Ocean's List (U.S. Senate)
This is my endorsement list for Senate elections happening all over the country. I will not cover every election, but I will definitely try to cover the elections that matter to me.
Senate
Arizona: Kyrsten Sinema. Arizona also deserves a Senator who will be pragmatic and balanced. She has an established record in Congress as a moderate. That'll be helpful when dealing with a Republican President (or a Republican controlled Senate). There are things I dislike about Sinema, such as the fact that she voted in line with Pres. Trump's position on legislation 59.5% of the time. However, it reflects her bipartisanship and a very Arizona sense of being a Maverick, like Sens. John McCain and Barry Goldwater before her.
Nevada: Jacky Rosen. Nevada needs a Senator who will stand up and protect their health care. Sen. Dean Heller voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Not only that, but Sen. Heller has been a part of the Republican cabal to sabotage the Affordable Care Act at every chance offered. He co-sponsored the Graham Cassidy bill, which would have repealed the ACA, returned Medicaid to state control and cap funding, and redistribute federal money in a way that states that expanded Medicaid through the ACA would have lost funding. Sen. Heller is hell bent on taking away health insurance from his constituents. Jacky Rosen will work to not only protect people's health care, but she would work to expand health insurance to those who still lack it.
Texas: Beto O'Rourke. In 6 years representing Texas, Ted Cruz hasn't passed any substantial legislation. Rather, he led the successful crusade to shut down the government in 2013 in an attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He ran for President in 2016 and was mocked by Pres. Trump; being labeled "Lyin' Ted" while his wife was attacked for her looks and his father was accused of being Pres. John F. Kennedy's assassin. At the 2016 RNC convention, he showed some political courage by announcing that he would not support Trump for President; only to turn around about two months later to support him. All Ted Cruz has done is make a name for himself and promoted himself. He has done nothing but make Texas a laughing stock. Beto O'Roruke meanwhile oozes with idealism, is receptive to new ideas, has visited and held town halls in every county in Texas, and at a time when less than 1 in 5 people approve of Congress and their actions, would bring to the Senate some much needed civility and grace.
Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, West Virginia: Sens. Ben Nelson, Joe Donnelly, Claire McCaskill, Heidi Heitkamp, and Joe Manchin. These Senators aren't perfect in the eyes of Progressives. But they are Senators of states that do not have the same type of constituency as say Sen. Feinstein of California, or Sen. Hirono of Hawaii. They have to be more flexible and more understanding if they want to attract cross-party voters. With that said, they do come in line when there is something important at stake. These Senators support expanding health insurance to all Americans. They support strengthening unions and raising the minimum wage. And they believe that when there is a rising tide, that it should raise all boats, not just those of the wealthy class. I support each and everyone of their efforts to get reelected. These are our most vulnerable Senators up for reelection in 2018. We need every single one of them to keep their seats if we want to take back the Senate and serve as a check to the Trump administration. A Democratic minority, or even a reduced minority, does not serve that agenda well.
Senate
Arizona: Kyrsten Sinema. Arizona also deserves a Senator who will be pragmatic and balanced. She has an established record in Congress as a moderate. That'll be helpful when dealing with a Republican President (or a Republican controlled Senate). There are things I dislike about Sinema, such as the fact that she voted in line with Pres. Trump's position on legislation 59.5% of the time. However, it reflects her bipartisanship and a very Arizona sense of being a Maverick, like Sens. John McCain and Barry Goldwater before her.
Nevada: Jacky Rosen. Nevada needs a Senator who will stand up and protect their health care. Sen. Dean Heller voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Not only that, but Sen. Heller has been a part of the Republican cabal to sabotage the Affordable Care Act at every chance offered. He co-sponsored the Graham Cassidy bill, which would have repealed the ACA, returned Medicaid to state control and cap funding, and redistribute federal money in a way that states that expanded Medicaid through the ACA would have lost funding. Sen. Heller is hell bent on taking away health insurance from his constituents. Jacky Rosen will work to not only protect people's health care, but she would work to expand health insurance to those who still lack it.
Texas: Beto O'Rourke. In 6 years representing Texas, Ted Cruz hasn't passed any substantial legislation. Rather, he led the successful crusade to shut down the government in 2013 in an attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He ran for President in 2016 and was mocked by Pres. Trump; being labeled "Lyin' Ted" while his wife was attacked for her looks and his father was accused of being Pres. John F. Kennedy's assassin. At the 2016 RNC convention, he showed some political courage by announcing that he would not support Trump for President; only to turn around about two months later to support him. All Ted Cruz has done is make a name for himself and promoted himself. He has done nothing but make Texas a laughing stock. Beto O'Roruke meanwhile oozes with idealism, is receptive to new ideas, has visited and held town halls in every county in Texas, and at a time when less than 1 in 5 people approve of Congress and their actions, would bring to the Senate some much needed civility and grace.
Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, West Virginia: Sens. Ben Nelson, Joe Donnelly, Claire McCaskill, Heidi Heitkamp, and Joe Manchin. These Senators aren't perfect in the eyes of Progressives. But they are Senators of states that do not have the same type of constituency as say Sen. Feinstein of California, or Sen. Hirono of Hawaii. They have to be more flexible and more understanding if they want to attract cross-party voters. With that said, they do come in line when there is something important at stake. These Senators support expanding health insurance to all Americans. They support strengthening unions and raising the minimum wage. And they believe that when there is a rising tide, that it should raise all boats, not just those of the wealthy class. I support each and everyone of their efforts to get reelected. These are our most vulnerable Senators up for reelection in 2018. We need every single one of them to keep their seats if we want to take back the Senate and serve as a check to the Trump administration. A Democratic minority, or even a reduced minority, does not serve that agenda well.
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