by Briana Huxley, Director of Political Affairs

BIPAC Action Fund Endorsed Candidate Results

Senate:
*    MI: Terri Lynn Land Advanced to General Election

House:
*    MI-3: Brian Ellis: Lost Primary
*    MI-11: Dave Trott: Advanced to General Election

Kansas

Senate:

Senator Pat Roberts (R) will be back in the Senate for a fourth term after defeating his primary challenger radiologist Milton Wolf.   Wolf, backed by Tea Party groups such as the Senate Conservatives Fund, had a campaign plagued with scandal, after he posted x-rays of his patients on Facebook.  Roberts, however, had his own campaign issues to deal with, more specifically the criticism that he lives in Virginia.  He owns a home in Kansas, but leases it out.  Roberts is safe in the general election.

House:

KS-1: Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R) easily beat back a primary challenge from Alan LaPolice, a former school superintendent.  Huelskamp, a Tea Party favorite, took heat from the agriculture and ethanol industries in Kansas for his recent policy standings.  Huelskamp is favored in the general.

KS-4: Rep. Mike Pompeo (R) beat back a challenge from former Congressman Todd Tiahart.  Pompeo had a cash advantage and was leading in the polls up to the election.  Tiahart, who had endorsed Pompeo in his previous Congressional races, was running to Pompeo's left in the election, a rare occurrence in GOP primaries.  Pompeo received the backing of Koch Industries, the Club for Growth and Americans for Prosperity.  This is a safe Republican seat and Pompeo is expected to easily win the general.

Michigan

Senate:

Rep. Gary Peters (D) and former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land (R) faced no primary opposition in their Senate bids to succeed retiring Senator Carl Levin (D).  As such, they have been campaigning for the general election for weeks now.  Michigan went to President Obama in 2008 and 2012, and Peters has been leading in the polls, however BIPAC Action Fund endorsed candidate Land has proved to be a serious candidate and this will be an extremely competitive race.

House:

MI-1:  Congressman Dan Benishek (R) had a primary challenger, but the competitive race in this district is the general.  Benishek handily defeated Tea Party candidate Alan Arcand on Tuesday.  He now faces Jerry Cannon (D), a former county sheriff and retired Army Major General, in what could shape up to be a race to watch.

MI-3:  Rep. Justin Amash (R) staved off a primary challenge from businessman Brian Ellis.  Amash, a Tea Party darling in the House, was one of the few Republicans whose primary challenger was endorsed by business groups, such as BIPAC and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  Amash had help from Tea Party groups, such as the Club for Growth, and the advantage of a primary electorate on his side.  He is safe in the general.

MI-4:  State Sen. John Moolenaar won the GOP nomination to succeed Rep. Dave Camp (R).  Moolenaar was endorsed by both Rep. Camp and Tea Party groups, including the Tea Party Express. Paul Mitchell self-funded his campaign.  The race was tight up to Election Day, with the candidates close in the polls.  This is a safe Republican seat and Moolenaar will be the next Congressman.

MI-8:  Former State Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R) and Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing will be vying to succeed retiring Rep. Mike Rogers (R) in the general election.  Bishop was backed by Rep. Rogers and is favored in the general election, but this is still a race to watch.  

MI-11:  Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R) becomes the next incumbent to fall in the primary season.  He had a competitive primary on his hands this year, after being dubbed an accidental candidate in 2012, when Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R) failed to qualify for the ballot.  This year, the BIPAC Action Fund endorsed candidate Dave Trott in challenging Bentivolio.  As expected, he beat Bentivolio.  Trott also had the backing of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Detroit Regional Chamber and Michigan Farm Bureau.  Trott will face Bobby McKenzie in the general election.  Trott starts with the advantage. 

MI-12: Debbie Dingell (D) has been the heir apparent to the open seat of her husband, Rep. John Dingell(D), for some time, and it is now official. Dingell is a Democratic strategist, former GM executive and chairwoman of the Wayne State University board of governors.  She faces nominal opposition in November.

MI-14:  Four Democrats ran in this race to succeed retiring Rep. Gary Peters (D) with Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence winning the nomination.  This is a solid Democratic district and Lawrence will be the next Congressman. 

Missouri

There were no competitive primaries in Missouri, and no competitive general election races.

Washington

House:

WA 4:  Rep. Doc Hastings (R) is retiring, giving another Republican a chance to hold this seat. Eight Republicans ran for the seat, along with two Democrats and two independents. Washington is one of the few states that does all mail ballots for elections, and the top two vote getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election.  Two Republicans, former state Agriculture Commissioner Dan Newhouse and Clint Didier, a former NFL player advanced to the general.  Newhouse was the frontrunner going into the primary, as well as the establishment choice, and will continue to have the edge for November.

WA-1: Tea Party oriented Robert Sutherland edged Microsoft Executive Pedro Celis (R) to challenge Rep. Suzan DelBene (D) in November. Celis was one of four Republican candidates vying for the nomination and was considered the best shot for Republicans to make this race competitive.  DelBene is favored to return to Congress.

Another strong sign that private sector job creators are showing increased confidence in our recovering economy...

Learn more in today's Associated Press story, "U.S. employers post most jobs in 7 years in May; more Americans also quit in sign of confidence."

The June jobs report from the BLS is out.  Following a positive ADP report, we see an increase of 288,000 non-farm private sector jobs added to the economy.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that:

The revised reports from May and April, plus June's official U.S. Department of Labor stats continue to show promise that we are rebounding.  As I write this blog post, CNN also reported that the Dow surpassed the psychological 17,000 today. 

Although job gains are still mostly coming from the traditional low-paying sectors:  retail (+40k) and leisure and hospitality (+39k), economists and analysts continue to show increased confidence due to the skilled laborer increases - such as manufacturing (+16k) and construction (+6k).

To learn more, read WSJ's story from today by Jonathan House and Ben Leubsdorf.

Good news from the U.S. Department of Labor, via today's USA Today story, "Job Openings Soar to Highest Since 2007" by Doug Carroll:

To learn more about this report, please visit http://www.bls.gov/jlt/.

Exports supported 11.3 million U.S. jobs in 2013.  This is an increase of 1.6 million since 2009. Learn about the fight for jobs, supported by exports, from the CNH Industrial Digital Trade Toolbox and CNH Industrial’s Joseph Samora.

The CNH Industrial Digital Trade Toolbox includes a tool so you can make your voice heard in the fight for jobs that are supported by exports.  Visit www.cnhindustrialtrade.com and click on the “Write to your Congressperson” link to help support the re-authorization of the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) before its authorization expires on September 30.  In 2013, Ex-Im helped to finance $37 billion in U.S. export sales, supporting approximately 205,00-0 export-related American jobs.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the May Jobs report this morning, saying:

To learn more, read the Forbes ongoing story, "Jobs Report: U.S. Economy Added 217K Jobs In May, Unemployment Remains Unchanged At 6.3%" by Maggie McGrath.

While the focus for the 2013 elections has been on the governors races in NJ and VA, there are other statewide elections taking place across the country this November – ballot measures. Ballot measures are one of the most direct forms of democracy, giving the voters a chance to directly influence public policy. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, there are currently 31 ballot questions in six states in 2013, ranging from taxes to casinos. Below is a snapshot of some of the ballot measures being voted on. For a more complete list you can visit the National Association of State Legislature’s Database.

Genetically Engineered Foods: Washington State has a referendum on whether genetically engineered foods should be required to be labeled with that distinction. Interest groups on both sides have raised substantial sums, with a slight edge for those supporting labeling. The result could depend on turnout as populous and liberal Seattle has a competitive mayoral race, while conservative rural areas have less high profile races.

Minimum Wage: New Jersey has a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would raise the minimum wage to $8.25, and provides mechanisms for annual increases. The amendment also mandates that New Jersey’s minimum wage must always be higher than the federal minimum wage, currently $7.25. While the governor’s race in New Jersey is gaining more attention, whoever turns out for the minimum wage measure could have an impact on the other statewide elections, and vice versa. Casinos: New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo has pressed for a constitutional amendment to allow the state legislature to authorize and regulate casinos. While the wording of the amendment does not state whether the casinos will be private or state run, it does state the intention of the amendment is to create jobs, fund education, and allow local governments to lower their property tax burden.

Casinos: New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo has pressed for a constitutional amendment to allow the state legislature to authorize and regulate casinos. While the wording of the amendment does not state whether the casinos will be private or state run, it does state the intention of the amendment is to create jobs, fund education, and allow local governments to lower their property tax burden.

What is a recall election? It is a procedure that allows citizens to remove and replace an elected official before the end of their term. Recalls can be used to rid the office of a corrupt or incompetent leader, for partisan politics, or removing officials for a policy position. It is estimated that a majority, three-fourths, of recall elections are at city council or school board level, though there have been increasing instances of recalls at the state level. Nineteen states (AK, AZ, CA, CO, GA, ID, IL, KS, LA, MI, MN, MT, NV, NJ, ND, OR, RI, WA and WI) and the District of Columbia currently allow recalls of state officials. In the past three years, several states have seen state elected officials face recalls, including WI, AZ, MI and currently, CO.

State Level Recalls since 2010 (according to National Conference of State Legislatures)

• 2011 Wisconsin: Nine state senators faced recall elections regarding the budget bill proposed by Governor Walker (R). Sens. Robert Cowles (R), Alberta Darling (R), Dave Hansen (D), Sheila Harsdorf (R), Jim Holperin (D), Luther Olsen (R) and Robert Wirch (D) survived recall attempts. Senators Randy Hopper (R) and Dan Kapanke (R) were recalled.
• 2011 Arizona: Senate President Russell Pearce (R) was recalled over his sponsorship of AZ’s immigration law.
• 2011 Michigan: State Representative Paul Scott (R) was recalled for supporting Gov. Snyder’s budget and angering teachers unions.
• 2012 Wisconsin: Gov. Walker and four state senators faced recalls over collective bargaining issues. Gov. Scott Walker, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) and Senator Terry Moulton (R) survived recall attempts. Senator Van Wanggaard (R) was recalled. Senator Pam Galloway (R) resigned before her recall election, a recall was still held for her seat.
• 2013 Colorado: State Senate President John Morse (D) and Senator Angela Giron (D) face recall elections on September 10 for their support of gun control legislation.

In the first ever recall elections of state lawmakers in Colorado, two Democratic senators in Colorado are facing recalls due to their vote on stricter gun control measures, State Senate President John Morse of El Paso County and Senator Angela Giron of Pueblo County. After the Secretary of State deemed there were enough signatures for a recall, Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) set the recall election date for September 10, 2013.

The gun control bills causing such uproar in CO, passed in the 2013 legislative session by the Democratically-controlled CO state legislature, were the first such bills passed in over ten years. This is a hot topic issue in a state that is well known for the Columbine High School and Aurora shootings, but is also known for its bipartisan passion of hunting and sport shooting.

A group behind the recall, the Basic Freedom Defense Fund (501 (c)(4) non-profit), was set up in February in response to the passed gun legislation. The founding members say the main issue is about legislators not listening to their constituents. Originally, four Democrats were targeted to be recalled, including Sen. Evie Hudak (D) of Westminster and Rep. Mike McLachlan (D) of Durango but only the recall attempts for Sens. Morse and Giron gained enough signatures. Former Colorado Springs City Councilman Bernie Herpin (R) is challenging Morse and former police officer Georgia Rivera (R) of Pueblo is challenging Giron.

Money has been pouring into the elections, with Giron and Morse raising nearly a quarter million dollars, and receiving thousands of dollars from Colorado liberal groups. Recall supporters have been sending their funds to the Basic Freedom Defense, and the NRA has helped with mailers and phone banks. According to El Paso and Pueblo county clerks, the elections will cost somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000.

Even if the recall attempts are successful, Democrats will still hold the majority in the Senate, 18-17. However, supporters of the recall still hope this will send messages to legislators in CO and across the country.