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aion-rsa · 3 years

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The Office: The Frustrating, Moving Story Behind Steve Carell Leaving

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Warning: contains spoilers for The Office: An American Workplace.

On screen, Steve Carell’s departure from The Office was pretty perfect. His farewell episode ‘Goodbye, Michael’ and those running up to it, were emotional and satisfying. They showed branch manager Michael Scott finally getting the love he’d always craved, and crucially, deserving it too. Once a thin-skinned, desperate-for-approval man-child, Michael had been redeemed into somebody who didn’t take himself too seriously and no longer needed the spotlight. After a long, hard (that’s what she said) journey, his future with Amy Ryan’s adorably dorky character Holly Flax was set. Michael Scott had grown up and it was time to go.

However well-played Carell’s farewell was, it didn’t have to be the end of his time on the show. Speaking on the ‘An Oral History of The Office’ podcast presented by Brian Baumgartner (who played Kevin Malone on the show) producer Ben Silverman and editor Claire Scanlon explained that Carell was prepared to stay on for more, but the network frustratingly fluffed it.

When The Office started, its cast signed the customary contracts holding them until the end of a potential seven seasons. (By no means a sure thing early on. The show’s pilot is famed for being one of lowest-rated ever tested at NBC, early viewing figures weren’t strong, and it wasn’t until 2005 movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin made Carell a comedy star that NBC really sat up and took notice.) As the seven-season deadline approached in 2009-10, everybody but Carell renegotiated for a further two seasons.

For showrunner Greg Daniels, that made it pretty clear Carell was planning to leave, but according to Silverman and Scanlon, it wasn’t so. Editor and director Claire Scanlon told the podcast, “Steve said he would have come back, they didn’t even try!”

Silverman, who spearheaded the US remake of the British mockumentary series and was co-chairman of NBC Entertainment between 2007 – 2009, told Baumgartner, “When I heard the story of how the network went about its process with him after the fact, it made me so depressed how they had kind of blown something that they could have saved.”

Scanlon describes feeling cross about the way things went, telling the podcast, “I feel like NBC dropped the ball, because I knew the story behind it, which was they just never even bothered, which was just like so dumb. I don’t know what was wrong with them.”

One thing wrong was that during the 2010 – 2011 season six to seven period, Comcast bought a controlling share in NBCUniversal, and replaced network chairman Jeff Glaspin with Bob Greenblatt. According to Baumgartner’s podcast, the feeling was that the new broom had little affinity or familiarity with The Office and didn’t realise what a boon it was to have Carell (by this point a major movie star) leading the cast.

The rise in streaming and proliferation of new media during this period also made the sitcom’s relatively strong viewing figures appear to be on the slide. After original showrunner Greg Daniels left at the end of season four to start the spin-off that turned into Parks and Recreation, and The Office’s producer-champion Ben Silverman had left NBC in 2009, there was nobody at the network to fight the show’s corner, or to impress the importance of re-signing Carell.

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Then in April 2010, when season six of The Office was in its final months of airing and the network should have been laying out the red carpet to get Carell to re-sign, it blanked him. Carell was in the UK promoting Date Night with Tina Fey. Speaking to DJ Greg James at BBC Radio One, Carell was asked about his future on The Office and said publicly that his contract was due to end after the following season. Asked if he’d stay on, Carell told James, “I don’t think so. I think that will probably be my last year.” A lead of Carell’s fame would expect a public statement like that to reach the network and prompt an overture followed by a series of ‘what can we do to convince you?’ meetings. But no overtures came. According to ‘An Oral History of The Office’, NBCUniversal simply let Carell go without a fight, leaving Dunder Mifflin Scranton without its regional manager.

Carell reportedly discussed leaving The Office with original showrunner Greg Daniels on the set of season six finale ‘Whistleblower’. That episode’s director Paul Lieberstein (who also played HR manager Toby Flenderson on the comedy show) told Baumgartner that Steve and Greg went into the plane on which they were filming Carell’s scenes with Kathy Bates as Sabre CEO Jo Bennett and held up filming by not coming out for a while. “I think that’s when Steve told Greg he’s not coming back,” Lieberstein told the podcast.

Greg Daniels took the news graciously. “You couldn’t be mad,” he told Baumgartner. “[Carell] was so graceful and full of integrity that you could never be mad. Because he became a huge star in season two. The fact that he was still doing 28 episodes of TV some years really put a crimp in the number of movies that he did, and it’s, I think, testament to his integrity that he went ahead and completed the whole series according to his original contract of seven years.”

Carell’s integrity was cited multiple times by his co-stars and the creatives on the podcast. During the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike (prompted in no small way by the first webisodes NBC asked the writers of The Office to produce unpaid, as ‘promotional material’), Carell led from the front and showed solidarity by, amicably, refusing to go on set and film until the writer-producers were back in the job. During that same period, incidentally, Greg Daniels paid crewmembers from his own chequebook, so the integrity clearly ran both ways.

Carell’s reluctant decision not to extend his contract having gone uncontested by the network at least allowed plenty of time to plan just the right exit for Michael Scott. Cue the return of Amy Ryan. The character of Holly was only intended as a temporary paramour for Scott, designed to see him interact with his first real romantic peer (Dunder Mifflin boss Jan Levinson and real estate agent Carol – played by Carell’s real-life wife Nancy – emphatically did not see Michael as their equal), but it became clear that Holly should be Michael’s endgame.

It was Carell’s idea for Michael to secretly sneak out of the office the day before his big going-away party. Carell told Baumgartner, “That would be the most elegant representation of his growth as a human being, because Michael lives to be celebrated, you think that’s all he wants, he wants to be the centre of attention and he wants pats on the back, he wants people to think he’s funny and charming and all of those things, but the fact that he’d walk away from his big tribute, his big send-off and be able to, in a very personal way, say goodbye to each character, that to me felt like it would resonate.”

Filming ‘Goodbye, Michael’ was “emotional torture,” Carell told the podcast. “Imagine saying goodbye for a week. It was just fraught with emotion and joy and sadness and nostalgia, but it was also really beautiful. I treasure doing that episode, because it did allow me to have a finality with everybody.”

The very last goodbye scene shot was with John Krasinski as Jim, but the most memorable was with Jenna Fischer as Pam, who very nearly misses her chance to say goodbye, and just catches Michael at the airport after he’s taken off his documentary mic. Paul Feig was directing the episode, and he told Fischer to run up to Carell and say goodbye to him not in character as Pam to Michael, but as Jenna to Steve. It didn’t matter what she said because the sound wouldn’t be recorded. “I ran up to Steve and I just told him all the ways I was going to miss him and how grateful I was for his friendship and the privilege of working with him,” she told Baumgartner, “and I’m sobbing, and he’s sobbing, and we’re hugging and I didn’t want to let him go and I didn’t want the scene to end, and then finally Paul Feig says ‘cut’.” And then… they’d taken so long sobbing and hugging that Feig asked her to do it all over again, but faster. And that’s what she said.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The Office: An American Workplace is available to stream on Netflix.

The post The Office: The Frustrating, Moving Story Behind Steve Carell Leaving appeared first on Den of Geek.

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iesorno · 4 years

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Ken Eppstein is a good man to know in comics. He works hard to be fair to all of the creators he’s published. I like his tastes as well, so I think you’ll find very good work, including his own, in the comics he’s published.

I like that he’s interested in quantifying rather than guessing what people need, researching and getting data in to inform his work. It’s an approach I admire. His recent surveys have been supported by Fieldmouse Press’s SOLRAD site.

Find Ken here

website twitter instagram facebook

Can you tell us a bit about the first creator whose work you recognised?

You know, I think it was Curt Swan. One of the first books I ever owned was the hardback “Superman from the 30s to the 70s” collection. Still have it… Two copies actually! A nice one and my original copy with no dustjacket and a shredded spine. Lots of artists in there, but Curt Swan was the guy whose work was still in comic racks.

Which creators do you remember first copying?

I started answering this question by saying that it was probably one of the X-Men or Legion of Superheroes guys, but the more I thought about it, I’m pretty sure it was actually Jim Davis. I remember copying Garfield for a handmade birthday or Mother’s Day card or something. I can’t remember any specific copying before that.

Garfield

Who was the creator that you first thought ‘I’m going to be as good as you!’?

I honestly don’t know that I’ve ever had this thought. At least not phrased that way about a specific artist. I will say that as I worked with artists, writing scripts and seeing their interpretations of my work, I gained confidence in my own ability to do it on my own.

I did for many years think about artists I could never be as good as. Technically adept artists, mostly. I guess I still think that framed as a matter of technical skill, there are many artists that have a more sophisticated skill set than I ever will. Most who have dedicated themselves to that aspect of the craft, in fact. I don’t, though, conflate that craftsmanship with “good” or “bad” anymore. As a teenager, I realized that some of my favorite musicians are technically limited but are still able to create works of emotional and cultural depth. I now think the same thing is true of comic arts, but for some reason it took me longer to get there.

Which creator or creators do you currently find most inspiring?

Lynda Barry. I took her five day “Writing the Unthinkable Workshop” last summer and all of my friends are tired of me talking about it. I went into that workshop a fan and came out an acolyte. She totally changed the way I create and the way I talk to other people about creating.

Which creators do you most often think about?

Other creator you mean, right? Because I’m pretty self-centered.

I don’t think I know. I care about a lot of creators.

Can you name the first three creative peers that come into your head and tell a little bit about why? Bob Corby (of Back Porch Comics and SPACE): Maybe not so much my peer as my hero in terms of small press life. No one works harder for his community.

Bob Corby

Timmy Wade, my coffee shop buddy who just recently hung together his first self-published comic after years of fretting about it. (Saphead comics. Its not just good, its great!)

Saphead comics – Timmy Wade

Pat Redding Scanlon who is my favorite current collaborator in a lot of ways. So talented and one of the few artists who live at the same intersection of punk rock and comic fandom as I do.

Outside of comics I’d say The New Bomb Turks, the first group of rock ‘n roll weirdos to take me in when I moved to Columbus. Also, almost entirely responsible for my garage punk record obsession.

Steve Anderson, my friend who has run a pirate radio station, written an excellent short story collection titled “1976,” guitarist and singer of the band I’m With Stupid, and filmed truly independent movies budgeted solely on beer and wit.

Bob Calhoun author of “Beer, Blood and Cornmeal”, “Shattering Conventions” and an upcoming collection of San Francisco true crime stories.

Bob Calhoun

Finally, can you tell us a bit about your recent work and yourself?

My most recent project, including works in progress are:

What Have I Done For You Lately #1: A zine with my current WIP and sketchbook selections.

How To Collect Comics the Nix Way #1

What Have I Done For You Lately

How to Collect Comics The Nix Way #1: A zine about the creative side of comic collecting, featuring illustrations and short fictions inspired by comics purchased at a comic-con.

Currently working on an illustrated novel titled “On Tour With Roy Lee Hood” and a graphic memoir about opening my first comic shop “What The Hell Is A Rudy Goose?”

WIP – Ray’s Short Childhood

I’m a writer, cartoonists, and publisher from Columbus, Ohio. In addition to my own rock music and record store themed imprint Nix Comics, I’ve been a contributor to the Columbus Alive, Red Stylo Media Comics, Rocker Magazine, Roctober Magazine, WFMU Rock and Soul Ichiban, and the satirical comic website, The Outhouse.

Thank you very much for taking the time to fill this out and let us into your mind.

all art copyright and trademark its respective owners.

content copyright iestyn pettigrew 2020

Small (press) oaks – Ken Eppstein @nixcomics talks inspiration, Superman and other local heroes today #comics #smallpresscomics #rocknroll #punkrock #collecting Ken Eppstein is a good man to know in comics. He works hard to be fair to all of the creators he’s published.

#Buy #comics #interview #music #punk

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investmart007 · 6 years

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Trump backs 2 successful US Senate nominees in primaries

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/o5ratj

Trump backs 2 successful US Senate nominees in primaries

President Donald Trump backed two successful U.S. Senate nominees in Pennsylvania and Nebraska, which were among four states holding primaries Tuesday.

The primaries began to settle swing state Pennsylvania’s chaotic congressional landscape after a court fight ended with redrawn districts just three months ago.

Among the more unusual results of Tuesday’s primaries was the loss by Pennsylvania’s Democratic lieutenant governor, Mike Stack, who was ousted by mayor John Fetterman.

Oregon and Idaho also held primary elections.

Here’s a look at some of the other interesting races:

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TRUMP’S PICKS PREVAIL

Two of the president’s favored candidates, Lou Barletta in Pennsylvania and Deb Fischer in Nebraska, won their U.S. Senate primaries.

Barletta, currently a congressman, was heavily favored over state Rep. Jim Christiana to become the Republican challenger for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who is seeking a third term in November. Fischer, the incumbent, defeated four GOP challengers and will be the strong favorite to win re-election in deep-red Nebraska. Her Democratic opponent is Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould.

Barletta was a Trump supporter before the 2016 presidential nomination was settled. The loyalty won him Trump’s early support in the Senate race, as well as recorded telephone calls last weekend featuring the president backing Barletta “fully, strongly and proudly.”

Early Tuesday afternoon, Trump tweeted: “Nebraska – make sure you get out to the polls and VOTE for Deb Fischer today!”

Last week, Trump urged GOP Senate primary voters to support Rep. Jim Renacci in the Ohio Senate and oppose former coal company executive Don Blankenship in West Virginia. Renacci won and Blankenship lost.

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CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT LIKELY TO FLIP

Mary Gay Scanlon won a 10-way Democratic primary in southeastern Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District, which is likely to flip to Democrats following a court-ordered redrawing of the state’s congressional district boundaries.

Scanlon is a longtime public interest lawyer and chair of the pro-bono committee at a Philadelphia-based law firm.

She will face Republican Pearl Kim, a former state and county prosecutor, in November’s general election in the now-Democratic-leaning district. The seat is open following the resignation of Republican Rep. Pat Meehan amid allegations he used taxpayer money to settle sexual harassment allegations by a former aide.

Meehan had represented the Delaware County-based seat since 2010. It was widely viewed as among the nation’s most gerrymandered until the court redrew it in February.

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INCUMBENT LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR FALLS

Mike Stack became the first holder of the Pennsylvania lieutenant’s office to lose in a primary election.

John Fetterman, the Braddock mayor, won the five-way Democratic Party primary race for lieutenant governor Tuesday, meaning he will run on a ticket with Gov. Tom Wolf in the fall. Pennsylvania first started allowing lieutenant governors to serve a second term in the 1970s.

Fetterman had made a failed bid in 2016 for the U.S. Senate.

Stack, a former Philadelphia state senator, has had a chilly relationship with Wolf in their first term together.

Wolf last year ordered an investigation into the treatment of state employees by Stack and his wife and stripped Stack of state police protection.

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OREGON CHOOSES GOP CANDIDATE AMONG 10 GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFULS

State Rep. Knute Buehler has emerged from a crowded primary to capture the Republican nomination for Oregon governor.

Buehler, who ran for secretary of state in 2012, was the most centrist of the Republican front-runners. He was among 10 GOP candidates in the primary.

However, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown remains the favorite to win in November. Brown became governor in 2015 upon the resignation of Gov. John Kitzhaber following an ethics scandal, and she won a special election in 2016.

Oregon is among eight states where Democrats control the governorship and both houses of the state legislature. Voters who identify as Democrats also outnumber their Republican counterparts by more than 9 percentage points.

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (Z.S)

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#primaries #Senate nominees #successful #TodayNews #Trump #US

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theliberaltony · 6 years

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Ahh, flowering trees, brilliant sunshine, abundant campaign ads, lawn signs poking out of the bright green grass. Primary season has sprung, and it’s coming to a state near you. This week’s contests are in Idaho, Nebraska, Oregon and Pennsylvania, and there are several races you should care about.

Some quick housekeeping: Throughout this preview, we’ll indicate the competitiveness of each state and district using a metric we call partisan lean, which is calculated from the past two presidential election results within its boundaries.1 Partisan lean is a representation of how much more Democratic or Republican an area is than the nation as a whole. For example, a district with an R+7 partisan lean would be expected to vote Republican by 7 percentage points in a neutral national environment — or deadlock in the event Democrats win the national popular vote by 7 points. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves; first the parties need to nominate their candidates.

Pennsylvania

Races to watch: 1st, 5th, 7th, 10th and 14th congressional districts; governor Polls close: 8 p.m. Eastern

When the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down Pennsylvania’s Republican-drawn congressional map and imposed one much friendlier to Democrats, it was like hitting reset on all of the state’s U.S. House races. Incumbents gained hordes of new constituents to introduce themselves to; challengers had to reconsider where to run. Partly as a result of the new map, seven of Pennsylvania’s 18 congressional districts have no incumbent running in them in 2018. That’s led to 21 contested congressional primaries — the most since 1984 — featuring 84 candidates.

In the 1st Congressional District, Democrats will probably choose either former Navy prosecutor Rachel Reddick or philanthropist Scott Wallace to face GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. Wallace espouses the same brand of progressive politics as his grandfather Henry Wallace, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vice president, and has pumped $2.5 million of his own money into his campaign. The race has been negative: Wallace has attacked Reddick for being a Republican for most of her life, while Reddick’s ads tag Wallace as a carpetbagging “Maryland multimillionaire.” This is a swing district, with an R+1 partisan lean, so Reddick may be Democrats’ safest bet for the fall, although it’s hardly so red that Wallace can’t win.

No fewer than 10 Democrats are running for the 5th District, former Republican Rep. Pat Meehan’s redrawn seat. The 5th is 26 points more Democratic-leaning than the country at large — hence the crowded field (whoever wins the Democratic primary has a great chance of winning the general election over the sole Republican candidate, Pearl Kim). But such a large field makes for an unpredictable race; 20 percent of the vote may be enough to win. Take them for what they’re worth — perhaps not much — but three Democratic-conducted polls have been released, all saying that attorney Mary Gay Scanlon leads and state Rep. Greg Vitali is in second. Two other candidates, former federal prosecutor Ashley Lunkenheimer and former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Rich Lazer, have been the beneficiaries of super PAC spending and can’t be counted out.

There aren’t many Democrats like John Morganelli running for Congress in 2018. The longtime Northampton County district attorney opposes abortion, vilifies “illegal aliens” and sought a job in the Trump administration. Still, he’s arguably the front-runner in the 7th District Democratic primary. Plenty of Democrats would prefer someone more liberal — the problem is that they can’t agree on whom. Emily’s List is backing Allentown City Solicitor Susan Wild, while Bernie Sanders has stumped for pastor Greg Edwards, who has also raised the most cash. Some observers believe Morganelli would help Democrats win back working-class voters in this evenly split (D+0.04) district, but the 7th District is a bit like the 1st: It’s swingy enough that a more conservative Democratic nominee might have an advantage, but it’s not red enough that a liberal nominee would be at much of a handicap (especially in a Democratic-leaning environment). Republicans, meanwhile, will choose between Marty Nothstein, who won an Olympic gold medal in cycling in 2000, and former Lehigh County Commissioner Dean Browning.

In a high Democratic wave, Republican Rep. Scott Perry could be swept away in his R+11 10th District, but it’s not clear who the strongest Democratic contender would be. Former Senate and White House staffer Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson unexpectedly posted the district’s best fundraising haul in the first quarter of 2018; she also recently earned the endorsement of Emily’s List. Other Democrats in the running include former Army Lt. Col. George Scott and public health scientist Eric Ding.

Finally, in the 14th District, state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler faces state Rep. Rick Saccone for the GOP nomination. Saccone, of course, became persona non grata in the Republican Party after losing an eminently winnable March special election to Democrat Conor Lamb, but Reschenthaler has come under fire too: He wrote an effusive foreword for a book that contained anti-gay and racist language, calling it “commonsense” and “what we all wanted to say.” Those flaws and March’s shocker notwithstanding, either Republican should be able to hold this now-even-redder (R+29) seat in the fall.

These aren’t the only Keystone State districts worth your time, but my editor does give me word counts for these things. The truly dedicated might also pay attention to the Democratic primary in the 4th and the Republican primaries in the 9th and 13th. In addition, three districts likely to be targeted in the fall will not see competitive primaries tonight: the Republican-held 6th and 17th Districts (D+5 and R+6, respectively) and the Democratic-held 8th (R+7).

In statewide races, Rep. Lou Barletta is expected to sweep aside state Rep. Jim Christiana in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Even though Pennsylvania is 2 points to the right of the rest of the country, incumbent Sen. Bob Casey is one of the less vulnerable vulnerable Democrats in the Senate, which is unlikely to change no matter who wins the Republican nomination.

At last, one of the nastiest primaries in the country has unfolded on the Republican side for Pennsylvania governor. State Sen. Scott Wagner, the owner of a waste-management company, and health care consultant Paul Mango have both plowed millions into their own campaigns, using an onslaught of TV ads to muscle their way to the front of the pack. In recent weeks, they’ve gone nuclear on one another: Mango aired an ad so savage that the state GOP (which formally endorsed Wagner) called on it to be taken down. When Mango refused, Wagner issued a withering response ad starring his daughter. (Sample quote: “Paul Mango, you’re not half the man my father is.”) A third candidate, attorney Laura Ellsworth, is hoping to pull a Mike Braun and capture a plurality on the strength of voters turned off by the negativity. The latest survey of the race, from Susquehanna Polling and Research, does show her closing, but she still sits in third place (18 percent) behind Wagner (37 percent) and Mango (23 percent).

Polls of the general election have concurred that Wagner would come the closest to beating Gov. Tom Wolf, but the Democratic incumbent would still start out with a healthy edge; perhaps the vicious primary has already taken its toll.

Nebraska

Races to watch: 2nd Congressional District Polls close: 9 p.m. Eastern

Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould is very likely to be the Democratic nominee against Republican Sen. Deb Fischer. And state Sen. Bob Krist is the only candidate with serious money and experience in the Democratic primary for the right to face GOP Gov. Pete Ricketts. (Both Republicans are heavily favored in this R+27 state.) That leaves Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District as by far the most interesting race in the Cornhusker State.

Although the district has a partisan lean of R+6, Republican incumbent Don Bacon won it in 2016 by just 1 percentage point over then-Rep. Brad Ashford. Nancy Pelosi and the DCCC both want Ashford to be their standard-bearer once again, and with $571,000 raised, he looks like the favorite. But nonprofit executive Kara Eastman has collected a respectable $356,000 and has campaigned as an unapologetic member of the anti-Trump #Resistance. While Ashford has sung the virtues of compromise and adopted middle-of-the-road positions, Eastman has pledged to fight for liberal priorities like single-payer health care. If there’s one race that epitomizes the Democratic divide between pragmatism and progressivism, it’s this one — and in a reddish toss-up district, the stakes are high.

Idaho

Races to watch: governor Polls close: 10 p.m. Eastern in the southern half of the state, 11 p.m. Eastern in the north

There are three front-runners in the GOP primary for governor, and each represents a different wing of the party. Mild-mannered Lt. Gov. Brad Little, whom outgoing Gov. Butch Otter has endorsed, touts his inside knowledge of government workings. Wealthy developer Tommy Ahlquist occupies the “outsider businessman” lane; nearly $2 million of his own money has made him by far the race’s biggest spender. And U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador is running as the fiery conservative: He is a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus and boasts that he is so close with Trump that he interviewed for a Cabinet position.2

The campaign has been mean-spirited, with Ahlquist in particular taking heat for writing in Marco Rubio instead of voting for Trump in the 2016 general election and donating to his potential Democratic opponent in 2014. The outcome of the primary shouldn’t change the consensus that Republicans are very likely to retain this governorship, but it may have major policy implications. Idahoans are expected to vote on a ballot measure to expand Medicaid this fall, and Labrador has said that he would consider overturning the initiative if it were to pass.

In the Democratic primary, businessman A.J. Balukoff, the party’s 2014 gubernatorial nominee, has spent six times as much money as state Rep. Paulette Jordan, who would be Idaho’s first female governor and the first female Native American governor in the country. Jordan has drawn the endorsement of Planned Parenthood, Democracy for America and other national progressive groups, but Idaho Democratic politicians are largely in Balukoff’s corner, an acknowledgment that he is a better fit for this conservative (R+34) state.

Oregon

Races to watch: governor Ballots due:3 10 p.m. Eastern in part of Malheur County, 11 p.m. Eastern everywhere else

Oregon is 9 points more Democratic than the nation as a whole, and the state has had only Democratic governors since the mid-1980s. But in the past, moderate Republicans have ridden the overwhelming financial backing of Oregon’s business community (Oregon has no campaign contribution limits) to within just a few percentage points of Mahonia Hall.

State Rep. Knute Buehler is trying to chart that same course against incumbent Democrat Kate Brown in 2018, but he has hit an unexpected speedbump in primary challengers Sam Carpenter, a consultant whose slogan is “Make Oregon Great Again,” and Greg Wooldridge, a former Navy pilot. The staunchly conservative duo have criticized Buehler for his many centrist positions, such as support (with some exceptions) for legal abortion, sanctuary cities and gun control. Buehler has felt threatened enough that he is blanketing the state with ads that accuse Carpenter of not paying his taxes; Buehler poured twice as much money into broadcast advertising in April alone as his opponents have spent, combined, in the entire campaign. An internal poll for Carpenter’s campaign claimed that Buehler led Carpenter 39 percent to 24 percent, with Wooldridge at 12 percent, suggesting that the media blitz was working. (Again, though, internal polls are highly suspect — Carpenter released the poll to argue that the anti-abortion vote was being split and that Wooldridge should drop out.) Most likely, however, only Buehler has the crossover appeal to put a scare into Brown in the fall.

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #Nathaniel Rakich

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