Despite flaunting his $18 watch in campaign ads, the Chicago Sun Times reports that Illinois gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner (R) disclosed that he belongs to a an “exclusive wine club that cost upward of $100,000 to join.”
A Brief History of Ex-Governors Returning to Power
Though Charlie Crist (D) is seeking to become just the second ex-governor to return to his old job from Florida since statehood, a new Smart Politics analysis finds that nearly 150 have done so across the nation since the late 1700s.
Coakley Has Solid Lead in New Massachusetts Poll
A new University of Massachusetts at Lowell poll finds Martha Coakley (D) leading Charlie Baker (R) in the race for governor by nine points, 41% to 32%, with venture capitalist Jeff McCormick (I) at 7%.
Coburn Wants a Constitutional Convention
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) is pushing for a national convention to amend the Constitution,” The Hill reports.
“The Oklahoma Republican, who has grown disenchanted with gridlock in Washington, will officially launch his effort after he retires from the Senate in a few months. Support for a convention of the states to overhaul the nation’s charter document has increased among conservatives, who are frustrated by Congress’s failure to reform entitlement programs.”
Political Consultants Win Even When Clients Don’t
Brendan Nyhan: “Why is the campaign consultant market so inefficient? First, it suffers from what social scientists call an asymmetric information problem. The buyers (candidates) know much less about the service being provided than the sellers (consultants) — the same reason that consumers have a hard time making informed choices on health care. As a result, consultants are often hired based on their prominence or relationships with party insiders rather on than their past performance or other measures of quality.”
“Second, there are few good sources of data about firm performance. Consultant client lists are often not broadly publicized, preventing firms from being held accountable for their performance in past campaigns.”
O’Malley Will Run Even If Clinton Does
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) has Democratic fundraisers that “he would enter the presidential race even if front-runner Hillary Clinton is a candidate, suggesting she would face at least some competition for her party’s nomination from an established elected official if she runs,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
The Top Friday News Dumps of the Summer
National Journal notes the Friday news dump is “alive and well” and compiles a list of the biggest news dumps of the summer.
GOP Leads in Generic Ballot as Most See Nation Off Track
A new George Washington University Battleground Poll finds that 70% of likely voters nationwide feel that the country is on the wrong track. Just 21% say that the nation is headed in the right direction.
Republicans hold an edge on a generic congressional ballot, 46% to 42%. In states with a competitive U.S. Senate race, the GOP has a 16-point advantage on this generic ballot, 52% to 36%.
Said pollster Ed Goeas: “All of these measures exceed where the GOP was at this point in the 2010 cycle.”
Quote of the Day
“Whatever these murders think they’ll achieve by killing innocent Americans like Steven, they have already failed. They failed because, like people around the world, Americans are repulsed by their barbarism. We will not be intimidated. Their horrific acts only unite us as a country and stiffen our resolve to fight against these terrorists and those who make the mistake of harming Americans will learn that we will not forget and that our reach is long and that justice will be served.”
— President Obama, quoted by McClatchy, on the beheading of journalist Steven Sotloff.
Rowland Heads to Trial on Conspiracy Charges
Former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland (R) “is due in court on Wednesday for the start of his trial on charges of violating U.S. campaign finance laws by seeking backroom consulting jobs on two Republican congressional campaigns,” Reuters reports.
Hartford Courant: “Few criminal trials promise better plot lines than John Rowland’s latest encounter with federal prosecutors, scheduled to begin Wednesday barring another last-minute surprise. Rowland is a politically gifted — but, in the government’s view, entirely incorrigible — three-term former Republican governor. He is accused, for the second time since he was forced to resign from office in 2004, of subverting the political process for personal gain.”
Cuomo Avoids Talk of Campaign
Next Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) name “will appear on the Democratic primary ballot across New York State. But in the meantime, he seems determined to avoid discussing his re-election much at all,” the New York Times reports.
“For months, Mr. Cuomo, who is heavily favored to win a second term, has seldom discussed his candidacy. During the legislative session, which ended in June, he responded to questions about politics by imploring reporters to wait until the political season.”
Durbin Holds Small Lead in Illinois
A new Harper Polling survey in Illinois finds Sen. Dick Durbin (D) with a six point lead over challenger Jim Oberweis (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 44% to 38%.
Scott Holds Lead in Florida
A new Tampa Bay Times poll in Florida finds Gov. Rick Scott (R) leading challenger Charlie Crist (D) in the race for governor, 41% to 36%, with Libertarian Adrian Wyllie at 6%.
A new Gravis Marketing survey shows the race tied, 37% to 37%, with 26% still undecided.
Nunn Holds Slight Edge in Georgia
A new WRBL/Ledger-Enquirer/PMB poll in Georgia finds Michelle Nunn (D) holds a slight lead over David Perdue (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 45% to 43%.
In the race for governor, Gov. Nathan Deal (R) leads challenger Jason Carter (D), 44% to 42%.
Second American Journalist Beheaded by ISIS
“The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has beheaded Steven J. Sotloff, the second American executed by the Islamic militant group, and posted a video of it on the Internet,” the New York Times reports.
“The execution of Mr. Sotloff, 31, came despite pleas from his mother aimed directly at ISIS’s top leader seeking mercy for her son, a freelance journalist who was captured in northern Syria a year ago.”
Vital Statistics on Congress
Brooking has released a new update to Vital Statistics on Congress. It used to be a must-read reference book and now it’s a fantastic website.
Wolf Maintains Huge Lead in Pennsylvania
A new Robert Morris University Polling Institute poll in Pennsylvania finds Tom Wolf (D) leads Gov. Tom Corbett (R) by a wide margin, 56% to 25%, among likely voters.
Quote of the Day
“Well they can come over and do same-day registration and say they want to come down and vote. So if they feel compelled to do so, come on down.”
— Scott Brown (R), quoted by Boston.com, encouraging out-of-state voters to vote for him in New Hampshire.
