Terri McCormick Endorsed by a Class Action Lawsuit

Terri McCormick, GOP candidate for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district today announced the following endorsement:

APPLETON, Wisconsin – The PeopleV.US has endorsed Terri McCormick in the Republican primary for the 8th Congressional District.

The principles and values that McCormick represents have attracted the attention and support of the PeopleV.US – a national constitutional group comprised of citizen leaders who are determined to hold lawmakers accountable to their words and actions.

On its website PeopleV.US is described as:

an organization set up by Attorneys, Political Consultants, and Marketing professionals. We have seen from the inside the destructive goals of those who lead this country. We are ready to put our jobs on the line, to defend our Country through court proceedings. The Constitution of the United States is our authority, and we will work diligently to remove from office ANYONE regardless of party that attempts any legislation in violation of the Constitution.

The main thrust of their activity appears to be a class action lawsuit against Obama's health reform, claiming that it violates "60% of the Bill of Rights."

I'm all for supporting the constitution and have serious doubts about the health reform, and I'm glad that Terri does too. I'm just not sure that an endorsement by a group without substantial ties to the district and whose main purpose is to oppose a single piece of legislation through a class action lawsuit is really all that meaningful.

Contrast this endorsement with a recent endorsement announced by rival candidate Reid Ribble:

Robert Keller, Chairman and CEO of J. J. Keller & Associates, endorsed Reid Ribble’s campaign for Congress today. Keller heads one of the largest safety and regulatory compliance firms in the nation. J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. is based in Wisconsin.

While Bob Keller may not be a name well known to many in WI-8, an endorsement from a business owner with ties to the state seems more likely to have an impact than the one that McCormick is highlighting.

Terri McCormick's Poll Numbers

Berry Laker is angry, and you wouldn't like him when he is angry. If you're on the Terri McCormick campaign team, that is (that's his red):

I will now cross off Terry McCormick off my list of candidates for the upcoming primary election. I will also call it like I see it on McCormick's campaign. I am conservative first, republican second and will not vote for a RINO! We do not need another Steve Kagen like Terry McCormick in the 8th district in Wisconsin.

The cause of this anger was a news story in Door County Style.com that reported poll results from the WI-8 race showing McCormick with a lead. The problem is that the news story was a barely reworked version of a McCormick campaign press release. Leading Laker to ask this:

Does Stephen Kastner work for Terry McCormick? Is he a paid campaign worker? Does he have his own agenda? What gives? [Kastner is the editor and publisher of Door County Style]

I had seen the McCormick press release before I saw the Door County Style piece on Monday. As soon as I did, I realized where the story originated. I seriously thought about contacting Kastner myself, but I couldn't think of a tactful way to ask if barely reworked press releases counted as journalism at his publication. Instead, I did a little digging on the poll itself.

The press release noted that the poll was conducted by Dane & Associates and I recognized that name from McCormick's FEC filings. The campaign had reported at least two payments to Dane totalling about $3500 for fundraising.

I contacted the McCormick campaign and they confirmed that the Dane & Associates from the poll and the fundraising activities were the same firm, stating:

The poll was originally conducted as an internal poll to determine where Terri was in the race, and wasn’t conducted for the promotions purposes. The campaign wanted a true picture of her chances of winning. We got it, and we know that Terri can win this race.

Campaigns conduct polls all the time, I don't think we should read too much in to the fact that a McCormick sponsored poll shows her in the lead. Terri McCormick is a serious candidate who has been around the district for some time, she has a dedicated following and a substantial amount of name recognition.

I do think it would have been good to explain that this was an internal poll in the press release. It would be even better if we had access to the full results including the questions, which I don't think are available anywhere.

Finally, I can't help but wonder about the timing of the release of the poll numbers. Yes, they may give a "true picture of her chances of winning," but it's also true that fundraising numbers for the candidates were recently released. Given McCormick's anemic finances, perhaps the release of these poll numbers is intended as a show of strength, strength that's not reflected in her bank account balance.

Brief tour of WI-8 Congressional District

Wisconsin's 8th congressional district has been mostly quiet lately. This soon will change as we start the new year and as the 2010 election season gets underway in earnest.

Here are some recent items related to the candidates for WI-8 (in no particular order)

As of 12/17 only Kerry Thomas and Terri McCormick were listed as official candidates by the Government Accountability board.

I couldn't find a website for Joe Stern so I'll link my original post on his candidacy.

Andy Williams For Congress now has a facebook page. Become a fan today.

Marc Trager recently spent three days in Washington meeting with Paul Ryan and others.

Reid Ribble sold his business to campaign full time (H/T Fox Politics), signed AFP's no climate tax pledge, but hasn't yet moved into the district.

Christmas wishes from Roger Roth.

Marc Savard is looking to raise $2,010 for 2010. Doing it $9.14 at a time.

Kerry Thomas offers a strategy for saving money on a Disney vacation. I wasn't really interested so I dove into the archives. His Personal Message to Paul Ryan was scathing but well-written.

Terri McCormick on the issues. She is also featuring a good introductory video on her home page.

McCormick Seeks WI-8 Seat

A little late, I know, but I've been busy this week. I also realize that I am at least one other candidate behind at this point.

Post Crescent:

Former state Rep. Terri McCormick, R-Greenville, announced Tuesday she would join a host of Republican hopefuls in the 2010 8th Congressional District race....

"The mess we're in is generally because of a lack of leadership," McCormick said.Referring to the government's involvement in using bailouts for economic recovery as "perpetual meddling in the free market," McCormick said limiting government spending and encouraging private sector growth are key. Job recovery and growth are her No. 1 priority, she said.

Here's a link to Terri McCormick for Congress.

I don't personally wish to wade into the intraparty sniping that seems to surround McCormick, but I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that it existed. If you don't have any idea what I'm talking about and want to get up to speed in two minutes, go read this post and the comments.

I'm not exactly a "let a thousand flowers bloom" type, but I think we have room for at least 8 or 10 flowers. In any case, this is going to be an exciting race.

WI-8 District Prediction: McCormick Will Run

I know that's not exactly big news for those in the know, but I am convinced that is the case. This is not based on any special or insider information (I don't have either) but it is based on an email I received from McCormick a few days ago.

Last Saturday I took a few minutes to email some folks that have been mentioned as possible challengers to Steve Kagen in 2010. Within two hours of my email to McCormick I received a quite lengthy and thorough response. As much as I would like to believe she wrote it in response to my inquiry, I don't. McCormick began:

We have scheduled a decision – as to whether or not I will announce on November 17, 2009 in Green Bay at the Former Rock Gardens/ Club 1951. We will hold a reception from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00a.m.

And continued:

How a person has acted in and out of public office- is usually an indicator of how they will lead at times of great crisis and conflict. It is easy to stand up and make promises – it is far more difficult to show a track record that supports their promises.

I believe that I may be the Right Leader at the Right Time in 2010 – we all know that there are federal obstacles with candidates that are favored more by political machines than others – It has never been my goal to work for machines from out of state – rather to continue my legacy for working for the people I represent.

The planned announcement, the level of detail in her response, and the slogan-like language which was italicized in the email all make me think that she is definitely in.

So perhaps I have just embarked on a career as a political prognosticator that will end almost as soon as it began or the race for Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District is about to get even more interesting (as if that were possible!). Either way we will find out on the 17th.