Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said his administration’s “ongoing discussion about taxes includes a look at whether it would be feasible to eliminate the income tax,” WisPolitics.com reports.
Said Walker: “There are many states that do very well, better than most states in the country, that have no income taxes. That’s one thing for us to look at. Is that feasible? What would that mean in terms of an economic boost? That’s not only for individuals, but small businesses in this state.”
Local officials ordered the emergency closure of an unorthodox campaign headquarters for Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) last month, citing multiple safety violations, the Houston Chronicle reports.
TPM “has obtained photographs taken by the local officials who recently shut down Stockman’s campaign office… And the images are dirty. And dusty. And grimy.”
The Week looks at the evidence.
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Los Angeles Times: “If he weren’t the nation’s oldest governor, a ripe 75, Jerry Brown would automatically be counted among serious Democratic candidates for president in 2016. He boasts a household name, an impressive list of accomplishments in the country’s most populous state — a state some once deemed ungovernable — glowing national media coverage and a deep familiarity with the pitfalls and rigors of a White House bid, having run three times before.”
“The famously Delphic governor often leaves people guessing about his motivation and intentions, which leaves plenty of leeway ahead of 2016. Absent a clear-cut statement of disinterest from Brown — who sought the White House in 1976, 1980 and 1992 — some see familiar signs of a presidential-candidate-in-waiting.”
For a complete list of retirements, see Roll Call’s excellent casualty list for the 113th Congress.
And keep track of the latest race ratings changes at the Cook Political Report.
Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) announced on Facebook that he “will not seek reelection to the House of Representatives.”
Roll Call: “This essentially takes his seat — the heavily Republican 4th District — out of play for Democrats… Mia Love, a top GOP recruit, came within a few hundred votes of defeating him in 2012. She promptly announced her rematch in early 2013.”
Charlie Crist (D) leads Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) by 4 points in his own internal poll, 49% to 45%, Politico reports.
“The Florida governor’s race will perhaps be the most expensive campaign of 2014 and, coming in such a key presidential battleground, might be the hottest race of the midterms.”
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) will not seek an 18th term in Congress, Roll Call reports.
“Wolf’s decision puts into play a Northern Virginia seat that was only safe based on the strength of his incumbency. Democrats are almost sure to go after it. Mitt Romney narrowly carried the district, with 50 percent of the vote to President Barack Obama’s 49 percent, in 2012.”
The Hill: “There has been speculation
for months that Wolf might retire, given his age and weak fundraising efforts, but his office had insisted that he planned to run again.”
Walter Shapiro: “The inescapable reality of the remainder of the Obama presidency is that he never again will have the congressional votes to pass liberal legislation. That leaves the president with stark choices: Does he continue to make speeches into the wind about economic inequality knowing that nothing will change during the next three years? Or does he embark on an experimental effort to find non-traditional backdoor methods to spark the economy? Does he go with partisan talking points or the quest to find Republican partners?”
Stu Rothenberg: “The first Senate primary contest will be March 4 in Texas. Rep.
Steve Stockman’s last-minute challenge to GOP Sen. John Cornyn got
plenty of media attention. But unless Stockman can find a pot of gold
(worth at least $10 million or so) at the end of a rainbow, Cornyn will
cruise to victory. … The next incumbent senator facing a primary is
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky on May 20. Gauging Matt
Bevin’s credibility and McConnell’s vulnerability in a primary is not
easy. But up to this point, most observers believe McConnell will
survive. … So right out of the gate, it’s very possible that two of the
highest ranking Republicans in the Senate — McConnell and Cornyn — win
their primaries and hand the anti-establishment crowd two high-profile
losses.”
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (D) test drove a car as he will soon be driving himself, after 20 years of having a police officer drive him around, the Boston Globe reports.
Said Menino: “There was a button to turn on the engine! A button to call somebody. I kept looking for the clutch!”
“The question that we have is, will it be the Hillary that leads the progressives? Or is it the Hillary that says, ‘I’m already going to win the Democratic nomination, and so I can shift hard right on Day 1.’ We can’t afford any more hard right. We had eight years of George Bush. Now we’ve had five years of Obama, [who], I would argue, in many cases has been a corporatist.”
— Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D), quoted by the Weekly Standard.
“The recount in Virginia’s attorney general race began Monday and will likely conclude toward the end of this week,” Politico reports.
If Mark Herring (D) “prevails after the recount, Democrats will control all three statewide constitutional offices for the first time since 1989.”
John Sides, political scientist and founder of The Monkey Cage, joins us on the Political Wire podcast
for an interesting discussion about his new book, The Gamble, and his early forecast for the 2014 midterm elections.
Listen here:
Subscribe via iTunes or RSS to get episodes automatically or download the episode here.
Thanks to the Cook Political Report for sponsoring this episode and offering listeners a special trial subscription offer.
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Kentucky finds Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) clinging to a one point lead over challenger Alison Lundergran Grimes (D), 43% to 42%.
Key finding: McConnell’s approval rating is a dismal 31% to 61%.
“With a bipartisan budget deal now on track to pass, the debt limit is looming as a focal point for the next high-stakes fiscal battle between Democrats and Republicans, as well as between tea-party and business-friendly factions of the GOP, as candidates position for the midterm elections,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“It’s unclear what budget measures Republicans could try to extract from a debt-limit battle, as the budget deal the Senate will vote on this week includes the obvious targets.”
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Arkansas finds Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) in a dead heat with Rep. Tom Cotton (R), 44% to 44%.
“Early next year, Obama advisers are expected to announce a search for a home for Mr. Obama’s foundation and library, a project that some of the president’s closest financial supporters estimate could cost more than $500 million,” the New York Times reports.
“The legacy project has proved magnetic to Obama lifers both inside and outside the White House. Marty Nesbitt, a Chicago investor who is so close to Mr. Obama that he amounts to the effort’s presidential seal of approval, is leading the outside campaign. He is working with the president’s go-to fund-raiser and 2012 deputy campaign manager, Julianna Smoot, to offer the first caresses to potential donors. Anita Dunn, Mr. Obama’s former communications director, is preparing the media strategy.”
“Already, suitors from Mr. Obama’s home and adopted states — and even New York, where he lived for two years as an undergraduate — are expressing interest in landing the library. But it is Chicago where the competition is most fierce.”
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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