Just published: Breakout: Pioneers of the Future, Prison Guards of the Past, and the Epic Battle That Will Decide America’s Fate by Newt Gingrich.
On Wonk Wire
Bonus Quote of the Day
“In politics, when you have to eat shit, you don’t nibble.”
— Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis, quoted by CBS News, saying that President Obama “would be wise to admit his like-your-plan-keep-your-plan dodge was a mistake and apologize immediately and conspicuously.”
How to Tell if Your Mayor is Smoking Crack
Jimmy Kimmel explains with a useful video.
Wife Defeats Husband in Local Race
Jennifer Johnson (D) defeated her husband David Johnson (R) for a municipal seat in Waterville Maine, the Morning Sentinel reports.
The couple “say they entered the race to call attention to the importance of being involved and serving the community — and as a way of getting people out to vote.”
Everyone Lies About Obamacare
Jon Stewart cuts right to the truth again.
Election Talk
Runyan Will Not Run Again
Rep. Jon Runyan (R-NJ), a former star football player, will not seek re-election next year, the Newark Star-Ledger has learned.
“Runyan, a moderate Republican, wrested back control of the traditionally Republican 7th District House seat in South Jersey from Democrat John Adler, who held it for one term after the retirement of longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton.”
Clinton Gets a Key Win
Beth Reinhard:
“Hillary Clinton supporters are crowing that helping to install
Democrat Terry McAuliffe as the next governor of Virginia puts her one
battleground state closer to the White House in 2016. While drawing
broad conclusions from off-year political race can be dangerous, there
are signs that McAuliffe’s victory offers Clinton reasons for optimism
if she runs for president.”
Last Night’s Winners
Over at The Week, I’ve tallied 3 big wins for Democrats and 3 big wins for Republicans last night.
Christie’s Strategy of Wooing Key Democrats Pays Off
Charles Stile: “Christie’s bold leadership during Superstorm Sandy, the shrewd marketing of his Jersey tough guy persona and several important legislative accomplishments are indeed important factors in the strong support for his reelection. But while the public was seeing all of that, Christie discreetly and methodically courted Democrats with every lever of power at his disposal. By the end, many of those Democrats would supply the manpower, money or simply the photo ops for his campaign.”
Quote of the Day
“I believe that there’s been a crisis of confidence created in the dysfunctional nature of the website, the canceling of policies, and sticker shock from some people.”
— Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), quoted by Roll Call, signalling increasing Democratic anxiety over the botched roll out of Obamacare.
Why Did McAuliffe Barely Win in Virginia?
Politico: “Most public polls leading up to Election Day had Democrat Terry McAuliffe coasting to victory, some by double digits, in the Virginia governor’s race. Instead he squeaked by, beating Republican Ken Cuccinelli by less than 3 percentage points.”
“The much-closer-than-expected outcome blunts the narrative that this was a clean win for Democrats going into 2014 and guarantees an intense blame game among Republicans about what might have put Cuccinelli over the top.”
GOP Establishment Prevails in Alabama
Bradley Byrne (R) defeated tea-party-backed candidate Dean Young (R) in a special GOP runoff in Alabama’s 1st District, “marking the first big win for more moderate Republicans in the fight for control of the GOP since the government shutdown,” Roll Call reports.
Politico: “The Republican establishment struck back on Tuesday, notching a win over a tea party candidate in a closely-watched special runoff election for an Alabama congressional seat.”
Duggan is Next Detroit Mayor
Mike Duggan “overcame questions about his outsider status to become Detroit’s first white mayor in about four decades,” the Detroit News reports.
Detroit Free Press: “For the first time in 40 years, predominantly black Detroit elected a white person as mayor. Community leaders, political observers and voters provided a number of theories on how that happened. But among them was a theme: The election was about much more than skin color, even in a region where race has been a foremost issue for decades.”
Walsh Wins Boston Mayoral Race
Martin Walsh, “a legislator and longtime labor leader, ground out a tight victory over Councilor at Large John R. Connolly Tuesday to become Boston’s 48th mayor, propelled by a diverse coalition that transcended geography, race, and ideology,” the Boston Globe reports.
The Boston Herald notes Walsh’s win “was fueled by a groundswell of union support, a massive, grassroots
get-out-the-vote effort and the backing of several key elected
officials of color.”
De Blasio Pledges New Direction for New York City
Bill de Blasio (D), “who transformed himself from a little-known occupant of an obscure office into the fiery voice of New York’s disillusionment with a new gilded age, was elected the city’s 109th mayor on Tuesday,” the New York Times reports.
“His overwhelming victory, stretching from the working-class precincts of central Brooklyn to the suburban streets of northern Queens, amounted to a forceful rejection of the hard-nosed, business-minded style of governance that reigned at City Hall for the past two decades and a sharp leftward turn for the nation’s largest metropolis.”
Christie Wins in a Landslide
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) “won re-election by a crushing margin on Tuesday, a victory that vaulted him to the front rank of Republican presidential contenders and made him his party’s foremost proponent of pragmatism over ideology,” the New York Times reports.
“The governor prevailed despite holding positions contrary to those of many New Jersey voters on several issues, including same-sex marriage, abortion rights and the minimum wage, and despite an economic recovery that has trailed the rest of the country.”