Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is scouting for local talent after two top campaign staffers left to take other jobs.
A McCain spokesman announced Friday that campaign manager Shiree Verdone and her deputy, Mike Hellon, were "transitioning" to an Arizona-focused GOP fundraising venture. It was a "mutual decision" that had been in the works for "a while," according to the campaign.
"As part of the campaign's plan for this election year, Shiree and Mike are transitioning over to work with party committees to create a ticket-wide Republican Victory operation," McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said in a statement. "Sen. McCain is very grateful for all that Shiree and Mike have done to launch the re-election campaign and establish it on a firm footing, and looks forward to working closely with them for Victory in November."
McCain is now looking for Arizona-based talent to replace Verdone and Hellon and expects to announce new hires in the coming weeks, according to a campaign official. McCain's small circle of top advisors, which includes Rick Davis, Charlie Black and Mark Salter, are still overseeing the his reelection effort.
McCain's primary opponent dubbed the departures a "meltdown."
"This is the hottest race in the country and the top two people don't just jump ship with three months to go before the primary election unless something is wrong," said a spokesman for former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.). "This looks more like a meltdown than a makeover."
Some observers have characterized the departure as a shake-up, which came as a result of the reception of McCain's latest TV commercial wherein he uses the phrase "complete the danged fence" while strolling along the U.S.-Mexico border. It was widely panned but is still airing in Arizona, the campaign confirmed. There were other signs of trouble.
The campaign's office opening in Tucson on Friday was chaotic. McCain was unable to attend because his flight was grounded by weather in Dallas. His staff scrambled to get House candidate Jonathan Paton (R) to fill in, but he had other engagements. That left Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup and car dealer Jim Click to speak to the crowd, who were primed to hear from the senator himself.
Verdone and Hellon were hired at a time when the four-term senator was expected to coast to reelection. Initially tasked with managing petition signature gathering and other routine activities, that changed when Hayworth got into the primary and sought to exploit McCain's perceived weakness on immigration and border issues. The double departure confirms that despite some polls showing him with a double-digit lead, McCain recognizes he faces a stiff primary challenge from Hayworth.
CBS's Bob Schieffer says the White House is preparing for an Arlen Specter loss in Pennsylvania tomorrow.
"I have been told on background and so forth that the White House is preparing for a Specter loss here, and the White House doesn't want to be associated with that," Schieffer told a local CBS affiliate. (Video on the top right).
Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.), a Specter supporter,acknowledged this morning that the race has tightened and Specter will need a big turnout to prevail.
A Specter loss would be a big blow to the Democratic establishment, who so far enjoyed pointing out Republican infighting.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has a new person to run his Senate campaign -- and it's his sister.
Margaret Crist Wood will be his interim campaign manager, Crist told the St. Petersburg Times' editorial board in an interview. He said she has the title "interim" to give her the opportunity to leave if she doesn't like the job.
Crist lost most of his staff when he announced he'd run as an Independent instead of pursuing the Republican nomination.
Those submitting their resignations included campaign manager Eric Eikenberg, campaign chairman former Sen. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) and campaign attorney Benjamin Ginsberg. Crist also lost his Republican polling firm, Public Opinion Strategies.
Asked if he needs a seasoned pro to run his race, Crist told the Times: "No. You know what you need? I’ve learned I've learned this in the last month - Somebody who’s loyal, really, honest, that cares about you, and is smart and tough. My older sister Margaret has always been that."
He also said longtime friends are helping him but he's keeping them anonymous "because I’m trying to protect them. A lot of people in our administration and people who were helpful with the campaign get this refrain in Tallahassee – if you stay with him you’ll never work in this town again. Can you imagine that? Talk about unconscionable?"
Vice President Joe Biden appeared in a radio ad for Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), calling him "an amazing guy."
In the one-minute spot, Biden praises the "depth of his scholarship, his gumption."
"This guy is a guy with more steel in his backbone than most people have in their whole body," Biden says of Specter.
Biden, a Pennsylvania native, urged voters to keep the five-term senator in office, reminding them of Specter's seniority in the Senate.
"Pennsylvania, to lose that seniority, to lose that fight, to lose that tenacity, this guy never gives up. He's just an amazing guy," Biden says.
Biden was in Pennsylvania in April to campaign for the Republican-turned-Democrat senator. He also helped convince Specter in 2009 to change parties.
Specter faces a tough primary challenge from Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.). Most polls show the race is too close to call, although a Suffolk University poll out Wednesday showed Sestak with a 9-point lead.
Meanwhile, our colleague Alexander Bolton reports Specter doesn't think his past vote against Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan will be an issue in Tuesday's primary election.
“There are so many things that are putting me in a tough position politically that I wouldn’t say that it even gets on the scoreboard,” Specter said.
Sestak has attacked Specter for voting against Kagan last year for her post as solicitor general.
Specter defended his vote, which he cast while still a member of the Republican Party.
“Every move I make, he’s trying to politicize,” Specter said of his opponent. “He might want to rush to judgment and make a decision before a hearing, before knowing what the facts were, but I take these things very seriously.”
Self-proclaimed "tough guy" Orrin Hatch isn't worried about losing a primary challenge, despite what happened over the weekend in Salt Lake City.
On Saturday Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) was denied his party's nomination for a fourth term at the GOP state party convention. Hatch, Utah's senior senator, said he won't suffer a similar fate when he runs for reelection in 2012.
"I am not Senator Bennett, by the way, I am a tough guy and people know it," Hatch told Fox News Channel's "Happening Now" on Thursday. "No, I'm not concerned about it."
Hatch's "tough" talk comes after Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) hinted he was planning to primary the six-term GOP incumbent.
"Maybe," a grinning Chaffetz said on MSNBC Wednesday when asked if he might wage a bid to unseat the veteran Hatch. "I'm not here to make a campaign announcement, but, yeah, I serve at the will of the people. I'll serve where they want me to serve," he said. --Michael O'Brien contributed to this report.
New numbers in the Kentucky Senate race find the Republican primary widening while the Democratic primary is in a dead heat.
Rand Paul, the ophthalmologist son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), is leading by 16 points in the Republican primary.
A WHAS11/Courier-Journal Bluegrass poll found Paul had 49 percent of the vote while his opponent, Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, had 33 percent. And 11 percent remained undecided.
Paul has the backing of the Tea Party movement while Grayson is backed by the Republican establishment, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
On the Democratic side of the race, Daniel Mongiardo and Jack Conway are in a virtual dead heat, with Lt. Gov. Mongiardo leading by one point.
Two months ago, Mongirado led by 18 points but Conway had made up the ground. And with the primary rapidly approaching, only 12 percent of the voters are undecided.
Voters go to the polls May 18th. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) is retiring.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) took credit for getting President Obama up to Buffalo, N.Y., for a rally but she won't be there when he takes the stage Thursday.
The Senate is debating its financial industry reform legislation, among other bills, and Gillibrand's office said she stayed in Washington to participate.
The House is also in session but that didn't stop New York Reps. Louise Slaughter (D) and Brian Higgins (D) from attending. Republican Rep. Chris Lee (N.Y.) was listed as a "tentative" participant by the White House.
Obama is set to tour a manufacturing firm, deliver some remarks on the economy and then hold a Q&A with an audience of some 230.
Earlier this year the White House moved to dissuade possible primary challengers not to run against Gillibrand, who was appointed by Gov. David Paterson (D) after Hillary Clinton became secretary of state. She now has a clear path to the Democratic nomination and hasn't drawn a top-tier Republican challenger despite not having high name identification in New York.
(A spokesman for Rep. Lee said he "is at Industrial Support Inc. in Buffalo and waiting for the president to begin his remarks.)
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