Senate races

Utah Sen. Bob Bennett (R), who was denied a spot on the Republican primary ballot at the party's state convention in May, has some advice for the man who may replace him come November: Compromise is often a must in the U.S. Senate.

Bennett told the Salt Lake Tribune that if Republican Senate nominee Mike Lee does make it to Washington, he will find the reality of the Senate much different from the campaign trail.

"I know there are those among Mike's supporters who believe he will take the Senate floor, deliver a masterful speech on the Constitution and change the course of the republic. That is not going to happen," Bennett told the Tribune.

"For him to demand that the Senate vote a certain way based on his interpretation of the Constitution is not going to sway senators who have made up their own minds on that issue based on their interpretation of the Constitution," Bennett said.

On Tuesday, Lee defeated Tim Bridgewater in a close Republican primary. After his ouster at the state convention, Sen. Bennett endorsed Bridgewater in the primary.

Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio ripped Florida Gov. and Independent Senate candidate Charlie Crist Wednesday for his response to the Gulf oil spill.  

On CNN's "The Situation Room," Rubio said the governor had not done enough to press the Obama administration on the federal government's response to the disaster. 

Rubio said Crist was doing a great job of getting "press releases and press conferences and video time," in the wake of the Gulf spill. "But the other part is to get results," said Rubio. "And right now we're not getting results from the Obama administration." 

On continued deep-water drilling, Rubio said there is evidence it can be done safely and that he would support it if that was indeed the case.

"I have always been a fan of alternative and efficiency improvements that allow us to become energy independent," said Rubio. "But in the short term, the truth is that America has to increase its domestic energy production. And part of that may have to be offshore drilling."   

The resolution demanded more information on the White House's efforts to get two Democratic Senate candidates out of primary races.

Arkansas Senate candidate John Boozman is the latest Republican to make the budget a campaign issue — he's even trying to raise money off it.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Md.) said on Tuesday that Democrats would take the unusual step of putting forth a "budget enforcement resolution" rather than a budget blueprint that looks beyond next year.

Boozman, a four-term congressman, sent an e-mail to supporters Wednesday "commend[ing]" Hoyer "for his honesty."

He then pivoted to an attack on Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), his general election opponent.

"Where would Senator Lincoln stand on raising your taxes?" he wrote. "She voted to pass the President’s Big Government agenda, so you better believe the President will call on her to now that it is time to fund his agenda."

He closed by promising to "stop the president from raising your taxes to pay for more government programs," and asked for contributions. 

Spending issues cut both ways in the Arkansas Senate race. Boozman angered conservatives in his home state when he voted for the creation of the Troubled Asset Relief Program in 2008.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has zeroed in on his primary opponent's appearance in an infomercial for a shady company promising "free money grants" to prospective customers.

The McCain camp released two new TV spots Wednesday that use footage from a 2007 infomercial, which featured J. D. Hayworth telling viewers the product was not "too good to be true."

Hayworth, a former congressman, appeared in a 2007 spot for National Grants Conferences, a Florida-based company that was investigated by several states for its business practices.

The ads are airing statewide and represent a significant investment by the McCain camp — one of the versions is 60 seconds long.

"J.D. Hayworth: Pork barrel spender, lobbyists, huckster?," the announcer says.

Hayworth: "It is real."

Announcer: "Character matters."

California-based Republican consultant Fred Davis is producing McCain's TV ads.

Earlier this week, Hayworth trumpeted the release of a poll that showed him trailing McCain by 11 points.

As conservative activists begin shifting their focus from Utah to Colorado's upcoming Republican Senate primary, so will Sen. Jim DeMint and his Senate Conservatives Fund.

DeMint is backing Weld County prosecutor Ken Buck against former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton, and just as it was in Utah, his backing is likely to be an issue in the race. 

In a statement Wednesday congratulating Lee on his victory, DeMint said, "Mike came from behind to win this race because of his unwavering support for the Constitution and the principles of freedom. Mike was the target of some very malicious campaign attacks, but he kept his focus on fighting for Utah families and prevailed."

The "malicious" attacks referred to a Bridgewater mailer hitting DeMint's support of Lee. The mailer also accused DeMint of wanting to use Utah as a "dumping ground" for nuclear waste.  

In Colorado, Norton has been taking serious fire from conservatives, as has the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Committee Chairman John Cornyn (R-Texas) is holding a joint fundraiser with Norton June 25.

Despite recent poll numbers that have Buck ahead of Norton by double-digits, Norton's candidacy offers a somewhat tougher test for conservative activists. Norton has plenty of money and some serious consulting heft behind her bid.  

The Republican primary is August 10. 

An aide to Sen. David Vitter resigned Wednesday after reports he pled guilty to attacking an ex-girlfriend with a knife.

A longtime aide to Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) has a history of legal problems, including a knife fight.

Given Utah's red-state status, Tea Party favorite Mike Lee (R) is expected to win the Senate race in November.

Democratic Secretary of State Elaine Marshall has defeated former state Sen. Cal Cunningham in North Carolina's Senate runoff, according to the Associated Press.

Marshall has 61 percent of the vote to Cunningham's 39 percent, with less than 20 percent of the state's counties officially reporting results.

After Marshall finished first in the May 4 primary — she beat Cunningham 36 percent to 27 percent — the race became an exercise in motivating and mobilizing voters for what was always expected to be a low turnout runoff.

In the closing days, the focus was more on style than substance. Cunningham traversed the state on an 18-stop "Beat Burr" bus tour, making the case to voters that he would be the more viable Democrat against Sen. Richard Burr (R) in the fall. Marshall painted herself as the anti-establishment candidate and worked to focus attention on Cunningham's backing from national Democrats.

Marshall adviser Thomas Mills said since the primary, the campaign has been able to galvanize support by playing the anti-establishment card. "I don't think the folks at the [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] realize how angry our supporters are down here," Mills said ahead of Tuesday's vote.

The policy differences between Marshall and Cunningham weren't exactly sharp. The only issue the two had a definite break on was the war in Afghanistan. Cunningham, an Iraq veteran, warned against a premature withdrawal of American troops from the country, while Marshall made clear her opposition to President Barack Obama's decision to send additional troops to the country.

It was largely Marshall's stance on Afghanistan that earned her the backing of liberal groups like MoveOn and Democracy for America. But that same dynamic played into Cunningham's electability argument. To really put the seat in play come November, national Democrats believe they need a candidate who can credibly run toward the center. 

The DSCC did not make an official public endorsement in the race, but it's not much of a secret that Cunningham was their preferred candidate from the start. The committee played a hand in convincing Cunningham to run for the seat last year, and several sitting Democratic senators sent money Cunningham's way.

Just after Marshall's win became official, the DSCC sent around a memo from North Carolina-based pollster Tom Jensen that touted Marshall's general-election prospects. "Democrats got their more electable candidate for the fall by nominating Elaine Marshall to run against Richard Burr tonight," Jensen wrote. 

The pollster noted that Marshall has consistently performed better than Cunningham in Public Policy Polling's hypothetical general-election match-ups against Burr every month since August. "Marshall is looking considerably more competitive against Richard Burr at this point in the election cycle than Kay Hagan did against Elizabeth Dole two years ago," the memo said.

For Marshall, the question now is how much money will come from the national party for the general election. If Democrats are serious about putting the seat in play, their nominee will need some real financial help, even in a year where a handful of other states offer Democrats better pick-up opportunities.

Despite Burr's weak poll numbers, he boasts a hefty campaign account. The Republican incumbent had just shy of $5 million cash on hand according to his most recent FEC filing.

— Updated at 8:53 p.m.