GOP Dysfunction And Failure Are Attracting Quality Candidates To Congressional Races

Back in February 34% of Americans were very confident that Ryan's plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act would make healthcare better. Does that sound like a small number of people? Since then, people have had a chance to see Ryan's concrete plans (TrumpCare) and according to the new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll that number has shrunk... to 8%. And a Washington Post poll shows something even more bizarre, namely that large numbers of Trump voters reject the actual core ideas around which the Republican health plan is premised. For example, a majority of these Trump voters-- just like normal people-- favor a national ban on hiking premiums on preexisting conditions. Turning this into a potentially even more toxic brew is the revelation that most voters in key swing states which Trump carried--Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania-- now finally understand that Trump is a liar. Just over half of the Republicans in those states say he exaggerates the truth, while close to 70% of Democrats say he intentionally lies. Luckily for Señor Trumpanzee, most voters (84%) operate from an assumption that all Republican politicians lie and that he's isn't special in that way.

How many 2018 Republican-held House seats does this imperil? That same Wall Street Journal/NBC poll found that dissatisfaction with congressional Republicans in general and with Paul Ryan in particular is growing exponentially. Only 22% of voters now see Paul Ryan positively-- and nearly double that number have a negative impression of him. In February there was just a 1% gap between those who liked him and those who didn't. The gap is now 18%-- and not in Ryan's favor. Only one in five Americans think Congress-- completely controlled by the Republican Party-- is doing a satisfactory job.

Just in the last two days, more grassroots (as opposed to DCCC-imposed) Democratic congressional candidates have come on the radar. A progressive emergency room nurse, activist and former Riverbank city councilwoman, Dotty Nygard, tossed her hat into the ring for the CA-10 seat held by confused Republican Jeff Denham. The Central Valley district, which stretches from Tracy, Manteca and Riverbank in the north through Modesto and down to Turlock and Newman in the south, saw Obama win twice and Hillary beat Trump 48.5% to 45.5% while the DCCC screwed up the congressional races in this white minority district again and again and again. In her Facebook statement she said that "an elected representative should embody the ideals, strengths, and spirit of the people they represent. Equally important, they must understand the concerns and struggles we face as individuals and as a community. An elected official must show leadership and dedication to their constituents, rather than sacrifice our future to the highest bidder. Here's my pledge to you: I will bring back the caring, compassion, and community that is often lost in the mundane, indifferent, business-as-usual culture in Washington and our Political establishment. I am running for congress to say enough is enough on your behalf!"


NO MORE playing politics with our Healthcare,


NO MORE playing politics with our natural resources,


NO MORE playing politics with our children's education or our ability to earn a living wage and support our families.

"We deserve better! We need to preserve and protect the nation's leading agricultural industry here within our rich Central Valley soils. The future sustainability of our region hangs in the balance, and will be decided at the voting booth in 2018. We must embrace our diversity and respect the tradition of immigration at the core of our Nation's heritage. I will stand FOR you, and I will march WITH you! Our needs and values should NOT be lost in the political process but our voices should be heard THROUGH it."

Another crucial Central Valley race is starting to take shape due south of CA-10, down the 99 Freeway past Merced and Madera, you get to Fresno and Visalia, the two main cities in CA-22, Devin Nunes' district. The DCCC has never challenged Nunes but he's made such a spectacle of himself over Putin-Gate that interest in ending his career in Congress is now sky-high. Yesterday the first candidate to jump into the race was Fresno County prosecutor Andrew Janz, a 33 year old who told the Fresno Bee that he's "not a politician; I’ve never considered running for Congress until recently.

Republicans hold a significant voter registration advantage in the district-- 42.8 percent of voters identify themselves as Republicans, compared to 32.8 percent Democrats. But a significant proportion of the voters-- more than 19 percent-- listed no party preference on their registration as of February.

Janz said he’s undaunted and believes there may be some momentum building toward the 2018 election because of Trump’s volatile, confrontational style and proposals over health care and taxes. “I feel like I have a connection with the district,” he said. “I believe I share the values of a lot of the people in the district.”

While he’s a lifelong Democrat, “I’m not the type of person who votes the party line,” Janz said. “I’m willing to listen to anyone… I’m going to focus on building a coalition of progressives, moderates and people who share the values of the area.”

And Sunday, on the other side of the country, in western North Carolina, a potential Democratic superstar, Matt Coffay, announced his candidacy at a healthcare-focused town hall event in Waynesville. Matt, a leader of Our Revolution in North Carolina is taking on Freedom Caucus head man Mark Meadows in NC-11, a viciously gerrymandered district that is a prime example of what corrupted overly partisan legislators can do to undermine democracy. The district went for Romney 60.4-39.6% and then for Trump 63.2-34.0%. It was Trump's strongest score in the state. Coffay appears undaunted by the challenge.


At the event Sunday he told the crowd of several hundred that "America is at a crossroads. Our Republic is eroding into a country of partisan bickering and vast income inequality, with millions of hardworking people left behind by a changing economy. We need to sustain the activist energy that's emerged in Western North Carolina and carry it all the way through midterm elections. We’re going to build the biggest grassroots movement that the 11th District has ever seen, and that’s why we’re starting the campaign right now... I’m going to stand up to the health insurance industry and the pharmaceutical industry. I’m going to stand up and say that it’s time we raised the minimum to a living wage of $15 an hour, and that we need tuition free public college. We need infrastructure investment here in Western North Carolina, and we need the jobs that infrastructure investment will bring. With your help, we’re going to raise the money that we need, and we’re going to go all the way to Washington, D.C., to change the face of American politics."