Tea Party favorite Clint Didier (R), who finished a distant third in Tuesday's Washington State Senate primary, made it clear he isn't ready to back Republican Dino Rossi in November. 

"I've got to see more fire in the belly. I've got to see more conviction," Didier told the Seattle Times. "If he wants the people who voted for me to vote for him, he better be willing to come my way." 

Didier, who was backed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, won just over 12 percent of the vote Tuesday, well behind Sen. Patty Murray (D) and Rossi (R), who led the top-two primary.

Didier took a parting shot at Rossi, saying he needs to stand for something other than name recognition, "because that's what he won this thing on." 

As some Democrats balk at campaigning with President Obama, an Ohio Republican offered praise for the commander in chief's ability to inspire his party.

"There is no better campaigner — or motivator for national Democrats — than President Obama," Senate candidate Rob Portman (R) wrote in a fundraising pitch to supporters Wednesday. "National Democrats will open their checkbooks to help my opponent this fall. And that presents us with a challenge." He asked for donations of $25 or more.

"It is clear that Ohio is a 'crown jewel' for Democrats," he added. "If the Democrats win in Ohio in 2010, they will use it as a platform for the presidential race in November of 2012."

Portman faces Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher (D) for the open Senate seat in November.

Fisher is expected to join Obama during his stop in Clintonville for a speech on the economy Wednesday. The president then heads to the Columbus Athenaeum for a fundraiser benefiting Gov. Ted Strickland's (D) campaign and the Ohio Democratic Party.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) thinks Republican Sharron Angle's own words will provide the ammunition necessary to defeat her.

"Our focus groups that we've done — my staff tells me this — her statements, they can't believe that anyone would say that," Reid told The New York Times. "That's why most of our TV just has her talking."

Still, the Democrat insisted he was taking Angle seriously as an opponent.

"I'm not discounting her," Reid said. "In spite of the work we’ve done, people need to understand more about her. There are some unusual stands she has."

Polls have shown the Nevada Senate race remains a close contest.

Angle also gave a "rare" interview to the paper, during which she "spoke slowly and cautiously." She seemed "reluctant to engage, frequently reciting stock answers to questions.

She dismissed Reid's suggestion that she was too conservative.

“I'm sure that they probably said that about Thomas Jefferson and George Washington and Benjamin Franklin," she said. "And truly, when you look at the Constitution and our Founding Fathers and their writings, the things that made this country great, you might draw those conclusions: that they were conservative. They were fiscally conservative and socially conservative."

Florida Senate candidate Kendrick Meek now leads his primary rival in two of the last three public polls — including one that showed him trailing real estate mogul Jeff Greene in July.

Meek now leads Greene 35 to 28 percent among likely voters in the latest Quinnipiac University poll. In a July 29 poll, Greene held a 33 to 23 percent lead over Meek.

Former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre (D), the other primary candidate, gets 6 percent, compared to 4 percent on July 29.

The poll released Wednesday was a survey of about 800 primary voters from each party conducted Aug. 11-16.


It found there's still a significant number of undecided voters. Almost a third of Democrats are undecided, and 39 percent of those who name a candidate say they could change their mind.

Big spenders aren't just doing badly on the Democratic side.

In the Florida Republican gubernatorial primary, the self-funding former front-runner has also fallen behind his establishment opponent. Attorney General Bill McCollum (R) now leads businessman Rick Scott (R) 44 to 35 percent among likely primary voters. Scott led 43 to 32 percent in the July survey.


"The empire strikes back — actually both empires. That is, the folks who run the Democratic and Republican parties in Florida have waded into the nomination fights and they are making a difference," Peter Brown, assistant director of the university’s polling institute, said in a statement.

Meek, in particular, has been on the receiving end of some help from well-known Democrats. Former President Clinton held three rallies for him on Monday.

"Look, I love Kendrick Meek," Clinton told a crowd of 1,000 people at a recreation center in South Florida on Monday. "I'd be here for him if I was the only vote he had in the entire country. I also believe with all my heart he should be the next U.S. senator from Florida.''

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) is on a bit of a losing streak.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Romney ramped up his rhetoric on the economy against President Obama.

Former state Rep. Denny Heck (D) and Jaime Herrera (R) were the two top vote-getters Tuesday in the race to replace retiring Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.).

Heck led the field with 32 percent of the vote to Herrera's 26. Activist David Hedrick ran third with 13 percent, followed by former Bush administration official David Castillo at 12 percent.

The state votes under a new primary system this year — the top two vote-getters advance to November, no matter their party.

Heading into Tuesday, Heck was widely expected to garner the top spot with the race for second place wide open between the three GOP contenders, but Herrera's showing was a strong one and Republicans are already arguing that it bodes well for her in the state's only open-seat race this fall.

Democrats say Republican interest in the Senate primary drove up GOP turnout across the board Tuesday, helping a candidate like Herrera to a stronger showing.

Heck led the way among the Democratic contenders. The former Speaker of the state House has raised more than $600,000 and positioned himself as a centrist during the primary.

Among Republicans, state legislator Jamie Herrera raised the most cash for her bid — more than $375,000 — and was running slightly in front of fellow Republicans David Hedrick and David Castillo ahead of Tuesday.

The 3rd district has been trending Republican, and prognosticator Charlie Cook rates the district a toss-up in the general election.

That Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) and Democrat Suzan DelBene would garner the most votes Tuesday was all but assured.

Reichert led the way with 48 percent of the vote. DelBene had 27 percent Tuesday with 48 percent of precincts reporting. The two will advance to November's general election.

The state votes under a new primary system this year — the top two-vote getters advance to November, no matter their party. That has translated the Reichert-DelBene battle into seeing who can get the most votes Tuesday, with both campaigns hoping to use it to claim momentum heading into the fall.

The contest between Reichert and DelBene is expected to be a close one this fall, with the two already raising more than $3 million between them. DelBene, a former Microsoft executive, has committed more than $600,000 of her money to the race.

The centrist Reichert survived tough challenges in both 2006 and 2008 and is partly banking on dissatisfaction with Democrats to help him survive the anti-incumbent mood.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Republican Dino Rossi will face off in November's general election after finishing Tuesday as the primary's top two vote getters. 

Tuesday's primary battle in Washington state's Senate race was all about positioning for November. Murray was ahead of Rossi, taking 47 percent of the vote to Rossi's 34 percent with 46 percent of precincts reporting. 

It's a positive for the endangered Murray heading toward November. Observers were eyeing Tuesday's vote totals as a measure of just how vulnerable Murray is this fall. 

While Republicans will argue that Murray finishing with less than 50 percent of the vote is a danger sign for the incumbent, there was at least some concern that Rossi could top Murray's vote total ahead of Tuesday.    

The state votes under a new primary system this year — the top-two vote-getters advance to November, no matter their party. And since Murray and Rossi appeared on the same ballot, observers will watch for hints of how the two will fare in the general election.

Tea Party favorite Clint Didier and businessman Paul Akers siphoned off at least some of Rossi's vote. Didier won 10 percent, with Akers taking 2 percent. 

Murray spent the day standing beside President Obama at a campaign rally and fundraiser while Rossi was counting on a strong performance to help his argument that Murray is in deep trouble this fall.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and its Republican counterpart both engaged in some pre-primary day spin Monday. The DSCC released a memo downplaying expectations for Murray, noting that if history is any guide, Rossi could get a larger portion of the vote Tuesday.

Executive Director J.B. Poersch pointed out that in 1998, Murray received just 45.9 percent of the primary vote, yet won the general election easily that year.

National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brian Walsh shot back: "But the bottom line is that if Murray’s vote totals are behind Rossi’s, she’s in trouble," he wrote in an e-mail.

Still, it won't prevent Republicans from trumpeting Rossi's Tuesday vote total, particularly since he faced at least some GOP opposition.

Didier, a former NFL player, had the backing of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), but her support was largely a non-factor. The Didier campaign had hoped Palin would headline a last-minute campaign rally, but were forced to settle for a robocall the campaign pushed out ahead of Tuesday's vote.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who backed GOP primary winners Ken Buck in Colorado and Rand Paul in Kentucky, weighed in on behalf of Rossi earlier this month, cutting off just about any oxygen Rossi's challengers had left.

Last month, Didier and Akers joined forces and began holding joint campaign events in an attempt to gain some traction for their anti-establishment message, but Rossi remained the prohibitive favorite on the Republican side.

Murray and Rossi now head to the general election with the race in a dead heat, according to the latest polling. Murray takes 49 percent of the vote to Rossi's 46 percent in a PPP poll from earlier this month.

The contest also offers a clear contrast between a strong backer of the president's legislative agenda and a Republican candidate who wants to repeal two of Obama's cornerstone achievements.

Murray supported the healthcare reform law and financial reform — Rossi has pledged to work for the repeal of both laws if elected to the Senate.

Obama won the state in 2008, beating Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) by some 17 points. But the president's approval rating there now stands at 49 percent.

Murray will also head into the general election with a big cash-on-hand edge. Even though Rossi out-raised Murray during the month of July, the incumbent started August with $3.2 million on hand, compared to Rossi's $1.8 million.