January 20, 2009: A Day to Remember
Jan 22, 2009
In the heart of Washington, D.C. at Union Station near Capitol Hill, Council for a Livable World and the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation held their “Celebrate the Vote for Change: 2009 Inauguration Day Breakfast” on Tuesday, to honor now President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, and the many progressive candidates elected to Congress in November with the help of Council supporters. Over 200 supporters and friends of the organizations, along with board members and staff, gathered to celebrate what will be remembered as one of the most momentous days in American history.
Joining the guests were three new members of Congress whom the Council helped elect: Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, and Representatives Betsy Markey of Colorado’s 4th district and Jim Himes of Connecticut’s 4th district. Each new member spoke briefly and thanked the Council and Council friends for their early campaign support and expertise on national security issues.
New Poll in CT - Himes vs. Shays
Oct 08, 2008
Jim Himes
A new independent poll in Connecticut finds Rep. Chris Shays (R) with a ten point lead over CLW-endorsed Jim Himes:
A Sacred Heart Univ.WSHU-FM poll; conducted 9/22-25; surveyed 400 LVs; margin of error +- 4.9% (release, 10/7). Tested: Rep. Chris Shays (R) and Greenwich Dem Chair Jim Himes (D).
C. Shays 41%
J. Himes 31%
At first glance, this would seem to refute the Himes-funded poll we blogged about a few weeks ago that showed a dead heat. To be sure, independent polls are usually more reliable than those paid for by campaigns, but, as usual, the devil is in the details.
The key detail here is name recognition. In the Himes poll, he enjoys 60% name recognition. In the independent poll, he is at 47%. The conclusion is pretty clear: when people know about Himes they tend to support him, but they are unwilling to support someone they don't know against a popular longtime incumbent.
So where is Himes' name recognition really? That's hard to say without digging into the methodologies of the two polls. The safe and easy answer is that it is probably somewhere in between them.
In any case, Himes' best strategy between now and election day is to blanket the airwaves with ads introducing him to voters. The only problem is that this district sits in the New York City media market, the most expensive in the country. The upside is that Himes is rumored to be about to file a September fundraising report with the FEC showing him bringing more than $800k, a phenomenal sum for a challenger. But he will need more.
Chris Himes pulls even with Shays in CT
Sep 22, 2008
Chris Himes
CLW endorsed Chris Himes (D) released a poll today showing him dead even with Rep. Chris Shays (R) at 45% each. As with the Markey poll below, this is paid for by the Himes campaign, so it may be weighted in his favor. Even so, it is a dramatic change in a race that Shays seemed to dominate over the summer.
A likely factor is Shays’ refusal last week to back off his McCain like statement that “the fundamentals of our economy are strong.” This congressional district is a bedroom community for Wall Street chock full of stock analysts and hedge fund brokers. Somehow, I think they might have a different take on the health of their portfolios at the moment.
Himes had years of experience as an investment banker before going to work for a non-profit that works to provide low-income housing. This resume might put him over the top this year against Shays, who as a long serving member of the Financial Services Committee might catch some of the blame for our economic implosion.