Teamster candidates' fate decided tonight

Former Teamster and astronaut Jose Hernandez in his Tracy campaign office yesterday.

Though we anticipate a long night waiting for the results of the presidential election (let's hope we have results tonight), we'll probably find out how some of our Teamster candidates fare before dawn.

It looks as if Jose Hernandez, former Teamster and former astronaut, has a good chance of winning his race for Congress in California. The Tracy Press reports,

Rep. Jeff Denham (R) and Jose Hernandez (D) are competing to represent California’s 10th District. (Redistricting) means Tracy’s former congressman, Democrat Jerry McNerney, is running to represent San Joaquin County north of I-205. 

Denham is a 16-year Air Force veteran, business owner and farmer who has served one term in Congress representing the eastern part of the San Joaquin Valley.

Hernandez seeks his first elected office after working his way from laboring in Central Valley fields as a teenager to riding in space as an astronaut for NASA.

Props to our Teamster brothers and sisters who were out helping him!

In Michigan, 33-year UPSer Gary McDowell also has a shot at unseating the incumbent. The Associated Press reports:

Rep. Dan Benishek and challenger Gary McDowell prepared to wrap up one of the nation's most hotly contested U.S. House campaigns Monday, attacking each other as political insiders ill-suited to make government meet the needs of their rural northern Michigan district. 

The rematch between Benishek, a freshman Republican, and former state legislator McDowell has produced a volley of television ads and fierce debate about which candidate would better safeguard cherished programs such as Medicare and the region's natural environment while promoting a stronger economy.

Steve Bullock with young supporters.

In Montana, a former Teamster and a former Teamster attorney are running statewide. Steve Bullock, who used to be Local 190's lawyer, is in a tough race for governor.

As Montana's attorney general, he championed the fight against misclassification and corporate money in politics. Polls show he's in a tie against Rick Hill.

Kim Gillan is the underdog in her race for the state's at-large congressional seat. The Associated Press reports,

Democrat Kim Gillan cast Republican opponent Steve Daines as an extremist who would curb Medicare benefits and abortion rights in the days leading to Montana's U.S. House election.

Back in California, Dr. Lee Rogers could upset Republican Buck McKeon, a 20-year congressman with questionable ethics. Rogers is an affiliate Teamster through the California Teamsters Public Affairs Council.

The Nation reported

The political future of Howard “Buck” McKeon, a Southern California congressman who routinely wins re-election by a wide margin, is suddenly in doubt... 

His corporate-friendly approach to lawmaking has also favored profit-seeking online colleges, which won access to virtually unlimited federal assistance on his watch. Almost all of McKeon’s significant legislative accomplishments involve the transfer of huge amounts of taxpayer money to quasi-private entities that are then liberated from government oversight.

Rick Nolan, earlier today.

Rick Nolan worked his way through college as a UPS Teamster, and now he's trying to make a comeback. He retired from the House of Representatives in 1981. Now, reports The Republic,

Democrat Rick Nolan's attempt to take back a northeastern Minnesota House seat his party lost in an upset two years ago topped the list of congressional races being decided in the state on Tuesday. 

Rep. Chip Cravaack was considered the most vulnerable of Minnesota's House Republicans as he tried for a second term two years after a surprise win over an 18-term Democratic incumbent. The 8th District race attracted national attention and millions in outside spending as Nolan tried to make a political comeback more than three decades after leaving Congress.