A new Honolulu Civil Beat poll finds Sen. Brian Schatz (D) leads Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D) in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary by 5 points, 44% to 39% with 16% still undecided.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“Your dead kids don’t trump my Constitutional rights.”
— Samuel “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher, quoted by Huffington Post in an open letter to the families of victims of last week’s shooting rampage, defending his right to own a gun.
Ex-Obama Aides Face Off in Britain
The New York Times notes that former Obama advisers David Axelrod and Jim Messina are advising opposing candidates in the upcoming British elections which is expected to be a referendum on austerity and immigration.
“The British elections in 2015 will be waged over these competing economic visions, the country’s stomach for hard-right anti-immigration appeals, and the candidates’ abilities to manage coalition partners. But the contest is also shaping into a proxy competition between two titans of the “No-Drama-Obama” campaigns who are acting out their ideological and personal conflicts on a faraway stage. As more former aides turn their affiliation with the president into lucrative consulting arrangements, the Battle of Britain crystallizes a concern among some Democrats over whether those most central to Mr. Obama’s rise should be expected in their private business to stand for his public policies and values. And if they are not, some of the president’s supporters wonder what exactly it means to work for Mr. Obama in the first place.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Piece of advice about that BFD stuff: Assume every microphone is on….Thank God my mother was gone or I’d have been one dead vice president.”
— Vice President Biden, quoted by CNN, on his famous open mic moment.
Party Line Voters Know More About Politics
Lynn Vavreck: “Split-ticket voting is quite rare for top offices like president and senator. But those who do choose candidates from different parties on Election Day have at least one thing in common: They know less about politics than people who vote the straight party line.”
“Where you live and who is running for office certainly shape the odds that you will split your ballot, but by far the best predictor is how much general political knowledge you have.”
Walker Distances Himself from Pending Gay Marriage Decision
“Sensing trouble ahead for Wisconsin’s gay marriage ban, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen took the unusual step Friday of asking a federal judge to immediately block her own decision if she does strike down the ban,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
“Also Friday, Gov. Scott Walker (R) backed away from his previous support for the state ban on gay marriage passed in 2006, saying he didn’t know if it violated the U.S. Constitution, would still be approved by voters today or would amount to a big change for the state’s values and economy if overturned. Making clear he wanted no part of this legal battle in an election year, the Republican governor said he was focused on other priorities.”
Quote of the Day
“I have a better chance of being pope than he has of being governor.”
— GOP donor Mark Chapin Johnson, quoted by the Los Angeles Times, on California gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari (R).
Burr Overplays His Hand
First Read: “Interestingly, no additional Democrats over the long Memorial Day weekend came out for VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign. In fact, maybe the biggest political development was that a few veterans groups accused GOP Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), the ranking Republican on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, of over-politicizing the VA mess when he called out these groups for refusing to demand Shinseki’s resignation.”
“Burr’s decision to criticize these groups — and the backlash it prompted — represents a classic case of political overreach. And it changes the conversation from the Obama administration’s handling of this VA story, to Republicans stepping on the political pedal, as well as why Senate Republicans blocked additional VA earlier this year.”
Two Races to Watch Today in Texas
Morning Line: “There are two races to watch, including whether Ralph Hall, who at 91 is the oldest member of Congress, becomes the first congressional incumbent of the cycle to lose. So far, they are 139-for-139. He is running against former U.S. attorney John Ratcliffe, who is 48 and has subtly raised the issue of Hall’s age… Hall placed first in the March primary with 45 percent of the vote compared to 29 percent for Ratcliffe. Getting that extra 5 percent could be a hurdle for Hall, considering he’s the only member of Congress anyone in this district has known for 34 years.”
“The latest tea party vs. establishment battle of the primary season also takes place Tuesday in the Lone Star State in the lieutenant governor’s race. Democrats hope to contest — and win their first statewide seat in 20 years — if the tea party candidate wins. But Democrats’ candidate, Leticia van de Putte, trails in the polls, and despite being Latina and having served in the state legislature for 24 years is not well known among Latinos statewide.”
Capito Holds Big Lead in West Virginia
A new West Virginia poll finds Shelley Moore Capito (R) leading Natalie Tennant (D) in the U.S. Senate race by 11 points, 49% to 38% with another 13% undecided.
Louisiana Loses Top Political Reporter
John Maginnis, the founder and publisher of LAPolitics.com, passed away over the weekend at his home in New Orleans. Few knew more about Louisiana politics.
We spoke to John just a few weeks ago on the Political Wire podcast. It was a great conversation.
White House Blows Cover of CIA Chief in Afghanistan
“The CIA’s top officer in Kabul was exposed Saturday by the White House when his name was inadvertently included on a list provided to news organizations of senior U.S. officials participating in President Obama’s surprise visit with U.S. troops,” the Washington Post reports.
“The CIA’s top officer in Kabul was exposed Saturday by the White House when his name was inadvertently included on a list provided to news organizations of senior U.S. officials participating in President Obama’s surprise visit with U.S. troops.”
Republicans Press for Another ‘Contract with America’
“A faction of Republicans including Sen. Lindsey Graham is agitating for party leaders to unveil a policy manifesto in the midterm elections, detailing for voters what the GOP would attempt with a Senate majority its members are increasingly confident they’ll achieve,” Politico reports.
“Advocates of the strategy, which has triggered a closed-door debate in recent weeks among the party’s current 45 senators, say it would serve as a firm rejoinder to Democrats casting the GOP as the ‘party of no.’ They say voters should know what they’d be getting by pulling the lever for Republicans in November.”
Carter Ahead in Georgia
A new Rasmussen survey in Georgia finds Jason Carter (D) leading Gov. Nathan Deal (R) in the race for governor by seven points, 48% to 41%.
Democracy is Alive and Well
When President Obama “delivers a big foreign-policy address at West Point on Wednesday, he’ll talk about the tensions and disputes that suddenly seem to be breaking out all around the globe. But amid all the messiness, one encouraging sign he might point to is the remarkable spate of elections being staged in countries important to the U.S,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The list of places on the U.S. watch list where the core function of democracy–citizens choosing leaders–has been exercised in recent weeks is an impressive one. Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Egypt and Colombia all have held national elections.”
“Meanwhile, India just held an election that produced a peaceful sea change in leadership in the world’s largest democracy. And in Europe, a bedrock of democratic rule, voters across the continent last weekend cast votes that will significantly change the character of the European Parliament.”
Insurgent Parties Threaten European Union
“European Union leaders are set to meet in Brussels on Tuesday evening under intense pressure to reform the way the bloc is run after insurgent parties secured notable results in four days of legislative elections ending at the weekend,” the New York Times reports.
“Many of the parties that handed a drubbing to more mainstream rivals in the voting for the European Parliament are seeking to diminish, or even dismantle, the six-decade effort to further integrate the Continent.”
Wary of Hillary
“Everyone knows about the ‘Ready for Hillary’ Democrats — the rapidly proliferating parade of elected officials and activists getting behind Hillary Clinton’s increasingly likely 2016 presidential campaign,” Politico reports.
“But there’s also a smaller but increasingly vocal group making its presence felt lately — call these Democrats the ‘Wary of Hillary’ Democrats. They’re not outwardly opposing a Clinton candidacy. But they are anxious about the spectacle of a Clinton juggernaut, after seeing what happened when she ran a campaign of inevitability last time.”
Merkley Up By Double-Digits
A new Rasmussen survey in Oregon finds Sen. Jeff Merkley (D) leading challenger Monica Wehby (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 47% to 37%.
