Fighting Dem Vets Open Forum

[trillian]

Cross posted at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/7/13648/27769">kos, where some will be live blogging depending on availability.


Fighting Dem Vets Open Forum: Return Engagement and the Kentucky Candidates

Tonight Fighting Dems Vets who have previously blogged or have been invited to blog with the fighting dems blogging team have been invited to come back and discuss some hot topics of the week or anything else the netroots wants to engagement them on. In the next couple week more will return to interact with the blogosphere. In addition, the Kentucky candidates have been invited since their primary on May 16th in coming up soon.

An extra feature is a rundown on the Fighting Dems record in the primaries to date. Out of 24 candidates who were unopposed or who ran against other candidates, 14 remain to run against Republican incumbents in the GD in November. See below the fold.
The star attractions that have been invited (participation dependent on their campaign schedules):

Ted Ankrum (TX- ), Mishonda BALDWIN (MD-03), Dave BRUDERLY (FL-06), Bill FALZETT, PhD (CA-02), Jay Fawcett (CO-05), David HARRIS (TX-06), John LAESCH (IL-14), Jeff LATAS (AZ-08), Karen Marie OTTER (CA-52), Rick PENBERTHY (FL-05), Gene SCHARER (AZ-02), Carl SHEELER (RI-Senate), Rick SIFERD (OH-04), Terry STULCE (TN-03) and Bill WINTER (CO-06).

And from Kentucky:

Andrew HORNE (KY-03), Ken Lucas (KY-04), Kenneth STEPP (KY-05), Eric STREIT, Mike Weaver (KY-02).

*Availability depends on campaign schedules so some who are invited will have to decline, but others may join for all or part of the session.

2. The next Primary is the Kentucky Primary, May 16th, 2006

4 Fighting Dem vet challengers in Kentucky
1 unopposed (ex-Rep Ken Lucas, two terms in the House, for KY-04; returning after a draft Ken Lucas effort)


MIKE WEAVER for Congress KY-02


Colonel, U.S. Army.
Mike joined the Navy at 17, serving on a Destroyer Escort. Later he served as an enlisted man in the 1st Cav in Korea. Attending OCS he was commissioned and served as an officer in Vietnam with the 1st Cav and the 73rd Airborne Brigade. During his 30 year military journey, Mike rose in rank from a Private to a Staff Sergeant and from a Second Lieutenant to a Colonel. Along the way, Mike received a military scholarship for under-graduate school and another for graduate school.
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Mike Weaver was born and raised on a farm in southern Daviess County, Kentucky. In 1996, four and a half years after retiring from the Army, Mike was elected to fill a vacant seat as State Representative for the 26th District. For eight years, Mike has sponsored, co-sponsored, and voted for legislation that had to meet a simple test: "is it good for family, faith, and freedom, and will it be good for our community?"

Andrew HORNE for Congress (KY-03)


LtCol, U.S. Air Force.
Iraq War vet. Commissioned as a Marine was deployed to the Mediterranean, the Far East and Northern Europe, entering the Marine Reserve. He was recalled for Operation Desert Storm, and was once again recalled to duty, serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Throughout his legal career, Horne has advanced in the military from his enlistment as a private to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Along the way, Horne was eventually promoted to company commander of the unit he first enlisted in! Though he was eligible to retire after 20 years of service, Horne continued to serve because the corps needed him. He will mark his 27th anniversary as a Marine in March 2006.
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After honoring his six-year active duty commitment to the Marines, Horne re-joined the USMC Reserve and entered the Brandeis School of Law at U of L. During school, Horne was awarded a Leon Seidman Memorial Award for demonstrating honesty, integrity and a commitment to community service, and clerked for a prestigious local law firm. He also honed his interest in the environment as a member of the Environmental Moot Court team. Following Desert Storm, Horne returned again to Louisville and to law school, where he met and married his wife, Stephanie. Horne graduated in 1993 and established a successful legal practice. Today, he and Stephanie are proud parents of two young boys: Ty, 10; and Nick, 8.

Ken LUCAS for Congress (KY-04)


Major, USAF, USAR.
Served 12 years in the Air Force, later in the Air National Guard, retiring as a Major.
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Ken Lucas is an ex-Representative from Kentucky, elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Sixth and to the two succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1999- January 3, 2005); not a candidate for reelection to the One Hundred Ninth Congress in 2004 due to promise. Returning now because of the grave situation facing our nation. Ken was born in Kenton County, Ky., August 22, 1933; graduated from University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky., 1955; M.B.A., Xavier University, 1970; Florence, Ky., city councilman, 1967-1974; Boone County, Ky., commissioner, 1974-1982; Boone County, Ky., judge-executive, 1992-1998, and, of course, ex-Rep from this district and a retired Major in the USAF.

Kenneth STEPP for Congress (KY-05)


Lieutenant, Junior Grade,
USN Vietnam era veteran. Trained in Naval OCS, in Naval Operations, Weapons, Engineering, and Navigation; Graduate of the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California with an M.S. in Management. Kenneth served as Gunnery Assistant and Second Division Officer with supervision over eighteen fighting men who ran the gun mount, the gun fire control system, the anti-aircraft missiles, and the anti-aircraft missile fire control system in addition to the small arms gun locker. Kenneth Stepp was proud to serve alongside such patriots in the United States Navy on the USS Blakely.
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Born 9/8/1947, married to the former Wilma Smith, wife and two children live n Barbourville, Kentucky. Ken is a lawyer with Law Offices at Carl A. Short II. He graduated from the University of Georgia, School of Law, juris Doctor, law degree; M.S. in Management, Clemson University, South Carolina, B.A. in Industrial management with a minor in Economics.

For the profiles of these vets visit Fighting-Dems.com and check out the Muster Rolls by state.



10 Texas Fighting Dem Challengers before primary
6 Unopposed
1 Won primary and runoff (Ted Ankrum)
2 Lost in primary (Duane Shaw and David Murff)
1 Lost runoff (Paul Foreman, vet, lost to Ted Ankrum, vet)

Current: Seven (7) Dem Challengers in November: Dan Dodd vs. Sam Johnson (TX-03), Charlie Thompson vs. Jeb Hensarling (TX-05), David T. Harris vs. Joe L. Barton (TX-06), Ted Ankrum vs. Mike McCaul (TX-10), Roger Waun vs. William M. "Mac" Thornberry (TX-13), John Courage vs. Lamar S. Smith (TX-21), Rick Bolaños vs. Henry Bonilla (TX-23)

Illinois Primary - March 21, 2006

4 Fighting Dem Challengers
2 unopposed
2 winners in primary

Current: Four (4) Fighting Dem Challengers in Illinois in November: Tammy Duckworth vs. Peter J. Roskam (IL-06) and Jonathan "John" Laesch vs. speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert (IL-14), Richard "Dick" Auman vs. Donald A. Manzullo (IL-16), Steve Waterworth vs. Ray Lahood (IL-18).

<b>Indiana Primary - May 2nd, 2006</b>

2 Fighting Dem Challengers
1 won in the primary
1 lost in the primary (Rick Cornstuble)

Current: One (1) Fighting Dem Challenger in Indiana in November: Thomas E. Hayhurst vs. Mark E. Sounder (IN-03).

North Carolina Primary, May 2nd, 2006

2 Fighting Dem Challengers
1 Withdrew (Tim Dunn)
1 unopposed

Current: One (1) Fighting Dem Challenger in North Carolina in November: Craig Weber vs. Jones Jr. (NC-03).

Ohio Primary, May 2nd, 2006

6 Fighting Dem Candidates
1 unopposed
2 pairs running against each other
Upset was Joe Sulzer, a good candidate who came in a surprising 3rd.

Current: One (1) Fighting Dem Challengers in Ohio in November: Richard Siferd vs. state senator Jim Jordon for open seat left by retiring GOP incumbent Michael G. Oxley (IL-04). This district is very competitive with an excellent Fighting Dem Vet candidate.

Summary:

Out of a total number of twenty-four (24) Fighting Dem vets who have been through primaries and runoffs, fourteen (14) remain to oppose Republican incumbents in the General Election in November. This is a loss of ten (10) of which one (1) was due to the withdrawal of the candidate (Tim Dunn, North Carolina). There was an unusual opposition of three pairs of FDVets running in the same districts so loss was inevitable; but non-vet FDs won in two of these and one of the FDVets won in the other (Ted Ankrum won the runoff against fellow vet Paul Foreman, both of whom had bested the two non-vet candidates).

1 candidate dropped out (NC)
3 lost in Texas (1 running against another vet; one had to lose)
0 lost in Illinois (2 won, 2 unopposed)
1 lost in Indiana (1 out of 2 - 50/50)
5 lost in Ohio (two pairs running against each other, one or both had to go and both lost; Joe Sulzer losing was an unexpected upset as he was a good candidate).
___
10 withdrew or lost out of 24 in primaries to date. Considering we need 15 more reps to win back the House, the casualties are not severe (except in Ohio).

[trillian]

1. Ted Ankrum is living blogging right now.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/7/13648/27769

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Why do I read these posts and those bios and get all

proud and teary at the same time?

I love these guys.

[Adelante]

3. Thank you

:patriot: