The Cook Political Report has released its latest House ratings.
Key takeaway: There are twice as many Democratic House seats in the “lean” and “toss up” categories than Republican House seats.
The Cook Political Report has released its latest House ratings.
Key takeaway: There are twice as many Democratic House seats in the “lean” and “toss up” categories than Republican House seats.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) put out a dramatic video highlighting his campaign kick off at Fancy Farm last weekend.
Key line: “He’s for guns, freedom and coal.”
Anthony Weiner mocked a British reporter with a Monty Python joke and scolded his staff in front of a media scrum.
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Jesse Benton, campaign manager for Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), had a rough day yesterday when a recorded telephone conversation was leaked with him saying he was just trying to “hold my nose for two years” so he could go back to work for Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).
A quick search shows how deep Benton’s ties are to Paul and the tea party. He’s been paid more than $800,000 by various campaigns and committees tied to the Paul family.
Political Moneyline: “Contributors are already trying to build a relationship with New Jersey Democratic Senate candidate Cory Booker by contributing to his campaign. Washington, D.C.-area donors have given more than $100,000 to the Newark mayor’s federal campaign.”
The Washington Post reports “a surprising exodus of senior GOP staffers” has “darkened the outlook” for the budget confrontation this fall.
“Largely invisible to the public, these are the nuts-and-bolts guys the bosses trust to negotiate critical details with Democrats, draft deals into law and explain them to the GOP rank and file. Losing them now — weeks before the next fight — weakens Republicans and leaves Democrats without familiar negotiating partners.”
“Moreover, many observers worry that the exodus is an ominous sign that Republicans see low odds for significant progress toward taming the debt and an indication of the risk that another grinding, pressure-cooker confrontation really could end in catastrophe this time.”
Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer “are finding unexpectedly strong support in black communities,” the New York Times reports.
“Repeated polling has found a racial gap in the races for mayor and comptroller: black voters are far more likely than white voters to view Mr. Spitzer and Mr. Weiner favorably, and more likely to say they deserve a second chance… Interviews with black ministers, political leaders, scholars and voters suggest two major factors at work: an emphasis in black congregations on forgiveness and redemption, and an experience, particularly among older black voters, of having seen their revered leaders embroiled in scandal.”
Politico: “Thad Cochran is taking his sweet time. The Senate’s 2014 battle lines are already largely set with the increasingly glaring exception of Mississippi. But Cochran won’t say whether he will run for a seventh term and has indicated it will be months before he decides, stalling potential successors from laying groundwork in the race ahead of an impending spring primary.”
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) told the Washington Post that the House “has more than enough GOP votes — around 40 or 50 — to pass comprehensive immigration reform if it were brought to a vote. But Gutierrez said Republicans who support the idea are staying deliberately quiet to avoid a backlash from conservative activists.”
Said Gutierrez: “Some of them I’ve spoken to, and they say, ‘Love to do the activity with you, I want to be able to vote for it, I really don’t need to draw attention to myself at this point,’ but we can count on it.”
Reliable Sources says former Washington, D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty is dating Laurene Powell Jobs, the billionaire widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
Peggy Noonan: “Dan Balz’s Collision 2012 is the best presidential campaign chronicle in many years. It is a great book, in part because it isn’t about what happened as much as about how people in the campaigns were thinking. It is unusual in that it gives proper place to the impact of thought on political outcomes.”
I completely agree. It’s highly recommended.
Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA) told Q13 Fox News that he’s “thinking about” running for statewide office, such as governor or U.S. senator.
Said Reichert: “I’m thinking about all those options. I still feel like I’m young and energetic. And, you know, we’ll see how Gov. Jay Inslee does, and if he continues on the path that he is, it doesn’t look too good for him. So I’ll keep an eye on that, and who knows what Patty Murray does in the next year or two?”
A new New York Times/Siena poll in New York City finds that Eliot Spitzer leads Scott Stringer in the race for city comptroller, 44% to 35%.
A new New York Times/Siena poll in New York City finds Christine Quinn leads the Democratic race for mayor with 25%, followed by William Thompson at 16%, Bill de Blasio at 14% and Anthony Weiner at 10%.
The remaining candidates in the poll each drew less than 5% and 26% of the Democratic voters surveyed were undecided.
“Just beneath the surface, and without evidence of direct involvement by the Clintons themselves, a Clinton machine is whirring to life,” ABC News reports. “A series of self-started, independent ventures are adding up to a sweeping effort to unite all levels of the Democratic establishment behind a candidacy that backers hope and trust they’ll have a chance to support.”
“Several people close to the Clinton camp insist there is no puppet-master coordinating political efforts for the former secretary of state. That means that while some of what’s being done is for Clinton’s benefit, it’s less clear that it’s being done on her behalf.”
“But a series of prominent Democrats aligned with the Clintons — Harold Ickes, James Carville, Ann Lewis, Cheryl Mills, and Craig Smith among them — are acting as facilitators, channeling friends and allies toward entities that are working for a possible candidacy, according to numerous Democrats in and around the Clinton orbit.”
Ruby Cramer notes that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) “decision to focus on his state by staying put is a key part of his governing strategy and political argument — but it could also cramp his national ambitions.”
“Leaving the capital, let alone the state, for a weekend in some other governor’s city wouldn’t be Cuomo’s style. Since taking office in Albany in 2011, Cuomo has not spent a single night outside the state, his office confirmed.”
Stephanie Banister, of the Australian One Nation movement “did her campaign no favors” in a television nterview, “mistaking Islam for a country, confusing haram with Koran and drawing a blank on the nationwide disability scheme,” the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
She also claimed that ”Jews follow Jesus Christ”.
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☑️ The Almanac of American Politics 2022 is the gold standard of accessible political information, relied on by everyone involved, invested or interested in politics in America.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
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