Senate Elections - 2004

[rbt48]

I read in a CQ POLITICS DAILY e-mail today that Sen Breaux, D-LA, will probably decide by Dec 15 whether he'll seek reelection.  If he does retire, among possible candidates are two House members, 1st District Republican David Vitter and 7th District Democrat Chris John.

[rbt48]

Nixon pledged to campaign in all 50 states in 1960.  He kept his pledge and went to Alaska during the critical last week of the campaign.  He did carry Alaska, but getting those 3 electoral votes, according to some, cost him close larger states (IL, MO, MN) and with them, the Presidency.

[rbt48]

I think the main argument about Texas in 1960 is that LBJ so thoroughly controled Texas (from county court house to the state capitol), that even if he needed 100,000 votes, his friends and followers would have manufactured them.  One must wonder why they came up with 46,258 extra votes:  perhaps just to deflect suspicion.

Illinois in 1960 is much more certain the result of fraud.  The Daley forces weren't even coy about altering results.  They held back results in early Wed morning until they saw how big a margin they needed to overcome from downstate.  Several precincts in Chicago were 100% for Kennedy--no Nixon votes, no minor party candidates, no write-ins.  Similar stories came from St Louis where the Missouri margin for Kennedy was 9,990 votes.