Tag Archives: 2010 elections

Roth on Wesleyan: Alumni Elected to Office

President Roth’s blog offers a complete (maybe?) list of Wes alums elected to office in yesterday’s elections, following up our coverage on Senator Bennet (’87) and Governors-Elect Hickenlooper (’74) and Shumlin (’79):

  • John Hickenlooper ’74 — elected Governor of Colorado
  • Michael Bennet ’87 — elected Senator from Colorado
  • Peter Shumlin ’79 — elected Governor of Vermont
  • Kathleen Clyde ’01 (yes, you read that right) — elected to the Ohio State House of Representatives
  • Matt Lesser (in-process) — reelected to Connecticut House of Representatives
  • Dan Wolf ’79 — elected to state senate in Massachusetts representing the Cape and Islands

Bennet ’87 Wins Reelection

An update from last night’s post: Senator Michael Bennet ’87, of Colorado, will indeed be holding onto his senate seat, trumping Republican opponent Ken Buck in one of the nation’s closest races. Bennet responds:

I am grateful to the the thousands of Coloradans who made this victory possible, who gave so much to our campaign, knocking on doors, making calls, and working tirelessly to ensure we leave more opportunity to the next generation. Yesterday, Colorado chose to move our state and this country forward. I will do everything I can to live up to the confidence you have placed in me.

Full story at The Denver Post. And in case you haven’t been following closely, Wesleyan alumni now hold Colorado and Vermont governorships and a Colorado senate seat—not the Connecticut governorship, as an anonymous shout-boxer faultily reports.

EVENT
Lunch & Panel Discussion on the 2010 Midterm Elections

What better way to process and discuss yesterday’s midterm election results than with a lunch and panel discussion with two distinguished professors of Government?

Janine Zaltsman ’11 has the details:

Come to a lunch and panel discussion with Professors Erika Fowler and Elvin Lim on the 2010 midterm elections and What The Results Can Mean For America’s Political Future. Brought to you by the Government Majors Committee. Pizza will be provided.

  • Date: Friday, November 5
  • Time: Noon – 1:00 PM
  • Place: Albritton Terrace (third floor)
  • Cost: —

Hickenlooper ’74 Wins CO Gubernatorial Race

Regardless of your political leanings, here’s one result from the day’s midterm elections to be proud of.  Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper ’74, who delivered the Commencement Address last May (photo above), has won the Colorado gubernatorial race, beating out Constitution Party candidate Tom Tancredo and Republican Dan Maes:

Hickenlooper, the popular mayor of Denver, was widely expected to coast to victory after Tancredo entered the race in July. Tancredo, the former Congressman famous for his vitriolic anti-immigration rhetoric, had demanded that both potential Republican nominees, Dan Maes and former Rep. Scott McInnis, drop out before the primary, as both had been marred by scandal, so that the party could pick a fresh nominee. But both Maes and McInnis refused, and Tancredo jumped in.

Hickenlooper’s 2010 Commencement Address transcript is available here, courtesy of The Wesleyan Connection.

Meanwhile, while we’re on the subject of notable Wes alums running for political office in Colorado, the hotly contested Senate race between incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet ’87 and Republican Ken Buck (the most expensive race in the country?) remains still too close to call. CNN reports:

Continue reading →

Blumenthal Projected to Win Conn. Senate Seat

The Associated Press projects that Democrat Richard Blumenthal (right, buying a bagel after voting today in Greenwich) has won the race for U.S. Senate, beating out Republican opponent (and former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment) Linda McMahon, who reportedly spent at least $50 million of her own money on the election.

Blumenthal, 64, who has served as 23rd Attorney General of Connecticut since 1991, would be filling the seat of retiring Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd. Dodd announced that he would not seek reelection last January, following years of dropping approval ratings. He has held the seat since 1981.

Blumenthal’s projected win improves chances that Democrats will maintain control of the Senate. ABC reports:

Connecticut was one of three crucial races — along with Pennsylvania and West Virginia — that Republicans’ had targeted for victory in order to wrest control of the Senate from the Democrats. In addition to Connecticut, Democrats early on retained their seats in Delaware, Maryland, Vermont and West Virginia.

Continue reading →

EVENT
Trick or Vote: Flash Mob

A Walking Nightmare ‘?? sent us this frightening reminder of the doom surely to befall us all this Tuesday:

Its time to GET OUT THE VOTE… spooky style.
Come in haunted garb to the lobby of Exley on Halloween at 9 PM for a terrifying dash for democracy.

Details:
When? Sunday 10/31/10. All Hallows Eve.
What? We will be flash mobbing several secret locations. Candy and information to distribute to the victims will be provided.
Who? YOU. And your motley crew of civically engaged fiends.

One more thing..
Remember, this is a non-partisan event promoting student voter participation. For info on this movement, go to http://trickorvote.org/

Questions? contact spookytime.wesleyan(brains)gmail(BRAINS)com.

Date: Oct. 31 (HALLOWEEN?!)
Time: 9:00 PM – 9:30 PM (AT NIGHT?!)
Place: Exley Science Lobby (IN A LABORATORY FILLED WITH FREAKISH EXPERIMENTS GONE HORRIBLY WRONG?!)
Cost: $your soul (AAAAAARRRGHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAOHGODPLEASEHELPAAAAAAA *breath* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAJESUSCHRISTWHYOHHHHHGOOOOOOOOOOOODPLEASESOMEONEANYONE)

Wesleyan Media Project—Killin’ the Proverbial Game

Campaign analysis performed by our very own Wesleyan Media Project received mention on JournalEnquirer.com; reporting the project’s numbers, JournalEnquirer observed that senatorial hopeful Linda McMahon (of WWE fame) has financed seventy percent of the campaign ads associated with the race for the Connecticut U.S. Senate seat soon to be vacated by Chris Dodd. It seems that the Republican nominee will spare little expense in her bid to defeat CT Attorney General Dick Blumenthal.

McMahon’s spending habits are by no means exceptional, however; nor is the recognition of the media team’s efforts an isolated occurrence. Albuquerque, New Mexico’s KRQE News 13, also referenced the Wesleyan Media Project, which found that television ads for gubernatorial candidates have proliferated dramatically this year, doubling in volume since the elections of  ’06. Finally, CBS News (dayyyyyum, shawty) cited the project’s study on congressional election spending, noting that expenditures on related political ads have jumped by seventy-five percent.

Some have wisely attributed the increase in political advertising to the relaxation of corporate campaign finance restrictions that followed a Supreme Court decision at the start of this year—of course, being a professional wrestling magnate doesn’t hurt, either.

McMahon: Laying the pecuniary smackdown of a cool $41M