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How should we vote, when there are no serious Democratic candidates in our district? [1]

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Date: 2022-08-01

what should I you do?

The Missouri primary election will be held tomorrow August 2nd and I will vote as I always do, but I have some decisions to make, particularly for the US House of Representatives, where my choices are disappointing.

The big contest in Missouri is the open US Senate seat currently held by retiring Republican Roy Blunt. Republicans are eager to hold the seat and have 21 candidates to choose among. It’s a shit show, an overflowing cesspool of deplorables. I considered casting a spoiler vote to try and help sink Eric Greitens the disgraced former governor and worst of the deplorables, but none of the other choice are so awful that they couldn’t win the general election in Missouri. So that strategy has no merit.

As you must have heard, Trump waded in today endorsing ‘ERIC’ — which is Trump’s clever by half(assed) way of trying to hedge his bet and avoid endorsing another loser since there are two Eric’s among the leading candidates in this race — the aforementioned Greitens and Eric Schmitt the state Attorney General and current front runner. There is a third Republican named Eric on the ballot as well, but Eric McElroy seems unlikely to have been Trump’ guy in this race — but given the depth to which many Trump supporters seem to think about these things Eric McElroy may well benefit from the endorsement, if he is the first Eric they see on the ballot.

On the Democratic side there are plenty of choices a well — 11 candidates among whom Marine Corps veteran Lucas Kunce appears to have the best opportunity. Regardless of who win the primary the Democratic candidate will face a steep uphill struggle in the November general election.

My problem is how to vote in the congressional election — which once again isn’t remotely close to being competitive. Its become a sad old joke.

I live in Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District — redrawn somewhat in 2022. Our incumbent Republican congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer has held the seat for the last 9 years and as been reelected in the past with little need to campaign, since there have been no credible Democratic opponents. This year Luetkemeyer has 3 Republican challengers but none of them stand a chance of unseating the incumbent.

On the Democratic side there are 4 candidates but it is difficult to consider any of them to be serious challengers. Two of them don’t even have a website so It isn’t reasonable to say that they are serious. The other two candidates Jon Karlen and Bethany Mann have no experience or any obvious qualifications beyond a willingness to pay the $300 filing fee and throw their hats in the ring. Money isn’t everything, but the two ‘serious’ Democratic candidates in my district have raised and spent a combined $17,000. ballotpedia.org/… Its sad.

I could never vote for the incumbent Republican, who among other disqualifiers was one of the 147 who voted not to certify the 2020 presidential election www.nytimes.com/…. But once again it will be hard to find a way to vote against Blaine Luetkemeyer. Regardless of party affiliation, I can’t in good conscience vote for a candidate for congress who appears unqualified and ill prepared for the job. As Democrats we should be embarrassed that we are repeatedly unable to find and field a qualified candidate in every single congressional district. We need to be better than this. Even in gerrymandered uncompetitive districts we should be able to find and field qualified candidates.

I’ll vote tomorrow, but the choices are far from encouraging.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/8/1/2113982/-How-should-we-vote-when-there-are-no-serious-Democratic-candidates-in-our-district

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