Miami Herald: “For the second time in a week, David Rivera, the embattled former Miami congressman who claimed he had suspended his campaign for his old seat, has reached out to voters through automated telephone calls.”
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Tennant Says She Doesn’t Agree with Obama on Most Things
Maj. Gen. Allen Tackett, the campaign chairman for West Virginia U.S. Senate nominee Natalie Tennant (D), was recorded on video saying Tennant agrees with President Obama “on most of his policies” forcing the campaign to say he misspoke, the Charleston Daily Mail reports.
Said Tennant campaign spokeswoman Jenny Donohue: “Natalie does not support the majority of the president’s policies.”
Tight Race for North Carolina Senate
A new Civitas poll in North Carolina finds Sen. Kay Hagan (D) barely leading challenger Thom Tillis (R) in a three way U.S. Senate race, 41% to 39%, with Libertarian Sean Haugh at 7%.
In a head-to-head match up, Tillis leads by two points, 45% to 43%.
FitzGerald Did Not Have Valid Driver’s License
Columbus Dispatch: “Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ed FitzGerald had not had a regular Ohio driver’s license for at least five years when Westlake police found him in a car with a woman early one morning two years ago. If he drove his car home after dropping her off at her hotel, as he said he did, he would have violated Ohio law requiring those with just a temporary permit to be accompanied by a licensed driver.”
Watch Rand Paul Bolt
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) “didn’t even get to finish chewing,” National Journal reports.
“Within moments of Erika Andiola introducing herself as a ‘Dreamer’ immigration activist to Paul and Rep. Steve King at an Iowa fundraiser on Monday, the Kentucky senator and likely 2016 GOP presidential candidate made a hasty exit… With a head nod from aide Sergio Gor, Paul wiped his mouth and departed while still visibly chewing, leaving behind his half-eaten hamburger.”
The episode was caught on video.
Cuomo Still Way Ahead Despite Controversy
A new Marist Poll finds a majority of New Yorkers don’t think Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) acted ethically in shutting down a corruption commission but he still holds a wide lead over challenger Rob Astorino (R) in the race for governor, 54% to 23%.
Perry Spent $17K on Speech Coaches
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) “has a campaign stockpile of $4.4 million collected for a now nonexistent re-election battle — and that state pot can work to his political benefit as he eyes another run for president,” the Houston Chronicle reports.
One interesting item: Perry spent $17,000 for speech coaches “to smooth his public delivery after earning a reputation for tripping over his tongue during his run for the 2012 Republican presidential nod.”
Cotton Slightly Ahead in Arkansas Senate Race
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Arkansas finds Tom Cotton (R) just ahead of Sen. Mark Pryor (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 41% to 39%.
Also interesting: “At least for now Republicans appear to be positioned for a sweep at the state level. In the race for Governor Asa Hutchinson leads Democratic foe Mike Ross 43/38… Republicans hold leads ranging anywhere from 4 to 11 points in all of the down ballot races.”
McConnell Says Kentucky Key to GOP Chances
Asked whether the Republican Party has any chance of retaking the U.S. Senate if he doesn’t win his re-election bid in Kentucky, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told National Review: “No.”
Perry Forms a Federal PAC
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), “who’s weighing a White House bid in 2016, has formed a federal political action committee to aid fellow Republican candidates in the Nov. 4 elections,” Bloomberg reports.
RickPAC was created with the “goal of helping elect Republicans to office who share the governor’s philosophy of low taxes, limited government, border security, and job creation.”
Polarization Isn’t Just Happening in Washington
First Read: “There was a time when the states and governors were the ones working across the aisle, getting things done. But state capitals have become more nationalized and polarized, so now the LAST bastion of bipartisan work is taking place in cities and counties. The states should no longer be viewed unilaterally as the “better than Washington” ideal. Basically, many state capitals have become ‘Washington-ized.'”
Another Obamacare Myth
Wonk Wire: Obamacare premiums won’t skyrocket as many predicted
Top 10 Most Vulnerable Senators
Roll Call: “Three months before Election Day, it’s clear some senators may not return to Congress after the midterms — and that’s mostly good news for Republicans.”
Top 10 Most Vulnerable House Members
Roll Call: “Two House members have already lost their re-election in primaries this cycle — and it’s unlikely they will be the last with ruined plans to return to Congress.”
Primaries in Kansas, Michigan and Washington Today
There are more tea party vs. establishment primaries tonight.
Politico notes that if Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) win today, “this will be the first cycle since 2008 in which no incumbent senator loses in a primary.”
Harry Enten says Alexander and Roberts “are heavy favorites to win their primaries this week against conservative challengers, but the data from past primary challenges suggest that Alexander has a higher chance of being upset.”
Roll Call has 6 things to watch as results come in.
Lawmaker Approval Hits New Low
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds the number of Americans who approve of their representative in Congress is at an all-time low.
Key findings: 51% said that they disapprove of the way their member of Congress is “handling his or her job” while 41% approve of how their member handles his or her work. It’s the first time in 25 years that the number of Americans who disapprove of their own Congress member has risen over 50 percent.
Quote of the Day
“She is such a dominant frontrunner. I think most people will decide to stand down.”
— David Plouffe, quoted by the Wall Street Journal, on Hillary Clinton’s presidential chances.
Democrats Seize on Social Issues
New York Times: “They aim to match President Obama’s feat in 2012, when the incumbent used topics such as same-sex marriage and contraception as weapons to offset his vulnerability on the economy. That they would even try while facing the older, whiter, more conservative midterm electorate shows how thoroughly the politics of social issues have turned upside down.”
“The tumultuous social changes that began in the 1960s supplied decades of political ammunition for Republicans. Beginning with Richard M. Nixon, they rallied Americans disturbed by noisy protests over civil rights, the sexual revolution and the Vietnam War.”
