Senate race results

Get yer Dwight Schrute bobblehead doll right here…

Today we begin a week long competition between the five candidates for the U.S. Senate endorsed by Blue America, Tom Allen (D-ME), Mark Begich (D-AK), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Rick Noriega (D-TX) and Andrew Rice (D-OK). None of these are the “easy” races that the big money is flowing to. These are the tough ones, although each one is winnable. Join us!

Update: contest winner is Annette Taddeo, $10,000 prize.

Candidates in small market congressional districts can get a lot of advertising for $5000. Blue America has a contest going, where donors get to pick not only where their own donations go, but which of nine BA candidates should receive an extra $5K.

firedoglake had hoped to wrap up the TedFest! poetry contest here today because it is the first anniversary of the FBI raid on his Girdwood chalet. The raid was the first in the history of the United States upon the home state dwelling of a sitting member of the U.S. Senate.

But serendipity mucked up our plans. I don’t think “anybody could have predicted” that between the beginning of TedFest! and its wrap-up, Ted would be busted. To answer once and for all the question I’ve dealt with dozens of times since yesterday morning – no – I didn’t know in advance. And I’m not sure Ted did.

…But some weeks are more corruption-y than others.* On Monday, we learned that Monica Goodling’s hiring practices were even more blatantly partisan than we thought (and really, what would you expect when the White House Liaison has personnel responsibilities?).

Today, the now-slightly-less-overtly-corrupt Mukasey DOJ indicts Ted Stevens for covering up bribes from VECO. Who knows what Wednesday, Thursday, and News Dump Friday will bring?

Alan Grayson (Blue America, FL-08) is exactly the kind of Democrat that we need.  Not a timid, cautious, capitulating, impeachment-off-the-table Democrat like the party leadership, but a don’t-give-an-inch, take-no-prisoners, put-the-criminals-in-jail Democrat. Check out his great interview with Matt Stoller.

When we began the TedFest! poetry contest at firedoglake last week, Alaska’s very senior Senator Ted Stevens was ahead of his most likely November challenger, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, by one point. Now, as we let you choose the final winners, Mark Begich is up by nine points. Way to go, gang!

I think this may be the Obama campaign’s first attack on McCain since their guy became the presumptive Democratic nominee, and it’s a good one. Via e-mail from the Obama campaign: