D.C.'s Political Report

May 16, 2006 Newsletter

2006-05-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

May 16, 2006

     If it is a Tuesday, Must Be a Primary: Voters in Kentucky, Oregon and Pennsylvania go to the polls to pick party nominees. In Kentucky Democrats in the 3rd Congressional District will choose between Andrew Horne (D-KY) and John Yarmuth (D-KY). Also running are Burrel Charles Farnsley (D-KY) and James Walter Moore (D-KY).
     Governor Theodore R. "Ted" Kulongoski (D-OR) is being challenged in the primary by Jim Hill (D-OR) and Peter Sorenson (D-OR). The winner will face either Kevin L. Mannix (R-OR), Ron Saxton (R-OR) or Jason A. Atkinson (R-OR).
     In Pennsylvania Democrats will decide whether to keep Catherine Baker Knoll (D-PA) or get a new Lieutenant Governor. Robert P. "Bob" Casey Jr. (D-PA) faces a pair of liberal activists unhappy with the pro-life frontrunner. Other high profile contests will be settled in the 4th and 8th districts. U.S. Representative Donald L. "Don" Sherwood (R-PA) will learn exactly how much his extra-marital affair has cut him support within his district. He faces novice Kathy Scott (R-PA) who has raised little money.

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Nothing In Her Pipe: The Alabama Libertarian Party is working hard to obtain the 41,012 valid signatures needed to get on the ballot this fall. Loretta Nall (L-PA), who is also the national chair of the U.S. Marijuana Party, is hoping to be on the ballot as the Libertarian gubernatorial nominee. The deadline is June 6.

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Battling Back Baxley: Lucy Baxley (D-AL) has battled back from a humiliating divorce to build a successful real estate career before entering politics and winning three statewide elections. Now the Lieutenant Governor is seeking her party's nomination for governor. She faces former Governor Donald E. "Don" Siegelman (D-AL) and five other opponents in the June 6 Democratic primary. Baxley says she wants to be governor because of a love for public service and a kinship with average Alabamians.

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$5 Million of Negative Comments: The price and intensity of the California Democratic gubernatorial primary went up after Steve Westly (D-CA) donated another $5 million to his campaign and released the first negative ad in the race, a commercial assailing Phil Angelides (D-CA) for seeking to impose new taxes on Californians. The Westly ad, which broke his campaign pledge not to initiate negative ads assailing Angelides by name, takes issue with Angelides' call for new taxes on wealthy Californians to fund schools.

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Endorsement is Not Enough: Gubernatorial candidate John DeStefano, Jr. (D-CT) has a small lead over Dannel P. Malloy (D-CT) in the delegate count going the Democratic convention, but both men are promising to continue on to the primary regardless of the outcome.

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I Like You Both: The Florida Education Association endorsed both Jim Davis (D-FL) and Rod Smith (D-FL) for governor of Florida.

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One Mistake, Thirteen Years Ago: Gubernatorial candidate Cathy Cox's (D-GA) vote thirteen years ago while in the state legislature to require schools and other public buildings to fly a state flag that included the Confederate battle emblem is coming back to haunt her as she seeks the support of African-American voters in the Democratic primary. Cox said she signed onto the bill as a freshman lawmaker in the Georgia House because colleagues she trusted told her it was a good idea. The next year, when a similar amendment came up for a vote, she opposed it.

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Split Decision: The Illinois Republican gubernatorial ticket disagrees with itself on whether a gay marriage ban question should appear on the November ballot. State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka (R-IL), the GOP gubernatorial nominee, opposes asking voters whether marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman. Her running mate Joseph E. "Joe" Birkett (R-IL) supports it.

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Fletcher and Ehrlich Could Learn a Lesson From Blagojevich: Governor Rod R. Blagojevich's (D-IL) administration fired two ex-personnel officials over allegations they rigged tests for 28 people seeking state jobs or promotions. His office forwarded the case to federal investigators and credited the state inspector general with uncovering the alleged wrongdoing. But the attorney for the fired employees says that Blagojevich's office "was seeking favored treatment for job applicants," and that the administration blocked efforts by his clients to make hiring in state government more fair. According to interviews done by state investigators, hiring officials said they felt pressure to approve favored job applicants even if they weren't qualified, and that they were beleaguered by a flood of such "special applications" after Blagojevich took office.

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I've Never Had to Pay for It: Gubernatorial candidate Chris Gabrieli (D-MA) has paid a consulting company $82,500 to gather the signatures necessary for him to be on the Democratic primary ballot. He filed 11,277 signatures with the Secretary of Commonwealth last week. Thomas F. "Tom" Reilly (D-MA) and Deval L. Patrick (D-MA) relied on unpaid supporters to gather signatures.

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Alternative Party News - Somewhere Over the Green-Rainbow: Grace Ross (G-MA) it trying to become Massachusetts' next Governor on the back of an organization which recently had its status downgraded from an official party to a political designation. The Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party failed to requalify as a political party after its presidential candidate received less than 0.4% of the vote. Ross is a community organizer with a master's degree from Harvard. Ross made her first foray into politics in the mid-1980s when she joined Nuclear Free Cambridge, which campaigned to ban research that could be used in the making of nuclear weapons.

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Back Flip: In a stunning reversal from the position he has held throughout his gubernatorial campaign, J. Kenneth Blackwell (R-OH) now says that a constitutional amendment is not needed to limit government spending. Blackwell said he would accept legislation that would accomplish the same goal.

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Test Themes: Lieutenant Governor Charles J. Fogarty (D-RI) told the audience at last weeks' Democratic convention that it was Governor Donald L. "Don" Carcieri (R-RI), and not President George W. Bush (R-TX) who has overseen "a spiraling deficit, a growing number of uninsured, anemic job growth, and a lack of confidence in government."

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Single Issue Voting: Governor Marshall C. "Mark" Sanford's (R-SC) veto of a bill that would allow the Lexington Medical Center to open a heart center outside the normal approval channels might result in a political backlash. The chief beneficiary of Sanford's veto is primary rival Oscar Lovelace Jr. (R-SC), but several Lexington Republicans say they might support state Senator Thomas L. "Tom" Moore (D-SC) over Sanford should Moore get the nod.

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Did You Learn about Mud Slugging While a Businessman: State Senator Jim Bryson (R-TN) is touting his business experience and leadership skills as his campaigns for Governor of Tennessee. When asked to differentiate himself from Governor Phil Bredesen (D-TN), Bryson pointed to his recent vote for a bill to allow Tennessee Highway Patrol officers to detain illegal immigrants. Said Bryson, "I want to control illegal immigration in this state."

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Thompson Keeps Name ID Up While Thinking About Running for President: Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson (R-WI) decided not to run for his old job again and will instead serve in an honorary position in the campaign of Mark Green (R-WI). Thompson's statement deliberately left open the possibility that he might still run against U.S. Senator Herbert H. "Herb" Kohl (D-WI), but most political observers consider the likelihood of that happening as slim.

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Less Likely Than Not: U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and his likely Democratic challenger Jim Pederson (D-AZ) agree that the chances of a House-Senate compromise on immigration is "50-50" or less.

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Lamenting Lamont: It appears that the Connecticut Democratic conventions will be contentious and that Senate candidate Edward M. "Ned" Lamont (D-CT) will have enough support to force a primary against U.S. Senator Joseph I. "Joe" Lieberman (D-CT). Lieberman's campaign is predicting that Lamont will force the primary at the convention by landing 30 percent to 35 percent of the votes. However, Lamont's campaign said Lieberman's forces are trying to raise expectations and that they still predict it will be a close call, and they may have to resort to submitting the thousands of signatures they have begun collecting from registered Democrats. Lamont can get on the primary ballot by either getting 15 percent of the votes of the 1,607 delegates attending Saturday's nomination convention or by submitting nearly 15,000 signatures of registered Democrats.

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Never Raise Taxes, Never Will: U.S. Senator Conrad Burns' (R-MT) strategy of getting re-elected while under a cloud of ethical suspicion will focus of demonizing his potential Democratic rivals. In television and radio commercials, Burns is telling voters that John Morrison (D-MT) and Jon Tester (D-MT) have promised to raise their taxes.

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Giving Out Candee: Farmer and U.S. Senate candidate Robert G. Candee (D-MT) started giving out $1,000 scholarships to the graduating seniors of high schools in Sidney, Richey and Forsyth Montana some 17 years ago. Candee is not a rich man but felt he needed to give something back the communities where he has lived all his life and where he is most at home. Counselors at local high schools pick the winners of the Bob Candee scholarships, who are not necessarily the tops in their class but are good kids who need to know someone believes in them. He likes to give out about $10,000 a year to graduating seniors, but a lot of that depends on the rain and how well his crops do.

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Its Not Me, Its Them: U.S. Senator Michael "Mike" DeWine (R-OH) has been called "Nice Mike" because he does not go out of his way to attack, or even discuss, his political challenger, U.S. Representative Sherrod Brown (D-OH). He doesn't have to because the Republican party is doing enough negative campaigning already.

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How Can a Bad Man Raise Such Nice Kids: With his public image at career lows, U.S. Senator Richard J. "Rick" Santorum (R-PA) has been spotlighting his children in hopes that the faces of his children will show his softer side.

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First Thing We Do is Shoot All the Liberals: U.S. Senate candidate Van Hilleary called on primary rival Ed Bryant (R-TN) to join him in a "conservative truce." Explains Hilleary, "In this primary all three candidates sound conservative but the truth is only Ed Bryant and I have conservative records to match our words. Bob Corker (R-TN) on the other hand, sounds conservative but his record is anything but conservative."

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Personal Gain is Just a Happy Coincidence: A map of U.S. Representative Kenneth Calvert's (R-CA) recent real estate holdings reveals that many of them are near the transportation projects he has supported with federal appropriations. Improvements to the transportation infrastructure have contributed to the area's explosive growth. Calvert says he had used earmarking solely to benefit his congressional district. Those appropriations, he claims, have had nothing to do with his investments or financial gains.

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Damn the Torpedos: Although he gained less than 2% of the vote in the special election primary, Bill Hauf (R-CA) is hoping that he will do in the general election primary when it is just him and former U.S. Representative Brian P. Bilbray (R-CA) actively campaigning. The problem is that Hauf's attempt to win the Republican nomination might also result in Francine P. Busby (D-CA) being able to win the special election being held the same day. Hauf's first mail piece is titled "2 Elections; 1 Conservative Choice" and presents a "Republican Report Card" on Bilbray, giving him an "F" on Taxes and Spending, an "F" on Gun Rights, a "D" on Family Values, and an "Incomplete" on immigration.

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Loving Relationship: During a Democratic primary debate, U.S. Representative Robert "Bob" Filner (D-CA) responded to criticism from California Assembly member Juan Vargas (D-CA) about Filner's wife Jane acting as his paid fundraiser, by introducing his wife and saying "Your campaign manager was convicted of bribery. I would take my wife over those people any day."

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Are There Really Millions of Americans Supporting Al-Qaeda: Congressional candidate Peter J. Roskam (R-IL) is defending the Bush administration's decision to create a secret database of tens of millions of phone calls made by U.S. citizens in the name of fighting terrorism. "I think our civil liberties are something precious, but I think it’s also got to be balanced with the idea of securing our borders and protecting us from terrorist attacks," said Roskam.

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More Volunteers, Less Veneer: Congressional candidate Ladda "Tammy" Duckworth (D-IL) shook up her campaign by replacing her campaign manager. A spokesman said Joe Shafer, who was at the helm of Duckworth’s closer-than-expected March 21 primary win, was replaced by Jon Carson, who has experience putting together the volunteer corps Duckworth covets.

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Close Casting: The slate of congressional candidates seeking to replace retiring U.S. Representative Lane A. Evans (D-IL) is now complete following a nomination meeting. The candidates include Rock Island Mayor Mark W. Schwiebert (D-IL), state Senator John M. Sullivan (D-IL), Evans aide Phil Hare (D-IL), teacher Rob Mellon (D-IL) and state Representative Mike Boland (D-IL). Schwiebert, Boland and Sullivan touted their electability, while Mellon told the precinct committeemen he brings a fresh face and new ideas, while Hare spoke of his endorsements from labor groups and from Evans. Three hundred and ninety-seven elected precinct committeemen will vote among the candidates.

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It Is Time to Go: The Washington Post opines that there "doesn't seem to be much question" that U.S. Representative William J. Jefferson (D-LA) will have to give up his congressional seat. "The only mystery appears to be the timing: to be precise, how long Mr. Jefferson tries to tough it out." The paper goes on to say that Louisiana's Second Congressional District "was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina; it needs a representative who can devote his full attention to its woes rather than his own."

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Long History: Congressional candidate Keith Ellison's (DFL-MN) style and personal history are receiving close attention now that he has won the endorsement of the Democratic-Farm-Labor Party. Some people are concerned about Ellison participation in the Million Man March in 1995 and his presence at a speech by Khalid Abdul Muhammad which was described as "as part homophobic hyperbole, part racist ranting, part black power." Ellison has responded by saying of Muhammad, "I deplore what he said. I regret being associated with him." Ellison is also being criticized for his remarks after the Rodney King beating in 1992, when he said, "black people do not live under a democracy. You don't have an obligation to obey a government that considers you to be less than human."

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Why Boost An Opponent's Name Recognition: Congressional candidate Albio Sires (D-NJ) has begun airing his first television commercials, touting his record as a state assemblyman and taking on President George W. Bush (R-TX) and the Iraqi War. His commercials do not make any mention of his Democratic primary rival Joseph Vas (D-NJ).

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Taking To the Cleaner By A Newcomer: Only a few years ago, U.S. Representative John E. Sweeney (R-NY) was a rising star in New York Republican circles. But with Congressional elections just six months away, Sweeney finds himself in the political battle of his life, and from a political novice, Kirsten E. Rutnik Gillibrand (D-NY), no less.

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Hopefully They Won't Get a Yeast Infection: Ohio congressional candidates Betty Sutton (D-OH) and Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH) spent a day in Washington, hobnobbing at events organized by the EMILY's List political network.

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Up From Obscurity: Democrats are placing their hopes of defeating freshman U.S. Representative Dave Reichert (R-WA) in the hands of former Microsoft executive Darcy Burner (D-WA), who has emerged from obscurity in the past four months to become a darling of the party establishment.

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Investigation But No Election Impact: Starting in the 1990s, U.S. Representative Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV) set up a network of nonprofit organizations to administer the millions of dollars in public endeavors in his poverty-ridden district. Over the same period of time, Mollohan's personal fortunes soared. From 2000 to 2004, his assets grew from no more than $565,000 to at least $6.3 million. But the increased scrutiny of these facts has had little impact of his re-election thus far. Mollohan faces a widening federal investigation. The FBI has notified his nonprofit organizations that they will be subpoenaed soon and a subpoena has already been served on a real estate company in which he has invested. In addition, Mollohan plans to divulge that he misstated on House financial disclosure forms the amount of loans and income from some of his real estate holdings.

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Poll Updates: Updated poll information have been posted (for subscribers only). New polls were posted in the last two days in the following contests: Arkansas Lieutenant Governor, Massachusetts Governor and Oregon Governor Primary .

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Supporting Cast - And You Thought These Guys Always Ran As Republicans: Alabama Democratic candidate for Attorney General Larry Darby (D-AL) denies the Holocaust occurred and said he will speak this weekend to a "pro-white" organization, the National Vanguard. Larry Darby concedes his views are radical, but he said they should help him win wide support among Alabama voters as he tries to "reawaken white racial awareness" with his campaign against Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson, Jr. (D-AL).

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May 16 Newsletter

2006-05-25T08:24:00.000-07:00

May 16, 2006

Stories Here, Here, Here, Here and Here. Your Comments Here.

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I Like You Both: The Florida Education Association endorsed both Jim Davis (D-FL) and Rod Smith (D-FL) for governor of Florida.

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Less Likely Than Not: U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and his likely Democratic challenger Jim Pederson (D-AZ) agree that the chances of a House-Senate compromise on immigration is "50-50" or less.

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Your Comments Here.

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May 16 Newsletter

2006-05-25T07:54:00.000-07:00

May 16, 2006

Stories Here, Here, Here, Here and Here. Your Comments Here.

Story Here. Your Comments Here.

I Like You Both: The Florida Education Association endorsed both Jim Davis (D-FL) and Rod Smith (D-FL) for governor of Florida.

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Story Here and Here. Your Comments Here.

Less Likely Than Not: U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and his likely Democratic challenger Jim Pederson (D-AZ) agree that the chances of a House-Senate compromise on immigration is "50-50" or less.

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Your Comments Here.

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May 16 Newsletter

2006-05-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

May 16, 2006

Stories Here, Here, Here, Here and Here. Your Comments Here.

Story Here. Your Comments Here.

I Like You Both: The Florida Education Association endorsed both Jim Davis (D-FL) and Rod Smith (D-FL) for governor of Florida.

Story Here. Your Comments Here.

Story Here and Here. Your Comments Here.

Less Likely Than Not: U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and his likely Democratic challenger Jim Pederson (D-AZ) agree that the chances of a House-Senate compromise on immigration is "50-50" or less.

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Your Comments Here.

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May 16 Newsletter

2006-05-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

May 16, 2006

Stories Here, Here, Here, Here and Here. Your Comments Here.

Story Here. Your Comments Here.

I Like You Both: The Florida Education Association endorsed both Jim Davis (D-FL) and Rod Smith (D-FL) for governor of Florida.

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Story Here and Here. Your Comments Here.

Less Likely Than Not: U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and his likely Democratic challenger Jim Pederson (D-AZ) agree that the chances of a House-Senate compromise on immigration is "50-50" or less.

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May 15 Newsletter

2006-05-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

May 15, 2006

Looking For Love In All the Wrong Places: Republicans hope that the passage of $70 billion in tax cuts for America's wealthiest families will give a much needed boost to President George W. Bush (R-TX) and the Republican controlled Congress.

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One Out, One Up: Arizona Court of Appeals judge Jan Smith Florez (R-AZ) ended her campaign for the Republican nomination for Governor of Arizona, saying there is no way a relatively political unknown could gather the more than 4,000 $5 donations to qualify for public funding. Candidates need a political organization or some sort of organization of backers, said Florez. Meanwhile Republican state legislators drew direct and indirect contrasts to Governor Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) as they endorsed Len Munsil's (R-AZ) candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor. The legislators said they share priorities with Munsil on tax relief, school choice and limited government and that they could trust him to do what he promises.

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Mother's Milk: While U.S. Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) has been able to win over organization and keep himself competitive in the crowded Democratic primary, he has not been able to raise the campaign funds like U.S. Representative Benjamin L. "Ben" Cardin (D-MD). Mfume has not demonstrated that he has the contacts or the fervor to bring in the kind of money crucial in what could be one of the nation's most expensive Senate races.

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Disenfranchising Democrats: Missouri Democrats estimate that a new law requiring most voters to have a photo identification to cast a ballot will disfranchise thousands in November, most of them Democrats. Democrats are concerned that the law will have an adverse effect of the U.S. Senate candidacy of Claire McCaskill (D-MO), undercutting her vote total by as much as 1 percent. In a close race, that could be significant.

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National vs. State: The Democratic primary contest for U.S. Senate is taking on the air of a national Democrats vs. local Democrats. James H. Webb Jr. (D-VA) has been counting on a string of national endorsements to erase doubts about his Democratic credentials, while Harris N. Miller (D-VA) courts the kind of local activists sure to turn out for the state's unpredictable primary. The ultimate goal is to run a campaign capable of defeating U.S. Senator George F. Allen (R-VA), or at least end his presidential ambitions.

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One Star Productions: The Florida Republican Party was unable to find challengers to go up against four Democratic members of Congress, leaving F. Allen Boyd Jr (D-FL), Corrine Brown (D-FL), Robert Wexler (D-FL) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), running unopposed. In addition Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) and Kendrick B. Meek (D-FL) will only face third party or write in challenges. Democrats, on the other hand, were able to field a candidate in every district except Florida's 11th where Adam Hughes Putnam (R-FL) will face independent candidates Ed Bowlin (I-FL) and Joe Viscusi (I-FL).

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Trading On His Good Name: Indiana Republicans are hopeful that congressional candidate Eric Dickerson (R-IN) can bank upon the fact that he shares a name with the former football player and parley it into a credible campaign against U.S. Representative Julia M. Carson (D-IN).

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Bring Back Baron: Former U.S. Representative Baron P. Hill (D-IN) knows about defeat, having lost Indiana's 9th Congressional District seat by just under 1,500 votes two years ago to Republican U.S. Representative Mike Sodrel (R-IN). Now Hill wants the congressional seat back, and he's bracing for a campaign that promises to be expensive and aggressive.

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Iraqi War Positions: Democratic congressional candidate Rick Dickinson (D-IA) and Bruce Braley (D-IA) are trading accusations over the Iraqi War. Dickinson accuses Braley of staking out three different positions on what should be done in Iraq, warning that Republicans will exploit his views. Braley asserted that Dickinson was taking the same position on troop withdrawal as President George W. Bush (R-TX), Vice President Richard B. "Dick" Cheney (R-WY) and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld (R-IL).

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Lost No More: Congressional candidate Patty Wetterling (DFL-MN) was about to win the endorsement of Democratic-Farm-Labor Party district convention this past weekend, defeating Elwyn Tinklenberg (DFL-MN) on the eighth ballots. On the seventh ballot Wetterling was only two votes short of the 82 delegates needed for endorsement. Tinklenberg conceded and the delegates unanimously backed Wetterling. She will face St. Sen. Michele M. Bachmann (R-MN) in the general election.

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Cornett Trumpets Himself: Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett (R-OK) announced last week that he was running for Congress. Said Cornett, "Over the past few months, I have come to recognize that the future of this Congressional seat is vital to the future of Oklahoma City and central Oklahoma. And because of that, I have come to believe that it is in the best interest of Oklahoma City and central Oklahoma that I stand for election as our Congressman. This decision is the result of prayer and the positive conversations I have had with hundreds of citizens in central Oklahoma. It has been very humbling. These conversations have convinced me that my life experiences, work ethic, record as Mayor and conservative values would make me an asset to the Congress."

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Done That: U.S. Representative Donald L. "Don" Sherwood (R-PA) says he is proud of the work he has done as a congressman to "benefit dairy farmers, fight methamphetamine and fund local highway projects" and will continue to try to bring good jobs to his district if re-elected.

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DeLay Replacement: Nearly a dozen Republicans have expressed an interest in the congressional seat to be vacated on June 9 by U.S. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX). Among them are lawyer Thomas A. "Tom" Campbell (R-TX), who came in second to DeLay in the primary, state Representative Charlie Howard (R-TX), state Senator Mike Jackson (R-TX), Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs (R) and Sugar Land Mayor David Wallace (R-TX). In late September, DeLay was indicted on charges of money laundering and conspiracy relating to alleged improper campaign fundraising for Republican candidates for the Texas House. The conspiracy charges were dismissed, but DeLay still faces a trial on the other count.

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Cannon Under Fire: U.S. Representative Christopher B. Cannon (R-UT) came in second place during the Republican convention this past weekend. The results is that the five-term incumbent will face a primary against John D. Jacob (R-UT), who won 52% of the delegates support on the second ballot. former U.S. Representative Merrill Cook (R-UT) came in third place on the first ballot and was eliminated from the contest.

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Progressive Challenge: Virginia Democrats choose Fredericksburg businessman Shawn Michael O'Donnell (D-VA) over Newport News guidance counselor Lorenzo Grant (D-VA) over the weekend at the 1st Congressional District Democratic Convention. O'Donnell quickly went on the attack, accusing incumbent U.S. Representative Jo Ann S. Davis (R-VA) of being "a rubber stamp for the Bush administration." He blamed her for helping run up large budget deficits and starting an unnecessary war in Iraq. O'Donnell, who has lived in Fredericksburg for 10 years, said he has given up his job to run full time for Congress. He has already received the endorsement of several liberal groups, including Progressive Democrats of America and the National Organization for Women.

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Flying in to Help Drake: In a sign that Republicans think that freshman U.S. Representative Thelma Drake (R-VA) is vulnerable to a challenge from Virginia Beach Commissioner of Revenue Philip J. Kellam (D-VA), President George W. Bush (R-TX) is planning to attend a $5,000-per-person lunch reception this week at a private home. Vice President Richard B. "Dick" Cheney (R-WY) spoke at a Drake fundraiser in February. Kellam said Bush's visit "shows that [Drake] is now a wholly owned subsidiary of her national political leadership."

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Still Looking: Virginia Sixth District Democratic Chairman David Layman said the party is in discussions with at least two potential congressional candidates. Layman confirmed that one of them is Richard Cranwell Jr. (D-VA), the son of former state Delegate Richard Cranwell (D-VA), who's now the chairman of the state Democrats. Layman declined to name the other potential Democratic challenger to U.S. Representative Robert W. "Bob" Goodlatte (R-VA). Democrats have scheduled a nomination convention for May 20 in Lexington.

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And the Winner is None of the Above: Democrats in Virginia 7th Congressional District chose not to nominate a candidate rather than accept Psychotherapist / Author '04 candidate Brad Blanton (I-VA) as their nominee. Blanton admitted that he runs "Course in Honesty" workshop in which participants take off their clothes, stand up in front of a camera and talk about what they like, dislike or are ashamed about their bodies. Marjorie Clark, the 7th District Democratic chairwoman, said party leaders still hope to select someone to run against U.S. Representative Eric I. Cantor (R-VA) by June 13, the deadline for candidates to be approved. But Clark said delegates to the convention felt Blanton did not represent the values of the Democratic Party. Blanton said he would run as an independent as he did in 2004 when he received about 25 percent of the vote. During the 7th District convention, Blanton led a walkout of delegates pledged to him, complaining about the rules, but returned for the voting. The final vote was 35 for Blanton and 84 for "none-of-the-above."

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Carrico Cooks Conservative Challenge: Virginia Republicans nominated state Delegate Charles W. "Bill" Carrico, Sr. (R-VA) to run against 12-term incumbent U.S. Representative Frederick C. "Rick" Boucher (D-VA). Republicans have long believed that changing characteristics of the district makes Boucher vulnerable. Carrico is a former state trooper and one of the most conservative members of the House of Delegates.

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Poll Updates: Updated poll information have been posted (for subscribers only). New polls were posted in the last two days in the following contests: Arkansas Governor, Kentucky Governor, Michigan Governor, Missouri Senate, Nebraska Senate, Nevada Governor, North Carolina 11th Congressional District, Ohio Senate, Pennsylvania Governor and Wisconsin 8th Congressional District Primary.

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Truly A Supporting Cast Member: New York State Assembly member Richard L. Brodsky (D-NY) ended his campaign for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General in order to donate a kidney to his 14-year-old daughter.

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Supporting Cast - Balance GOP Ticket: State Representative Kathy Decker (R-KS) is running for Lieutenant Governor on the ticket with father's rights activist Ken R. Canfield (R-KS). Decker is a legislative leader on education and adds some necessary establishment support for the outsider's gubernatorial candidacy.

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Karma: The former federal prosecutor Robert W. Ray who succeeded Kenneth W. Starr as independent counsel in the Whitewater investigation of former President William J. "Bill" Clinton (D-AR) has been charged with stalking his ex-girlfriend, police said. Ray's final report on the Whitewater investigation concluded that Clinton's mid-1980s Arkansas land venture benefitted from criminal activity and that the president and first lady gave factually inaccurate testimony, but there was not enough evidence to prove they had engaged in wrongdoing. The $70 million probe, which extended beyond Whitewater, began in 1994 and ended on Clinton's last full day in office, when he cut a deal with Ray to avoid possible indictment in the perjury and obstruction probe involving former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

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May 13-14 Newsletter

2006-05-22T09:24:00.001-07:00

May 13-14, 2006

If You're Trailing to an Indicted Individual, There Doesn't Seem to Be Much Cry for Reform: Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley (D-AL), who is trailing in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination Donald E. "Don" Siegelman (D-AL) even though the former governor is currently on trial for government corruption, unveiled a four-point plan to restore public trust in government. The plan includes the creation of a Cabinet level inspector general, the banning of all money transfers among political action committees, limiting public officials to receiving no more than $250 per year in gifts, meals or entertainment expenses, and requiring public officials lobbyists and PACs to report the entertainment expenses that they make or receive.

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We Earn Trust the Old Fashion Way, We Inherent It: Despite admitting that he did not know his uncle, former U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ), excellently, gubernatorial candidate Don Goldwater's (R-AZ) campaign slogan is "The name you know, the name you trust."

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Get on the Bus: Former U.S. Representative Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) said that he wants to create a reasonable standard for how long Arkansas school children should spend each day riding to and from school. His Democratic gubernatorial rival, Arkansas Attorney General Mike D. Beebe (D-AR) is also concerned about excessive travel times but warns that he will not "let kids from isolated schools be isolated from success."

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Not Your Typical Republican: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) hopes to reconnect with his conservative base he needs for re-election by declaring that he has not plans to increase spending. He told a crowd of national county officials that, after paying for education, much of what's left of a $5 billion-plus surplus should be used to deal with the state's structural deficit. "Some may think this is a moment now where we can dramatically increase spending, but I urge them to resist that temptation," Schwarzenegger declared. "We must continue to build for the future by using these revenues not as ongoing revenues but as one-time revenues, and pay down our debt."

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What's Another $5 Million Between Friends: California Controller Steve Westly (D-CA) wrote a check for another $5 million to his gubernatorial campaign as moment once again shifted back to Phil Angelides (D-CA). Westly, who became a multimillionaire as one of eBay's early employees, has now contributed $27.5 million to his own effort.

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Mud Fight: Coloradans for Freedom and Opportunity, which is run a Republican strategist who supports U.S. Representative Bob Beauprez (R-CO) for governor, is sponsoring a 60-second commercial in which a woman raises the question of why half of Beauprez's Republican primary rival, Marc Holtzman's (R-CO) contributions have come from outside Colorado. A man's voice answers that "rich liberals" and "East Coast Democrats" are funding his campaign. Marc Holtzman is not the only candidate who is being vilified in Republican primary. Bob Beauprez's (R-CO) draft status during the Vietnam war came under scrutiny in a series of Internet-based attack ads. In the 60-second spot, a Vietnam veteran wonders how Beauprez received a medical exemption for an ulcer that didn't prevent him from playing two varsity sports in high school.

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You've Got the Cutest Little Baby Face: Governor Sonny Perdue (R-GA) and Lieutenant Governor Mark F. Taylor are relying on their "baby faces" to help them win the gubernatorial election. But campaigns are using images of infants in their television ad campaigns.

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Timid Support for Immigration Reform: gubernatorial candidates Cathy Cox (D-GA) and Mark F. Taylor (D-GA) both said they would have signed a sweeping immigration bill that requires that those seeking state benefits are legal, penalizes employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants and mandates that companies with state contracts check the immigration status of employees. Cox would have signed it "reluctantly," saying she was angry that the federal government has not addressed the issue. Taylor observed that the measure improved as it went through the legislative process, but also said the Bush administration should do more on the matter.

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Alternative Party News - Being Honest About Supporting Tax Increases: State Senator James T. Meeks (D-IL) says that he will unveil a third party slate of candidates for statewide office on May 20. The party, likely to be known as the Honesty and Integrity Party, must submit the signatures of 25,000 registered voters before June 26, 2006 to get on the November ballot. Talk of a possible gubernatorial campaign by Meeks has circulated since he criticized Governor Rod R. Blagojevich (D-IL) for renewing his no-tax pledge in seeking a second term. Meeks has called the tax pledge the "death knell" for education funding. Meeks was originally elected to the state legislature under the Honesty and Integrity Party, but ran for re-election as a Democrat.

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Political Benefits: Kentucky Democrats said that they expect to benefit politically from Governor Ernest "Ernie" Fletcher's (R-KY) indictment, while some top Republicans rallied around the governor with accusations of political persecution. Fletcher said he will complete his first term and seek re-election in 2007 despite an indictment on misdemeanor charges that accuse him of illegally rewarding political supporters with state jobs. The embattled GOP governor was charged last week with conspiracy, official misconduct and violating a prohibition against political discrimination. A conviction could lead to jail time and his removal from office.

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How Much Crud Can a Woodcock Chuck: State Senator Chandler E. Woodcock (R-ME) is trying to define himself with the social conservative wing of his party. Woodcock was the only Republican gubernatorial candidate to speak out against gay rights and in support of the taxpayers bill of rights in his stump speech at the Republican Convention last week. State Senator S. Peter Mills (R-ME), labeled by some activists as too moderate, spoke of his family's public service. Former U.S. Representative David F. Emery (R-ME) talked about his roots as a Reagan Republican.

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Shades of Fletcher: Four members of Governor Robert L. "Bob" Ehrlich's (R-MD) administration denied that state workers were fired for political reasons, saying employees who had not performed adequately were replaced with more capable people. But the officials, including Public Service Commission Chairman Kenneth D. Schisler, also declined to answer many questions asked by lawmakers on the special committee investigating the Republican's hiring and firing practices.

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Going to the Dogs: Governor Brian Schweitzer (D-MT) recently received a warning for violating a Missoula law. He allowed his 2-year-old border collie to be out in public without a leash. The offense was reported to Animal Control. And while Ed Franceschina, director of Missoula Animal Control, didn't know if the anonymous call was placed by a vigilant proponent of leash laws or as a partisan slap, he dealt with the situation just as he would any other. "I got hold of the governor's office, spoke with his legal staff, and informed them of our leash law," Franceschina said. "I did no more and no less than I would with any visitor unfamiliar with our leash law." Schweitzer said he was not aware of Missoula's statute, which differs from Helena's "voice control" law.

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Toxic Avenger: Since his confession two years ago that he had sexually abused an underage girl while he was Portland mayor in the 1970s, former Governor Neil Goldschmidt's (D-OR) name has turned toxic. Both Democrats and Republicans are trying to paint their opponents as too closely associated with the former Democrat. Supporters of gubernatorial candidate Kevin L. Mannix (R-OR) are trying to link his Republican primary rival Ron Saxton (R-OR) with Goldschmidt. For Democrats, decades of interconnections between Goldschmidt and Governor Theodore R. "Ted" Kulongoski (D-OR) could come into play in the general election if Kulongoski is the nominee.

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Looking Into Bush's Looking Into: Gubernatorial candidate Scudder Parker is trying to win points over the exposer of President George W. Bush's (R-TX) domestic spying activities. The Democrat questioned whether Verizon Communications' reported sharing of customer phone records with the National Security Agency might violate Vermont's consumer privacy laws. "I have asked my campaign staff to investigate whether the Bush administration's warrantless spying activities, and the action of telecommunication companies involved in these disclosures, may have violated any Vermont laws, and if so, what actions have been taken to protect the rights of the citizens of this state," Scudder Parker wrote in a letter to the state's Department of Public Service. "I strongly support efforts to maintain and strengthen our national security systems," Parker wrote. But he added, "I am extremely concerned that the administration's efforts in this instance have crossed the line and may have violated the civil liberties and statutory rights of millions of Americans, including many Vermonters."

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Shadow Falls Over Green: former Governor and former Health and Human Service Secretary Tommy Thompson (R-WI) says that "If I run [for governor of Wisconsin], I win. I have no doubt in my mind about that. But then I have to govern." Thompson's public ruminating must be nerve racking for U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-WI), the only announced Republican challenger to Governor James "Jim" Doyle (D-WI), but has provided some excitement to what would otherwise have been a boring state GOP convention.

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No Czar of Wyoming: Gubernatorial candidate Raymond B. Hunkins (R-WY) accused Governor Dave Freudenthal (D-WY) of failing to offer solution to Wyoming's growing problems with Methamphetamine. Hunkins said if elected, he will appoint a cabinet-level officer to coordinate the state's drug programs. Freudenthal says that he considered that approach "and found it wanting." "The proposal appears to be a recycled federal drug czar model. . . . It was an idea I considered and rejected some years ago."

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Harris Draws Three, Nelson Clears Field: On the last day to file, three Republican candidates emerged to challenge U.S. Representative Katherine Harris (R-FL) for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate. State Representative Dennis Ross (R-FL), who at one point had considered running for another statewide race, made the trip to Tallahassee to file against Harris, but didn't after LeRoy Collins Jr. (R-FL), the son of a former Governor, businessman William "Will" McBride (R-FL), who was reported recruited by White House aide Karl Rove and Peter Monroe (R-FL) filed candidate petitions. Fears now are that the three will split the "Anyone but Harris" vote. No one is challenging U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) in the Democratic primary.

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Akaka Assess the Case: U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) criticized his Democratic primary rival U.S. Representative Edward E. "Ed" Case (D-HI) for his vote in support of the Republican's $70 billion tax cut for the wealthy. Said Akaka, "This vote is about priorities, and I think our priorities are healthcare, education and ensuring quality of life for all Hawaii families. I opposed this reckless tax bill because in Washington I represent the majority of the people in Hawaii, not just the wealthy few." Case was one of fifteen Democrats to vote with the GOP.

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Politicians Do the Strangest Things: Michael T. Ridgway (R-UT), a maverick Utah Republican who is challenging U.S. Senator Orrin G. Hatch's renomination to the U.S. Senate, had yet another artificial hurtle put in his way by a member of the party establishment. Party activist Mark Towner (R-UT) obtained an anti-stalking injunction against Ridgway claiming that he posed a danger "to me, my wife, my daughter and others." The restraining order would have prevented Ridgway from speaking at the state Republican Convention. Asked if he sought the injunction as one way to keep Ridgway from the convention Towner said, "Absolutely." "If I go to the convention, I get hauled away in handcuffs," Ridgway said. Ridgway said he has never threatened or harmed anyone. Claiming just the opposite, Ridgway said he has been physically confronted at some GOP meetings in the past by party insiders who don't like his questioning of party activities. In an emergency hearing immediately before the convention, a district court judge ruled that the first order was too broad.

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Left Flank: Public interest attorney Hong Tran (D-WA) announced that he will challenge U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) in the Democratic primary. If elected Tran said, she would work for the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and to redirect resources to improving the nation's ability to respond to terrorist threats, natural disasters, and other domestic concerns. Also running in the Democratic primary is Mark B. Wilson (D-WA) who was the Green Party nominee against Cantwell in 2000. Likely waiting for Cantwell in the general election are Republican Mike McGavick (R-WA), Green Party candidate Aaron Dixon (G-WA) and Libertarian Bruce Guthrie (L-WA).

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National Socialist Security: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Richard Tarrant (R-VT) is taking issue with the tough-on-terrorism stance U.S. Representative Bernard "Bernie" Sanders (I-VT) voices in a new campaign commercial. In the television ad, Sanders says "I think we have to go really after those people who killed 3,000 innocent Americans" and criticizes the Bush administration's Iraq war policy. Tarrant says Sanders voted repeatedly during the 1990s to cut intelligence spending.

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A Pox On Both Your Houses: The North County Times which had earlier criticized congressional candidate Brian P. Bilbray (R-CA) for not condemning outside attacks on Francine P. Busby (D-CA), is now turning its attention to the Democratic nominee and finding that both are "allowing this pivotal campaign to be sullied by attack ads paid for by their supporters."

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Chewing That Old Rag: The check written to congressional candidate Doug Lamborn (R-CO) by Republican operative Curt Cerveny, has prompted his primary rival Jeff Crank (R-CO) to renew a charge of dirty politics.

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Alternative Nominating Process: Congressional candidate Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) will be alone in asking for the endorsement of Democrats at the party's district convention this week-end. Peggy Lamm (D-CO) and Herb Rubenstein (D-CO), however, are not abandoning their campaigns to replace U.S. Representative Bob Beauprez (R-CO). They will try to get on the primary ballot by gathering the signature of 1,000 registered Democrats by the May 25, 2006 deadline.

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National Exposure: Congressional candidate state Senator Ron Klein (D-FL) delivered the Democratic response to George W. Bush's (R-TX) weekly Presidential radio address. The selection of Klein is an indication of how serious the Democrats are in the effort to defeat U.S. Representative E. Clay Shaw, Jr. (R-FL).

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Possible Open Seat: U.S. Representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL) said that he would be interested in running for Cook County Board president if a stroke forces current president John H. Stroger, Jr. (D-IL) to retire.

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Ending Earmarks: Congressional candidate Ladda "Tammy" Duckworth said she would rejects earmarking federal dollars for projects, even if it means fewer projects for her district.

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Poll Updates: Updated poll information have been posted (for subscribers only). New polls were posted in the last two days in the following contests: Arkansas Governor, Kentucky Governor, two Michigan Governor polls, Michigan Senate, Missouri Senate, Nebraska Senate, Nevada Governor, North Carolina 11th Congressional District, Ohio Senate, Pennsylvania Governor, Pennsylvania Senate, Pennsylvania Senate Primary, West Virginia Senate and Wisconsin 8th Congressional District Primary.

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Sonny Montgomery 1920-2006: Former U.S. Representative Gillespie V. "Sonny" Montgomery (D-MS) died last week. He had been hospitalized since May 7 and died after a lengthy illness. Montgomery was particularly close to former President George H. W. Bush (R-TX) and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the George W. Bush (R-TX) last year. He never married.

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May 12 Newsletter

2006-05-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

May 12, 2006

Governor Fletcher Indicted: Governor Ernest "Ernie" Fletcher (R-KY) was indicted yesterday by a special grand jury investigating state government hiring practices. Fletcher was charged with three misdemeanors for conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination. The prosecuting attorneys have said the paperwork showed personnel decisions were based on politics, not qualifications as the law requires. Fletcher had attempted to shut down the investigation by issuing a blanket pardon to anyone indicted during the investigation. Nonetheless, the jury also indicted former Transportation Cabinet official Sam Beverage for perjury. Fourteen more indictments covering crimes that may have occurred before the August 29, 2005 pardon are under seal.

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That's a Noe No: Republican fundraiser Tom Noe (D-OH) has signaled his intention to possibly accept responsibility for some of the charges that he illegally funneled money into the re-election campaign of President George W. Bush (R-TX). Noe's attorneys and federal prosecutors have asked a federal judge to schedule a hearing so that Noe can withdraw his not guilty plea in the case.

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It is Time to Impeach: President George W. Bush's (R-TX) says that the National Security Agency's secret collection of phone records from tens of millions of Americans was lawful and did not amount to domestic spying.

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How Dare You Agree With Me: Democratic gubernatorial Steve Westly (D-CA) and Phil Angelides (D-CA) took almost identical positions on virtually every issue that came up during their last scheduled debate before the June 6, 2006 and therefore had nothing better to do than to exchange accusations and insults for an hour.

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Mending Fences: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) is making a major change in his budgetary policy with the hope of placating the education unions which opposed his plan to borrow money from dedicated school funds in order to balance the state's budget.

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Keep Your Passion to Yourself: Although he has forgotten most of his high school Spanish gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist (R-FL) claims to have communicated with potential voters while campaigning in Miami's Little Havana. Crist claims, "there are other ways you can communicate," including "with your eyes" and "with your passion."

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Technically: The Service Employees International Union is demanding the gubernatorial candidate Chet Culver (D-IA) stop referring to his running mate Patty Judge (D-IA) as a Registered Nurse. Judge has not had a license to practice nursing since 2004 and thus, according to the Iowa Board of Nursing is not eligible to use the title registered nurse. SEIU, which represents more nurses than any other union in Iowa, has endorsed the gubernatorial candidacy of Michael Blouin (D-IA).

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Could Hahn Be Harder Than a Legend: Defeating a living legend in U.S. Representative Tom Osborne (R-NE) is not the last stop for Governor Dave Heineman (R-NE). Heineman plans to continue the same campaign pace against Democratic nominee David Hahn (D-NE). Hahn has been described as a hard-talking straight-shooter who is not afraid to tangle with the religious right. "I feel there has been too much push by one side in the religious area to make those of us who are pro-choice feel as if, or try to make us feel, that we can't be religious, believe in God or believe in Jesus, if we don't hold that view," Hahn said. "That's just wrong."

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Who Won: Nassau County Executive Thomas R. "Tom" Suozzi (D-NY) held a one-man gubernatorial debate at a monument in a traffic circle.

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Giving Voters What They Need, Not What They Want: Gubernatorial candidate Peter Sorenson (D-OR) can't be called a politician who changes his position with the opinion polls. Even though Oregon voters have defeated tax increases several time, Sorenson is still willing to push the issue. Sorenson told the Statesman Journal, "It's looking backward to say that the state has defeated sales tax nine times, capped its property taxes three times and rejected personal income-tax increases. What you need to do is move forward and recognize that Oregon has a regressive tax structure."

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Dancing To His Own Music: Musician and author Kinky Friedman (I-TX) took another step in his independent march for governor of Texas by presenting 169,574 voter signatures. To get on the ballot, independent gubernatorial candidates have to have 45,540 valid signatures from registered voters who did not vote in the primary and did not sign another candidates' petitions.

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Understudies: At least three Republicans are seriously considering running against U.S. Representative Katherine Harris for the U.S. Senate nomination: state Representative Dennis A. Ross (R-FL), real estate developer Peter Monroe (R-FL) and LeRoy Collins, Jr. (R-FL), the son of former Governor Thomas Leroy Collins (R-FL).

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Gays and God: U.S. Senate candidate Michael S. Steele (R-MD) told the audience at an Alliance for Marriage workshop that his personal belief was that marriage is "a covenant between a man, and a woman and God only." Gay rights activists criticized the comment. Equality Maryland executive director Dan Furmansky said that Steele is implying "that gay and lesbian people can't be people of faith. That's insulting."

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Lost America, Reward Offered: U.S. Senate candidate Reverend Keith A. Butler (R-MI) says he is running because he thinks "America has been taken away from the people." Continued Butler, "I believe we must take our country back from career politicians and special interests."

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A Fool And His Money: U.S. Senator E. Benjamin "Ben" Nelson (D-NE) and Republican nominee J. Peter Ricketts (R-NE) were off and running in a Senate contest that could be defined by Ricketts' excessive spending. Ricketts has already spent close to $5 million of his own money.

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Mud Slinging: U.S. Senate candidate Kathleen Troia "KT" McFarland's (R-NY) opposition research team has plenty of mud to use against John Spencer (R-NY). In addition to an extra-marital affair, children born out of wedlock and charges of nepotism, McFarland is ready to mind Republican delegates that one of Spencer's top aide pleaded guilty to sodomizing a 15-year-old boy.

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I Won't, But My Friends Might: While newly anointed Republican Senate nominee John R. Raese (R-WV) says he has no plans to run a negative campaign but can't make any promises about the numerous 527 groups promising to involve themselves in the campaign. Already the National Republican Senatorial Committee has accused U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) of being out of step with traditional West Virginia values.

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Duked: As part of an expanding investigation stemming from convicted U.S. Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA), federal prosecutors have begun an investigation into U.S. Representative Jerry Lewis (R-CA), the chair of the House Appropriations Committee. The probe suggests that investigators are looking at the "earmarking" system that members of Congress use to allocate funds. Louie A. Contreras (D-CA) is challenging Lewis in the general election.

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Larson's Candidate: Republicans in Connecticut's 1st Congressional District picked television director and clergyman Scott G. MacLean (R-CT) over research scientist Miriam J. Masullo (R-CT) by a vote of 85 delegates to 55. MacLean likens himself to the Jimmy Stewart character in "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington," and says "The people are ready for some average guy to come forward and just tell the truth." Masullo said she would not challenge MacLean in a primary.

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Democrats for Wealthy Tax Cut: Congressional candidates Ladda "Tammy" Duckworth (D-IL) and Melissa Bean (D-IL) have tried to inoculating themselves against Republicans criticism this fall by staking out moderate stands by favoring extension of President George W. Bush's (R-TX) tax cuts.

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Boy's Club: Macon County Auditor Amy Stockwell (D-IL), the only female candidate vying for the Democratic nomination to replace U.S. Representative Lane A. Evans (D-IL), exited the contest and announced that she would support state Senator John M. Sullivan (D-IL). Stockwell said "It's been a great honor and a wonderful privilege to be part of the process of trying to fill Lane's shoes."

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Sins of the Father: Congressional candidate Brian Kennedy (R-IA) describes state Representative Bill Dix's (R-IA) legislative vote allowing in-state tuition for some undocumented students as "creating incentives for illegal immigrants." Dix spokesperson acknowledged the 2004 vote was a mistake. "If Bill were to take that vote again, he would vote against it."

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Another Democrat Favors Impeachment: Congressional candidate Elwyn Tinklenberg (DFL-MN), said that while he would not introduce the measure, he would support an effort to impeach President George W. Bush (R-TX).

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Self Interest: U.S. Senator Harry M. Reid (D-NV) is hoping to prevent a future challenge from U.S. Representative Jon C. Porter (R-NV) by hopefully defeating the second term Republican this fall. Reid has helped raise $369,00 for congressional candidate Tessa Hafen (D-NV).

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Stockman and DeLay: Another candidate has officially entered the contest to replace indicted U.S. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX). Former U.S. Representative Steve Stockman (I-TX) turned in petition signatures before the filing deadline. Stockman's campaign spokesperson said Stockman had collected more than the 500 signatures needed. DeLay will resign on June 9, 2006 and officially change his residency to Virginia in order to allow Republicans to select a replacement nominee.

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GOP Disappointment: The Brattleboro Reformer opines that congressional candidate Martha T. Rainville (R-VT) has failed to "develop and articulate clear stands on the issues." The editors said that after meeting with the candidate, "you can't help but be a little disappointed with her."

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Poll Updates: Updated poll information have been posted (for subscribers only). New polls were posted in the last two days in the following contests: California 11th Congressional District , California 50th Congressional District Special Election, two Michigan Governor polls, Michigan Senate, Minnesota Senate, Pennsylvania Senate, Pennsylvania Senate Primary, New York Governor, New York Senate, New York Attorney General, South Carolina Governor, Vermont Congressional District, West Virginia Senate.

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Thanks Pop: George C. Wallace, Jr. (R-AL) said his father, the legendary former Governor George C. Wallace (D-AL), once explained how his legacy might affect the current candidate for Lieutenant Governor's future in politics. "He said, `Now son, you inherit all my enemies but not all my friends,'" Wallace explains.

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May 11 Newsletter

2006-05-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

May 11, 2006

Commentary: The Boston Globe reported that Republican leaders in Congress have all but abandoned efforts to pass major policy initiatives this year and are instead focusing their efforts on a series of conservative agenda items that they hope will rally the party's base voters for the general election. It started yesterday when the GOP controlled House of Representatives passed a $70 billion tax cut for the wealthy. The GOP is certainly making clear that they are the party for the Greedy, not the Needy. The Republican constituency appears to be nothing more than the ultra-rich, the special interest niche, and the religious bitch.

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It Is Implied: Gubernatorial candidate Steve Westly (D-CA) has launched a television commercial campaign which implicitly accuses his Democratic primary rival Phil Angelides (D-CA) of proposing a $10 billion tax increase.

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You Scratch My Back . . .: Soon after taking office in January 2003, California Controller Steve Westly (D-CA) began helping three venture capital firms land multimillion-dollar investments from California's giant pension system. The gubernatorial candidate is now receiving campaign donations from individuals associated with each of the funds.

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It is a Dirty Business: After Illinois took aggressive, and some say unnecessary, efforts to shut down a landfill, a major campaign contributor to Governor Rod R. Blagojevich (D-IL) looked into buying the business.

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Sense of Humor: When Governor Rod R. Blagojevich (D-IL) spotted College Republicans heckling him while wearing T-shirts that read Blagojevich Sucks!, instead of getting angry, he requested one in blue and promised to wear it the next time he went jobbing.

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We Look Alike, We Sound Alike: Colby College Republicans organized a forum of Maine Republican gubernatorial candidates. David F. Emery (R-ME), Chandler E. Woodcock (R-ME) and S. Peter Mills (R-ME) discussed their view and platforms and pointed to what they characterized as excessive state spending by Governor John E. Baldacci (D-ME).

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Was the Nanny an Illegal Immigrant: Governor Jennifer M. Granholm (D-MI) and her husband failed to file unemployment compensation insurance reports for their kids' nanny and will be required to pay $800 in penalties and interest.

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A Politician and a Mormon: Henderson Mayor James B. "Jim" Gibson (D-NV) sent a mailer to potential voters which included a copy of a profile of him published in a Mormon magazine, headlined "A Man for Our Time." The timing of the mailer appears to target conservatives but Gibson campaign manager Dan Hart noted "Why do you have to be to the right if you're religious?"

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The In Must Become the Out: Gubernatorial candidate Thomas R. "Tom" Suozzi (D-NY) is calling for the ouster of New York state Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. "Joe" Bruno (R-NY) and New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-NY) calling them obstructions in the path toward reform.

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You Want a Fight, You Got a Fight: Governor Theodore R. "Ted" Kulongoski (D-OR) has begun hitting the campaign trail after the airing of harsh television commercials and internal polls which show a closer than expected Democratic primary. Kulongoski released its first commercial which paints Jim Hill (D-OR) as a tool of tribal gambling interests.

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Making Charlie Wilson Jealous: Two days before the filing deadline, independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn (I-TX) submitted petitions with 223,000 signatures, five times more than is necessary to get on the ballot. A federal judge Wednesday rejected Strayhorn's plea that the state should apply statistical sampling when validating the signatures.

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Webb We Weave: Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-NV) and U.S. Senator Richard J. "Dick" Durbin (D-IL) both endorsed former Navy Secretary James H. Webb Jr. (D-VA) in his Senate candidacy over former lobbyist Harris N. Miller (D-VA). The eventual Democratic nominee will take on U.S. Senator George F. Allen (R-VA).

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Ringing Endorsement: The Texas AFL-CIO will endorse former U.S. Representative Chris Bell (D-TX) for governor of Texas. Independent candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn (I-TX) had sought labor's endorsement and argued that the campaign was a two-person contest between her and Governor Rick Perry (R-TX) pointing out the Bell remains far behind her and the incumbent in fundraising. Bell reminded organized labor that when Strayhorn was a Republican she had supported vouchers, tuition deregulations at Texas universities and privatization.

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Bense Backs Out: Florida House Speaker Allan G. Bense (R-FL) announced that he was humbled by the strong encouragement he has received in recent weeks, but he would not be running for the U.S. Senate.

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All I Want Is a Chance to Vote: U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to remind his colleagues that they promised him a vote on his bill for native Hawaiian recognition. Said Akaka, "I thought I would take a few minutes everyday to talk about my bill." There is enough support to pass the bill if the Republican lawmakers allow a vote.

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How Can Having an Affair be Done According to the Highest Ethical Standards: At the last debate between the Montana Democratic Senate candidates, Morrison was once again forced to defend his actions regarding a securities fraud investigation. Morrison recused himself because of an affair he had with a woman who later married the man under investigation. Morrison insists the investigation was handled according to the highest ethical standards.

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Beholden to Himself: Even as U.S. Senate candidate Edward M. "Ned" Lamont (D-RI) was declaring that he was no Jon S. Corzine (D-NJ), who contributed $35 million to his recent gubernatorial campaign, financial reports reveal that more than half of Lamont's contributions came from his own wallet. Lamont has given himself $371,500 out of a total of $719,421 raised.

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Alternative Party News - Mountain High: The Mountain Party, which has ballot status in West Virginia have nominated 2004 gubernatorial candidate Jesse Johnson (Mountain-WV) as their nominee for the U.S. Senate. In a surprise move, they also endorsed Richie Robb (D-WV) in the Second Congressional District. Robb came in third place in the Democratic congressional primary on Tuesday capturing 30% of the vote. If Robb were to accept a nomination by the alternative political party, it would be his membership in a third political party in two years. In 2004 Robb was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for the Governor and later was selected to be one of the state GOP's representatives to the Electoral College.

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This Congestion Is Brought to You by Bilbray: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is sponsoring radio traffic reports in San Diego which end by criticizing former U.S. Representative Brian P. Bilbray (R-CA). The special election to replace convicted U.S. Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA) is June 6, the same day as the primaries. A new poll released last night shows a dead even race between Bilbray and Francine P. Busby (D-CA) with each capturing 45% of the vote.

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Still More Room in the Pool: Former state Representative Mark Flanagan (R-FL) announced that he will be a candidate for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Representative Katherine Harris (R-FL). Flanagan will be joining Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Nancy C. Detert (R-FL) and George "Tramm" Hudson (R-FL) in seeking the Republican nomination.

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Fuel for the Fight: Congressional candidate state Senator Ron Klein (D-FL) held a news conference and criticized Congress and the Bush administration for high gas prices.

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What Do the Teamsters Get: Congressional nominee Peter J. Roskam (R-IL) picked up the endorsement of the Chicago-area Teamsters despite the fact that he has refused to embrace key parts of their political agenda. Roskam has not said whether he would have voted for the Central American Free Trade Agreement, and won't commit to supporting changes to the trade agreement that would require other nations to improve wages and environmental protections.

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Michigan Three: Because of congressional scandals rocking Republican, President George W. Bush's (R-TX) sinking popularity and the increasing voter discontent with the Iraqi War, Michigan Democrats think that have an outside chance of defeating three incumbent Republicans. In Michigan's 8th Congressional District former CIA agent Jim Marcinkowski (D-MI) is challenging U.S. Representative Michael "Mike" J. Rogers (R-MI). In the 9th Congressional District Frank Cona (D-MI), Rhonda L. Ross (D-MI), Nancy Skinner (D-MI) and John Ashcraft (D-MI) are competing for the right to face U.S. Representative Joseph Knollenberg (R-MI). And in the 11th Congressional District U.S. Representative Thaddeus G. "Thad" McCotter (R-MI) will likely face radio talk show host Tony Trupiano (D-MI). Also running in the 11th is Raymond Raczkowski (D-MI).

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Young Turks: The congressional contest in Nebraska's Third Congressional District will feature the Young Democrats verus the Young Republican. Democratic nominee Scott Kleeb (D-NE) is only 30 years old while the Republican nominee Adrian M. Smith (R-NE) is 35.

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Politicians Do the Strangest Thing - That Didn't Take Long: The congressional campaign of Nassau County legislator David Denenberg (D-NY) lasted a grand total of two days. Denenberg, who announced his candidacy on Sunday, withdrew from the race against U.S. Representative Peter T. King (R-NY) citing his inability to raise enough money and his need for a throat operation this summer. Denenberg is the third Democrat to seriously consider the race only to later back out. David "Dave" Mejias (D-NY) and David Bishop (D-NY) early decided not to run.

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Pretty Boy Makes Petty Comment About Pretty Face: Former New York Democratic Party chair Judith Hope criticized U.S. Representative John E. Sweeney (R-NY) for referring to his Democratic opponent Kirsten E. Rutnik Gillibrand (D-NY) as "a pretty face."

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Just Lucky, I Guess - NOT!: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has hired a concerned Ohioan to portray "Gamblin' Bob" and follow U.S. Representative Robert W. "Bob" Ney (R-OH) on the campaign in order to remind voters about Ney's 2003 gambling success. The Democrats are implying that there was something sinister about Ney's trip to a London casino which netted the embattled Republican $34,000 off an initial $100 bet.

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Not a Sure Thing: Winning another term in Congress will not be a sure thing for U.S. Representative Michael G. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), who will face either Andrew L. Warren (D-PA) or Patrick J. Murphy (D-PA) in the fall. The suburban county that he represents use to be safe territory for Republicans, but has voted Democratic in the last gubernatorial and presidential elections.

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Poll Updates: Updated poll information have been posted (for subscribers only). New polls were posted in the last two days in the following contests: Arizona Senate, Arizona 5th Congressional District, California Governor Primary, California 11th Congressional District Primary, California 50th Congressional District Special Election, Georgia Governor, Georgia Governor Primary, Georgia Lt. Governor Primary, Massachusetts Governor, Minnesota Senate, New York Governor, New York Senate, New York Attorney General, Oregon Governor Primary, Pennsylvania Governor, Tennessee Senate Primary, South Carolina Governor, Vermont Governor, Vermont Senate and Vermont Congressional District.

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All Those Who Believe Alabama Has No More Racial Relations Problems, Please Raise Your Hands: U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said that the Voting Rights Act and its protections for minority voters are no longer needed in Alabama and other parts of the South, and therefore if Congress renews the civil right legislation, it should be amended to focus on northern cities and states (which tend to vote more Democratic.)

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May 10 Newsletter

2006-05-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

May 10, 2006

     And the Nomination Goes To . . . : Voters went to the polls in West Virginia and Nebraska. Most major party candidates were running unopposed but there were several high profile contests. Leading the list was the Republican gubernatorial contest where Governor Dave Heineman (R-NE) was able to hold off a challenge from U.S. Representative Tom Osborne (R-NE). Early in the contest, few thought that Heineman would be able to defeat the popular former football coach, but Republican troubles in Washington, coupled with a late campaign snafu which caused Osborne to apologize to Heineman, contributed to his lost.
     J. Peter Ricketts (R-NE), as expected, won the GOP nomination to face U.S. Senator E. Benjamin "Ben" Nelson (D-NE) after pouring $4.75 million of his own money into the race. Rickett spent about $40 for every vote he received. There were contested primaries for the Republican nominees in the Second and Third Congressional Districts and Democrats in the First Congressional District.
     In West Virginia, Hiram C. "Bucky" Lewis, IV (R-WV) ran an aggressive campaign for the U.S. Senate nomination against John R. Raese (R-WV), but the establishment's choice won the nomination nonetheless and will face U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV). Democrats chose former state party chair Michael "Mike" Callaghan (D-WV) as the nominee in the Second Congressional District to face U.S. Representative Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) while Republicans picked sheriff Kim Wolfe (R-WV) to face U.S. Representative Nick Joe Rahall II (D-WV) in the Third Congressional District.

Nebaska Results. West Virginia Results. Your Comments Here.

On-Line Campaigns: California's gubernatorial candidates are using web-based techniques which they hope will make their campaigns more accessible and supporters feel more vested. Steve Westly (D-CA) held an online contest to select colors for his campaign, and Phil Angelides (D-CA) launched an interactive program that allows volunteers to join his campaign and download voter lists and addresses.

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My Tax Cut is Bigger Than Your Tax Cut: Gubernatorial nominee Marc Holtzman (R-CO) announced his economic plan which promises to return all of the tax-surplus refund over the $3.1 billion state legislators had sought to keep. Holtzman's proposal would more than double U.S. Representative Bob Beauprez's (R-CO) plan to place an initiative on the ballot to refund all of Colorado's refund over $3.7 billion.

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Apple for the Teachers: After helping to defeat John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (R-FL) roll back of education reform, the Dade County teachers union is expected to endorse the gubernatorial candidacy of state Senator Rod Smith (D-FL). The Florida Education Association will interview Smith and U.S. Representative Jim Davis (D-FL) this week and decide on endorsements by Friday. They are both strong backers of public education and have pushed for teacher-friendly measures.

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Losing Momentum: Thanks to a large media buy by Governor Rod R. Blagojevich (D-IL) following the primary, Republican gubernatorial nominee Judy Baar Topinka's (R-IL) internal polls now show her five points behind the incumbent.

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Big Name Endorsements: Gubernatorial candidate Ed Fallon (D-IA) belittled "big-name" endorsements that other Democratic candidates have trumpeted by featuring endorsements from Lidderdale farmer Bill Clinton, college professor Bill Russell, and health care worker Jackie Robinson. Fallon's three television commercials emphasize his policy of not taking campaign donations from lobbyists or political action committees.

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Makeover: Gubernatorial candidate Deval L. Patrick (D-MA) hopes to win the Democratic nomination, and eventually the general election, by cultivating an image as a political outsider against the "culture of Beacon Hill." The makeover, however, is ironic since Patrick is the candidate supported by the Kennedy's (D-MA), the first family of Massachusetts politics.

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Will the Court Screen Porno Films: Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey (R-MA) has promised to establish a separate court just to handle sex crime cases if she is elected Governor.

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Advantage Richardson: Governor William B. "Bill" Richardson (D-NM) has more than $5.5 million in re-election campaign treasury, about 270 times the amount Republican challenger J.R. Damron (R-NM) reported in his campaign reports.

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That Sounds Like Support to Me: New York state Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. "Joe" Bruno (R-NY) says that he will not publicly back either Republican gubernatorial candidate, John J. Faso (R-NY) or William F. "Bill" Weld (R-NY) before the state convention. Nonetheless, he is willing to use his influence to guarantee that Faso gets the needed 25% of delegates necessary to get on the primary ballot.

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Conflicts: Ohio Democrats has asked Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell (D-OH) to remove himself from an investigation of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, arguing there’s a conflict because Blackwell is the Republican nominee for governor.

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No Laws Were Broken: Gubernatorial candidate Robert "Bob" Sullivan, Jr. (R-OK) said that he was unaware that his campaign manager had left a job in Florida after ethical concerns had been raised. Nonetheless Sullivan said that, after discussing the situation with him, Ben Harris would continue to run the campaign. Harris was investigated for allegations that he gave contracts to vendors with whom he had a personal relationship, but it was determined that he didn't break any laws.

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They're Both Right: With the gubernatorial primary only a week away, Kevin L. Mannix (R-OR) released a commercial that accuses his Republican primary rival Ron Saxton (R-OR) of flip-flopping on several positions. Saxton's campaign returned the favor by describing Mannix's campaign as being for sale to the highest bidder.

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Tit for Tat: Surrogates for Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates Edward G. "Ed" Rendell (D-PA) and Lynn C. Swann (R-PA) exchanged political accusations at each other. Pennsylvania Democratic Party chair T.J. Rooney accused Swann of reneging on his promise to make public five years of income tax returns and complained that Swann had released only his 2005 return last week. Republican State Committee Chair Eileen Melvin said that Rendell will not get away with blaming Republican legislators for his own failure to get a property tax reform bill through the state legislature.

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Running Scared: Gubernatorial candidate Oscar Lovelace (R-SC) will begin airing television commercials this week as he seeks to deny Governor Marshall C. "Mark" Sanford, Jr. (R-SC) the Republican nomination. Some are surprised that Sanford is airing commercials in the primary, since most observers expect him to easily defeat Lovelace. Sanford has thus far refused to debate his GOP rival.

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Talk to Us: Gubernatorial candidate Jack Billion (D-SD) says that South Dakota's problems can be traced to Governor Mike Rounds' (R-SD) lack of communication with residents and handling of key issues.

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Harris Files, Republicans Fear: U.S. Representative Katherine Harris (R-FL) and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) both filed papers to run against each other in Senate contest that few Republicans seem happy about. John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (R-FL) again questioned Harris' ability to win and suggested that Florida House Speaker Allan G. Bense (R-FL) would make a more potent candidate. "I just don't believe she can win," Bush said. "There's no complicated reason. She's not gained any traction."

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Neither Cut and Run Nor Staying the Course: In her first major policy address, U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill (D-MO) is calling for a multinational security force in Iraq along with the redeployment of American troops over the next two years.

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Alternative Party News - Too Difficult Belonging to Third Party: Former Reform Party activist Daniel Lloyd Neste Huffman (R-MT), who is running for the Republican Senate nomination in Montana, still favors the policy of the Reform Party. He is outraged about rising utility and gasoline prices. He wants to double Montana's minimum wage, and is "tired about being gouged" by rising health care costs. He didn’t have time to gather the signatures this year to file as a Reform Party candidates, so he decided to run as a Republican.

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Kean Gets Tough On Those Who Can't Vote: U.S. Senate candidate Thomas H. Kean Jr. (R-NJ) called on Congress to tighten security at America's borders, establish a national registry of legal immigrant workers and require 11 million-plus illegal immigrants to pay a $2,000 fine, back taxes and "go to the back of the line" to be considered for a work visa. "I do not support a blanket amnesty for any individual who has broken our laws," Kean said. "Legal immigration is important for the future of our nation, and we should encourage it. At the same time, out-of-control, illegal migration threatens our security and our economy."

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Hyprocracy - Government By Hyprocrites: Republicans are calling U.S. Senate nominee Sherrod Brown (D-OH) a hypocrite for opposing the Republican sponsored Medicare prescripton drug plan for seniors because of its private-sector management and its prohibition on the government negotiating lower drug prices. Brown, as a member of the U.S. House of Representative, cosponsored a bill with the identical provisions in 2000.

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Two Fronts: As soon as businessman Eric Roach (R-CA) promise not to actively campaign for the Republican nomination in California's 50th Congressional District, Bill Hauf (R-CA) announced his intentions to try to defeat former U.S. Representative Brian P. Bilbray (R-CA). This will create a problem for Bilbray who must simultaneously compete for the June 6 GOP primary and the June 6 special election against Francine P. Busby (D-CA). Hauf spent $1.2 million of his own money in the race to replace convicted U.S. Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA) but finished 8th in the April 11 special election. Bilbray and Busby repeatedly clashed in the first one-on-one debate between the two major candidates. During the hour-long debate, Busby sharply criticized Bilbray, a sure sign the final four weeks before the June 6 election will be contentious. In turn, Bilbray questioned whether Busby was experienced enough for the job.

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Line Up for Lungren: U.S. Representative Daniel E. "Dan" Lungren (R-CA) had several legislative victories last week, just in time to help him campaign for re-election.

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Pombo vs. What's His Name: Three polls of potential Democratic primary voters in Calilfornia's 11th Congressional District suggest that U.S. Representative Richard W. Pombo's (R-CA) opponents are most unknown. Only one in four could identify Jerry McNerney (D-CA), who is general considered the frontrunner. Only one in ten recognized McNerney's chief rival for the nomination, Stevan N. "Steve" Filson (D-CA).

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What's in a Name: Peggy Lamm (D-CO) is relying in part on her last name to help her win the Democratic congressional nomination. Lamm was married to the younger brother of former Governor Richard D. Lamm (D-CO). Also running are Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), Herb Rubenstein (D-CO) and Rick O'Donnell (R-CO). Two minor party candidates, Dave Chandler (G-CO) and John J. Heckman, Jr. (Prohibition-CO) also hope to be on the November ballot.

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Roskam's Replacement Degenerates Allah: When Republican congressional nominee Peter J. Roskam (R-IL) had to miss his scheduled speech at a National Day of Prayer Program last week, the organizers replaced him with conservative activist Sandy Rios, who told the audience that the Christian God is preferable because "he does not demand the blood of innocents to satisfy him." Rios remarked that Muslims worship a bloodthirsty, vengeful God.

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GOP Get Their Own Culture of Corruption Poster Boy: U.S. Representative William J. Jefferson (D-LA) lost his bid to keep the content of an FBI search warrant application secret. U.S. District Judge William Connelly delayed releasing the document spelling out the details of the government's case against Jefferson, giving him three days to appeal. But in deciding to open the documents, the judge confirmed that a cooperating witness had secretly recorded phone conversations and face-to-face meetings with Jefferson. The nine-page decision also revealed that in addition to investigating whether Jefferson accepted bribes to help a U.S. telecommunications company in Africa, prosecutors also are looking into allegations he bribed a foreign official.

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Ellison Closer to Being the One: Park Board President Jon Olson (DFL-MN) has decided to end his congressional campaign and endorse Keith Ellison (DFL-MN) to replace retiring U.S. Representative Martin Olav Sabo (DFL-MN). Democrats still considering challenging Ellison for the nomination include former state Senator Ember Reichgott Jung (DFL-MN), Minneapolis City Council member Paul Ostrow (DFL-MN) and Sabo's chief of staff Mike Erlandson (DFL-MN). The eventual Democratic nominee will face Republican Alan Fine (R-MN), Independence Party nominee Tammy Lee (Ind-MN) and Green Party nominee Jay Pond (G-MN) in the general election.

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Nevada's Power Couple: Despite rumors that she might be thinking about quitting the race, state Representative Dawn Gibbons (R-NV) continues to plan to succeed her husband U.S. Representative James Arthur "Jim" Gibbons (R-NV) who is seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Said Gibbons, "I think it's wishful thinking by people who would like to have me out of this race." Gibbons will face Secretary of State Dean Heller (R-NV) and state Representative Sharron E. Angle (R-NV) in the GOP primary.

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Your Choice: Duped or Corrupt: Although U.S. Representative Robert W. "Bob" Ney (R-OH) has not been charged and claims he was duped by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff (R), Some Republicans in his district are ready to abandon him during his re-election. Abramoff alleges he got Ney's help in exchange for gifts.

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What's A Little Drug Addiction Among Partisans: Despite his very public automobile accident and subsequent admission of chemical dependency, U.S. Representative Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) won the endorsement of the Rhode Island Democratic Party to seek another term in office.

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Politicians Do the Strangest Things: Congressional candidate Brad Blanton (D-VA), a psychotherapist who challenged U.S. Representative Eric I. Cantor (R-VA) as an independent in 2004, runs a "Course in Honesty" workshop in which participants take off their clothes, stand up in front of a camera and talk about what they like, dislike or are ashamed about their bodies.

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Start Early: Congressional candidates U.S. Representative Christopher B. Cannon (R-UT), former U.S. Representative Merrill Cook (R-UT) and real estate developer John D. Jacob (R-UT) are working to reach the state's 1,100 delegates before the state's Republican convention this weekend.

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Poll Updates: Updated poll information have been posted (for subscribers only). New polls were posted in the last two days in the following contests: Alabama Governor, Arizona Senate, Arizona 5th Congressional District, California Governor Primary, California 11th Congressional District Primary, Georgia Governor, Georgia Governor Primary, Georgia Lt. Governor Primary, Maine Governor, two Massachusetts Governor polls, Minnesota Senate, Nebraska Governor Primary Tracking Poll, Nebraska Senate Primary Tracking Poll, Oklahoma Governor, Oregon Governor Primary, Pennsylvania Governor, Tennessee Senate, Tennessee Senate Primary, Vermont Governor, Vermont Senate, Wyoming Governor, Wyoming Senate and Wyoming Congressional District.

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Supporting Cast - Crossing the Line from Lobbying to Blackmail: California Insurance Commissioner John R. Garamendi (D-CA) has asked the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office and state Attorney General Bill Lockyer (D-CA) to investigate what he called an insurance industry attempt to extort and blackmail him as he campaigns for lieutenant governor. Garamendi said Darry Sragow, a Los Angeles attorney, warned him last month that insurers would launch a $2 million negative advertising campaign against him if he did not drop or delay plans to adopt new regulations for auto insurance policies this year. Sragow delivered the message after he was contacted by an unidentified insurance industry official, Garamendi said.

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