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.

desmoinesdem :: 50-State Blog Network Weekly Roundup

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.