'Net Neutrality Protectors' Swept Away by Midterm Wave

Ninety-five Democratic Congressional hopefuls signed last week a pledge to support the Federal Communications Commissions proposed Net neutrality rules. On Tuesday, all ninety-five “net neutrality protectors” lost to their Republican opponents.

Among the measure’s endorsers–or victims, as some campaign insiders suggest today–were would-be senators Alexi Giannoulias, Jack Conway, Paul Hodes, Joe Sestak and Lee Fisher.

With the nation’s economic recovery still in uncertain territory, opponents to the FCC’s redesign of the broadband regulatory regime point to regulation fatigue as the critical precursor of Democratic losses Tuesday.

“Candidates who support creating burdensome new Internet regulations were handily rejected at the polls,” a blog post at Broadband for America (BfA) reads. “The message from voters is that unnecessary regulation is a losing tactic.”

After House Democrats recently fumbled legislation to adopt reasonable broadband reforms, radical progressive groups have begun reapplying pressure on the FCC to unilaterally enforce Net neutrality rules by reclassifying broadband a Tittle II carrier.

The reclassification bid was so noxious that the groups faced opposition even from Democrats. At least eight-five House and Senate Democrats expressed reservations with the FCC reclassifying broadband.

Tuesday’s election returns appears to have validated BfA’s over-regulation fatigue rhetoric, with at least fifty-one of those eighty-five Democratic hopefuls surviving the Republican wave.

A full list of Net neutrality pledge endorses found below.

Harry T Crawford Jr – AK-01

David Whitaker – AK-03

Scott McAdams – AK-Sen

Steve Segrest – AL-03

William Barnes – AL-Sen

Joyce Elliott – AR-02

John Thrasher – AZ-02

Rebecca Schneider – AZ-06

Rodney Glassman – AZ-Sen

Ami Bera – CA-03

Clint Curtis – CA-04

Loraine Goodwin – CA-19

Tim Allison – CA-24

Russ Warner – CA-26

Patrick Meagher- CA-41

Steve Pougnet – CA-45

Kenneth Arnold – CA-46

Bill Hedrick – CA-48

Beth Krom – CA-48

Ray Lutz – CA-52

Kevin Bradley – CO-05

Jim Bryan – FL-01

James Piccillo – FL-05

Heather Beaven – FL-07

Charlie Justice – FL-10

James T. Golden – FL-13

Shannon Roberts – FL-15

Rolando A. Banciella – FL-18

Joe Garcia – FL-25

Robert Franklin Saunders III – GA-03

Doug Heckman – GA-07

Russell Edwards – GA-10

Bill Maske – IA-04

Matt Campbell – IA-05

Roxanne Conlin – IA-Sen

Scott Harper – IL-13

David Gill – IL-15

George Gaulrapp – IL-16

Deirdre ‘DK’ Hirner – IL-18

Tim Bagwell – IL-19

Alexander Giannoulias – IL-Sen

David Sanders – IN-04

Barry Welsh – IN-06

Alan Jilka – KS-01

Cheryl Hudspeth – KS-02

Stephanie Moore – KS-03

Raj Goyle – KS-04

John Waltz – KY-04

Jim Holbert – KY-05

Jack Conway – KY-Sen

Andrew Duck – MD-06

Fred Johnson – MI-02

Natalie Mosher – MI-11

Jerry Campbell – Ml-04

Shelley Madore – MN-02

Jim Meffert – MN-03

Tarryl Clark – MN-06

Joe Gill – MS-03

Dennis McDonald – MT-01

Johnny Rouse – NC-03

Bill Kennedy – NC-05

Jeff Gregory – NC-10

Elaine Marshall – NC-Sen

Rebekah Davis – NE-03

Ann Kuster – NH-02

Paul Hodes – NH-Sen

Gary Stein – NJ-02

Tod Theise – NJ-05

Nancy Price – NV-02

Joseph Michael Roberts – OH-03

William ‘Bill’ Conners – OH-07

Justin Coussoule – OH-08

William (Bill) O’ Neill – OH-14

Lee Fisher – OH-Sen

Joyce Segers – OR-02

Michael Pipe – PA-05

Manan Trivedi – PA-06

Lois Herr – PA-16

Dan Connolly – PA-18

Joe Sestak – PA-Sen

Ben Frasier – SC-01

Rob Miller – SC-02

Jane Dyer – SC-03

Paul Corden – SC-04

Greg Rabbidoux – TN-07

Ted Ankrum – TX-10

Tracey Smith – TX-12

Lainey Melnick – TX-21

Neil L. Durrance – TX-26

Morgan Bowen – UT-01

Wynne LeGrow – VA-04

Jerame Clough – WA-04

Julie Lassa – WI-07

John Heckenlively – Wl-01

Virginia Graf – -WV-02