Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) suggested that Chicago could go the way of financially strapped Detroit if voters fail to reelect Rahm Emanuel (D), USA Today reports.
Said Kirk: “The people who are running against Rahm don’t have the gravitas with the bond market. I would worry about the value of the Chicago debt if Rahm was not re-elected.”
A video of West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio (D) referring to slower learning kids as “dummies” is the basis of a new attack ad, WPBF-TV reports.
Muoio admitted she regretted using the term: “You have the script there and the context. Of course, if I hadn’t said it, it would be better.”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel “is headed to a politically risky runoff election in April after conceding he won’t reach the 50 percent benchmark he needs on Tuesday night,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
Said Emanuel: “We have come a long way and we have a little further to go.”
You're reading the free version of Political Wire
Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.
Politico: “It ought to be a coronation, Rahm Emanuel must figure. But as he nears what might or might not be the end of his exhausting race for a second term as Chicago’s mayor, the former White House chief of staff and tough-guy insider on Tuesday faces a possibly humiliating setback—particularly ego-crushing because he is running against an extremely weak field of four, has vastly more money than any of them, has television ads airing 24/7 and has run the table on endorsements. He ought to be resting easy—well, Rahm seems never to rest, but at least he should be confident of a win.”
“During his first run, against more seasoned competitors, it was clear early on that Emanuel would win; four years later, after Chicagoans have gotten to know the guy who spent most of his career in Washington—he was a congressman for four terms before heading to the White House—it’s not clear whether he wins outright tomorrow (he needs 50 percent plus one vote) or, according to the rules, faces a time- and money-consuming runoff on April 7 against the second-place candidate.”
A new Ogden and Fry poll in Chicago, one day before the election, finds Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) doesn’t have the 50% needed to avoid a run-off.
Emanuel leads with 48%, followed by Jesus “Chuy” Garcia at 27% and Willie Wilson at 15%.
A federal judge warned New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) that if he doesn’t schedule a special election to replace former Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) by the end of the week, the court will do it for him, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“It’s been almost a month and a half since Mr. Grimm, a Republican, resigned from office after he pleaded guilty to tax evasion. Special elections in New York take place 70 to 80 days after a governor issues a proclamation to fill a vacancy. That means that Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn that make up the district will have to do without someone to represent them in the House of Representatives for at least 111 days.”
Failed Mississippi U.S. Senate candidate Chris McDaniel (R) is “absolutely thinking about it” on challenging incumbent Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) in the GOP primary, the Clarion Ledger reports.
The deadline for qualifying for state races is Feb. 27.
A new Chicago Tribune poll finds Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) “is closing in on the majority he needs to win re-election and avoid a runoff, but nearly 1 in 5 Chicago voters remain undecided a week before Election Day.”
“The survey found that Emanuel has boosted his favorability and job approval ratings among voters after millions of dollars in TV ads, while support for top challenger Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia may be stalling as he starts to air his own ads in the closing days of the campaign.”
A new Chicago Tribune poll finds Mayor Rahm Emanuel leads the race for mayor with 42%, followed by Chuy Garcia at 18% and Bob Fioretti at 10%.
Emanuel needs win 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff election.
Matt Bevin (R), who lost a Republican Senate primary loss to Mitch McConnell (R), “launched another statewide race Tuesday, this time for Kentucky governor,” National Journal reports.
“Bevin’s unexpected and late entry—he officially joined the race less than two hours before the state’s 4 p.m. deadline—is a boon for the party’s most conservative elements, as it will boost their voice in a crowded campaign. But for the party as a whole, it complicates an already difficult task: preventing the competitive primary from crippling their candidate before the general election begins.”
President Obama endorsed Mayor Rahm Emanuel for re-election “in a radio ad that began airing Monday in Chicago, laughing off Emanuel’s ‘hardheaded’ demeanor as proof of his passion and speaking in favor of the mayor’s school policies that have become key points of controversy in the election campaign,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
“The ad comes less than a month before the election, in which Emanuel is seeking to hold on to the strong support from African-American voters who helped him win the mayor’s office in 2011 without having to go to a runoff election.”
Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) is “very interested” in running for Senate in 2016 if Sen. David Vitter (R) is elected Louisiana governor next year, Roll Call reports.
“Louisiana only wrapped up the 2014 Senate race a few days ago, but soon state operatives may start thinking about another race. Vitter has already announced an exploratory committee to run for governor in 2015. If Vitter wins, Fleming said, he wants to succeed him in the Senate.”
The Lexington Herald Leader looks at the possibility that Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) challenges Jack Conway (D) for the Democratic nomination for Kentucky governor.
“If Grimes wades into that race, it seems all but certain that her entry would mark the start of the next chapter in the Kentucky Democratic Party’s rough-and-tumble history, dividing a party that is already in the midst of a soul-searching journey and reopening divisions that Democrats hoped had been healed by their collective disdain for Mitch McConnell, who is about to become U.S. Senate Majority Leader.”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) formally announced his re-election campaign for mayor at a West Side film studio, using the platform to compare the city today to a pre-Emanuel “old Chicago,” the Chicago Sun Times reports.
“In a setting that offered a contrast to the venue he chose to announce his election in 2010 — a North Side elementary school — Emanuel told a crowd Cinespace Film Studios has provided jobs to hundreds of Chicago families.”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) “has received $400,000 in political donations that he was able to keep only because the state’s campaign contribution limits were eliminated through the actions of an obscure candidate who threatened to run, but didn’t,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
“The contribution limits were lifted for everyone in the Chicago mayoral race last month after frequent local candidate William J. Kelly filed paperwork in October showing he gave his own campaign $100,000. Under state law, once a candidate in a local race contributes $100,000 to his or her own campaign within one year of an election, the state contribution caps no longer apply. But Kelly didn’t file the necessary petition signatures by Monday’s deadline to appear on the ballot. Nonetheless, the lifting of the campaign limits remains in place.”
A new SurveyUSA poll in Georgia finds David Perdue (R) leading Michelle Nunn (D) in the U.S. Senate race by three points, 48% to 45%.
Last week’s survey found Nunn leading by two points.
Charlie Cook: “The prospects remain very tough for Democrats to hold onto their majority in the Senate, but there is a new scenario emerging–albeit still unlikely–that is turning the majority math a bit on its head.”
“As I have said previously, Republicans need a net gain of six seats to take the majority. The question has generally been whether Republicans just need to knock off six Democratic seats to get to 51, or if they will need to gross seven seats in order to net six. Now there appears to be a real question as to whether Republicans may need to gross eight seats in order to net six, covering for the potential loss of not just Sen. Pat Roberts in Kansas but an open seat in Georgia as well.”
“A bruising primary challenge to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) left Matt Bevin (R) with two things: A loss at the ballot box and $5 million worth of name recognition. Now the Louisville businessman is hoping to cash in some of that political legwork in another high profile race: Kentucky governor,” the AP reports.
Said Bevin: “I have not ruled it out. If anything, it is more likely.”
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.
“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”
— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”
“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”
— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report
“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”
— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report
“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”
— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia
“Political Wire is a great, great site.”
— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”
“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”
— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post
“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”
— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit
“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”
— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.