House races

The Tea Party movement is claiming credit for knocking off some GOP party favorites in recent primaries, but Democrats aren’t worried about being next to face the fury, according to Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

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Vaughn Ward, the front-runner for the GOP nomination to take on Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho), kicked off his campaign in January with a speech that almost exactly mirrors Barack Obama's famous 2004 Democratic National Convention address.

Tea Party activist and conservative blogger Lucas Baumbach has put together a pretty devastating video comparing the two speeches:

State Sen. Colleen Hanabusa (D) is clearly focused on running again after taking second in Saturday's three-way special House election in Hawaii.

In an e-mail to her supporters Monday, Hanabusa said the results showed "we can and will win in the September primary and November general elections."

She also hinted at the tension between Hawaii Democrats and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

"Some told us that we shouldn't be in this race. They told us to sit on the sidelines," she wrote. "They insisted that we were going to fail. They were wrong. We left no doubt that momentum is on our side, and will continue to build to our advantage."

She closed with what is likely to remain her pitch throughout the primary. "It is clear that the voters believe I am the more electable Democratic candidate, one who will stand strong for our values and priorities," Hanabusa said. "I will continue campaigning as Hawaii’s favored Democratic candidate."

Earlier on Monday, former Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii), who finished third, told supporters he "eagerly look[s] forward to continuing our work together."

Republican Charles Djou won Saturday's vote with 39.7 percent.

Former Eagles offensive lineman Jon Runyan (R) was passed over by the Philadelphia Inquirer, which opted to endorse Navy veteran Justin Murphy (R). The paper's editorial board made the pick because Murphy "seems to have a better grasp of the issues before Congress."

The two Republicans are vying for the nod to face Rep. John Adler (D-N.J.), who is a top target for the GOP.

Runyan is one of the National Republican Congressional Committee's "Young Guns" prospects, but his campaign has faltered recently after details emerged about a 1995 drunken-driving arrest.

Still, the Inquirer doesn't have a perfect record of picking primary winners — it backed Sen. Arlen Specter over Rep. Joe Sestak in the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary. Sestak subsequently defeated Specter last Tuesday.

The New Jersey primary is June 8.

Republicans ended their special election losing streak Saturday in an unlikely district in President Barack Obama’s hometown.

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The chief campaign strategist for House Democrats thinks the GOP made a strategic error in voting against Wall Street reform.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) made the case that Republicans' widespread opposition to the legislation that passed through both chambers of Congress could damage their chances of capturing the Tea Party movement's full support in the fall midterm elections.

"They are understandably very suspicious of Washington Republicans because Washington Republicans would love to use them but then not adopt any of their policies and I think the Wall Street reform bill is case and point," Van Hollen said in an appearance on C-SPAN's "Newsmakers" program.

The Senate approved its Wall Street reform bill on Thursday, with support from only four Republicans. Two Democrats also voted agains the bill, but they argued it did not go far enough in curbing actions by big financial institutions.

The House approved its financial regulatory overhaul late last year with no Republican votes.

The House and Senate must now hold a conference to reconcile differences between the two bills in order to send one version to President Barack Obama. Along with healthcare reform, the Wall Street legislation would represent the second big legislative score for President Barack Obama.

Van Hollen said Wall Street reform is one area where the Tea Party and Democrats have something in common.

"I think a lot of the Tea Party movement is a reflection of the tough economic times we've been through," he said. "I bet if you were to ask members of the Tea Party movement if they wanted to rein in Wall Street...they would say 'yeah, let's rein in Wall Street. Yet not a single Republican in the House voted for Wall Street reform and in the Senate there were only four."

The Tea Party movement has become a growing force in U.S. politics, and its support goes to conservative politicians. But the movment has bucked leaders in both parties.

This week Kentucky Republicans voted to have Rand Paul, a darling of the Tea Party movement, as their Senate candidate instead of a politician backed by the state's GOP establishment, including Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).

Republicans believe they have a shot at winning back the majority of at least one of Congress's chambers this fall, but Democrats believe the Tea Party movement will divide the GOP and help Democrats.

In the wide-ranging interview, Van Hollen repeated a claim he made this week that the GOP will not take back the House this fall, despite their claims that they posses the momentum due to the unpopularity of Democrats' policies.

“I don’t see this as another 1994 at all," he said. "I think we obviously face a very difficult political environment, that is very clear, but is it going to be the kind of wave we saw in 1994? I don’t think so."

Wrestling executive Linda McMahon gets GOP convention nod, but faces a primary challenge.

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A politically vulnerable House Democrat is speaking out against a popular bill that would rename the Department of the Navy.

Rep. Christopher Carney (D-Pa.) delivered a floor speech this week expressing his opposition to the bill, which would redesignate the Department of the Navy to the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), passed the House by voice vote this week. It has broad bipartisan support, attracting a record 425 co-sponsors. The Senate companion, authored by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) has 47 co-sponsors. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jim Webb (D-Va.) oppose the measure. And so does Carney.

In his speech, Carney said, "I have been a member of the United States Navy for more than 15 years and I am proud to be one of three members of Congress still serving in the Navy Reserve.

He added, "Past, present and future Marines should certainly be proud of the Corps, but also of the Department of the Navy. The Marine Corps was, is, and should remain, part of the Navy, both in name and in mission. A name change at the Department level will do nothing but foster animosity in the ranks of the Navy and Marine Corps. We should focus instead on the fight at hand and not worry about a change in nomenclature. Unfortunately, the spirit of H.R. 24 is counter to that notion."

Carney will face former U.S. attorney Tom Marino (R) in November. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) won Carney's district by nine points over then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in 2008.

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich is downgrading his forecast for a Republican House takeover.

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Idaho House candidate Vaughn Ward (R) is under a microscope of media attention because of some recent misteps and another that came last night, when he misidentified Puerto Rico in a debate with his primary opponent, Raul Labrador, who was born on the island.

Both men were asked if the self-governing U.S. territory should be made a state. (Its residents are already American citizens.)

They agreed that it shouldn't, but during Ward's answer he called the island a "country."

"I don't care what state it is or what country is it that wants to become a part of America, it's not time, it's not going to be time," Ward said. "Let's focus on us first."

"I just need to correct," Labrador injected. "Puerto Rico's not a country." He suggested Ward take a "civics lesson."

"I really don’t care what it is," Ward replied. "It doesn't matter."

The primary vote is May 25.