This Is Why We "Run.Everywhere"

When you see a poll like this, Poll: Public Uneasy With GOP Leadership:

Dissatisfied with the nation's direction, Americans are leaning toward wanting a change in which political party leads Congress — preferring that Democrats take control, an AP-Ipsos poll found. Democrats are favored over Republicans 49 percent to 36 percent.

[...]

About a third of the public, 34 percent, approves of the job Congress is doing, and nearly twice as many — 63 percent — disapprove, according to the poll of 1,001 adults taken Jan. 3-5. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points. Public opinion of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress has been mixed, recent polling found.

And see a quote like this:

"I just don't like the direction our country is going in," said Steve Brown, a political independent from Olympia, Wash. "I think a balance of power would be beneficial right now."

That shows why we needed candidates in every race. Of course there is the usual Republican spokesman saying the Democrats aren't positioned to take advantage:

"If the Democrats had any leadership or any message, they could be poised for a good year," Bond said. "But in the absence of that, they have not been able to capitalize on Republican woes. Because of the size of the GOP majority, Democrats have to run the board, and I don't see that happening."

But the Democrats in Texas have a candidate in 31 of the 32 Congressional races this year. If we werent' contesting that many races we wouldn't be able to take advantage. But having the candidates in place gives us the opportunity to take advantage of this. After seeing this, DeLay Abandons Bid to Remain House Leader, Tom DeLay's constituents have lost their last reason to keep him in Congress. And the Republicans have already started to attack candidates personal lives, as Annatopia points out, showing that the Republicans are already worried in Texas. We have are own candidate here in CD 31, Mary Beth Harrell, who is getting great bipartisan support in her bid to take out our current DeLay lackey in Congress.

To sum up the Democratic Party would not have a chance of taking back Congress unless we ran candidates in enough races to do that, therefore proving that "Run.Everywhere" was the correct strategy.

[ALSO SEE]: Off The Kuff has some great analysis on the current state of the governor's race, Strayhorn's impact.