Rick Santorum suggested that President Obama’s campaign team “told him they were privately afraid the former senator could have ridden a wave of working-class votes to beat the President in the 2012 election,” TPM reports.
Young Voters Uninterested in Midterm Elections
A new Harvard Institute of Politics poll finds the percentage of young people who are likely to vote in the midterm elections “is shrinking relative to the last time we asked the question five months ago, and also compared to four years ago at this time.”
Key finding: 24% of Americans under the age of 30 say that they will “definitely be voting,”in the upcoming midterm elections, a sharp decrease of 10 percentage points since the Fall.
Georgia Senate Primary Headed for a Runoff?
A new SurveyUSA poll in Georgia finds David Perdue (R) and Jack Kingston (R) may be headed to a Republican runoff race for Georgia’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Perdue leads Kingston 26% to 20%, followed by Karen Handel (R) at 15% and Paul Broun (R) at 13%.
What if Republicans Take Control of the Senate?
Wall Street Journal: “It is very difficult to imagine that House Republicans’ takeaway from such an election would be to search again for moderation. But it wouldn’t matter. The House won’t be capable of legislating on its own. The real focus will be on the Senate.”
“It also is very difficult to imagine Senate Republicans winning the 60 votes necessary to cut off a filibuster. So, the issue facing House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell would be simple. How do they legislate given the fact that every bill coming from the House would be subject to a Democratic filibuster in the Senate?”
Quote of the Day
“The Republican Party knows if it continues to be seen as anti-immigrant, they’re going to lose election after election.”
— Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), quoted by the New York Daily News.
How to Survive Scandal on Capitol Hill
New York Times:
“If House members are caught up in sexual peccadilloes or other
made-for-television acts, they have been driven from Capitol Hill
posthaste. If the allegations are more complicated, they have largely
been given a pass.”
Tillis Leads GOP Race in North Carolina
A new Civitas poll in North Carolina finds Thom Tillis (R) leading among registered Republicans in the Senate primary with 38%, followed by Greg Bannon (R) at 17% and Mark Harris (R) at 14%.
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds Tillis at 46%, Brannon at 20% and Harris at 11%.
Tillis needs 40% to avoid a runoff.
The Midterm Dilemma for Democrats
Sasha Issenberg: “There is the America that votes in presidential elections, which has helped Democrats win the popular vote in five out of the last six cycles and supports the view that Hillary Clinton can continue that streak should she run. Then there is the America that votes more regularly, casting ballots in both presidential and midterm years, which led to the Republican wave in 2010 and gives its party’s leaders reason to be so sanguine about their odds this time around.”
“Democrats are facing an inverse of the four-decade span in the late twentieth century when the party controlled the House of Representatives and largely dominated the Senate but suffered through three two-term Republican presidencies. The bad news for Democrats is that the imbalance could take a generation to work itself out naturally. The good news is that, thanks to a newly nuanced understanding of the voting brain, they know exactly what it will take to fix it.”
Preference for GOP Congress Marks New Low for Obama
A new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds that voters by a 53% to 39% margin say they’d rather see the Republicans in control of Congress as a counterbalance to President Obama’s policies than a Democratic-led Congress to help support him.
Meanwhile, Obama’s job approval rating, after a slight winter rebound, has lost 5 points among all adults since March, to 41%, the lowest of his presidency.
McDonnell Has a Teaching Job
Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has a new job as a visiting professor at Liberty University where he has given lectures on constitutional law and state government, the AP reports.
McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, are currently awaiting trial on federal corruption charges.
Ex-Illinois Lawmaker Arrested on Child Porn Charges
Former Illinois State Rep. Keith Farnham (D) was charged “with using both personal and state-owned computers to trade hundreds of images and videos depicting child pornography and engage in graphic online chats in which he allegedly bragged about sexually molesting a 6-year-old girl,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
When he resigned his seat last month, Farnham said he was stepping down due to serious health concerns.
Deal Holds Narrow Lead in Georgia
A new Survey USA poll in Georgia finds Gov. Nathan Deal (R) edging challenger Jason Carter (D) in the race for governor, 41% to 37%, with Libertarian Andrew hunt at 9%.
Walker Under Scrutiny
The New York Times notes that with the prospect of higher office on the horizon, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) “finds his earlier track record under increasing scrutiny, not only for how closely it hews to conservative principles but also for the criminal convictions of some staff members and the release of staff emails that included racial and ethnic slurs.”
“These date to his time as Milwaukee County executive, a post he held from 2002 to 2010, and raise questions about the people he chose as confidants, the same sorts of questions that have caused more acute troubles for Mr. Christie in the scandal surrounding lane closings at the George Washington Bridge. Three of Mr. Walker’s former aides and several other associates have been convicted of crimes in an investigation into whether campaign work was being done on county time.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“On top of all that I have an election to win.”
— Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY), quoted by the New York Observer, at a press conference after his indictment on federal fraud charges.
Actually Donald Sterling is a Republican
After several conservative publications claimed racist Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was a Democrat — primarily because of political contributions made to several candidates — Mother Jones finds that he’s actually a registered Republican.
“There’s little reason to get excited about Sterling’s political affiliation. But if you choose to do so, you ought to get it right.”
The Week has the latest on the story.
This Week on the Podcast
North Carolina political reporter Rob Christensen joins us for a deep dive into Tar Heel state politics.
Democratic pollster Geoff Garin gives us insight into upcoming midterm elections and whether Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2016.
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McAllister Won’t Run Again
Rep. Vance McAllister (R-LA) told the Monroe News-Star that he won’t be seeking reelection to his seat next fall.
“McAllister has been under siege since a scandal broke before Easter when a video was published showing the married congressman kissing a married former staffer.”
Grimm Indicted on Fraud Charges
Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) was indicted on 20 counts including “federal fraud charges for underreporting the wages and payroll while running an Upper East Side restaurant, concealing the actual payroll in a separate set of computer records,” the New York Times reports.
He also lied under oath in January 2013, while he was a member of Congress, during a deposition, the indictment says.
Roll Call: “Grimm will be on the general-election ballot unless one of three unlikely events takes place… He has already been designated by the state party as its nominee, so the only way he can be removed is by moving out of the district, running for a judgeship or being convicted before the general, the source said.”
Cook Political Report moves the seat to “Lean Democrat.”
