| 50% as mega. 100% as fun. Infinity percent as snarky.
Senate
GA-Sen: Ex-Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) will decide on a bid today. If he runs (unlikely), he leads an early primary poll that amounts to a name-rec test: Perdue 22, Karen Handel 15, and various Congressmen between 6 and 10.
GA-Sen: Interesting nugget in an article on GOP primary woes: everyone seems to agree that Georgia, where Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is the likeliest nominee, is the Dems' best pickup opportunity. That's the equivalent of a routine open New Jersey seat being our best opportunity.
IA-Sen: A rather messy Politico piece concludes: Republicans like Steve King, but generally think Tom Latham is stronger. Both King and Latham are interested, but won't run against each other. And whichever one runs is still likely to face a primary.
More IA-Sen: That mystery 3rd Republican could be LG Kim Reynolds, who isn't ruling out a bid, or Inspections and Appeals Director Rod Roberts, who is well-liked by the state party. But it's not Gov. Terry Branstad: he's seeking re-election.
KY-Sen: SUSA finds Mitch McConnell with 17/34 re-elect numbers, although 44% are undecided (shockingly high for a state institution who's one of the most visible Senators, right? ) Regardless, this isn't a great position to be in.
More KY-Sen: Which is why this news isn't surprising: MoveOn.org (remember them?) and other liberal SuperPACs are interested in running a sham "Tea Party" candidate against McConnell in the primary. You'd think Kentucky Republicans will see through that...but their neighbors to the west did just let Claire McCaskill pick her opponent.
LA-Sen: Joe Biden will hit the road to fundraise for Sen. Mary Landrieu. Meanwhile, Rep. Bill Cassidy is looking more like a candidate, making appearances in greater New Orleans and placing op-eds in Shreveport, both outside his House district.
MA-Sen: Two bits of news: in advance of John Kerry's certain confirmation, the primary date has been set for April 30, with the general on June 25. Also, Ed Markey wants to revamp the "People's Pledge" barring outside spending that Brown and Warren signed in 2012. Many think Warren got the better of this pledge; I think it's what kept Brown in the race for so long.
More MA-Sen: Who's the third option for the GOP if Scott Brown and Bill Weld both pass? It's sounding like Richard Tisei, who's also considering a 2014 MA-06 rematch. Kerry Healey and Charlie Baker are also interested.
NJ-Sen: Asbm. Jay Webber is the first GOP name attached to this race, although he's focusing on the 2013 elections first.
WY-Sen, VA-10: Not often you see these races paired, but here goes: Liz Cheney, previously thought to be interested in succeeding Frank Wolf in NoVa, has moved back to Wyoming, where she could succeed Mike Enzi if he retires.
Governor
ID-Gov: Rep. Raul Labrador might challenge Gov. Butch Otter (who will likely seek a third term) in the GOP primary. This could get ugly, as Labrador has already angered the Idaho and national establishment.
NJ-Gov: After making us wonder for a couple months, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D) proves he's not crazy: he won't run against Gov. Chris Christie. He endorsed likely nominee Barbara Buono. State Senate President Steve Sweeney won't run either, but held off on an endorsement.
PA-Gov: Ex-Rep. Patrick Murphy (not to be confused with Florida's Rep. Patrick Murphy, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, or any of my cousins) will not run for governor.
SC-Gov: Curtis Loftis, seen as the greatest primary threat to Gov. Nikki Haley, will seek re-election as Treasurer. Haley's path to a rematch with Vince Sheheen now looks clearer.
VA-Gov: Another fairly useless poll of this race, this time from Roanoke: Cuccinelli (R) 33, McAuliffe (D) 26; Cuccinelli 25, McAuliffe 19, Bolling (I) 12.
House
IL-02: Debbie Halvorson is in the racial version of Charles Djou's 2010 situation: she'll win if and only if the black vote remains split among a dozen candidates, but two black candidates can catch her: St. Sen. Toi Hutchison and Cook County CAO Robin Kelly. Hutchsion rolled out an endorsement from Cook County Prez Toni Preckwinkle yesterday, so maybe this will get her some separation from Kelly.
NV-03: Erin Bilbray-Kohn, who apparently overcame the burdens of growing up as a Congressman's daughter to become a political consultant and DNC operative, is considering a bid against Rep. Joe Heck (R) in this swing district.
OH-07: Ex-Rep. John Boccieri (D) has filed to run against Rep. Bob Gibbs (R)....unless Tim Ryan's safely blue seat opens up...or unless Boccieri changes his mind and runs statewide. One thing seems clear: Boccieri does not want a rematch with Jim Renacci, who beat him in 2010.
WV-03: New pollster Harper Research surprisingly polled the GOP primary here, finding 2012 candidate Rick Snuffer pulling 51%. Hopefully they have general numbers too! RRH will be taking a closer look at this district soon.
NRCC: With Keystone XL in the news, the NRCC is making buys in 38 districts pressuring Dems to support the pipeline. |
