A new Rasmussen survey in Virgina shows Terry McAuliffe (D) has jumped to a 17-point lead over Ken Cuccinelli (R) in the Virginia gubernatorial race, 50% to 33%. Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis is a distant third with 8%.
McCain Mulls Running Again
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said that he is considering running for another term in 2016, when he would be 80 years old, the Washington Post reports.
Said McCain on KFYI-AM: “I’m seriously thinking about maybe giving another opportunity for you to vote for or against me in a few years from now. I’m seriously giving that a lot of thought.”
A Wave Might Not Be Enough for Democrats in 2014
Reid Wilson notes that Democrats hold an edge in the generic congressional ballot by 8 points, 48% to 40%.
“But given the challenges Democrats face and the heavily gerrymandered districts that work to protect incumbent members of Congress, it would take a political wave to unseat the House Republican majority. And at the moment, the Democratic advantage isn’t large enough to suggest that a wave is building.”
Nate Cohn: “If there’s anything I could get people to understand about the next election, it’s this: Even a 2006 or 2010-esque tsunami might not give Democrats control of the House.”
McAuliffe Opens Up Early Lead
A new Public Policy Polling survey of early voters in the Virginia Governor’s race finds Terry McAuliffe (D) has opened up a large early lead over Ken Cuccinelli (R) among those who have already cast ballots, 57% to 39%.
New Texas Law Could Supress Women Voting
PolicyMic: “The new Texas law requires all voters to provide a photo ID that reflects their current name. If they cannot, voters must provide any of a series of other acceptable forms of identification all of which must match exactly and match the name on their birth certificate.”
“Supporters of these new laws insist that requiring voters to have an ID that matches their birth certificate is a reasonable requirement. As Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has repeatedly said, ‘Almost every single person either has a valid photo ID … or it is very easy to get one.’ What they don’t say, however, is that the people who don’t are largely married women who have taken their husband’s name.”
“In fact, only 66% of women have an ID that reflects their current name. If any voter is using name different than what appears on their birth certificate, the voter is required to show proof of name change by providing an original or certified copy of their marriage license, divorce decree, or court ordered name change. Photocopies aren’t accepted.”
An Alternate History of the Government Shutdown
Rick Klein: “Imagine a world where the shutdown never happened, and the debt limit was never approached. We’d now be three weeks into constant coverage of a flawed website that might be part of a flawed broader health-insurance marketplace — if only the administration would release real details of who’s signing up and how. Secret government contracts would be handed out to anonymous techies to rush fixes into the system. The Obama White House would be hard-pressed to guarantee that everything would be working in time for the Jan. 1 start of the individual mandate.”
“If, in that context, Republicans were pushing a year-long delay to the individual mandate, now we’re talking about some tough votes for Democrats. Sen. Marco Rubio is making that push now, and he may make some progress. But – recalling that Rubio joined Sen. Ted Cruz and the tea party in pressing the de-fund strategy that led to the shutdown – this is what picking moments is all about. For opponents of the Obama health care law, the events of the last few weeks have made the fight harder, when it should have been a whole lot easier.”
Inhofe Says Obamacare Would Have Killed Him
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) told a national radio audience that his recent heart condition would have been fatal in any other country because of the “socialized medicine like Obama is trying to impose upon America,” Tulsa World reports.
“Inhofe underwent quadruple bypass surgery earlier this month after blockages were discovered during what was described as a routine checkup.”
Shaheen Appears Safe for Re-Election
A new WMUR Granite State Poll in New Hampshire shows Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) solidly ahead of former Rep. Charlie Bass (R), 51% to 34%, and former state Sen. Jim Rubens (R), 53% to 28%.
Not a Fringe Republican
The Week: New poll shows Sen. Ted Cruz represents the mainstream of the Republican party.
Santorum Assists Cuccinelli with ‘Strikeforce’
Rick Santorum is signing up volunteers for a “strikeforce” to help Ken Cuccinelli (R) in his bid to become governor of Virginia, Politico reports.
Right Wing Watch has Santorum’s plea.
Money Flows to Lobbyists
Political Moneyline finds that 19 organizations spent more than $1 million on lobbying last quarter.
Christie in the Presidential Pole Position
Marc Ambinder: “For the GOP, Chris Christie is on the leading edge of politics, the most broadly acceptable captain of a change movement that the Republican Party can embrace. That makes him the de facto leader of red state America, even if it’s not willing to accept him just yet.”
Obamacare Exchange Launched Despite Failed Test
“Days before the launch of President Obama’s online health insurance marketplace, government officials and contractors tested a key part of the Web site to see whether it could handle tens of thousands of consumers at the same time. It crashed after a simulation in which just a few hundred people tried to log on simultaneously,” the Washington Post reports.
“Despite the failed test, federal health officials plowed ahead.”
The Week: Bungled website hasn’t changed opinions of Obamacare.
Quote of the Day
“About 47% of able-bodied people in the state of Maine don’t work.”
— Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R), quoted by the Bangor Daily News, echoing Mitt Romney’s infamous comments made during the 2012 presidential campaign.
A Key Meeting for Obama and Reid
Huffington Post: “Barack Obama and Harry Reid needed to clear the air. The relationship between the president and the Senate majority leader had been deteriorating since 2011, with Reid losing respect for Obama’s ability to negotiate with Republicans and Obama unsure if Reid had as much control over his Senate Democratic caucus as he liked to say.”
“So at the White House’s invitation, the two met in the Oval Office on July 9, with no staff, to talk one on one. It was a cathartic moment, one in which long-buried tensions were fully aired. Aides to the two men tell a similar story: Their boss had been losing confidence in his counterpart and wanted the meeting as a way to buck up the other.”
Too Early to Say Democrats Can Take the House
Charlie Cook: “Those who already are saying that the House of Representatives is now ‘in play’ are getting a little ahead of their skis–forgetting a few key factors. At the same time, however, it’s no longer fair to say that there is virtually zero or at most a minimal chance that Republicans will lose their majority. Recent actions and behavior during the shutdown make that an equally risky argument to make. While it is still not likely, a discussion of what specifically would have to happen to make a Democratic majority a reality is in order.”
Republicans Badly Judged Shutdown Fallout
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll “highlights just how badly the GOP hard-liners and the leaders who went along with them misjudged the public mood. In the aftermath, eight in 10 Americans say they disapprove of the shutdown. Two in three Republicans or independents who lean Republican share a negative view of the impasse. And even a majority of those who support the tea party movement disapprove.”
Secret Probe Underway in Wisconsin
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: “A former top-level assistant U.S. attorney has been appointed a special prosecutor in a burgeoning, secret investigation into a wide variety of state issues, including possible campaign violations during the recent recall elections.”
