DAY SIXTEEN - KARA EASTMAN

Day Sixteen | Kara Eastman | NE-02
420 Sawbuck Patriots | $4390 pledged today | $86,355 donated overall

Team:

Hope you tuned in to the WisDems Princess Bride reunion table reading last night. I had such a good time that now I'm mostly dead.

From the inbox:


I can’t say thank you enough, Sawbuck Patriots. Every dollar donated enables us to amplify Abby’s message of common sense and compassionate leadership. Election Day is right around the corner and we couldn’t have gotten this far without grassroots campaigns just like yours! 

- Alice Riggs Harris / Finkenauer for Congress Deputy Finance Director


Let's get to it.

THE SITUATION: When it comes to electoral votes, Nebraska has said "we're doing things differently." When Trump wins the state's popular vote (and he will), he'll get only two of Nebraska's five electoral votes. The winner of each of its three congressional districts will get one vote for each win. (Maine does it similarly.) Because of this anomaly, in '08, Obama targeted (and won!) this district, substantially lowering the chance of a potential electoral college tie.

(Which, if that came to pass, would be pretty on-brand for 2020, because "broadly gestures at everything...")

Nebraska's politics aren't progressive, but this district is the one place in the state where Ds have won. (Not usually, no. But sometimes.) NE-02, which includes Omaha and environs, went Trump +3 over Clinton, but that was then. And NE-02 was represented for two of the past 26 years by a D. It's gettable - but with work. Biden can win it - and so can the D challenger to the incumbent.

THE COMPETITION: Let me start out by stipulating that while this is an anti-Bacon post, this is not an anti-bacon post. I love bacon. Delicious and crispy, it pairs well with fluffy eggs and buttered toast and hot, biting coffee, and I really don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about where I stand on the issue of bacon.
 
(Narrator voice: “Where are you going with this, exactly, Alex?”)

Don Bacon is the two-term R incumbent. A military fellow serving his country both in the field and at the Pentagon, he rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Air Force. Thank you, General Bacon. But how's his record in Congress? Glad you asked. He votes with Trump 91%+ of the time, ranks in the bottom sextile of Congress in bipartisanship, has voted to defund Planned Parenthood, has voted to repeal Obamacare, has voted against universal background checks for gun buyers, has voted against a raise in the federal minimum wage, has expressed support for Trump's moronic wall, and he's weakened FCC privacy rules and opposed net neutrality.  

I love bacon. But Bacon? Notsomuch.
 
OUR CANDIDATE: Two years ago, Kara Eastman came within two points of deep-frying Bacon, narrowly losing their first head-to-head contest - but she's back for a second round. Kara is a small business owner, a non-profit founder, an elected leader of the Omaha community college district, and a self-described chicken-wing aficionado. (Not kidding.) She's refusing corporate PAC $$$, she supports universal access to medical care and medical insurance, supports DREAMers, respects science regarding climate change, and her platform is busy addressing income inequality, too-high costs of college tuition, practical gun safety, and women's rights surrounding pay equity, family leave, and reproductive justice.

This race is ranked as a close one by all the major handicappers; it represents an important and strategic electoral vote to try to snag, as it substantially reduces the chance of a tied electoral college, and Eastman herself is a great, compelling, magnetic candidate. With Trump's unpopularity, sufficient resources, and strong turnout, THE MATH SAYS SHE CAN WIN.
 

Sawbuck Patriots, it’s go time: click HERE and send $10 (or more!) to Kara's campaign. Our collective effort will invest $$$$ today.

Day sixteen: Kara Eastman | NE-02 | 420 Sawbuck Patriots | $4390 | DONATE
Day fifteen: Abby Finkenauer | IA-01 | 410 Sawbuck Patriots | $4745 | DONATE
Day fourteen: Carolyn Bourdeaux | GA-07 | 404 Sawbuck Patriots | $5140 | DONATE
Day thirteen: Biden/Harris | the Presidency | 401 Sawbuck Patriots | $27,175 | DONATE
Day twelve: Joe Cunningham | SC-01 |  390 Sawbuck Patriots | $4400 | DONATE
Day eleven: Doug Jones | Alabama Senate |  Sawbuck Patriots | $5125 | DONATE
Day ten: Kendra Horn | OK-05 |  348 Sawbuck Patriots | $3895 | DONATE
Day nine: Princess Bride Reunion | Wisconsin |  334 Sawbuck Patriots | $4635 |  DONATE
Day eight: Cristina Hale | IN-05 |  324 Sawbuck Patriots | $3635 | DONATE
Day seven: Wendy Davis | TX-21 |  311 Sawbuck Patriots | $4095| DONATE
Day six: Xochitl Torres Small | NM-02 |  293 Sawbuck Patriots | $3440 | DONATE
day five: Mark Kelly | Arizona Senate |  268 Sawbuck Patriots | $4840 | DONATE 
day four: Brynne Kennedy | CA-4 | 239 Sawbuck Patriots | $3100 | DONATE
day three: Max Rose | NY-11 | 208 Sawbuck Patriots | $2735 | DONATE
day two: Sara Gideon | Maine Senate | 161 Sawbuck Patriots | $3075 | DONATE
day one: Candace Valenzuela | TX-24 | 109 Sawbuck Patriots | $1930 | DONATE