Jeff Merkley

OR-Sen (Map)

Jeff Merkley currently serves as the Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives. Merkley opposes the war, supports universal health care and will take action against global warming. The Republican incumbent is Gordon Smith, who has been positioning himself as a moderate for the campaign, but Smith has voted with Bush over 90% of the time.

Al Franken

MN-Sen (Map)

Al Franken started out as a comedian on Saturday Night Live, and then parlayed a strong interest in politics and talent for satire into several best selling anti-Right books and a popular radio show. The Republican incumbent, Norm Coleman, won the seat in 2002 after the death of Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone and his wife in a campaign plane accident.. Despite Minnesota’s liberal orientation, Coleman has voted with Bush 90% of the time.

Kay Hagan

NC-Sen (Map)

Kay Hagan is serving her fifth term in the North Carolina state Senate, after becoming a lawyer and working in banking. When Washington failed to adequately fund the children’s health insurance program, she pushed for state funds to make sure children got coverage.The Republican incumbent, Senator Elizabeth Dole, is perceived as a relatively ineffective legislator who has voted with Bush over 90% of the time.

Mark Begich

AK-Sen (Map)

Mark Begich is the five-term mayor of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. He is a strong civil libertian and has a long-time interest in education policy, having opposed the No Child Left Behind Act early on. The incumbent Republican Senator Ted Stevens is facing trial for failure to report as a gift extensive home remodeling services he received from an Alaskan oil pipeline company. Despite this, Stevens continues to receive strong support from a significant segment of the state’s voters.

Bruce Lunsford

KY-Sen (Map)

Jim Himes

CT-04 (Map)

The Peruvian born Himes is a Rhodes scholar who is an executive with an non-profit organization that assists low income people with housing and energy programs. The incumbent Republican Christopher Hays is out of step with this liberal district in supporting Bush’s foreign policy.

Eric Massa

NY-29 (Map)

Eric Massa spent 24 years on active duty with the Navy, including time as special assistant to General Wesley Clark. He has been an opponent of the Iraq War from the beginning. The incumbent Republican is Randy Kuhl, who before the 2006 election was one of the few Repubs to host a public event with Dick Cheney.

Ashwin Madia

MN-03 (Map)

Madia is the son of Indian born immigrants who came to the U.S. with $19. He was the student body president at the University of Minnesota, and then went on to law school. He joined the Marines and spent two years in Iraq. The retirement of the incumbent Republican, Congressman Ramstad has left this an open seat, with a Republican state representative running to succeed him.

Dina Titus

NV-03 (Map)

Dina Titus has served in the Nevada Legislature since 1988, including a period as Democratic Leader. Legislation she sponsored included creating Nevada’s health insurance program for uninsured children. Her opponent, Republican Congressman Jon Porter, voted against raising the minimum wage and allowing the government to negotiate directly with drug makers to lower prices for Medicare.

Carol Shea-Porter

NH-01 (Map)

Carol Shea-Porter is the only progressive incumbent involved in a toss-up race. She takes no money from special interests. Her ratings from groups like NARAL, the ACLU, and League of Conservation Voters range from 90 to 100. She’ll defend her seat against one of two Republicans vying for their party’s nomination, including the incumbent she narrowly defeated in 2006.

Linda Stender

NJ-07 (Map)

Stender is a New Jersey state assemblyperson who came within 3,000 votes of defeating the Republican incumbent in 2006. She sponsored New Jersey’s innovative “Global Warming Response Act.” The Republican candidate’s top priority is making the Bush tax cuts permanent and eliminating the estate tax.

John Adler

NJ-03 (Map)

Adler is a five term state senator and is getting strong environmental support. The seat is open due to the retirement of Republican incumbent Jim Saxon. The Republican candidate is Chris Myers, V.P. of defense contractor Lockheed Martin.

Martin Heinrich

NM-01 (Map)

Heinrich is a former Albuquerque city councilperson who was appointed Natural Resources Trustee for the State of New Mexico by Governor Richardson. The Republican candidate for this seat, left vacant by the retirement of Republican Heather Wilson, is the Bernallilo County sheriff.

Darcy Burner

WA-08 (Map)

Burner lost a close election to the incumbent Republican Dave Reichert in 2006, having left a management position at Microsoft to run for Congress. She grew up in a blue collar military family. Her opponent Reichert is anti-abortion, opposes federal funds for sex education and supports a constitutional ban on gay marriage.

Secretary of State Project

The Secretary of State Project Strategic Fund, a non-federal 527, helps reform candidates win Election Administration positions in key races nationwide. In 2006, SoS Project raised over $500,000 to help elect reform-minded candidates to chief election officer positions in Ohio, New Mexico, Nevada, Minnesota and Iowa. In 2008 there are supporting candidates in Missouri, Montana, West Virginia and Oregon.