, but hopefully being a Democrat will be enough.

[mrsukyankee]

redheadbaker, OMG. What a gaff! It gives me joy when a politician says they are from PA and then fucks it up spectacularly with things like this.

[abs]

Aug 30, 2024 11:21:56 GMT -5 Pom said:

As a former Texas resident, I am always here for Greg Abbott hate. How anyone votes for him, Paxton, Cruz, Cornyn, or any of that GOP garbage, is astounding. Jasmine Crockett is a goddamn shining star tho. She is coming for them. So fuck Abbott and his band of creepy losers.

I’m really curious if this will be the year Cruz is voted out. Too bad he’s the only one of those assholes that I get to vote against this year.

The Abbott hate train seems to be gaining steam. I’m here for it but wish we could get him out now. Who knows where it will be next time he’s up for reelection.

Anyways I have seen very Trump signs. I have also seen some that previously voted for Trump speak out against him. Hope it actually means something but we will see.

[ellipses84]

Aug 30, 2024 11:21:56 GMT -5 Pom said:

As a former Texas resident, I am always here for Greg Abbott hate. How anyone votes for him, Paxton, Cruz, Cornyn, or any of that GOP garbage, is astounding. Jasmine Crockett is a goddamn shining star tho. She is coming for them. So fuck Abbott and his band of creepy losers.

I’m supporting every Anti-“Texas Axis of Evil” candidate and social media person who trolls Cruz, even though I’m no longer in the state to vote against him. Abbott and Paxton’s latest fuckery is purging the voter rolls and raiding homes as part of election fraud investigation (targeting elderly and Hispanic voters). Tell all your TX contacts to check their registration. I’ve heard anecdotes that people who have voted in the most recent local election and not moved have found out they were unregistered.

www.chron.com/news/article/texas-abbott-voters-election-19723262.php

[Pom]

Yeah, it seems like once you live under the Texas GOP regime of terror & shitty governance, you hate them for life. No electric, no women’s rights, no protection from guns. Criminals in charge. Texas mess.

My family of mostly women are all in Dallas burbs and Cstat and they are probably sick of me and my “have you checked your voter registration” campaign. lol. They all loathe the Repug thugs too.

[ellipses84]

I’ve mentioned before that we often visit and stay with a relative in one of the reddest, most remote suburbs of Phoenix. In 2020, and after, there were tons of MAGA signs but last time we were there I didn’t see any! Maricopa county which encompasses Phoenix metro and suburbs is critically important to win the swing state which went D by a small margin in 2020. The county is the 3rd largest voting district in the country.

A reminder of how close the election results were from Politico. Every vote matters!!!

[ellipses84]

Pom I know I’m preaching to the choir. One of the reasons I was so hesitant to move to TX in 2014 was the politics. Once I got there, I was like, oh, this isn’t so bad. Working in downtown, Houston felt pretty similar to the several other major blue cities I’ve lived in. Slowly I started to realize how it’s different though. Like, when my friend had to have a destination wedding in New Mexico to marry his husband because they still couldn’t legally get married in TX (it finally became legal in 2015 but they didn’t want to plan their wedding around a pending Supreme Court decision). Started realizing how awful Abbott was. Then the lead up to the 2016 election. I think I was in a liberal denial bubble and thought no way would Hilary lose the election (even if TX went red). DH worked in retiree suburban land and had a different opinion because he saw people get into screaming matches and end 20+ year friendships over election disagreements. Still the general consensus was most people didn’t like either candidate and thought the orange menace was a joke. Everyone at my office was completely devastated and many people didn’t come to work the day after the election.

TX has only gotten worse from there. Cruz was a horrible representative who did not GAF about Houston residents, despite having a home and office there, and Abbott intentionally does things to punish Houstonians by withholding aid in times of crisis.

[abs]

Aug 30, 2024 13:00:44 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

Pom I know I’m preaching to the choir. One of the reasons I was so hesitant to move to TX in 2014 was the politics. Once I got there, I was like, oh, this isn’t so bad. Working in downtown, Houston felt pretty similar to the several other major blue cities I’ve lived in. Slowly I started to realize how it’s different though. Like, when my friend had to have a destination wedding in New Mexico to marry his husband because they still couldn’t legally get married in TX (it finally became legal in 2015 but they didn’t want to plan their wedding around a pending Supreme Court decision). Started realizing how awful Abbott was. Then the lead up to the 2016 election. I think I was in a liberal denial bubble and thought no way would Hilary lose the election (even if TX went red). DH worked in retiree suburban land and had a different opinion because he saw people get into screaming matches and end 20+ year friendships over election disagreements. Still the general consensus was most people didn’t like either candidate and thought the orange menace was a joke. Everyone at my office was completely devastated and many people didn’t come to work the day after the election.

TX has only gotten worse from there. Cruz was a horrible representative who did not GAF about Houston residents, despite having a home and office there, and Abbott intentionally does things to punish Houstonians by withholding aid in times of crisis.

I think the intentional punishment is going to be his (eventual) undoing though. It used to be subtle and now it’s just in your face. Intentionally withholding funding for disasters and education just to prove a point is going over like a lead brick out here. The small towns and red suburbs are over it so I’m really hoping this time he’s taking it too far. Can’t vote against him yet but it could impact down ballot races.

[wildrice]

Aug 30, 2024 11:58:51 GMT -5 tacokick said:

Aug 30, 2024 11:47:29 GMT -5 Pom said:

Do you think Alsobrooks can win? I haven’t looked at polling but sure hope so.

I think it’s going to be close but hopefully yes! I have seen a lot of anti-Hogan stuff lately and info spelling out that the reason why we have the laws and protections we do is because his vetos were overruled.

His popularity is baffling to me!

I do worry that she doesn’t have the name recognition that he does, but hopefully being a Democrat will be enough.

His TV commercials make me nervous. They seem to be highlighting his more progressive accomplishments, and don't even use the word "republican". I would be concerned that voters who aren't really paying attention may not even realize what's at stake by voting for him and may just remember that he's popular and has some less traditionally republican views.

I hope most of us are smart enough to realize that our opinions of him don't matter, we need the democratic seat. 

FTR I don't like him and wouldn't vote for him either way, but I can see how he appeals to moderates or republicans that aren't far right wackjobs. 

[tacokick]

Aug 30, 2024 14:47:35 GMT -5 wildrice said:

Aug 30, 2024 11:58:51 GMT -5 tacokick said:

I think it’s going to be close but hopefully yes! I have seen a lot of anti-Hogan stuff lately and info spelling out that the reason why we have the laws and protections we do is because his vetos were overruled.

His popularity is baffling to me!

I do worry that she doesn’t have the name recognition that he does, but hopefully being a Democrat will be enough.

His TV commercials make me nervous. They seem to be highlighting his more progressive accomplishments, and don't even use the word "republican". I would be concerned that voters who aren't really paying attention may not even realize what's at stake by voting for him and may just remember that he's popular and has some less traditionally republican views.

I hope most of us are smart enough to realize that our opinions of him don't matter, we need the democratic seat. 

FTR I don't like him and wouldn't vote for him either way, but I can see how he appeals to moderates or republicans that aren't far right wackjobs. 

That’s been his approach his whole political career. It’s obviously worked!

But I think lot of people who were supporters earlier in his tenure as governor fell off during his last year or so in office when it was clear he had not followed through on a lot of promises, gave up federal money to help the city for no real reason and vetoed pretty much any family, health or workplace friendly protections and bills. People also didn’t like that he didn’t actively and vigorously denounce Trump and that Trump has supported him.

[RoxMonster]

I’m writing postcards for that Postcards to Swing States that was linked in an earlier thread here. I just got my 200 in the mail and have to send them on Oct 24 so chipping away at them bit by bit.

[eport]

Thinking very local and beyond November. There is a diversity initiative in town and next week, they are putting together a program at the Library about city offices that we are having elections for in the spring (such as school board, library board, city council, etc). Since it is not for a specific candidate but informational, this is allowed at the Library. The goal is to get people (and more diverse people) to run for office. Especially since (save school board) many offices end up being uncontested (3 people running for 4 openings, etc) They are doing the program now as people can pick up packets to file to run and they are due in November.

The agenda for each local office on the ballot is:
What is the office and what do they do/are responsible for
How often do they meet (such like 1 board monthly meeting and 1 committee of the whole meeting on these dates each month)
Do they get paid (mostly no)
Have someone who holds (or did hold) the office available to answer questions
What does it take to run (paperwork required, how many signatures-example I needed 50 minimum for Library Board but city council could be as little at 15)
General answer questions about running for office (do you need social, yard signs, etc)

I love that they are doing this and hope they get a great turn out.

[picksthemusic]

I'm in securely blue WA so we don't have a lot of stuff going on here that is too worrying. The governor's race is almost a done deal (our AG Bob Ferguson is poised to take over for Jay Inslee), but there are quite a few Dave Reichert signs, mostly in the more rural parts of the area (not surprisingly). No outright Trump stuff except one house has a Trump flag hanging off of their second story deck that is visible to a very busy main road. However, there is a very large Harris/Walz 2024 banner hanging on a fence in front of a house that's on a super busy main road here too, so yay! Our HOA discourages political yard signs, but they can't stop us from hanging stuff in our windows. DH is anxious about retaliation (even though I'm fairly certain our neighborhood leans blue/the Trumpers are silent) so we don't hang anything visible to the neighborhood. There is also Maria Cantwell and Suzan DelBene running for re-election, and they handily won their primaries, so again, I'm not worried about those outcomes.

I was on a business trip to Spokane (the red side of the state) and there were many more Reichert signs (no Ferguson signs) than over here, and some Trump stuff too. Again, not surprising at all, but I know there is a pretty strong blue movement in Spokane - my dad and stepmom regularly volunteer to phone bank and door-knock, and I follow a bunch of Spokanites that are trying to get the R folks voted out over there for things like mayoral candidates and school board stuff.

I want to do postcards again - I did that in 2020 and it was fun!

[Pom]

eport

I think that is fantastic. We have a lack of non-right wing candidate problem here so hopefully that spurs qualified people to participate. Keep us posted!

[lilac05]

Just saw a hopeful poll for Iowa District 2 Rep. In 2022, Hinson, a Trump Devotee, beat a popular former reporter 54-46. There’s a new challenger this year, a healthcare advocate, small business owner, breast cancer survivor, @@ and mom of a special needs child. She has essentially zero name recognition…but the poll I saw today had her up 50.4-49.6. Obviously within the margin of error, and it’s still really early…but I feel some hope for Iowa!

Hinson has big, big money backing her, and has painted herself as a good little church girl. This is going to be a tough race, but I think it’s winnable.

corkeryforcongress.com

[ZitchDog]

Aug 30, 2024 23:34:21 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

Just saw a hopeful poll for Iowa District 2 Rep. In 2022, Hinson, a Trump Devotee, beat a popular former reporter 54-46. There’s a new challenger this year, a healthcare advocate, small business owner, breast cancer survivor, @@ and mom of a special needs child. She has essentially zero name recognition…but the poll I saw today had her up 50.4-49.6. Obviously within the margin of error, and it’s still really early…but I feel some hope for Iowa!

Hinson has big, big money backing her, and has painted herself as a good little church girl. This is going to be a tough race, but I think it’s winnable.

corkeryforcongress.com

I live in Iowa and Hinson is the worst. I am so happy to see this.

I've been writing postcards for a candidate for congress and placing yard signs today for a candidate for Iowa house (running against Bobby Kaufmann, who is also the worst). (Might delete later.)

I ordered a Harris Walz sign recently, and am also writing postcards for the campaign.

[konapoppy]

We never get many presidential signs - ours was probably one of the few. But the trumpers tend to have them in their garage. We are in a very purple area.

The real signal is the school board signs. People have signs up for the trumper even though she isn’t running for our city’s seat. The school board seats aren’t technically partisan, but the positions make it clear. A seat was already lost to that side last election in a really bad campaign. I’m nervous for our schools if the seats keep flipping.

[InBetweenDays]

I NEVER see Trump signs in the Seattle area. Every once in awhile there was a guy who used to sit in his pickup truck at the local beach with a Trump flag off the back, but I haven't seen him an over a year.

However we've been staying in a fairly red part of the state for the past few days. Trump won the county 53.7% to 38.1% in 2016 and 52.5% to 43.8% in 2020. I'd say from what we've seen the Harris signs outnumber the Trump signs 2 to 1.

ETA: we just went to a Frontier Days parade. Now the town where it was held is the largest in the county and is a college town so that may sway things, but the parade was very focused on farming, rodeo, and veterans. Out of the thousands of people we saw I saw one a Trump T-shirt and one FJB hat. The Republican party group went by in a massive trailer with glossy signs of all the local candidates. No one responded. The Democrat party went by on foot with signs saying things like "Make Truth Matter Again" and "LGBTQ Rights Matter". They got applause all along the route!

[fernweh]

We are at our cottage in a very red area this weekend. The Trump signs are few and far between- we just bought last year, so I’m not sure what it looked like last election cycle. I literally cheered in the car last night when we were driving in and saw a Harris sign.

Today when walking the dog I did see a sign that said “Be and American, not a Democrat” my eyes rolled so hard my contact almost popped out.