Easton First Selectman Tom Herrmann has entered the race against Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.).
Herrmann joins a race that already features state Sen. Dan
Debicella, who was recently added to the NRCC's Young Guns program. But
Herrmann brings personal money to the race, and that's a key selling
point for a candidate in a lower-tier target like Himes's district.
The district was held by Republicans for decades, but it went for President Obama 60-40 in 2008.
Herrmann is a managing director of a private equity firm based in Wilton, Conn.
Debicella currently leads a field that also includes former state Sen. Rob Russo.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) is the latest Democrat on the short end of a poll.
Connolly's 2008 opponent, Keth Fimian, released a poll Tuesday showing the incumbent trailing 40-35 in a head-to-head matchup. The McLaughlin and Associates poll surveyed 300 likely votes in late February and early March and showed Fimian ahead 43-28 among independents.
Connolly dispatched Fimian 55-43 in 2008, but the district went even more for President Obama -- 57-42. It was hard to see this race emerging as a top target at the start of the cycle, but Fimian has plenty of money and looks to be making this a race. And the man Connolly replaced, former Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), has said districts like his old one should be in play for the GOP.
Of course, first Fimian has to deal with the matter of a June 8 primary with Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity.
UPDATE: Democrats note that Fimian released a poll in July 2008 (when nobody knew who he was and Connolly was well-known), showing him trailing Connolly by just four, 29-25. He wound up losing by 12.
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers (R), who was initially expected to challenge Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) this year, announced Tuesday that he will back former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton in the Republican primary.
Suthers surprised everyone by saying no to a Senate run in early 2009. Since then, Norton has emerged as the establishment favorite, but she faces a contested primary.
"Jane Norton is a person of principle and integrity, and I am certain she will be an exceptional representative for the citizens of this state in the U.S. Senate," Suthers said in a statement. "She has a proven track record of experience in tackling and solving big issues, and I believe she is the right person to stand up for Colorado’s law enforcement community in our nation’s capitol."
Marco Rubio's lead over Gov. Charlie Crist in the Florida Senate race has grown to more than 30 points, according to a new Public Policy Polling (D) survey.
PPP shows Rubio leading Crist 60-28, including 71-17 among conservatives. It is by far the worst public polling Crist has seen, and casts tremendous doubt on whether he can win the GOP primary.
Self-described "moderates" who are likely to vote in the primary go for Crist 49-36 — an indication of how much better off Crist might be as an independent candidate.
Crist's approval rating as governor stands at just 29 percent among GOP primary voters, who are much happier having state Attorney General Bill McCollum as their nominee. In fact, 56 percent of GOP primary voters say they would prefer Crist didn't run for either Senate or governor.
UPDATE: Crist spokeswoman Andrew Saul responds: "Ultimately, elections are about choices: this election will come down to the choice between an honest public servant with a strong conservative record in Charlie Crist and a Miami lobbyist-politician Marco Rubio, who has traded on his connections for everything from $135 haircuts to fat lobbying deals. Charlie Crist will win this race and win it decisively."
Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.) predicted Tuesday that Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) would still win the state's Senate race, despite slumping poll numbers.
LeMieux, a Crist supporter who was appointed to fill the remainder of the term left by Sen. Mel Martinez (R), who retired, said he expected things to tighten in the GOP primary between Crist and former state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R).
"I think it'll be a close race," LeMieux said during an appearance on MSNBC. "In Florida, it's hard to underestimate Charlie Crist."
Polls have shown Crist, a centrist Republican, falling further and further behind Rubio, a conservative Senate candidate.
LeMieux said the governor would still be able to pull out a victory, though.
"I think he will," LeMieux said when asked if Crist would still win. "At the end of the day, they like Charlie Crist; I think he'll do well."
We are going to have absolutely brutal numbers out on Charlie Crist tomorrow.
Here's
a little preview: among Republican primary voters 19% would like to see
him as Governor a year from now, 14% want him in the Senate, and 56%
want him out of elected office.
If there is any path to his winning office in Florida again -- and there may not be -- it's as something other than a Republican.
There's lots and lots of time left, but it's hard to see how a GOP primary ends well for Crist. His campaign insists running as an independent is out of the question, but in the face of polling numbers like these, it would be professional malpractice not to at least consider it.
Hornell, N.Y., Mayor Shawn Hogan (D) is taking his name out of the running for Rep. Eric Massa's (D-N.Y.) seat.
Hogan made the announcement this morning, prior to Massa's expected resignation at 5 p.m. eastern time.
Hogan said he will honor his commitment to the city he serves.
"I choose not to run, not because I am afraid of the challenge; I
still have a great desire to serve," he said. "However, the atmosphere in politics
today is toxic, fueled by extremism on both sides of the aisle. Americans deserve and want leadership from our elected officials, not
30-second sound bites and destructive behavior. We need honor and
common sense in Washington and Albany."
Corning Mayor Tom Reed is running on the GOP side but could face opposition for the nomination from former Rep. Randy Kuhl and/or Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks.
It's not year clear when the special election will be held. Gov. David Paterson (D) has plenty of lattitude in determining the date.
UPDATE 4:15 p.m.: Another Democrat takes a pass, as Monroe County District Attorney Mike Green joins Hogan on the sidelines.
Kentucky primary voters appear to be spurning the establishment.
Anti-establishment candidates Rand Paul and Daniel Mongiardo have opened up wide leads in their respective Senate primaries, according to a new SurveyUSA poll.
The survey shows Paul, an eye surgeon and son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), leading Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson 42-27 on the GOP side and Mongiardo, the state's lieutenant governor, leading Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway 45-27 among Democrats.
The poll also reinforced the toss-up nature of the general election, with Republicans holding a statistically insignificant 43-42 lead on the generic ballot.
Results of head-to-head general election matchups were not provided in the poll, which surveyed more than 1,000 likely primary voters overall and was conducted for local media outlets.
All four candidates recently went up with their first TV ads. The primary is set for May 18.
Most Viewed RSS Feed »
