- Bumped one last time. -N

Books close tonight at midnight EDT for the FEC’s second fiscal quarter. As the third quarter is traditionally the weakest for fundraising, this is our last best shot to show progressive strength before November. That’s why MyDD features eight candidates who are Going On Offense at ActBlue. We’ve got four Senatorial candidates, two Gubernatorial candidates, and two House candidates. 5 of the 8 are running for open seats and one is challenging a Repub incumbent. Please help by donating $5 or more to at least two of them - and if that's too much to ask, you can still share this post on Facebook and Twitter with the gadgets below!

If you’re a fan of MyDD on Facebook, you’ve seen our recent fundraising appeals for Alan Grayson, Jack Conway, Matt Dunne, and Bill White. I've also featured White (TX-GOV) and Paul Hodes (NH-Sen) in full posts of their own. While I have personal affinities for Hodes and Dunne, my two favorite races are KY-Sen and TX-Gov. These races hold both symbolic and practical importance. Winning in KY-Sen would keep Rand Paul out of office (not to mention that Conway was my favorite primary candidate), and winning in TX-Gov would allow us to undo the corrupt redistricting legacy of Tom DeLay once the 2010 census is complete. Plus, think about the message progressive victories in Texas and Kentucky in an allegedly anti-Democratic year would send!

Other Going On Offense candidates include Robin Carnahan in MO-Sen, Russ Feingold in WI-Sen, and Tom White in NE-02. For descriptions of these candidates, visit the ActBlue page, and please pick at least two to support. Even just $5 each means a +1 in the contributor list, and that goes a long way. Please give before tonight’s deadline.

The end of the second fiscal quarter is rapidly approaching – less than a week to go. This is an important deadline for showing the strength of progressive candidates, especially since the next quarter is traditionally the weakest. Things are already off to a good start this year – for example, the Democratic nominee for Idaho Governor, Keith Allred, is outraising and underspending Repub incumbent Butch Otter – but we have to keep that momentum going.

Here are the 8 candidates from MyDD’s Going on Offense Act Blue page. I hope you’ll consider supporting at least two of them.

For Governor

Bill White (Texas) - Incumbent Texas Governor Rick Perry has a 35% approval rating. Former Houston Mayor Bill White is well known for his excellent handling of Hurricanes Katrina and Ike, greening Houston, and cutting taxes. The next Governor's term will include both census-based redistricting and a presidential election. The race is a toss-up. What more incentive to give do you need?

Matt Dunne (Vermont) - Spend just ten minutes with Matt Dunne and you'll realize that he has one of the deepest commitments to service and firmest grasps on public policy of anyone you’ve ever met. Matt, an executive at Google, is the former director of Americorps-VISTA and a former state senator. His resume and his values are the right choice for Vermont and for the Democratic Party as we seek to take this statehouse back.

For Senate

Jack Conway (Kentucky) – As state Attorney General, Jack Conway has taken over 40,000 images of child pornography out of circulation, helped take 90,000 child predators off MySpace, and led the largest drug bust in state history. As a candidate, he focuses on job creation, high school drop-out rates, Wall Street reform, and repealing DADT. Oh, and his opponent? That would be one Rand Paul, who has repeatedly said he doesn't support the 1964 Civil Rights Act and considers criticism of BP "un-American."

Robin Carnahan (Missouri) – They say that as Missouri goes, so goes the nation, and in 2010, this might be the closest thing to a true toss-up anywhere on the Senate map. Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, a Missouri resident who still runs her family's farm in Rolla, has cracked down on financial predators and helped guide her office into the 21 Century. Her opponent, Roy Blount, was one of Tom DeLay's top lieutenants during the Bush administration. The choice is clear.

Paul Hodes (New Hampshire) – Paul Hodes has been an outspoken, aggressive and unwavering proponent of real health care reform since his recent election to Congress. A true progressive advocate, Hodes refused to give up when things were at their darkest after Scott Brown won the MA-Sen seat, writing on the Huffington Post, “The Washington Republican Party and their tea-party allies would take us back to the Bush years… Now is not the time for Democrats to shy away from a fight, to back down or run away from who we are. There is too much at stake.”

Russ Feingold (Wisconsin) – Though not running for an open seat, no progressive movement would be complete with Senator Russ Feingold. Feingold was the lone vote against the now-notorious Patriot Act in 2001 and has been one of the most outspoken advocates for peace and justice in Iraq and beyond.

For House

Alan Grayson (Florida Eighth) – Congressman Grayson emerged as a true progressive hero in 2009 when he led the fight for a health care public option and debunked Republican lies on the House floor. He has since turned his attention to Wall Street reform and accountability, but is a top conservative target. Only the second Democrat to ever represent this district and still new enough to be a reformer, he needs our help.

Tom White (Nebraska 2^nd) – For the first time in history, a state split its Electoral College vote when NE-02, which includes Omaha, cast its vote for Barack Obama. Let’s keep this district blue and send Lee Terry packing. Help state Sen. Tom White take his record of success on education, civil rights, and workplace discrimination to Congress. White is one of the DCCC’s 13 “red to blue” candidates.

Give now! Because seriously, is there any reason to wait?

The end of the second fiscal quarter is rapidly approaching – less than a week to go. This is an important deadline for showing the strength of progressive candidates, especially since the next quarter is traditionally the weakest. Things are already off to a good start this year – for example, the Democratic nominee for Idaho Governor, Keith Allred, is outraising and underspending Repub incumbent Butch Otter – but we have to keep that momentum going.

Here are the 8 candidates from MyDD’s Going on Offense Act Blue page. I hope you’ll consider supporting at least two of them.

For Governor

Bill White (Texas) - Incumbent Texas Governor Rick Perry has a 35% approval rating. Former Houston Mayor Bill White is well known for his excellent handling of Hurricanes Katrina and Ike, greening Houston, and cutting taxes. The next Governor's term will include both census-based redistricting and a presidential election. The race is a toss-up. What more incentive to give do you need?

Matt Dunne (Vermont) - Spend just ten minutes with Matt Dunne and you'll realize that he has one of the deepest commitments to service and firmest grasps on public policy of anyone you’ve ever met. Matt, an executive at Google, is the former director of Americorps-VISTA and a former state senator. His resume and his values are the right choice for Vermont and for the Democratic Party as we seek to take this statehouse back.

For Senate

Jack Conway (Kentucky) – As state Attorney General, Jack Conway has taken over 40,000 images of child pornography out of circulation, helped take 90,000 child predators off MySpace, and led the largest drug bust in state history. As a candidate, he focuses on job creation, high school drop-out rates, Wall Street reform, and repealing DADT. Oh, and his opponent? That would be one Rand Paul, who has repeatedly said he doesn't support the 1964 Civil Rights Act and considers criticism of BP "un-American."

Robin Carnahan (Missouri) – They say that as Missouri goes, so goes the nation, and in 2010, this might be the closest thing to a true toss-up anywhere on the Senate map. Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, a Missouri resident who still runs her family's farm in Rolla, has cracked down on financial predators and helped guide her office into the 21 Century. Her opponent, Roy Blount, was one of Tom DeLay's top lieutenants during the Bush administration. The choice is clear.

Paul Hodes (New Hampshire) – Paul Hodes has been an outspoken, aggressive and unwavering proponent of real health care reform since his recent election to Congress. A true progressive advocate, Hodes refused to give up when things were at their darkest after Scott Brown won the MA-Sen seat, writing on the Huffington Post, “The Washington Republican Party and their tea-party allies would take us back to the Bush years… Now is not the time for Democrats to shy away from a fight, to back down or run away from who we are. There is too much at stake.”

Russ Feingold (Wisconsin) – Though not running for an open seat, no progressive movement would be complete with Senator Russ Feingold. Feingold was the lone vote against the now-notorious Patriot Act in 2001 and has been one of the most outspoken advocates for peace and justice in Iraq and beyond.

For House

Alan Grayson (Florida Eighth) – Congressman Grayson emerged as a true progressive hero in 2009 when he led the fight for a health care public option and debunked Republican lies on the House floor. He has since turned his attention to Wall Street reform and accountability, but is a top conservative target. Only the second Democrat to ever represent this district and still new enough to be a reformer, he needs our help.

Tom White (Nebraska 2^nd) – For the first time in history, a state split its Electoral College vote when NE-02, which includes Omaha, cast its vote for Barack Obama. Let’s keep this district blue and send Lee Terry packing. Help state Sen. Tom White take his record of success on education, civil rights, and workplace discrimination to Congress. White is one of the DCCC’s 13 “red to blue” candidates.

Give now! Because seriously, is there any reason to wait?

The end of the second fiscal quarter is rapidly approaching – less than a week to go. This is an important deadline for showing the strength of progressive candidates, especially since the next quarter is traditionally the weakest. Things are already off to a good start this year – for example, the Democratic nominee for Idaho Governor, Keith Allred, is outraising and underspending Repub incumbent Butch Otter – but we have to keep that momentum going.

Here are the 8 candidates from MyDD’s Going on Offense Act Blue page. I hope you’ll consider supporting at least two of them.

For Governor

Bill White (Texas) - Incumbent Texas Governor Rick Perry has a 35% approval rating. Former Houston Mayor Bill White is well known for his excellent handling of Hurricanes Katrina and Ike, greening Houston, and cutting taxes. The next Governor's term will include both census-based redistricting and a presidential election. The race is a toss-up. What more incentive to give do you need?

Matt Dunne (Vermont) - Spend just ten minutes with Matt Dunne and you'll realize that he has one of the deepest commitments to service and firmest grasps on public policy of anyone you’ve ever met. Matt, an executive at Google, is the former director of Americorps-VISTA and a former state senator. His resume and his values are the right choice for Vermont and for the Democratic Party as we seek to take this statehouse back.

For Senate

Jack Conway (Kentucky) – As state Attorney General, Jack Conway has taken over 40,000 images of child pornography out of circulation, helped take 90,000 child predators off MySpace, and led the largest drug bust in state history. As a candidate, he focuses on job creation, high school drop-out rates, Wall Street reform, and repealing DADT. Oh, and his opponent? That would be one Rand Paul, who has repeatedly said he doesn't support the 1964 Civil Rights Act and considers criticism of BP "un-American."

Robin Carnahan (Missouri) – They say that as Missouri goes, so goes the nation, and in 2010, this might be the closest thing to a true toss-up anywhere on the Senate map. Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, a Missouri resident who still runs her family's farm in Rolla, has cracked down on financial predators and helped guide her office into the 21 Century. Her opponent, Roy Blount, was one of Tom DeLay's top lieutenants during the Bush administration. The choice is clear.

Paul Hodes (New Hampshire) – Paul Hodes has been an outspoken, aggressive and unwavering proponent of real health care reform since his recent election to Congress. A true progressive advocate, Hodes refused to give up when things were at their darkest after Scott Brown won the MA-Sen seat, writing on the Huffington Post, “The Washington Republican Party and their tea-party allies would take us back to the Bush years… Now is not the time for Democrats to shy away from a fight, to back down or run away from who we are. There is too much at stake.”

Russ Feingold (Wisconsin) – Though not running for an open seat, no progressive movement would be complete with Senator Russ Feingold. Feingold was the lone vote against the now-notorious Patriot Act in 2001 and has been one of the most outspoken advocates for peace and justice in Iraq and beyond.

For House

Alan Grayson (Florida Eighth) – Congressman Grayson emerged as a true progressive hero in 2009 when he led the fight for a health care public option and debunked Republican lies on the House floor. He has since turned his attention to Wall Street reform and accountability, but is a top conservative target. Only the second Democrat to ever represent this district and still new enough to be a reformer, he needs our help.

Tom White (Nebraska 2^nd) – For the first time in history, a state split its Electoral College vote when NE-02, which includes Omaha, cast its vote for Barack Obama. Let’s keep this district blue and send Lee Terry packing. Help state Sen. Tom White take his record of success on education, civil rights, and workplace discrimination to Congress. White is one of the DCCC’s 13 “red to blue” candidates.

Give now! Because seriously, is there any reason to wait?

All sorts of new polls out this week; it’s a junkie’s dream. Good news for Democrats on the generic ballot and presidential approval, and in Senate races, decent news in Kentucky and Pennsylvania, bad but expected news in Florida and Louisiana, and just plain bad news in Missouri.

In Kentucky, a new PPP poll shows Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo leading AG Jack Conway in the Democratic primary for Senate, 36-27. I’m not sure what to make of this poll – the last public poll, from SurveyUSA, had Mongiardo up just 3, and that was before a number of corruption scandals became public. Conway internals had him leading after the scandals broke. I’m going to continue to assume that this race is a toss-up. Also in Kentucky, PPP finds Rand Paul leading Trey Grayson 46-28 in the Senate GOP primary, a much more expected result, and Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin tied at 24 in a way-too-early presidential primary poll.

Still in KY-SEN, Rasmussen finds that Conway is competitive in a general election while Mongiardo is not. You might find that odd, given that Conway is the progressive and this is Kentucky, but hey, ethics are ethics. Anyway, Rasmussen shows Conway with a 47-36 approval spread, as compared to Mongiardo’s 40-48. In the four hypothetical general election head-to-heads, no Repub candidate ever cracks 50%, and Conway always outpolls Mongiardo, trailing Grayson by 5 and Paul by 9 as compared to Mongiardo’s 14 and 16. Pretty compelling numbers, if electability is what you look for in a primary.

Leaving the south, in PA-SEN, two new polls show Admiral and decorated veteran Joe Sestak catching up with Swift Boating incumbent Arlen Specter, but he still has a long way to go. A new poll from Muhlenberg, their first with 402 LV Democrats and a 5% MOE, shows Sestak within the MOE at 46-42. Quinnipiac shows a much wider gap, with Specter leading 47-39, but Quinnipiac’s previous poll from a month earlier had it at 53-32. The takeaway is that Specter is still easily the favorite but that Sestak now has a real chance. At Pollster.com, Harry Enten analyzes different types of polls and their history in recent cycles, concluding that “this election is probably going to be a close one, and Specter better hope for a healthy turnout.”

Conway’s general and Sestak’s improving numbers are about the only good news out there for progressives. The first FL-SEN poll, from Rasmussen, to come out since Crist’s party switch is the worst news yet for Democrat Kendrick Meek: Crist 38, Rubio 34, Meek 17. The poll shows Rasmussen’s desire for money and speed – it’s N=500 in a one-day frame – but it nonetheless underlines what I’ve been saying for days. Crist’s move hurts Meek more than Rubio. Meek’s previous three-way low, also from Rasmussen, was 22, and his previous non-Rasmussen low was 24.

More bad news in both MO-SEN and LA-SEN. In Missouri, allegedly a toss-up and one of our best shots, Rasmussen has Repub Roy Blount leading Democrat Robin Carnahan 50-42. The good news is that it’s the right-leaning, automated phone response Rasmussen. Still, a trend is a trend, and Rasmussen’s previous two polls showed this race at 48-42 and 47-41. RCP gives him a lead of just one point, but that includes a September poll so it’s complete bunk. So far no good in Missouri. Louisiana isn’t much better, either. No, this race was never considered a toss-up, but with a horny felon running against a Blue Dog, you’d think we’d at least have a chance. And yet, admittedly Republican pollster Lane Grigsby of Opinion Research shows David “I like my prostitutes in diapers” Vitter leading Rep. Charlie Melancon 49-31. Vitter has a favorable/unfavorable of 55036, lower than Gov. Jindal (R)’s but higher than senator Landrieu or President Obama’s. The RCP average is Vitter by 15.3, which would actually be higher if they didn’t include numbers from last July.

But let’s end on a bright spot. In the Gallup generic ballot, Democrats are holding steady in a tie at 45-45. On the one hand, Democrats are in their worst generic ballot position ever, but on the other hand, this is the second week in a row Gallup has found a 45-45 tie, and it follows Democratic leads from YouGov/Polimetrix and ABC/Washington Post. Only the right-leaning Rasmussen finds a Repub lead.

The new CBS/New York Times poll also gives good news for Democrats. The President clocks in at a 51-39 approval rating. In previous monthly CBS polls, he was at 50-40, 49-41, and 46-45. Quibble with the numbers, but a trend is a trend. Maybe he’s above 50, maybe not, but President Obama and even Congressional Democrats have only improved their position over the past few months. CBS/NYT finds similar trends on specific issues, even those where the net remains negative.