Senate races

Headlining a fundraiser for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Las Vegas on Thursday, President Barack Obama knocked Republican Sharron Angle as "someone who favors an approach that's even more extreme than the Republicans we've got in Washington."

"I mean, she wants to phase out and privatize Social Security and Medicare," Obama said.

The president also linked Angle to Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), who called the administration's treatment of BP in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill a shakedown.

"But Harry’s opponent, she agreed with this guy," Obama said. "She called the compensation we're providing a slush fund."

On Thursday, Angle walked those comments back. In a statement, Angle said she shouldn't have used the term "slush fund" and called the BP compensation fund "an important first step."

The estimated crowd of 3,000 responded to the criticism of Angle with cheers. Attendees were heard at times shouting that Angle is an "idiot" and a "lunatic."

Reid's campaign expected the event to raise some $800,000 for his reelection campaign.

Thursday night's fundraiser for Reid was the president's third of the day. He'd headlined two events in Missouri earlier for the Senate campaign of Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (D).

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's (R) work for Republican candidates is "helping" Democrats, their Senate campaign chief said Friday.

Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), said that Democrats would have an easier road to holding onto their seats this fall due to Palin's choice of candidates.

"I appreciate Sarah Palin helping us by having candidates [who] are rather extreme for their states," Menendez said during an appearance on MSNBC. "If she wants to continue to endorse candidates that are out of the mainstream, in places like Arizona and Colorado, then let her continue to do so."

Palin has been an active participant in Republican primaries in House, Senate and gubernatorial elections throughout the year, backing candidates through missives on her Facebook page and donations from her SarahPAC.

Many of the candidates Palin has backed have fallen squarely in the camp of the "Tea Party" movement, the more stridently conservative faction that's made itself known in GOP primaries throughout the country. Those primaries have resulted in a number of first-time candidates: Sharron Angle in Nevada, Rand Paul in Kentucky and others.

But those primaries have also meant defeat for many of the Republican candidates in those races Democrats feared most come November. Top-tier recruits like former Rep. Rob Simmons (R) in Connecticut lost or withdrew from many races, leaving states like Connecticut with GOP nominees like former WWE CEO Linda McMahon.

Palin has put a special emphasis on conservative women in general, who are running in competitive races across the county.

These "mama grizzles" as Palin calls them, includes women like California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina and South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley, who she's formally endorsed, and women like McMahon and Angle, who have not received a formal nod of approval from the former governor.

"This year will be remembered as the year that common-sense conservative women get things done for our country," Palin said in a speech, as highlighted in a video released by her political action committee on Thursday.

Menendez brushed off the success Palin has had in more reliably red states, where she's managed to help more conservative candidates snag the GOP nomination.

"Well, South Carolina is not a place that we would be playing in these races," he said. "I'm not worried about Sarah Palin; I'm happy that she's supporting candidates that are winning against the establishment, and are out of the mainstream for the electorate in the general election."

Updated at 9:28 a.m. and 11:16 a.m.

Democrats launched a new website on Friday highlighting "BP Republicans" meant to highlight different GOP lawmakers' defenses of the oil company.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) seized on Nevada Republican candidate for Senate Sharron Angle's criticism of a $20 billion fund BP created to pay damages to victims of the oil spill, and sought to tie other GOP lawmakers to BP.

The DNC set up a new site, BPRepublicans.com, which casts GOP lawmakers as representing the interests of the oil company in Washington, and not their constituents.

The first image on the site targets Angle, who called the $20 billion account a "slush fund" on Wednesday, before backing off those remarks later in the day.

The site builds on political momentum Democrats saw after Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) expressed similar sentiments about the fund during a hearing last month where BP CEO Tony Hayward was testifying.

"It's more than Barton redux, it proves that an expression of empathy toward BP is not an isolated misstatement by a wayward Republican," said a DNC official, pointing also to Republicans' opposition to raising the liability cap for oil companies who cause accidents, or the GOP's opposition to an energy and climate bill.

But the site is just as much about taking issue at Angle as it is anyone.

"If Sharron Angle's going to fight for BP and be their candidate we thought we'd make it official. Besides, we understand that Sharron Angle is a fan of having more than one campaign website," said the DNC official. "Since she took down the one the one with her true positions, we thought the voters of Nevada would be interested to know who she's really fighting for."

Angle is the Republican candidate this fall against Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who, as Senate majority leader, serves as the top Democrat in that chamber. Republicans have made a point of trying to defeat Reid this fall in what has become an especially heated race.

To that end, President Barack Obama was in Nevada on Thursday evening to help raise money for Reid.

Obama himself ripped Angle during his visit to Nevada.

"Let me tell you, most Nevadans I meet -- and I've spent a lot of time here -- you know that," Obama said of Angle's remarks. "I've been seeing you.  Most of the people I meet here in this state, they don't think like that.  They don't subscribe to that kind of thinking.  So why would you want somebody who has that philosophy representing the people of Nevada?"

Tancredo was speaking at an event for a Colorado Senate candidate, who denounced the comments.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who has weighed in on a handful of contested Republican Senate primaries this cycle, stumped for Colorado Senate candidate Ken Buck on Thursday. 

DeMint endorsed Buck in April, and his Senate Conservatives Fund has donated to Buck’s primary campaign against former state Lt. Gov. Jane Norton (R).  

On a conference call with reporters Thursday afternoon, DeMint downplayed the division that has defined several GOP primaries across the country this cycle.

“I think it’s healthy for the party when Republicans have some good choices in primaries,” DeMint said.

Asked whether he would support Norton should she win the nomination: “I will definitely support her,” DeMint said. 

Ohio Senate candidate Lee Fisher (D) continues to trail his Republican rival in fundraising.

Fisher announced Thursday he's raised some $1 million since March 31 and now has "more than" $1 million cash on hand.

Earlier in the day, former Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) announced he raised $2.65 million in the second quarter. That leaves him with $8.8 million cash on hand, according to the campaign.

Portman has been able to stockpile cash after getting a clear path to the nomination. Fisher, however, had to spend more than $2 million to defeat Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in the May Democratic primary.

The Fisher camp tried to put a brave face on the numbers.

"Lee will have the resources he needs to make the choice clear -- between Congressman Portman's 20 years in Washington and Lee's work to create jobs in Ohio," Fisher spokesman John Collins said in a statement.

Democrats were obviously concerned about Fisher's fundraising. Vice President Joe Biden made his second fundraising trip to Ohio for Fisher last week, speaking at a lunch in Cleveland.

The Portman campaign said there is an "apparent enthusiasm gap" between the two sides.

President Barack Obama attended two fundraisers for Senate candidate Robin Carnahan (D) in Kansas City.

The decision clears the way for Gov. Joe Manchin to call a November 2010 special election for Byrd's seat.

U.S. Senate candidate and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) called for a special session of the state legislature Thursday for lawmakers to consider a constitutional amendment that would ban oil drilling off the coast of Florida.

From the Miami Herald:

At a hastily-called news conference, Crist said the session would be devoted to one issue — “a rifle shot,” he called it — to give the voters of Florida a say on drilling. But in doing so, he violated a cardinal rule of Tallahassee politics by calling for a special session without a consensus with legislative leaders.

“I feel a compelling duty to protect Florida,’’ Crist told reporters. “And I’m going to be governor for about six more months, and I think I wouldn’t be doing my duty as governor if I did not call for this special session.’’

Crist noted that the deadline is Aug. 4 for a proposed amendment to make it to the Nov. 2 ballot. He said the Senate sponsor of the proposed drilling ban will be Sen. J. Alex Villalobos, R-Miami, but no House sponsor has been selected. His announcement sets up a clash with the House, where Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, has publicly accused Crist of grandstanding on drilling.

Republican Marco Rubio quickly called the governor’s move nothing more than politics.

“The Obama/Crist response to the oil spill has been a total failure and Florida families and businesses are suffering because of it,” Rubio said in a statement. “This special session is nothing more than a political sideshow that will do nothing to help Panhandle businesses, keep oil off our beaches, or prevent future spills.” 

President Barack Obama is in Missouri on Thursday raising money for Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's (D) Senate campaign and talking jobs at an electric car factory. 

It's a trip Carnahan's Republican challenger, Rep. Roy Blunt, says is likely to help his campaign in the long run. 

"I believe he's helping me more than her," Blunt said on a conference call with reporters Thursday morning.

Republicans are anxious to tie Carnahan to the president. Obama's approval ratting in the state is under 50 percent and key parts of his legislative agenda are deeply unpopular there. A June Rasmussen poll found 61 percent of Missouri voters support repealing the administration's health care law. 

Speaking in Kansas City earlier this afternoon, the president said the economy is "moving in the right direction."

The president will headline a fundraiser for Carnahan on Thursday before he heads off to Nevada to stump for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.