House races

Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier's (R) congressional campaign upped its fundraising slightly in the first quarter, pulling in $230,000 for his challenge to Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.).

Frazier narrowly outraised Perlmutter $219,000 to $215,000 in the fourth quarter of 2009 -- his first after switching from the state's Senate race to the congressional race. But this quarter, the incumbent got the better of Frazier, outraising him $330,000 to $230,000.

Perlmutter has $1.25 million in the bank. A cash on hand figure wasn't immediately available from Frazier.

NEW ORLEANS – Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) says his party is set to gain more seats than in 1994.

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House Democrats have landed a big recruiting coup in Florida, with the repeat candidacy of former Miami-Dade County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Garcia.

A Democratic source confirmed to The Hill that Garcia will run again. He fell to Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) by just six points in 2008, and now that Diaz-Balart is running in the neighboring district being vacated by his brother, Garcia will be a top Democratic hope in a competitive district.

State Rep. David Rivera is off to a fast start on the GOP side, having raised $725,000 in the first quarter, but Garcia has shown himself to be a capable fundraiser as well. In his loss to Diaz-Balart last cycle, Garcia raised a strong $1.8 million.

It's the first good fundraising news in a while for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) which has lost top candidates in a series of races in recent months. In addition to those losses, Democrats haven't been able to add many targets to their list for 2010. The DCCC has assured that it will play offense this year, despite the many seats it will have to defend in a tough environment.

Some House Democrats from Iowa are getting reelection help from Washington.

Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) is getting some indirect assistance from the Obama administration. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will be at the University of Iowa in Iowa City Friday to discuss the ongoing flood recovery effort. He'll subsequently tour some government-backed recovery projects with Loebsack and likely generate some positive local press coverage.

In 2009, the administration dispatched several cabinet members to New Jersey to help indirectly with Gov. Jon Corzine's (D) reelection effort.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.) was in Des Moines to support Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa).

Van Hollen hinted independent voters were key to the veteran Democrat's reelection. 

"He has been successful in winning the support of independent voters in the past, and I'm confident his record will allow him to maintain that support," Van Hollen told the Des Moines Register. "Without getting into the gubernatorial politics there, there are a lot of people there who split their vote, and vote for one candidate for governor and one candidate for Congress."

Boswell has seven Republicans vying to face him but only one has released his fundraising numbers.

Former ISU wrestling coach Jim Gibbons (R) raised $161,500 in the first quarter, his campaign said. He now has some $265,000 cash on hand.

Republicans are confident of picking up Rep. Bart Stupak's (D) Michigan House seat.

"This retirement presents Republicans with a very promising opportunity heading into the November elections," National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Tom Erickson said in a statement.

Michigan's first district leans Republican -- President Obama won it narrowly in 2008 but in 2004 it went solidly for President George W. Bush.

"With the highest unemployment rate in the country, Michigan families know all too well that it's time to change the direction of this country, and that begins by electing new leaders who will put an end to the Democrats' reckless, job-killing agenda," Erickson added.

The NRCC is waiting to see how the primary field shapes up before picking a favorite.

Michigan state House GOP Leader Kevin Elsenheimer (R), whose district overlaps with Stupak’s, released a statement Friday saying he will "take a serious look" at running for the seat.

"I am taking a serious look at this opportunity to serve my fellow residents of Michigan's first congressional district and the people of Michigan, and I expect to announce my decision in the coming days after discussing it with my family," Elsenheimer said.

Doctor Dan Benishek (R) joined the race March 15 and has raised close to $200,000 already, a GOP source said. Republicans Linda Goldthorpe, Don Hooper and Tom Stillings are also running for the GOP nod.

Expect healthcare to be a major issue in the campaign.

The Michigan Republican Party said Stupak's vote on the controversial reform bill cost him his job. "Bart Stupak is the first casualty of the Obamacare vote," Chairman Ron Weiser said in a statement.  

Democrats said Stupak's legacy will ensure the seat doesn't fall into Republican hands.

"We are confident that a Democrat who shares Congressman Stupak's commitment to advancing the best interests of Northern Michigan's middle class families will succeed him as the next representative of Michigan's first congressional district," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen said in a statement.

Updated at 1:08 p.m.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) will announce he's retiring at a news conference Friday in Marquette, Mich., according to the Associated Press. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) insisted Thursday he still plans to run as a Republican but he remains at odds with the Republican caucus in the state Legislature. And the money race in the late Rep. John Murtha's (D-Pa.) district is on.

One day you're in, the next day you're out

Stupak's healthcare vote weighed heavily over his decision whether to seek another term. "Are they mad at me about a vote? Yeah," he said recently of some of his constituents. He told the Associated Press Friday that he plans to retire after his current term expires. Democrats would undoubtedly have preferred not to have to defend another open seat in this environment. 

Crist: I am a Republican

His campaign said Thursday he will run as a Republican not "as an Independent or as a No Party Affiliation." That said his relationship with Republican legislators appears to be deteriorating. He vetoed the leadership funds bill this week, which would have helped his colleagues raise money. Meanwhile, he's attending fundraisers around the state, according to the St. Petersburg Times, something legislators can't do during the session.

"It's disingenuous," said state Sen. J.D. Alexander (R).

Moreover, Crist now appears to be considering a veto of the Republican-backed "teacher tenure/merit pay" bill, which has GOP state senators "increasingly alarmed."

Fast money

Democrat Mark Critz raised some $382,000 since entering Pennsylvania's 12th House district race five weeks ago. He now has $325,238 cash on hand.

 Meanwhile, businessman Tim Burns (R) will report more than $340,000 on hand next week, according to his campaign. He started the year with $74,000 banked. The special election is May 18.

Other updates

Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) may get the award for least money raised by an incumbent in the first quarter. He raised $39,685 in the last three months. While he now has $223,000 cash on hand, Republican Steven Palazzo is quickly catching up.

Meanwhile in Pennsylvania, Republican Mike Fitzpatrick raised roughly $500,000 in the first two months of his bid to unseat Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.), according to PoliticsPA. Fitzpatrick is in a four-way primary for the nod to face Murphy.

Republicans are wading into the special election to replace the late Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), according to a source.

The source tells The Hill that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has placed an ad buy in the district, signaling it tends to go after the swing district in the May 18 primary. The committee has not confirmed the buy.

There had been some uncertainty as to whether the GOP would seriously go after the seat, given the built-in advantage the Democrats have by holding the special election on the same day as the primary. Most of the top races that day are being waged on the Democratic side.

The Democratic nominee is Murtha's former district director, Mark Critz. Republicans are running businessman Tim Burns.

There is no indication as to the size of the NRCC buy.

A freshman House Republican said Thursday that his party will unveil its new version of the "Contract with America" closer to the fall midterm elections , as early as the late summer. 

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) told MSNBC that what members of his party are calling the "Commitment with America," an updated version of the document that helped propel Republicans to a surprising victory in 1994, will contain many of the same ideas as the original treatise.

"I think you're going to see a similar platform and a similar set of goals [to the "Contract"], obviously relevant to today's issues, come out at the end of this summer or early fall that many of our candidates will be running on," Schock said on MSNBC.

Efforts to create the document demonstrate the extent to which Republicans believe they could take back the House of Representatives in the fall.

House Republican Chief Deputy Whip Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), who serves as the lead drafter of the document, said last week that the Republicans would use Internet tools to help get out the "Commitment" message.

Schock said that the document would contain provisions related to small government and fiscal discipline, as the GOP plans to run primarily on the economic issues in the fall.

Cross-posted to the Briefing Room

New Hampshire House candidate Katrina Swett (D) announced Thursday she raised $325,000 since launching her campaign in January.

Swett also has the advantage of starting the race with money left over from her brief 2008 Senate run. As a result, her House campaign ended the first fundraising quarter with over $1 million in the bank -- $970,000 of which is designated for the primary.

One of Swett's main rivals for the nod is attorney Ann McLane Kuster (D) who reported raising $285,000 last quarter. Her campaign trumpeted the donor support she's received in-state, noting it's gotten $475,000 of the $835,000 it's raised to date from New Hampshire donors. The Kuster camp said it's waiting for the April 15 deadline to release it's cash on hand.

New Hampshire's 2nd district is an open race -- Rep. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.) is running for Senate -- and Republican strategists are excited about the possibility of a tough Democratic primary.

"They could be short on cash and bruised afterward," said one GOP strategist on background, noting that the primary is in September. "If that causes the DCCC to swoop in and drop money, that's fine because Dems have a registration advantage here, so the fact that they have to spend here and there across the country in places where they shouldn't, can spread them thin."

This post was updated at 11:45 a.m.

Rep Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) has "every intention of running" for a 10th term, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The report doesn't quote Stupak directly, and it notes the Democrat said he "hasn't made his final decision yet to run" because he needs to sit down with his family to talk about the campaign.

On Wednesday, his office declined to rule out retirement. Spokeswoman Michelle Begnoche said the congressman is evaluating his options, but that he's ready to run again if he decides to.