Terry McAuliffe (D) continues to widen his campaign funding advantage over Ken Cuccinelli (R) in the Virginia governor’s race, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.
McAuliffe had $6 million in cash on hand as of June 30, more than double Cuccinelli’s nearly $2.7 million.
A new Quinnipiac poll in New York City shows Anthony Weiner (D) leading the Democratic race for mayor with 25%, followed by Christine Quinn (D) at 22%, William Thompson (D) at 11%, Bill de Blasio (D) at 10% and John Liu (D) at 7%.
In the race for Comptroller, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) leads Scott Stringer (D), 48% to 33%.
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds Gov. Bob McDonnell’s (R) job approval at just 36% with 41% disapproving. His net approval rating has dropped 12 points in the last month, and for the first time since taking office he’s under water.
Key finding: “McDonnell’s ethics issues seem to be driving this downturn in his popularity. Only 31% of voters in the state consider him to be an ethical politician, compared to 45% who do not.”
Jeff Schapiro notes that Republicans are contemplating the
resignation or even the forced removal of Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) as he deals with a gifts scandal.
“Defending their majority this fall, House of Delegates Republicans will
cut and run on the first sign that McDonnell’s problems are becoming
theirs. Their survival instinct will demand it. An alarming harbinger
for Republicans: conservative bloggers, who had already turned against
McDonnell for raising taxes, report as fact that his resignation is
inevitable, part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. An administration
that ordinarily ignores the blogs did otherwise this time, issuing a
forceful denial. Should pressure intensify because of hostile public
opinion, fed by unflattering news reports that go unanswered by
McDonnell, House Republicans may have no option than to tell him he has
none: that it’s time for him to go.”
Gothamist runs an anonymous piece from a staffer for Eliot Spitzer’s campaign who says he was paid $800 per day to collect signatures to get the former governor on the ballot for New York City Comptroller.
Just four days after he launched his campaign, Eliot Spitzer (D) said that “over 27,000 signatures” were submitted to the Board of Elections just ahead of a midnight deadline to get on the ballot for New York City comptroller, the AP reports.
Spitzer needs 3,750 valid petition signatures to get on the Democratic primary ballot for September.
Ken Cuccinelli (R) “put some distance between himself and the man he wants to succeed with his strongest remarks to date on the cascading gift scandal engulfing Gov. Bob McDonnell’s administration,” the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.
Said Cuccinelli: “What we’ve all been seeing is very painful for Virginia, and it’s completely inconsistent with Virginia’s very reserved traditions. Right now there are two investigations running, one of which began with my referral, and we need to let those play out. However, all of this emphasizes the need for clearer and faster disclosures that cover the whole family, as well as a cap on the size and types of gifts.”
A new Wall Street Journal-NBC 4-Marist Poll finds former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) leads Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer (D) by nine percentage points in the race for New York City comptroller, 42% to 33%.
Nearly a quarter of voters were undecided, but two-thirds of Democrats, or 67%, said they believe Mr. Spitzer, who resigned as governor five years ago after he was caught patronizing prostitutes, should be given a second chance.
First Read: “The question now becomes whether McDonnell’s fall from grace hurts gubernatorial nominee Ken Cuccinelli, who Democrats point out also has close ties to Jonnie Williams (including accepting gifts from him). The Cuccinelli campaign responds that Cucinelli’s AG office initiated this investigation, and they don’t believe McAuliffe will be a credible messenger to attack them on this issue. But it’s hard to see how this doesn’t hurt Cuccinelli, because he needs to court moderates and the GOP business community, and right now McDonnell looks to be toxic to help him with those groups.”
A new Quinnipiac poll in New Jersey finds Gov. Chris Christie (R) has a 2-1 job approval rating and a 61% to 29% lead over challenger Barbara Buono (D).
However, just 20% of voters say they are more likely to vote for a state legislative candidate endorsed by Christie, with 15% less likely and 63% who say the governor’s endorsement won’t influence their vote.
Said pollster Maurice Carroll: “The governor continues to thrash Sen. Buono, but voters say they’re not inclined to support legislative candidates because Christie supports them, or, as a matter of fact, because Buono supports them. It could change when the real campaign starts after Labor Day, if Christie decides to emulate his mentor, former Gov. Tom Kean, and work for the rest of the ticket. But at this stage, Christie is good only for Christie.”
Ruby Cramer: “In the past 48 hours, Eliot Spitzer has appeared on just about every local television and radio show to promote his eleventh-hour bid for New York City comptroller, but the comeback candidate may have a problem that publicity alone can’t fix: getting on the ballot.”
“After Spitzer appeared Monday afternoon at his petition drive with no staffers in tow — and few volunteers canvassing the area — questions remain about whether his hurried campaign will be able to collect the 3,750 signatures from registered Democrats required to qualify for the ballot by the midnight deadline this Thursday.”
Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) appeared on Morning Joe for a fascinating interview about his political comeback attempt.
But as Dylan Byers notes, there’s been some controversy over whether he actually teared up when discussing the pain he’s experienced since a prostitution scandal forced him from office.
“Why are you late? Were you with a hooker?”
— An unidentified man, quoted by the New York Daily News, at Eliot Spitzer’s (D) first campaign appearance for New York City Comptroller.
The surprise decision by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) “to run for citywide office startled and galvanized the city’s political establishment, which worried aloud about handing the TV-savvy and self-financed candidate a new megaphone,” the New York Times reports.
“In candid conversations, some of the leaders expressed acute regret over their failure to swiftly undercut the mayoral campaign of former Rep. Anthony Weiner, another scandal-scarred candidate for citywide office, and said they would not make the same mistake twice.”
“Behind the scenes, they began to lay out a blueprint for undermining Mr. Spitzer’s bid for comptroller, the city’s third-highest elected office, and for propping up his lesser-known Democratic rival, Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president.”
“The question with both Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer is, what have they been doing to earn this second chance?”
— New York mayoral candidate Christine Quinn (D), quoted by the New York Times.
New York Daily News:
“The last time William Thompson ran for mayor, he promised to donate
thousands of dollars from his campaign war chest to charity after the
Daily News discovered that of his biggest longtime donors was linked to
Bernie Madoff. But four years later, Thompson not only hasn’t donated
the money — he’s also pocketed even more campaign contributions from the
Madoff-tainted financier Seymour Zises. Zises — who was sued by victims
of the Ponzi schemer for secretly investing the majority of their money
with Madoff — has given more than $21,000 to Thompson’s various
campaigns over the years.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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