Closing strong for Robin Kelly

Debbie Halvorson, Blue Dog NRA lackey:

Nonetheless, Halvorson repeatedly referred to herself as the front-runner in a Friday phone interview, describing how she is constantly 'swarmed' by supporters on the campaign trail [...]

On Saturday, Halvorson announced she would attend a conceal-and-carry class on Saturday, for example. She insisted the issue is politically helpful to her among women who want to carry guns for protection [...]

'They're over the top,' she said of the Bloomberg PAC ads. 'People are with me. Our phones ring off the hook. There are Facebook posts.'

"There are Facebook posts." Alrighty then. The spirit of Baghdad Bob lives on.

Back on planet reality, Toi Hutchinson's last internal poll before withdrawing from the race had Kelly with a "double-digit lead," and it's clear that institutional and movement support (from elected officials, to labor, to the netroots) has coalesced around her.

You have had a big role in all of that. Daily Kos was the first significant organization to back Kelly, and 6,300 of you responded by donating well over $100,000 (and counting) to her campaign. Since our endorsement and strong focus on the race, the broader netroots has engaged (MoveOn, DFA, CREDO, etc), Bloomberg's Super PAC expanded its target list to Hutchison's own "A" rating from the NRA (ignored in earlier ads), and the entire Chicago-area congressional delegation rallied to Kelly's side. We were specifically the reason that Kelly was able to go up on the air with her positive spots, the only candidate with the cash to do so.

That's a lot to be proud of, but the race isn't over yet. There are too many names on the ballot, and Tuesday's election threatens to be an ultra-low-turnout affair. Too much can happen to ruin all the great work we have done. So this is it, guys, let's close strong by chipping in a few more bucks. If you've been sitting in the sidelines, here's your chance to bring this one home, electing the next great congresswoman while delivering a clear message to the NRA'we're coming after you. IL-02 is the appetizer.