Other races

The lone House Republican who cast a vote in favor of healthcare reform in 2009 is now making a run for attorney general in Louisiana.

Former Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.), who lost his seat to Democrat Cedric Richmond in an overwhelmingly Democratic district last cycle, touted his "strong convictions" in announcing a statewide run.

"I believe that the people of the state will support a person with strong convictions and with strong values," Cao said, according to the Times-Picayune. "And in my two years in Congress, I have shown that I will not compromise my values for political expediency."

Cao cast an initial vote in favor of the healthcare bill in the House in November of 2009, but ultimately voted against final passage. The Louisiana Republican was skewered nationally by conservatives for his initial "yes" vote.   

Cao will take on Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, who switched parties in February to become a Republican. Last year, Caldwell signed onto a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the healthcare law.

Citing the need to "change the political discourse in New Jersey and Washington," nine-time Olympic gold medal winner Carl Lewis is making a run for state Senate in New Jersey as a Democrat this year. 

The New Jersey native and track and field legend announced Monday that he plans to take on Republican state Sen. Dawn Addiego in November.

"It's time to change the political discourse in New Jersey and around the country," Lewis said in a statement. "The people are fed up with their elected officials playing the blame game and treating their political counterparts as enemies."

Local Democratic officials have been working to convince Lewis to make a bid in the hopes of attracting some additional attention and money on the race for the generally Republican-leaning state Senate district.

"I'm proud of where I came from, proud to be back, and ready to step up to serve the taxpayers of this great state that afforded me so many wonderful opportunities," Lewis said.

The House Administration Committee is questioning the long-term viability of the independent commission established in the wake of the contested 2000 presidential election to improve how elections are conducted nationwide.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission, established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002, has disbursed over $3 billion in “requirements” payments to states to update voting machines and enhance election administration, but the commission has seen that funding significantly decline in recent years.

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The official responsible for administering elections in Indiana is facing seven felony counts, including voter fraud and perjury, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Secretary of State Charlie White (R) was accused by a special prosecutor of intentionally voting in the wrong precinct during his May 2010 primary.

From the Star:

White turned himself in at the Hamilton County Jail Thursday afternoon and was released after posting $10,000 bond.

If ultimately convicted of a felony, White would have to give up the position that he won by a wide margin over Democrat Vop Osili in November’s election.

White has admitted to voting in a district where he no longer lived. The registered address was a home he had shared on and off with his now ex-wife until 2009.

White, who served on the Fishers Town Council at the time, updated his voter registration after moving into an apartment in the same precinct, following his 2007 divorce. Around February 2009, he moved back into his ex-wife’s home, and in November of that year began splitting time between his ex-wife's home and a newly purchased condo outside the precinct.

In February last year, White changed his voter registration back to his ex-wife’s address, claiming he was unsure when he would close on his new home. White blamed a whirlwind schedule for his failure to change his voter registration later to reflect his new condo’s address.

Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) called on White to step down.

"It would be neither credible nor appropriate for the state’s top elections official to continue to perform his duties while contesting criminal charges, some of them under the very laws the secretary of state implements," he said in a statement. "I have consulted with each of the other statewide elected officials and our judgment about this is unanimous."

State Republican Party Chairman Eric Holcomb agreed, saying in a statement that White should "take a leave of absence from his official duties until the legal process reaches a conclusion."

The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), the group chaired by former Republican National Committee head Ed Gillespie, is preparing to jump into the ongoing budget battle in Wisconsin.  

With activists on both sides already starting to organize recall efforts for members of the state Senate, RSLC president Chris Jankowski told The Ballot Box the group will do "whatever it takes to protect our incumbents."  

He said the RSLC, which spent millions in 2010 to help Republicans win control of more than 20 legislative chambers across the nation, will fund efforts to defend Republican state senators who may become recall targets, and that it will go on offense — supporting efforts to recall Democrats with paid media campaigns. 

Currently, as many as eight of the Democratic state senators who have fled Wisconsin in the budget standoff, could be recall targets, with a Utah-based conservative group already organizing toward that goal.

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Polls show Rahm Emanuel leading rivals, but it's unclear if he'll have enough support to avoid a runoff.

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Polls have shown Rahm Emanuel with a significant lead over his rivals for Chicago mayor, but it's unclear if he'll have enough support to avoid a runoff.

If Emanuel gets above 50 percent in Tuesday's primary, the former White House chief of staff will avoid a runoff election with his nearest rival.

He's been leading Carol Moseley Braun, a former senator; Gery Chico, the former Chicago Public Schools chief; and City Clerk Miguel del Valle, but the margin has varied.

Turnout is expected to be close to 50 percent, which means that it would take support from only a quarter of the electorate for Emanuel to become the city's mayor, ABC7Chicago pointed out.

If no candidate receives over 50 percent of the vote, the top two contenders face off in an April 5 runoff.

Meanwhile, another report found that Emanuel received the majority of his more than $11.9 million in campaign contributions from outside the city. Only $5.38 million came from donors with Chicago addresses and almost 30 percent of his total haul came from out of state, according to the Chicago News Cooperative.

Polls stay open until 7 p.m. CST.

— This post was updated at 9:47 a.m.

The first-term congressman brought the audience to its feet several times late Saturday, repudiating President Obama's policies.

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The new president of the American Conservative Union, Al Cardenas, said Thursday that it will be difficult for CPAC to continue its relationship with GOProud, a conservative gay-rights group.

Cardenas made the comments in an interview with Frum Forum, saying he has been "disappointed with their website and their quotes in the media, taunting organizations that are respected in our movement."

"It's going to be difficult to continue the relationship because of their behavior and attitude," Cardenas said, citing a recent interview in which GOProud Chairman Chris Barron called ACU Foundation Chairman Cleta Mitchell a "bigot."

Barron has since apologized for the comment.

The ACU runs the Conservative Political Action Conference every year. GOProud's inclusion in this year's conference has led to a boycott from several leading conservative organizations and from Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).

On Thursday, the group had a sizable presence in the exhibit area at CPAC and helped promote real estate mogul Donald Trump's surprise appearance.

"The boycotters are actively looking to undermine CPAC," Barron told The Ballot Box Thursday. "We're looking to being new voices to the table."

GOProud, the group behind a conservative boycott of CPAC, is bringing in the real estate mogul to talk to attendees.

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In her opening speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) urged Republicans not to neglect social conservatives in 2012.

The Tea Party favorite and rumored 2012 presidential contender said for the party to win back the Senate and the White House next year, it will have to avoid division between fiscal and social conservatives, adding that the GOP has too many times before snatched "defeat from the jaws of victory."

"As important as these distressing economic concerns are, we would be wise to recall that there are other threats that loom as well," Bachmann said, urging the crowd to "not forget that for our conservative coalition to be victorious in 2012, it will take every one of us and then some, pulling together to bring together the three legs of the conservative stool."

Bachmann's comments were notable given the cloud of controversy that still lingers over this year's conference. Several leading conservative groups and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) are boycotting the event thanks to the participation of GOProud, a gay conservative group.

Bachmann appealed for Republicans to bring together fiscal conservatives, national security-minded conservatives and social conservatives ahead of the next cycle.

"We cannot shun each other in 2012," she said. "The structural integrity and the political appeal is not only rooted in this fiscal discipline but the social values and the philosophy of peace through strength."

Bachmann didn't drop any new hints about her 2012 ambitions in her speech, but she did argue that the Tea Party is about more than just fiscal discipline and reducing the deficit, saying while those elements are "vitally important, I strongly disagree that that's all there is."

The Republican used her opening speech to lambaste the Obama administration for driving the nation toward "socialism," and she said repealing the healthcare law is the "driving motivation of my life."

"We have seen President Obama usher in socialism under his watch over the last two years," she said.