A new Mitchell Research poll in Michigan finds Gary Peters (D) edging Terri Lynn Land (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 45% to 42%.
Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Snyder (R) leads challenger Mark Schauer (D) in the race for governor, 46% to 41%.
Iraq Not Putting Up a Fight
Guardian: “Iraqi officials told the Guardian that two divisions of Iraqi soldiers – roughly 30,000 men – simply turned and ran in the face of the assault by an insurgent force of just 800 fighters.”
Big Majority Wants to Keep Obamacare
A new Bloomberg National Poll finds 53% of Americans oppose the Affordable Care Act.
Nonetheless, 56% favor keeping the law with perhaps “small modifications,” while 10% would leave it as is. That’s the highest level of acceptance yet.
Abbott Holds Solid Lead for Texas Governor
A new Texas Tribune/University of Texas poll finds Greg Abbott (R) leads Wendy Davis (D) by 12 points in the race for Texas governor, 44% to 32%.
North Carolina Nearly Obliterated in the 1960s
The Week: “Two nuclear bombs plummeted from a splintering B-52 bomber in January 1961 and plopped down outside Goldsboro, North Carolina, according to newly-declassified government documents. And though the plane’s disintegration triggered the “fuzing sequence” in both weapons, neither went off because of miraculous technical issues.”
Merkley Holds Crushing Lead Over Wehby
A new SurveyUSA poll in Oregon finds Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) leading challenger Monica Wehby (D) by 18 points, 50% to 32%.
Wehby released an internal poll yesterday suggesting the race was a dead heat.
Grimes Slightly Ahead in Kentucky
A new Magellan Strategies (R) poll in Kentucky finds Allison Lundergran Grimes (D) leading Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) by three points in the U.S. Senate race, 49% to 46%.
Political Polarization Is Dividing America
A new Pew Research study finds Republicans and Democrats in Congress “aren’t the only partisans who deeply distrust people from the other side of the aisle,” the New York Times reports.
“Liberals and conservatives prefer to associate with and live near their fellow partisans. They would be unhappy if their children married someone with a different political viewpoint. The result isn’t just polarized politics, but a divided society where liberals and conservatives increasingly keep apart.”
Really amazing charts over at Wonk Wire.
Romney Wants to be a Kingmaker
“Once fearing he would be viewed as ‘a loser for life’ if he failed to win the presidency, Mitt Romney is trying to re-emerge as a force in Republican politics,” the AP reports.
“Romney has quietly sought kingmaker status in the GOP’s fight for the Senate majority this fall and its quest to retake the White House in 2016. The effort at revival is fueling whispers about a third presidential run. But those closest to Romney suggest he’s more interested in shaping party politics by lending his name and record-breaking fundraising machine to what he considers the next generation of electable conservatives.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“If I were a drinking man, I’d have been drunk last night. I’d have been celebrating like crazy.”
— Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), quoted by KDVR, on Rep. Eric Cantor’s (R-VA) defeat in a GOP primary.
Rauner Jumps Out to Big Lead in Illinois
A new We Ask America poll in Illinois shows Bruce Rauner (R) with a 10-point lead over Gov. Pat Quinn (D) in the race for governor, 47% to 37%, with 16% undecided.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“If you’re a conservative, you think Barack Obama is literally destroying the country you love. And you watch your leadership and they seem unwilling to take him head on, and also unable to outmaneuver him.”
— Newt Gingrich, quoted by the New York Times.
Hensarling Will Not Run for House Majority Leader
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) “will not run for House majority leader in next week’s special election,” National Journal reports.
Hensarling’s decision is a blow to House conservatives, as he was the last of their preferred candidates to be seriously considering a run against Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
The competitive leadership race is now to replace McCarthy as House Majority Whip.
Quote of the Day
“Very, very capable public servant, great secretary of State, first lady. Very capable.”
— Gov. Rick Perry (R), quoted by the Los Angeles Times, on Hillary Clinton.
Bush Will Mark 90th Birthday with Parachute Jump
Former President George H.W. Bush “can no longer use his legs, but he isn’t letting that prevent him from keeping a vow made five years ago: to jump from an aircraft on his 90th birthday, which is Thursday,” the AP reports.
“The first time Bush jumped from an airplane was when his plane was shot down in World War II over the Pacific. Later, he decided to jump from a plane of his own accord and marked his 75th, 80th and 85th birthdays by skydiving.”
Iraq Disintegrates as Insurgents Advance
“Iraq was on the brink of disintegration Thursday as al-Qaeda-inspired fighters swept through northern Iraq toward Baghdad and Kurdish soldiers seized the city of Kirkuk without a fight,” the Washington Post reports.
“Lawmakers gathered at the Iraqi parliament to discuss the declaration of a state of emergency, a day after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki assured Iraqis that the insurgents’ gains were temporary and would soon be reversed by the Iraqi army.”
Perry Says Homosexuality Is Like Alcoholism
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) compared homosexuality to alcoholism during a visit to California, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Said Perry: “Whether or not you feel compelled to follow a particular lifestyle or not, you have the ability to decide not to do that. I may have the genetic coding that I’m inclined to be an alcoholic, but I have the desire not to do that, and I look at the homosexual issue the same way.”
“The Texas Republican Party this month adopted a platform supporting
access to ‘reparative therapy’ for gays and lesbians, a widely
discredited process intended to change sexual orientation.”
McCarthy Moves Quickly
“As the race to replace House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) began Wednesday afternoon, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and his allies adopted a motto: Speed kills,” the Washington Post reports.
“Using his deep network of supporters, deputy whips and a paper-based scoring system that dates back to the House leadership races of the 1990s, McCarthy and his team were asserting momentum Wednesday night in the race to become the second-ranking House Republican, hoping to swiftly seal the deal as other contenders were still mulling whether to join the fray.”
First Read: “How soon does this get wrapped up and how public do the machinations become? The quicker, the better for McCarthy and Boehner allies who want a resolution with minimal disruption before the midterms. But a long, public debate would empower House conservatives who want to use Cantor’s ouster as a chance to send a real message to leadership NOW instead of waiting until after the election.”
