Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) “is expected to kick off a historic, juggernaut campaign for re-election that many political analysts suspect will be a cakewalk, even though a majority of Iowans think the Republican has been in office long enough,” the Des Moines Register reports.
“Iowa Democrats’ inability to produce a big-name challenger, and Branstad’s high popularity and job approval ratings, mean the governor’s in a strong position, strategists say.”
David Jolly (R) has defeated two GOP rivals to win his party’s nomination in the race to replace the late Rep. C.W. Bill Young in Florida’s 13th District, Roll Call reports.
“Jolly will face former state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink in the March 11 general election in this St. Petersburg-based district. This special election marks the first truly competitive special election of the cycle, and many political insiders view it as a bellwether for the cycle.”
A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled that “the state’s constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage violated the federal Constitution, the latest in a string of legal victories for gay rights and one that occurred in the heart of the Bible Belt,” the New York Times reports.
“The decision will not take effect immediately, and Oklahoma is almost certain to appeal, leaving prospects uncertain for gay couples in the state.”
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“Efforts to reach a bipartisan deal extending benefits for the long-term unemployed floundered Tuesday, sunk by squabbles over Senate procedure magnified by both parties’ efforts to reap political points in an election year,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Lawmakers had been working for weeks to restore emergency unemployment insurance benefits that expired on Dec. 28, but progress ground to a halt Tuesday as tensions rose over Republicans’ role in the Senate’s legislative process.”
“A series of closed-door meetings and votes produced no headway in reaching an agreement on an extension of the unemployment insurance. A key procedural vote to end debate on the bill extending the benefits failed in a party-line 55-45 vote, ending more than a week’s worth of unsuccessful negotiations. The measure needed 60 votes to advance.”
Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY) announced that he will retire from Congress after just two full terms, Roll Call reports.
Some great clicks over at Wonk Wire:
Michael Crowley: “Clinton has demonstrated a well-documented willingness to use American military power overseas. Gates’ book is just the latest evidence, along with previous reporting and original interviews with current and former Obama officials, of the strikingly hawkish voice Clinton offered during Obama Situation Room debates…In fact, Clinton may have been the administration’s most reliable advocate for military action. On at least three crucial issues–Afghanistan, Libya, and the bin Laden raid–Clinton took a more aggressive line than Gates, a Bush-appointed Republican.”
Gov. Chris Christie (R) “was with the official who arranged the closure of local lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 11, 2013 — the third day of the closures, and well after they had triggered outrage from local officials beset by heavy traffic,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“It isn’t known what, if anything, Mr. Christie discussed with David Wildstein that day.”
Former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice will headline a big fundraising dinner for House Republicans in March, the Washington Post reports.
“Rice has gradually stepped into the political arena since departing George W. Bush’s White House. Her speech at the Republican National Convention in August 2012 earned widespread praise, and she has also begun raising money for GOP causes, particularly for a Republican women’s political action committee.”
“Rice has said she’s not interested in running for office, but speculation persists that she could run in 2016.”
First Read: “As for the investigation into the GWB lane closures, the level of Christie’s cooperation will be a big tell. If he and his administration are truly cooperative — turning over every email, appearing before every investigative panel — then it will appear they have nothing to hide, and it will be a reminder he really does want to rescue his national ambitions. But if they stonewall, then it may be that Christie and his folks have concluded they have bigger problems than 2016.”
Former New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey (D) said that some Democrats “tried to quash an investigation into the George Washington Bridge traffic scandal to protect Gov. Chris Christie (R),” the Newark Star Ledger reports.
Codey noted “that while the state Assembly was ramping up its investigation on the massive traffic jam — eventually finding that several people in Christie’s office were involved — there was ‘an intense campaign’ by some Democrats to stop it in its tracks.”
Said Codey: “People know that there was an effort by certain Democratic circles to have this thing not see the light of day.”
“No, I wasn’t drinking, I don’t drink.”
— Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, quoted by the Toronto Sun, on his much-publicized visit to a nightclub over the weekend.
Peter Hamby looks at Hillary Clinton and the invisible primary in Iowa, a state the tripped up her presidential ambitions in 2008.
“But beneath the surface here, familiar pitfalls might await Clinton should she decide to run: A restive and emboldened progressive base long suspicious of Clintonian moderation, a hunger for fresh Democratic voices, and a caucus electorate that boasts a cherished tradition of voting with its heart rather than its head.”
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) will marry his longtime partner, designer Randy Florke, CNN reports.
Said Maloney: “After 21 years together, we are excited for the next step in our journey as a family. For decades, we’ve fought to ensure that all families can experience the joys of loving commitment and we are proud to have our friends and family share this special moment with us in the near future.”
On his way out of the door, the out-going Virginia governor pulls a prank on the incoming governor, WTVR reports.
“So for his prank, former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) left a very big surprise for newly-elected Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) to find. A giant stuffed black bear in his office bathroom.”
Said McAuliffe: “McDonnell left a few items for me. One was pretty cute; he had an alarm clock hidden in a drawer.”
Jay Stamper (D), the lone Democratic candidate in South Carolina’s U.S. Senate race is a felon, the Columbia State reports.
“Grudging and reluctant support has come from some corners of Stampers’ own party after revelations he pleaded guilty to three felony charges associated with the illegal sale of securities in 2006. Stamper was ordered to repay millions of dollars and said at Monday’s meeting that $600,000 of that came from his own pocket. Stamper called the incident “a business mistake I made several years ago,’ and said securities laws are very complicated, and he acted on advice from two teams of lawyers.”
A new Congressional Management Foundation survey finds that nearly four in ten senior staff on Capitol Hill said they plan to look for a job in the next 12 months.
Charlie Cook: “Christie indeed sat at the top of some of the polls that lay out a long laundry list of every imaginable contender (as well as some who are harder to imagine), but does that make him the front-runner? I think not.”
“Think for a moment who makes up the Republican Party, and most specifically the part of the GOP base that dominates the presidential nomination process. Think about the people they seriously considered for their party’s presidential nomination last time around. Think Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, and Newt Gingrich. Now, quickly, think Christie. Now think Sesame Street: ‘One of these things is not like the others; one of these things just doesn’t belong.’ It’s laughable that the party that has previously seriously considered some fairly inconceivable candidates as worthy of the GOP nomination would suddenly reverse course and head over to a center-right candidate such as Christie.”
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.
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