“Chevron has funneled nearly $3 million into a trio of campaign committees to influence the Nov. 4 Richmond city election, including a nearly $1.3 million contribution on Aug. 8,” the Contra Costa Times reports.
Rick Hasen: “I know that there have been some hefty sums spent by for-profit corporations on ballot initiatives. But what’s the largest sum that we know of so far given by a for-profit corporation to advocate for the election or defeat of municipal candidates?”
“We don’t have a jobs problem in this state. We have a work problem.”
— Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), quoted by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Annenberg survey finds that among all registered voters, 48% say they’d like the midterm elections to produce a Democratic-led Congress, compared to just 43% who want the Republicans to be in control.
“But Republicans have a substantial advantage among those who are most interested in the 2014 election, leading 51% to 44%. Lower-interest voters favor Democrats, 52% to 37%.”
You're reading the free version of Political Wire
Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.
“It turns out that the Internet does not have infinite capacity. At least not for political ads,” the New York Times reports.
“As an increasing number of campaigns and outside groups are finding out, premium space on the web has long been booked. Digital advertising is maturing much in the way television did, as targeting becomes more sophisticated and the definition of a viewer expands drastically… The more savvy players in the coming midterm elections made pre-emptive strikes to ensure ad placement when it matters most.”
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) asserted that the United States and its allies are not winning in the conflict against the Islamic State, Politico reports.
Said McCain: “They’re winning, and we’re not.”
“McCain said more American troops need to be on the ground in the form of forward air controllers and special forces to help assist in airstrikes. He also called for a no-fly zone over both Syria and Iraq.”
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) called for President Obama to nominate an “Ebola czar” to coordinate the administration’s response to the deadly virus, The Hill reports.
Said McCain: “I’d like to know who’s in charge.”
The Washington Post’s Election Lab now gives Republicans a 95% chance of taking control of the U.S. Senate after the midterm elections.
“Political strategist Dick Morris accused Hillary Clinton of conspiring with former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in his stinging critique of President Obama’s foreign policy,” The Hill reports.
Said Morris: “I think Hillary put him up to it.”
He added: “What Panetta is doing is a hit – a contract killing – for Hillary. Panetta at core is a Clinton person, not an Obama person. By accurately and truthfully describing the deliberations in the [Obama] cabinet, he makes Hillary look better, and he makes Obama look worse… And I think he’ll get his reward in heaven.”
A new Baltimore Sun poll in Maryland finds Anthony Brown (D) with a 7-point lead over Larry Hogan (R) in the race for governor, 49% to 42%.
Key finding: “Though Brown has a 7-point lead, the poll found his backers are less solid in their conviction than Hogan supporters. And many in Brown’s camp are younger voters, a bloc that historically is less likely to vote.”
Will Marshall: “Not so long ago, U.S. politicians who robotically toed the party line were considered shameless hacks. And ideologues were seen as wingnuts–self-righteous cranks unable to cope with life’s complexities. Today, such people dominate our national politics.”
“In this Manichean hothouse, the battle lines are clear and everyone knows their place. To break ranks on any major issue is treason, to see merit in the other side’s point of view is heresy, to compromise is to sell out and to engage in political horse-trading is corrupt. Finding common ground? That’s so 20th century. Don’t bore us with intellectual honesty, nuance or shades of grey–just pick a side, slug it out and let the best team win.”
“As governor, I had the Majority Leader and, potentially, the Speaker of the United States of America as a member of my congressional delegation. Personally, I was disappointed that Eric lost.”
— Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), quoted by The Hill, on former Rep. Eric Cantor’s (R-VA) primary defeat earlier this year.
Mike Stanton: “The biggest story in Rhode Island this fall isn’t the potential election on Nov. 4 of the state’s first female governor, Gina M. Raimondo, a Democrat, or its first Asian-American governor, Allan Fung, a Republican. Instead it’s the improbable comeback of Buddy Cianci, the felonious former mayor of Providence, who spent two decades in City Hall and is now running for yet another term.”
“As Buddy’s unauthorized biographer, I have long been fascinated by his enduring appeal, and what it says about American politics. Elected in 1974 as the anti-corruption candidate, Mr. Cianci was forced to resign in 1984 after a felony assault conviction for that incident with the cigarette, came back in 1991 and was forced to resign again in 2002 after another felony conviction, for racketeering conspiracy. He belongs to that great American pantheon of rogues whose corruption was tolerated because of their populist appeal to voters and the perception that they “got things done” — Boss Tweed, Huey Long, James Michael Curley, Edwin Edwards.”
A new Des Moines Register poll in Iowa finds the U.S. Senate race is now a 1-point contest: Joni Ernst (R) is barely ahead of Bruce Braley (D), 47% to 46%.
Most interesting: “The Democrats’ aggressive early voting push is aiding Braley, an eight-year congressman from Waterloo. They’re rounding up ballots from Iowans who would not otherwise have voted.”
A new Landmark Communications poll in Georgia finds the Senate race between David Perdue (R) and Michelle Nunn (D) is tied at 46% to 46%.
The same is true in the Georgia governor’s race, where Gov. Nathan Deal (R) is locked in a tie with Jason Carter (D) at 45% to 45%.
Both races would head to a January runoff if the winner does not break 50%.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is in the process of reserving $1 million in South Dakota television time, Politico reports.
“The independent expenditure matches a million-dollar effort announced by its Democratic counterpart earlier in the week to put the state back on the map.”
A new Fox Detroit/Mitchell Poll in Michigan finds Gov. Rick Snyder (R) just one point ahead of challenger Mark Schauer (D), 47% to 46%.
In the U.S. Senate race, Gary Peters (D) leads Terri Lynn Land (R) by five points, 48% to 43%.
Michelle Obama repeatedly mispronounced U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Braley’s (D) name during her speech in Iowa, the Des Moines Register reports.
She referred to the Iowa congressman as “Bruce Bailey” seven times before people in the crowd pointed out the mistake.
Said Mrs. Obama: “Braley. What did I say? I am losing it. I am getting old. I have been traveling too much.”
“The Democratic Party’s worst fears about the midterm election look to be coming true,” The Hill reports.
“Polling in recent weeks suggests turnout on Election Day could be very low, even by the standards of recent midterms. That’s bad news for Democrats because core groups in the liberal base are more likely to stay home than are people in the demographic segments that lean Republican.”
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.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”
— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”
“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”
— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report
“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”
— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report
“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”
— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia
“Political Wire is a great, great site.”
— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”
“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”
— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post
“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”
— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit
“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”
— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.