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Tuesday November 06, 2012

Arab American Candidate Update

Posted by Frank Matt at 4:40 pm

This Election Day will decide the fate of four Arab American members of Congress who have weathered tough races this cycle. A fifth Arab American member, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), is running in a safe district and has not needed to campaign. Here are the latest updates on the races in which Arab American candidates are fighting close battles to represent their districts:

Nick Rahall (D) vs. Rick Snuffer (R)

Nick Rahall, a 36 year congressional veteran and Arab American, has seen his substantial lead over his Republican challenger dwindle to single digits. Rick Snuffer, a single term state representative, has been able to cut into Rahall’s lead mostly due to his attacks on a single issue: coal. In West Virginia’s third congressional district coal is king and Snuffer has managed to create the perception that Rahall has been weak on protecting the district’s coal industry from EPA regulations.

Charles Boustany (R) vs. Jeff Landry (R)

A late August poll had five-term congressman Charles Boustany leading Tea Party freshman Jeff Landry in the member-on-member race for Louisiana’s 3rd congressional district. Boustany has the edge in fundraising, as he has close ties to the Republican leadership in the House. His former profession as a surgeon has also led to substantial donations from health professionals in the district. Landry, however, has gained significant ground since the August poll thanks to Tea Party grassroots efforts. If Boustany is unable to win the 4-person race with more than 50% of the vote, then he will be forced to face Landry head-to-head in a runoff. 

Justin Amash (R) vs. Steve Pestka (D)

October polls have shown mixed messages about the state of the race between Justin Amash and Steve Pestka in Michigan’s 3rd congressional district. An independent poll for a local newspaper gave the edge to Petska with a large number of undecided voters, while the Amash campaign released an internal poll showing a 14 point lead over Pestka. This could mean that when pressed to make a decision, undecided voters will break for Amash. However, the only thing that is certain with these conflicting pollin  results is that the race is close. Amash continues to present himself as an independent thinker and hard-worker in Congress, pointing to his “Cal Ripken-like” record of not missing any of his votes. Pestka on the other hand promises that he would try to bring money back to the district and criticizes Amash’s rigid opposition to earmarked spending.

Richard Hanna (R) vs. Dan Lamb (D)

There have been no polls conducted in the race for New York’s 24th District, but several political analysts classify the race as “likely Republican.” Richard Hanna has a strong Democratic opponent in congressional staff veteran Dan Lamb, but, Hanna has substantial crossover appeal that cuts into Lamb’s Democratic base. Hanna is regarded as one of the most independent and moderate Republicans in Congress, and frequently breaks ranks with his party’s leadership on social and funding issues. The sharpest distinction between the two candidates has emerged on the topic of hydraulic fracking, a hot button issue for the region. Hanna supports state-regulated fracking for its potential to bring jobs to the region, while Lamb is an opponent of fracking due to its environmental impact.

Tagged as Arab Americans, Arab Americans in Political Life, Posted by Frank Matt, Yalla Vote, Democrat, Election Central, Republican