I'm about to leave for Invesco Field, so I can't flesh this post until later. Yesterday was a fairly incredible experience, which I'll have much more to say about, and we ended the night with one last reception for our legislators.

I just typed a 500 word post about yesterday that I lost because of our hotel's Internet access. This is my attempt to recreate it.

Much of the media attention at a national convention is necessarily devoted to the party's elite. It's easy to watch the news and see nothing beyond the speeches at night and the interviews throughout the day.

But that big picture ignores a lot of good work at the grassroots that is happening this week in Denver.

There have been panels on campaign strategy and round tables to consider public policy. I managed to sit in one one discussion that had been organized by Matt Glazer -- from Burnt Orange Report -- and Jim Walsh -- from Wired for Change -- about wiring local candidates.

With Jim and I sitting in the room, much of the conversation turned on DLCCWeb, and the feedback we received was very, very positive.

This is what Matt wrote about the discussion afterward:

Florida, Alabama, Michigan, D.C. California, Texas, and other states were all represented well represented. ActBlue was there along with the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and Wired for Change.

We talked about the $40 a month package for state legislative candidates for unlimited e-mail and a new web site. We talked about how ActBlue can be used to raise tens of thousand of dollars for state and federal candidates. We talked about how we can win today and be ready for redistricting in the future.

I began this job believing that future success would depend on working with passionate, plugged-in activists. I'm even more convinced of that today.

Once that panel wrapped up, I headed to a couple meetings before heading over to the Pepsi Center. That was probably a mistake. As you might have heard from the news reports, the convention was packed last night. Eventually, the fire marshals decided that there simply was not room for any more people. Those standing in line were turned away, and those who were in their seats were told that they could not return if they decided to leave.

I made it through security and into the Pepsi Center, but not without waiting in line for an hour.

I'll be headed over MUCH earlier today.

We only have so many chances each year to see our lawmakers in person. The National Conference of State Legislatures organizes a week of policy discussions at their annual meeting, and obviously, that's one opportunity. We also try to set up our own events -- chances for our elected officials to meet with each other and our staff.

This week gives us a chance to do that on a scale that is hard to match.

Yesterday afternoon, we held our first event of the National Convention -- a luncheon to celebrate our majorities. For two hours, several hundred legislators joined us as the Downtown Aquarium in Denver for a tour of the exhibits and an opportunity to connect with each other. Some people brought their families, others brought friends, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

After we packed up, we almost immediately headed to the Pepsi Center. Given that this was the first day, no one knew how long it would take to walk there or get through security. We knew that we had been given a cloakroom for meetings during the convention but not where it was or how the room was laid out.

As it turned out, many of our fears weren't necessary. The walk was easy (and there were many transportation for those who needed it). The security process was efficient and quick (and kind of fascinating -- convention staffers had some sort of hand-held scanners to test the authenticity of the credentials worn by all of those headed inside). And our room was great -- a perfect place for legislators to pop inside for a snack and a couple moments of conversation.

The convention opened with an invocation from former Colorado state Sen. Polly Baca. The Pepsi Center was full and energetic, and the stage looked great.

I'll be back with Tuesday highlights tomorrow.

We're here in Colorado for the Democratic National Convention. So far, the weather has been lovely, folks have been excited, and the atmosphere has been great.

I want to try to give you as much flavor for this week as possible. My plan is to recap, briefly, the previous day's activities each morning.

If there's anything in particular that you want to hear about, or if you're in Denver and want to say hello, I hope you'll shoot me an email or leave a comment here on the blog.

Democrats in New York only need to win two more seats to gain control of the state senate for the first time in almost 70 years. This week, Newsday takes a look at the election:

Voter turnout is expected to be high and to favor Democrats because of their party's historic presidential candidate Barack Obama, together with angst about the economy and anger at President George W. Bush over the war in Iraq.

However, Republican senators still enjoy a fundraising advantage and GOP presidential candidate John McCain is predicted to do well in rural areas such as the north country, where his party hopes to win back a seat lost in February to Darrel Aubertine of Watertown.

Things are so bad that the new GOP leader, Sen. Dean Skelos, has taken to arguing voters will side with his party to keep balance in government:

"If the Senate were to flip, you would have every branch of government controlled by the Democrats, which I think is dangerous in terms of checks and balances. I believe people want balance and we, the Republican majority in the Senate, provide that."

In my experience, that's a losing argument. Polling seems to back me up:

Fifty-two percent of the voters surveyed by Quinnipiac University from July 31 to Aug. 4 backed a Democratic takeover of the Senate. Only 32 percent supported the status quo.

Perhaps it's worth noting at this point that Skelos got the job because his predecessor -- Sen. Joseph Bruno -- resigned mid-session. I'm not alone in believing that Bruno retired because he had no interest serving in the minority.

It wasn't very long ago when it was hard for any legislative campaign to have a website. Unless you were willing to pay a consulting firm an absurd amount of money or knew a very talented kid, your options were pretty limited. Now, that's all changing (in part because of resources like DLCCWeb), and it's a good thing.

In this cycle, we're starting to see some really creative uses of the web. I've already talked about some of the things that activists are doing in Texas. But the folks in the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee have some pretty good ideas for using the Internet as well.

This is one of them. Todd Stephens is a Republican candidate for state representative in District 151. He's also an assistant district attorney who is making a slew of questionable decisions:

[R]ather than uphold a strict code of ethics and put our community first, Todd is busy lining his campaign coffers with cash. Todd’s accepted over $5,000 in political contributions from defense attorneys and law firms. And Todd has taken cash from attorneys defending at least five clients—four DUI offenders and one accused sexual predator—with cases pending before his office.

That’s a minimum of five documented conflicts of interests.

Yes, you still try to get folks in the traditional media to write stories about this kind of thing. Yes, you still put facts like these in traditional advertising and mail. But a creative website that allows you to present all the information you have about a candidate costs very little and allows you to attract a lot of new eyeballs. That's exactly what PAHDC has done here.

And it's effective.

Freshman State Rep. Dianne Primavera’s story is an inspirational one. Not only has she dealt with serious health issues on a very personal level through her own battles with cancer, but, she has also fought hard to improve health care for all of Colorado’s families. Even before her election to the Colorado House, she worked in the health care field, and throughout her career, she has received numerous awards-– including the Governor’s Peak Performance Award for Citizen Satisfaction. It is difficult to cover all of the health care bills that Representative Primavera has sponsored. Here are just a few.

She sponsored 2 of 11 key bills signed by the governor this June as part of his “Building Blocks to Health Care Reform” plan. HB 1385 creates a guide on the website of the Colorado Division of Insurance in order for residents to compare available health plans in a standardized, systematic way to make the best possible decision when they purchase insurance.

Primavera was also a sponsor of HB 1372, a groundbreaking bill which creates the Colorado Stem Cells Cure Fund. It creates a check-off option on the state income tax form in order to contribute to the fund. The bill enables Colorado’s new mothers the chance to donate the stem cells found in umbilical cord blood after birth – which could help research on treatment for adult diseases such as Alzheimer’s. You can read her editorial on HB 1372 in the Rocky Mountain News. Click here and here for more information on both of these bills.

Rep. Primavera is also helping uninsured Colorado children through her co-sponsorship SB 161, which will simplify the difficult application process for children’s health insurance under Medicaid and the Child Health Plan Plus.

I have written previously about Democratic efforts around the country to require health-insurance coverage for autism and bills addressing autism by legislators such as Chris Edwards of Oregon. Rep. Primavera is also working to help families that are grappling with autism. She was a co-sponsor of SB 163 to streamline, simplify, and unify services for those with autism.

Primavera was also a sponsor of HB 1301, an important bill to set aside $1.5 million from the state's tobacco settlement to pay for cervical cancer vaccinations for girls who don't have health insurance. You can read about this bill in the Rocky Mountain News. She has also sponsored a tax check-off bill for cancer education.

Rep. Primavera has been described as a “tireless” healthcare advocate. But in this case, that adjective is inadequate in describing the incredible, heroic efforts of this Colorado legislator.

Democrats in New Hampshire hold a 14-10 majority in the Senate and a 235-158 majority in the House, and they feel good about their chances in the fall.

That's at least in part because they've also made a steady effort to improve the party's position in the state since 2002. Over the last six years, party leaders estimate that Democrats have gained around 84,000 new voters. They've quadrupled the state party budget, opened 28 new local offices, and now employ more than 50 full-time staffers overall.

Another big part of the reason for Democratic confidence in this election is that legislators have done a remarkable job passing effective legislation and governing. Senate President Sylvia Larsen outlines those accomplishments here.

Pennsylvania is home to the largest full-time legislature in the country, and that's supposed to be an important responsibility. An assumption that the job will require some sacrifices is part of the reason why citizens of the state provide legislators with a salary of $73,000 a year. But that's apparently not enough money for Republican State Representative Kate Harper:

[In addition to the legislature] the Montgomery County attorney also serves, in a paid capacity, as Upper Moreland Solicitor, Hatfield Borough Council Solicitor and the Milford Township Zoning Board Solicitor.

As you'd expect, the result of all this "service" is that Rep. Harper ends up cutting corners. For instance:

Harper chose to attend various local municipal meetings in her role as Solicitor and skipped her duties in the State House of Representatives on February 11, April 7, May 21, and July 2 just this year.

As the Pennsylvania Progressive tracks down, Rep. Harper didn't bother voting on legislation for mortgage reform or prison reform. She skipped important votes for expanding health care. As the solicitor for a local zoning board, you'd expect her to take an interest in zoning regulations, but she even skipped a vote on that.

It seems pretty clear that Rep. Harper would rather be spending time in her district. Perhaps her Democratic opponent -- Frank Custer -- will give her just that opportunity in November.

It's not a good time to be a Republican in Nevada.

A year ago, the state was tied in terms of voter registration. Now, the GOP is staring at a 60,000 person deficit.

Democrats in the state have outraised them for the cycle, and the GOP governor has been plagued with scandal.

On top of all that, conservative activists are mounting primary challenges against long-time Republican establishment figures like Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio:

Raggio, 81, won a six-point victory on Tuesday after being forced to campaign actively for the first time since his initial race in 1972. His opponent is a hero of Nevada's hard-core fiscal and social conservatives angered by Raggio's compromises on such things as a large 2003 tax increase.

"Obviously there has been creeping disunity within the party," Raggio said. "I have not had a very serious, tough election up until this primary."

That's heartening news for us. We're looking at the Nevada Senate as one of our top targets for the cycle.

Earlier this year, I wrote about how Democrats in Wisconsin and Oklahoma are fighting for insurance coverage for autism.

In the Oregon House, Democratic Rep. Chris Edwards, a freshman, is also working hard on this issue. Edwards, whose young son has autism, has been chosen to lead an autism project work group in preparation for the 2009 session.

He was also a sponsor of a key health coverage bill during the 2007 session, HB 2918. This legislation prohibits a health plan from denying various therapies to children under 18 solely because of a developmental disorder like autism. The governor signed the bill on July 31, 2007.

The Eugene legislator is a member of the House’s Five Under 35 group which has established an ambitious legislative agenda that includes support for such key bills as the Family and Medical Leave measure (HB 2575) and the Protecting Children from Online Predators bill (HB 3515).

Edwards is a great example of how young Democratic lawmakers are energized and fighting for a strong legislative agenda for working families.

The good publicity for Sean Tevis keeps on rolling. This time he's getting the NPR treatment.

You can read about the piece here but I'd recommend listening to the story (link at the top of the page).

Also -- pay attention to the new numbers that Tevis describes. When he turned in his numbers at the end of last month, he reported raising, "$96,000 from nearly 6,000 people. "

That's twice as many supporters and three times more money than he originally planned for with this cartoon campaign.

On his first day in office, Colorado Republican Doug Bruce kicked a news photographer and then became the first ever member of the state House of Representatives to be censured by the body -- by a vote of 62-1.

Bruce is an activist -- he was a leading backer for Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (which was designed to starve the state's government) -- and he was appointed to a seat in the legislature in December.

He lost that seat last night, going down in his Republican primary 52-48.

When asked about the race, even his GOP opponent said that Bruce was an embarrassment.

I hate to kick a guy while he's down, but given Bruce's history, I'm sure he'll be causing more trouble for the people of Colorado soon enough.

In Montana, Republicans control the state house 49-50. Despite this, Democratic State Rep. Julie French -- from Scobey -- has authored and passed 3 key bills to help working families in her state.

She is working for military families by sponsoring HB 179, the “Montana Military Family Relief Fund.” The bill provides emergency grants of $250 to $2,000 to families of members of Montana’s National Guard and Reserves. As many of you know, Montana only holds regular sessions during odd-numbered years. Rep. French’s bill was signed by Gov. Schweitzer on April 28, 2007 -- at the end of Montana’s last regular session. For the full text of HB 179 click here.

French has helped to make it easier for families to adopt a child through her authorship of HB 490, which allows individuals to take an income tax credit for the adoption of an eligible child. This bill was also signed by the governor on April 28, 2007. For the full text of HB 490, click here.

Finally, French authored and passed HJ 47 to keep Montana families healthy. This bill calls for a study to determine how Montana can maintain its highly respected statewide genetics program. Among other crucial services in the diagnosis and treatment of genetic disorders, the program helps women manage high-risk pregnancies. This bill was filed with the Secretary of State on May 4, 2007.

Rep. French provides an inspiring example of the fact that -- despite being in a Republican-controlled chamber -- energetic, young Democratic legislators can still achieve great policy successes for working families.

In addition to the usual business of governing (writing the budget, for example), the legislature in Vermont has an important responsibility it seldom needs to use -- if no one candidate for governor picks up 50 percent of the vote on Election Day, the race is left for the House of Representatives to decide.

And there is a real possibility that might happen this year.

So, we noticed a little spike in traffic over the weekend. If you are one of our new first time visitors, we would like to say, "Welcome."

Because of a technical oversight by the consultant who built and hosts our website, the metadata for DLCC.org (the information describing our website) wound up repeated on the site for another organization -- Accountable America, Inc. We noticed the error on Saturday, and our consultant fixed the issue immediately.

While you are here, however, I want to tell you a little bit more about the DLCC.

As our name would suggest, we are a campaign committee. We work to elect Democrats to the nation's state legislatures.

We do that in a couple fundamental ways.

First, in conjunction with legislative leaders and supporters in the states, we organize and maintain winning, state-of-the-art, local campaign committees. Our political directors work with these local partners and national allies to help our candidates win in all regions of the country.

Second, we work to build economies of scale for basic political tools like polling, communications, research, and online fundraising in order to make them accessible for candidates at the state legislative level.

While you're here, why don't you take a minute to read more about us. And if you support our mission, we'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment or send me an email (compton[at]dlcc[dot]org).

And if you feel like making a contribution, we promise that your donation will go to help Democratic candidates at the local level win important races.

This November, Democrats in Ohio need to pickup just four seats to take control of the House of Representatives for the first time in almost 15 years.

But even in a state where the local GOP has taken plenty of lumps, it can still be really hard to defeat an incumbent.

Unless of course, the incumbent decides to take another job courtesy of Gov. Ted Strickland:

The Strickland administration announced yesterday that it is creating a $115,000 position in the Ohio Department of Development for three-term Rep. Jim Raussen, R-Springdale.

Raussen won re-election in 2006 by only 4 points, and Democrats expected to pay at least some attention to the seat again this year. Now, the 28th District in Hamilton County likely moves up on their target list.

Also yesterday, Sen. Robert F. Spada, R-North Royalton, informed House GOP campaign leaders that he would not seek election to the competitive 18th District in Cuyahoga County. Republicans say they are being told that Strickland also plans to name Spada to a government position, possibly on the State Employment Relations Board.

The Republicans who are still trying to protect their majority are crying foul, but their protests ring pretty hollow. Here's to hoping a few more GOP legislators are looking for new positions in about three months.

As we all know, state legislation often affects Americans’ daily lives much more than federal legislation. The key issues that impact us are state-level issues –- e.g., crime and education -- and the specific nature of that impact on our daily lives –- e.g., whether it is a progressive or regressive one –- depends on which political party controls the legislature. One area where we clearly see a difference is in the area of the educational curriculum.

I often use this blog to document nationwide trends and patterns, but today, I would like to take an opportunity to point out some bills that are remarkable because of their uniqueness.

Promoting language study in Washington State

A provocative 2007 story in Stateline conveys the urgency in making sure American students can compete globally.

Last year, the Democratically controlled legislature introduced HB 1517. The bill has 2 key components: (1) it requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to assign a full-time staff to serve as world language supervisor and describes the supervisor's duties and (2) subject to funding, it directs the OSPI to allocate grants for pilot projects to enhance world language instruction in elementary and middle schools.

This year, a key foreign-languages bill was HB 2523, which would create the position of world language supervisor in the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

Teaching labor history in Wisconsin

In a political culture where students know more about Hollywood celebrities and sports figures than they do about Samuel Gompers or Howard Zinn, Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate tried to improve students’ historical literacy.

In Wisconsin, SB 108 would require every school district in Wisconsin to teach labor history. This 2007 labor bill passed 19-14 in the Democratic Senate and died in the Republican Assembly. This unique and important bill required that every school board’s instructional program in state, national, and world history include information on the history of organized labor in America and the collective bargaining process.

*For more information – including foreign-language requirements for high-school graduation – check out the state reports on the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages.

New Jersey Senate President Richard Codey was almost the victim of a car accident on Sunday when another vehicle somehow managed to roll down a 50-foot grassy mound, cross the median, and slam into a guardrail:

The acting governor said he and a state trooper, who was driving him south to Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport where Codey is to present a trophy to the winner of this year's Haskell race this evening, rushed to aid the driver of the small car. The Senate president has New Jersey's top job while Gov. Jon Corzine is away this weekend out of state.

Codey and the state trooper found the driver of the other car unconscious, and the senator held back the man's head until he came to.

All in a day's work. . .

Today, the New York Times gets in on the act:

For more than three years starting in 2005, there has been a reduction in the number of voters who register with the Republican Party and a rise among voters who affiliate with Democrats and, almost as often, with no party at all.

As the story notes, swings in voter registration happen all the time. Often it's reflective of nothing more than which party has the better field organization or the more heated primary. It's also true that party affiliation often does not have an impact on Election Day turnout. Plenty of registered Democrats pulled the lever for Bush in 2004, for instance.

But a sustained movement away from the GOP over a period of years is significant:

[F]or a shift away from one party to sustain itself — the current registration trend is now in its fourth year — is remarkable, researchers who study voting patterns say. And though comparable data are not available for the 21 states where voters do not register by party, there is evidence that an increasing number of voters in those states are also moving away from the Republican Party based on the results of recent state and Congressional elections, the researchers said.

So now we're onto something.

But if a damaged GOP brand and a new generation of progressive-leaning voters are causing an actual, quantifiable change in the nation's voting population, what are the implications? Well, the NYT suggests that this change in voter registration isn't all about choosing a new president:

Elected Democrats have made significant inroads even in places where Republicans have enjoyed a generation of dominance. In Colorado, for example, Democrats control the governorship and both houses of the Legislature for the first time in over four decades. Last year, Virginia Democrats gained a 21-to-19 majority over Republicans in the State Senate, the first time the party has controlled that body in a decade.

In New Hampshire, Democrats are in control of both the legislative and executive branches for the first time since 1874. In Iowa, Democrats have taken over the statehouse and the governor’s office simultaneously for the first time in a generation.

The changes in state government could have broad implications for Congressional redistricting and on policies like immigration, health care reform and environmental regulation, which are increasingly decided at the state level.

But even as we are measuring the impact, we have to ask if these shifts can be sustained. Are they a reaction to the general incompetence of the GOP -- from the Bush administration to Republican-controlled state governments -- all across the country? If so, does that mean these trends will slow down and reverse as new leaders take office? Or is this about a generation of Millennials coming of age and engaging in the political process?

This election will answer some of these questions, I suspect. But not all of them.

There isn't a state in the country with a better group of online activists than Texas. The more attention I pay to their work, the more impressed I become.

First, you've got the individual efforts of many, many talented bloggers. There are a lot of states that would be fortunate to have a single, progressive site as good as Capitol Annex, Burnt Orange Report, Off the Kuff, or Greg's Opinion (a list heavily biased by the folks I read regularly but by no means exclusive). That's not even counting relatively newer bloggers who are engaging in the state (folks like Rachel -- who actually wrote an open letter to her state rep, offering to set him up with a DLCCWeb-powered site).

Second, these folks have organized an alliance to unify the efforts of bloggers and netroots activists in the state to promote progressive ideas and candidates. They promote each others' posts, raise money for candidates, organize offline events, and have developed an advertising network.

Third, they have formed a political action committee with one important goal:

During the 2008 election cycle, the TexBlog PAC will work toward winning 5 additional seats in the Texas House, allowing Democrats to elect a Democratic Speaker. A net gain of 5 house seats will put an end to the Republican claim of unilateral power and bring back the democratic process to the people’s House.

By contributing to progressive candidates, fostering the energy of the netroots, supporting party infrastructure, registering new voters, funding civic education programs, and assisting like-minded grassroots activists, the TexBlog PAC will help elect progressive candidates in 2008 and beyond. We will pave the path to a brighter tomorrow by putting Democrats back in charge of our state government.

Obviously, that's a mission that's near and dear to our hearts at the DLCC.

And yesterday, Vince from Capitol Annex shot me note to let me know about a new project that he and some of the other bloggers from the state had just launched: TexRepublicans.com (how they managed to come into possession of that particular URL, I'll never know, but I love it). These guys have collected research on GOP legislative candidates throughout the state and offered it up for all the world to see.

Some of the facts they've found are truly astounding. Rep. Betty Brown, for instance, actually sponsored a bill to legalize the sale of horse meat for human consumption. Rep. John Davis has spent thousands of dollars from campaign funds on personal expenditures without reporting the spending to Texas Ethics Commissions. Then there is Rep. Bill Zedler, who allowed Texans for a Republican Majority, a group founded by Tom DeLay to pay thousands of dollars in his legal bills.

I really can't say enough for this kind of activism. Winning back the Texas House isn't going to be an easy task this cycle, but support like this helps to make it easier.

The Iowa Independent offers up this look at the money race for the state Senate. Things look pretty darn positive:

Democrats already have a 30-to-20 advantage, and in five battleground districts identified earlier this year by The Iowa Independent, Democratic candidates have an overwhelming advantage in cash on hand, with $224,732 compared to $20,071 for the Republicans. Two of those five seats are currently held by retiring Republicans, meaning the Democrats are in good position to expand their majority in the Senate.

Republicans in the state seem to recognize that challenging upper chamber races will demand an uphill battle and are instead focusing on the House.

There are primaries today in Kansas, Missouri, and Michigan. Check the local blogs if you're interested in following specific races.

We'll keep you posted on any big developments.

Coverage thus far of the down-ballot races in Texas has been interesting. Democrats in the state only need to pick up five seats in the state to claim a majority in the Texas House, so we're paying close attention.

So far, national media has focused on the Obama effect, and his campaign's pledge to hire organizers for the state.

Bloggers like the guys at Burnt Orange Report and Vince at Capitol Annex have reported more about the possibilities of a Democratic victory, straight up. They've even organized a political action committee to make that possibility a reality (about which, I have lots to say, but that's another post).

This story from the Houston Chronicle, though, takes a sort of middle tack. It starts out with this:

One hundred days before the Nov. 4 election, Democratic and Republican political insiders are pondering whether Obama can lose states such as Texas and still make a difference in targeted congressional, county and legislative races by inspiring voter turnout.

But it turns out, that's not really what the insiders said when asked. Sure they think about the presidential, but they're pretty excited about the local races for their own merits:

Democrats in Texas "are very much energized, pretty much across the state," said Democratic political consultant Dan McClung of Houston. "It's not just national politics. It's state politics and county politics that have Democrats energized."

Texas Republican Party Political Director Hans Klingler said fights over partisan control of Harris and Dallas counties are as exciting for party activists as the presidential contest.

"As important as to what happens at the presidential races at the top of the ticket is what the Republican Party and the Democratic Party are going to do at the bottom-of-the-ticket races at the courthouse level," Klingler said.

That's sort of exactly how I feel.

The Des Moines Register has a great soundbite from Iowa State Rep. Dan Rasmussen, a Republican:

"I'm sure I'm being nasty and mean, but that's my personality and you're going to have to take it."

Delightful, isn't it?

There aren't too many politicians who will readily admit to being, "nasty and mean." But in Rasmussen's case, at least that has the virtue of being true. Luckily for Iowa, the second part of his statement is 100 percent false. No one has to take an attitude like that from an elected official.

Particularly, when Democrats have a great candidate in Gene Ficken with a real chance at sending Rasmussen into retirement.