| Senate
GA-Sen: Rep. Tom Price (R) is delaying a decision on this race until May. Price has bigger campaign coffers and more name rec in the Atlanta area than his potential foes, so time isn't his enemy. This delay places Karen Handel's likely bid for federal office in limbo for now.
IA-Sen: Likewise, Tom Latham is also delaying his decision on a Senate bid until "the spring." Steve King has sounded more likely to run, but early (and yet to be debunked) reports were that the Congressmen wouldn't run against one another, so perhaps things will be cleared up behind closed doors in the coming weeks.
MA-Sen: Politico profiles Steve Lynch and compares him (somewhat weakly) to Scott Brown, in that he'll need blue-collar support to pull a major upset. The sleepy GOP field benefits Lynch, since Independents will be more likely to vote in the Democratic primary.
More MA-Sen: Businessman and military vet Gabriel Gomez will challenge Dan Winslow in the GOP primary. St. Sen. Bruce Tarr said last week he'd announce a decision Monday, but he was mum yesterday.
WV-Sen: A GOP internal has Shelley Moore Capito (R) up 55-37 over Nick Rahall, who is sounding more likely to run for re-election to the House. Capito has 54% favorables...among Democrats.
Governor
FL-Gov: Jim Greer, a former ally of Charlie Crist who was hand-picked by the ex-Gov to lead the state GOP, is heading to jail after pleading guilty to theft and fraud charges. That's a shame, as Crist would have testified in Greer's trial and reminded voters of his role in the mess.
VA-Gov: Just like a good Democratic operative, Terry McAuliffe got in the green energy business during his political hiatus, conveniently right around the time stimulus funds were available for such ventures. But McAuliffe brought his green jobs to Mississippi, not Virginia, which gave Ken Cuccinelli material for an opening salvo yesterday.
House
IA-03: Tom Latham hasn't decided on a Senate bid yet, but in what's becoming a trend, a Democrat is already jumping in the race for his House seat. Businessman Mike Sherzan will have no shot if Latham is his foe, but would be competitive if the seat is open.
IL-02: Mike Bloomberg's anti-gun PAC, which helped bring down Joe Baca in November, is going up with a $1M buy against Debbie Halvorson.
MA-05: Continuing today's theme, St. Rep. Carl Sciortino announced that he'll run for Ed Markey's seat if Markey wins the Senate race in June. Sciortino is from the left wing of the House caucus and appears to be trying to out-liberal Markey himself.
SC-01: Mark Sanford has been contrite as can be during his revival tour, and seems to have irked pretty much everyone else in the SCGOP in the process. Still, he's garnering more attention than all his foes combined, and not all of it is negative. His place in the runoff seems secure.
Church and State(s)
Iowa-Cuomo: While we're concerned about the open Senate seat, interest groups are already looking ahead to the 2016 caucuses. A host of green groups took out a full-page ad in the Des Moines Register, attacking Andrew Cuomo for not being 100% against fracking.
Texas-GOP: We could see the biggest turnover in a generation in Texas next year, with Rick Perry a retirement candidate and statewide officeholders lining up to take on the weakened David Dewhurst for LG. There could be as many as 6 open statewide seats when the dust settles.
Pope: Now, a quick programming note: during the electoral doldrums of an off-year spring, RRH will be covering what is arguably the world's most famous and mysterious electoral process--the Papal Conclave. Look for more on this unique international election in mid-to-late March, when the Cardinals will meet. |
