A new InsiderAdvantage poll in Georgia finds David Perdue (R) leading Michelle Nunn (D) by seven points in the U.S. Senate race, 47% to 40%.
In the race for governor, Gov. Nathan Deal (R) is ahead of challenger Jason Carter (D), 43% to 39%.
Coakley Maintains Lead for Governor
A new Boston Globe poll in Massachusetts finds Martha Coakley (D) leading Charlie Baker (R) in the race for governor by double-digits, 40% to 32%.
Arkansas Lawmakers Seek to Abolish Lt. Governor’s Office
“Two Arkansas senators said Thursday that they plan to lead a “bipartisan effort” to get rid of the office of lieutenant governor when the legislature convenes in January,” the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports.
The lawmakers called the lieutenant governor’s office a “vestige of the early 19th century,” and estimated that abolishing the office “would save Arkansas taxpayers about $450,000 a year.”
Christie Weighs Presidential Bid
Gov. Chris Christie (R) told voters he’s considering a White House run and will make a decision sometime after the upcoming November elections, the Newark Star Ledger reports.
Said Christie: “I’m thinking about it. It is an enormous decision to make not only for me, but my family. Probably by the end of this year or the beginning of next I’ll decide.”
Judge Won’t Delay Friday Voting in Hawaii Primary
A state judge denied Rep. Colleen Hanabusa’s (D) request to postpone voting in Hawaii’s Democratic Senate primary, where voters in a couple precincts are scheduled to cast ballots Friday, Roll Call reports.
“Hanabusa filed a lawsuit Wednesday asking that special extended voting hours in two precincts on the Big Island be pushed back further. The make-up date was scheduled by the state Office of Elections after a hurricane shut down the precincts’ polling places Aug. 9, when the rest of the state voted.”
Bush Says Legalized Pot Would Harm Florida
Jeb Bush (R) “is adding his influential voice to the medical marijuana debate in Florida, saying the ballot initiative could harm Florida’s reputation,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Paul Calls for Demilitarization of Local Police
Sen. Rand Paul: “When you couple this militarization of law enforcement with an erosion of civil liberties and due process that allows the police to become judge and jury–national security letters, no-knock searches, broad general warrants, pre-conviction forfeiture–we begin to have a very serious problem on our hands.”
“Given these developments, it is almost impossible for many Americans not to feel like their government is targeting them. Given the racial disparities in our criminal justice system, it is impossible for African-Americans not to feel like their government is particularly targeting them.”
Quote of the Day
“I had never witnessed police treat journalists like this in the four years I worked as a crime reporter in South Florida. Some officers have tried to keep me away from crime scenes, but never stopped me from covering a story altogether…It was also the first time I had ever felt afraid of a police officer.”
— Alexis Campbell of the National Journal.
Obama Urges Calm in Missouri
President Obama “called on the police in this St. Louis suburb to be ‘open and transparent’ as they investigate the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager, and he urged calm in a city that has been rocked by violence in recent days,” the New York Times reports.
“But Mr. Obama did not specifically call on the police to release the name of the officer who shot 18-year-old Michael Brown on Saturday, a decision by the authorities that has helped fuel anger among the residents of Ferguson.”
Meanwhile, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) pledged today to make an “operational shift” in the way the Ferguson protests are being handled by police.
GOP Lawmaker Warns Impeachment is a Trap
Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) warned Republicans against falling into an impeachment “trap,” BuzzFeed reports.
Said Mulvaney: “Believe me, let’s make one thing perfectly clear. The only people who want impeachment more than the right wing of the Republican Party is the entire Democrat Party.”
He added: “They’re desperate for impeachment. They would love to be able to talk about impeachment and immigration between now and the November elections, instead of talking about jobs, and the economy, and health care. They are desperate to change the dialogue, which is exactly why you heard the president starting to talk about his amnesty cause he’s begging to be impeached.”
White House Won’t Say Why Obama Will Interupt Vacation
“President Obama won’t make any major announcements on immigration reform during his secretive mid-vacation trip back to Washington next week,” The Hill reports.
“The president is expected to return to the White House on Sunday, but officials won’t say why Obama is taking the unusual, and costly, trip back to Washington. He’s expected to return to Martha’s Vineyard, where he’s been vacationing, on Tuesday.”
Toss Up for Iowa Senate
A new Rasmussen poll in Iowa finds Joni Ernst (R) locked in a dead heat with Bruce Braley (D) for U.S. Senate, 43% to 43%.
Clinton and Obama ‘Hug It Out’
Wall Street Journal: “A scheduling quirk brought Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton to Martha’s Vineyard just a few days after she caused a political kerfuffle with a pointed critique of the president’s foreign policy, the sharpest sign of disagreement between the onetime rivals and sometime allies. While the two top Democrats mostly stayed on separate sides of the island, they agreed to ‘hug it out’ Wednesday evening at a party for a mutual friend.”
“In the end, the White House offered no details about the promised hug.”
Hanabusa Tries to Delay Vote
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D) “asked a state court to delay Friday’s vote in two Puna precincts that could settle her Democratic primary against Sen. Brian Schatz (D),” the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports.
“The congresswoman is seeking a temporary restraining order from Circuit Court in Hilo to postpone the election until Puna residents have had more time to recover from Tropical Storm Iselle.”
Gay Marriages Could Begin in Virginia Next Week
Richmond Times-Dispatch: “Same-sex couples in Virginia could get married beginning next week after a federal appeals court on Wednesday denied motions to put its gay-marriage ruling on hold, but the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to intervene, preventing such unions for now, legal experts say.”
“Same-sex marriages from other states would also be recognized in Virginia effective Wednesday, barring Supreme Court intervention.”
Hillary Walks It Back
First Read: “Well, that didn’t take long. Less than 48 hours after The Atlantic published Hillary Clinton’s critical comments about Obama’s foreign policy, she walked them back. Spokesman Nick Merrill said in a statement that Clinton called the president to ‘make sure he knows that nothing she said was an attempt to attack him, his policies, or his leadership,’ adding that the two will ‘hug it out’ in Martha’s Vineyard tonight. As we’ve noted, Clinton’s always been more hawkish than the president, but the handling of the interview and this apology just seem like more politically head-scratching decisions as she continues her book tour. The bottom line: This is not the first time Clinton and Obama are going to have a public split as Democrats transition from one standard-bearer to another. But is every one of those moments going to be as tortured as this one?”
Morning Line notes “get ready to see a whole lot more of this dance over the next two years.”
Tea Party Controls GOP Agenda
New York Times: “The Republican Party pumped tens of millions of dollars into defeating Tea Party candidates in the midterm primary season, exerted pressure to cut off funding to conservative Tea Party-affiliated political action committees, and even turned to Democrats to pass crucial laws and neutralize conservative rebels. Mr. Boehner said he went along with a government shutdown in October to show his fractious conference the political cost of intransigence.”
“Then, with just hours remaining in the summer legislative session, the rebels stormed back — and on the issue where Republican elders believe they have wrought the most political damage.”
RNC Condemns New History Test
The RNC is calling for a fight against the College Board’s new framework for Advanced Placement U.S. History, claiming that it “deliberately distorts and/or edits out important historical events,” Education Week reports.
A resolution adopted by the GOP says the new framework “reflects a radically revisionist view of American history that emphasizes negative aspects of our nation’s history while omitting or minimizing positive aspects.”
