GOOD NEWS FOR PROGRESSIVES IN SENATE RACES IN VIRGINIA AND TEXAS

Texas Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator, Rick Noriega and family

Although polls show that moderate Democrat Mark Warner will wipe the floor with either mainstream conservative Tom Davis or far right radical Jim Gilmore in the 2008 Virginia senate race, Davis' decision to not run-- while probably depriving Democrats of his House seat-- cedes the vast political center and will help Democrats up and down the ticket.

It was inevitable that Davis would drop out as soon as it was announced that the GOP would forgo a primary to pick a nominee and opt for a convention dominated by the kinds of extremists and neo-fascists who have run the Virginia Republican Party into the ground in the last few years.

Much more important news comes from Texas, where the Democratic insider/establishment candidate, multimillionaire Mikal Watts, has decided to give up his senseless and divisive bid for a chance to face radical right extremist John Cornyn in the U.S. Senate race next year. Blue America-endorsed Rick Noriega has been, despite Watts' gargantuan spending, the far and away favorite of the Texas grassroots. The Burnt Orange Report carries a statement from Watts and we just got an official statement from Rick Noriega's campaign:

I received a call from Mikal Watts this morning informing me that he has decided to withdraw from the Democratic Primary race for the United States Senate.

As Teddy Roosevelt once said, the credit goes to the man in the arena. And Mikal Watts will always have my utmost respect for standing in the arena and highlighting how John Cornyn has let Texas down, placing political extremists and his financial contributors ahead of the people of Texas.

Of course, this is not the first time Mikal has been in the arena-- he's been a true friend to Democrats in Texas and throughout the nation, and has always had the courage to stand up for his convictions.

Today, Mikal made a very difficult and personal decision to put his family first. That's a reflection of a strong character and a truly grounded leader.

Mikal and I made plans to sit down together in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I'll continue the campaign that we started together and fight for the vision for a better Texas that we continue to share.

This is great news for Texas Democrats who will be able to rally around Noriega and present the pathetic and ultra-reactionary junior senator a united front. This will be a very tough race in a very Republican state, but could well be the icing on the cake of a huge national repudiation of right-wing Republican policies over the past 7 years. If you want to congratulate Rick, consider a contribution to his campaign fund today.


UPDATE: MORE BAD NEWS FOR REPUBLICROOKS-- ALASKA

Virginia and Texas might be joined by another "red" state in electing a Democrat to the U.S. Senate, as corrupt senior senator Ted Stevens' disgraceful career continues to crash and burn. And Democrats in the state have been busy reminding Alaskans what kind of a crook the state has representing them in Washington. Today a really great new resource for Stevens watchers was launched, RetireTed.com. Worth a visit, if just for the fantastic artwork.