Thanks, as usual, to Betsy Muse of BlueNC for the roundup. -desmoinesdem

After an unexpected absence last week, I’m back and so is the 50 State Blog Roundup.

How’s the tension at your favorite national blog community?  Take a break from all the nastiness and drop by your favorite state blog for a change.  Look in on our statewide and local races…..just stay away from the presidential primary threads.  They bring a whole new meaning to March madness!

After the jump are a few posts from last week and the roundup for March 14, 2008.

Illinois
   Barack Obama’s ad endorsing Bill Foster for Denny Hastert’s abandoned seat in the 14th District caps an exciting week of new endorsements and good news in the polls

Wisconsin
   mal contends argues that as a superdelegate, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin should reject Hillary’s burn-down-the-house strategy and throw her support to Obama

Indiana
   7th District special election news includes coverage of the latest debate

Iowa
   Senator Tom Harkin introduces The Complete Streets Act of 2008 to promote street design that benefits all users, not just motorists

Michigan
   Michigan Liberal starts off Women’s History month with profiles of Michigan’s 22 female Democratic state lawmakers  

Minnesota
   An endorsement in Minnesota’s Third district race, currently 9th most likely to flip to the Dems according to the Washington Post’s The Fix…

   

Texas
   Burnt Orange Report makes an attempt at humor in the presidential contest and asks people to “OMG, Plz stop w/ teh stupid!!1”.  

Georgia
   Rand Knight, candidate for U.S. Senate goes to a worthwhile conference, can’t take a joke and is overly sensitive. Read the comments to learn why.  

California
   The Sacramento Bee published a database of all state employees, with their names and salary info, online. Privacy is last year’s concept.

Ohio
   Ohio GOP Committeemen are getting into the spirit of throwing around the ‘ole “Hussein” Reference to Obama. Glad to see the Republicants are really backing off that one. Not.

Iowa
   desmoinesdem is pleased to report that a bill requiring all counties to use voting machines with paper ballots is moving forward in the Iowa legislature.

Nebraska
   Three months after a tragic shooting at an Omaha mall that left eight dead, the NRA has flexed its might in the Nebraska Legislature, perverting a stong bill that would have addressed the problem of gun violence to actually make handguns more accessible.

Virginia
   Virginia Republicans get mainly “F”s when it comes to the middle class.  Virginia Democrats get “straight A”s. Virginia Republicans get mainly “F”s when it comes to the middle class.  Virginia Democrats get “straight A”s.Virginia Republicans get mainly “F”s when it comes to the middle class.  Virginia Democrats get “straight A”s.

South Dakota
   Check out the interview with George McGovern on Democracy Now! Check out the interview with George McGovern on Democracy Now!Check out the interview with George McGovern on Democracy Now!

West Virginia
   As the ENDA act banning employment discrimination against gays made it further than ever before in the W.Va. legislature, some delegates covered themselves in appalling shame with excuses for not passing it. You won’t believe what they had to say.

New York
   Daily Gotham rips the Spitzer administration (for incompetence) and the Bush Justice Department (for partisan malice that the media are completely ignoring) and New York republicans (for hypocrisy).

Ohio
   Visit Ohio Daily Blog for frequent roundups of news and notes on Ohio’s contested congressional and local races, such as this one on the congressionals.

Oregon
   Think blatant and embarrassingly ignorant prejudice against gays is dying off? Unfortunately, not on the Republican side of Oregon’s State Senate. Now with bonus slurs on African-American colleagues!

Alabama
   Alabama’s Bush Dog Bud Cramer decides not to run for re-election this year, just 3 weeks before the filing deadline.  

Illinois
   After winning the special election last Saturday, Rep. Bill Foster makes his first comments and first vote Tuesday

Wisconsin
   Obama picks up another superdelegate in Wisconsin’s 7th District

New Mexico
   There’s an investigation into a GOP vote-buying scandal in New Mexico.

North Carolina
   Mecklenburg Co. schools in North Carolina adopted an anti-bullying policy that includes bullying based on an individual’s real or perceived race, color, sex, religion, creed, political belief, age, national origin, linguistic or language differences, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, socioeconomic status, height, weight, physical characteristics, marital status, parental status, or physical, mental, or sensory disability. …

New Hampshire
   Why elections matter…..at Blue Hampshire.