Archives for August 2014

Morning Line: “If Charlie Crist wins the governorship — for the second time — this fall he would become the first governor in Florida history to ever win as a member of two different parties… Crist would also be only the second Florida governor in 117 years — and only the second since it achieved statehood — to serve two non-consecutive terms. Gov. William Bloxham served as governor from 1881 to 1885 and was later elected again 12 years later… Crist, though, would not be the first party-switcher in state history to serve as governor. Three Florida governors before him actually switched parties before holding office, but none to the Democratic Party.”

Roll Call: How and when to switch political parties

Bloomberg: “Ten of the 12 House Republicans who didn’t support John Boehner’s 2013 selection as speaker are cruising to November victories, despite the business community’s attempts to knock some of them off.”

“It’s an ominous twist in the Republican civil war between the Tea Party and the business community. Neither side had enough power to annihilate the other, so the fight goes into the 2016 presidential campaign. The House rebels could thwart the work of Senate Republican candidates, who were backed by corporate cash and have promised to move legislation.”

“Three top Republican Senate candidates heaped praise on the political network built by the conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch during a secretive conference held by the brothers this past summer,” the Huffington Post reports.

“For all three, the association with the Koch brothers’ network is likely to provide kindling for their opponents, who have already argued that the Republicans are steered by deep-pocketed conservatives.”

Rick Klein: “The pictures of Sen. Kay Hagan greeting President Obama in Charlotte weren’t on the Charlie Crist level. (That level of political infamy ranks alongside the Joe Lieberman-George W. Bush embrace, history enshrined by Crist’s victory in the Democratic primary for governor Tuesday.) Yet how Hagan handled the presidential visit suggests a realization that while Obama can’t and won’t help virtually any endangered Democrat this year, the president’s negative effects are already baked into the electoral cake.”

In a new book, former Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll (R) “describes the misery of being in a ‘boys’ club’ led by Gov. Rick Scott (R), who showed no interest in her ideas to reach out to black and Hispanic voters and whose staff members treated her shabbily, the Miami Herald reports.

“Her story hits bookstores on Wednesday — her birthday. By coincidence, her grievances about Scott will spill into public view on the very day he will launch his general election campaign for a second term.”

“I had the chance of running. I didn’t win. Someone else has a better chance than I do. And that’s what we believe, and that’s why I’m not running. And you know, circumstances can change, but I’m just not going to let my head go there.”

— Mitt Romney, in an interview with Hugh Hewitt.

Former Rep. David Rivera (R-FL), “who served in Congress from 2011 to 2013, officially lost his hapless comeback bid Tuesday, falling short in the Republican primary election in Florida’s 26th district,” National Journal reports.

“It may have been the worst congressional comeback attempt of all time. Rivera lost the nomination, but he dominated the headlines. Throughout the race, he faced questions about his role in an alleged 2012 campaign finance scheme, sparred with the media, and even briefly suspended his campaign for unclear reasons–only to restart it just two weeks before the election.”

A new SurveyUSA poll in Kansas finds Sen. Pat Roberts (R) just five points ahead of challenger Chad Taylor (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 37% to 32%, with independent Greg Orman at 20%.

Sam Wang notes that Republican governors who supported Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion are being rewarded for it in recent polls.

“According to these data points, Republican governors who bucked their party’s stance and accepted the policy are faring better with voters–in these races, an average of 8.5 percentage points better. Considering that crusading against Obamacare has been a core part of the G.O.P. playbook, this 8.5-point difference may come as a surprise. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that voters’ sentiments are driven entirely by health-care policy. Think of the Medicaid expansion as a ‘proxy variable,’ one that is predictive of stands on many other issues.”

A new SurveyUSA poll in Minnesota finds Sen. Al Franken (D) leading challenger Michael McFadden (R) in the U.S. Senate race by nine points, 51% to 42%.

In the race for governor, Gov. Mark Dayton (D) leads challenger Jeff Johnson (R) by the same margin, 49% to 40%.

A new Public Policy Polling survey in Iowa finds Bruce Braley (D) barely leading Joni Ernst (R) for U.S. Senate, 42% to 41% with third party candidates splitting 5%. In a straight head to head the two are tied at 42%.

“This represents a significant tightening from PPP’s last poll in May when Braley led 45/39, but is consistent with most public polling since the primary.”