Republicans in Iowa have narrowed the party-registration edge enjoyed by Democrats in that state. 

Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro said Tuesday that as of July 1, registered Democrats in the state outnumber Republicans by some 55,000. At the beginning of the year, Democrats held a voter-registration advantage of nearly 100,000.    

The shift is mostly a result of last month's competitive Republican primary for governor. Mauro said some 47,000 voters switched their registration so they could vote in the GOP primary. 

“Based on what I’ve seen as an election official, it’s really difficult to draw any definite conclusions about this year’s numbers and how it will impact [the] elections this fall,” Mauro told Radio Iowa. “But clearly the primary did have an impact on the political landscape here in the state.”

J.D. Hayworth (R) went up with his first TV ad of the Arizona Senate primary campaign Wednesday. 

“John McCain is hiding his record behind false attacks on my husband,” Mary Hayworth, the former congressman’s wife, says in the ad. “John McCain has sold out the people of Arizona on immigration, bailouts and tax increases. Now, John McCain has embraced character assassination to keep his job. John McCain should be ashamed.”

She notes that her husband is “not perfect” but he is a “principled conservative.”

This is Hayworth’s first response to a recent TV ad blitz by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). It’s not yet clear where the ad is airing. 

New York House candidate Chris Cox (R) is trying to downplay the loss of several senior advisers.

The Ballot Box confirmed that John Weaver, Mark Salter, Fred Davis, Jim McCray, Josh Geleris and Danny Diaz have recently left Cox's campaign. The consultants all had ties to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Geleris accompanied Cox on his last round of interviews in Washington.

Cox said the move was simply "shifting personnel."

"In preparation for the upcoming September primaries for the Republican and Conservative Party ballot lines, our congressional campaign team is shifting some personnel," Cox said in a statement Tuesday night. "This shift will allow our team to move from the initial organizational phase to a more tactical phase."

Cox is vying against wealthy businessman Randy Altschuler and former SEC attorney George Demos in the Sept. 14 primary to face Rep. Tim Bishop (D).

Cox is the son of state GOP Chairman Ed Cox and the grandson of the late President Richard Nixon.

In their first debate Tuesday, Kansas Reps. Jerry Moran (R) and Todd Tiahrt (R) both assailed each other's congressional voting records.

The two are locked in a Republican primary for the nomination to fill the seat of Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback (R), who is running for governor. The primary is Aug. 3.

So far, it's been a race to prove which candidate is more conservative, which was Tuesday's theme.

Tiahrt accused Moran of not supporting former President George W. Bush's tax cuts, while Moran hit his opponent on his vote in favor of the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

One of the debate's most contentious exchanges came on the issue of immigration. From the AP:

[Moran] criticized Tiahrt during the debate for past support of proposals to allow some illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses and to make it easier for some to pay lower college tuition. Tiahrt said his views shifted as he consulted with Kansans and studied the issue.

... Tiahrt said he not only wants to complete the border fence but wants to stop printing bilingual election ballots, a practice he said encourages people to come to the U.S. illegally. Moran endorsed the new Arizona law - directing local police to check people's immigration status - and derided the Obama administration's challenge as "a silly waste of taxpayer dollars."

But amid that tough talk, Tiahrt acknowledged he once supported proposals on tuition and driver's licenses; Moran's staff noted Tiahrt co-sponsored legislation in 2001 and 2003. Supporters of such policies say they mostly help children who are brought to the U.S. by their parents and stay into young adulthood.

"A long time ago, I thought it was compassionate to not punish the children for the parents' sins, but I've listened to the people of Kansas. I've studied this issue," Tiahrt said. "I've come to the conclusion that we must build the fence, that we must say no to amnesty."

Tiahrt also reminded voters he has the backing of the Tea Party Express and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who endorsed him last month. Moran has the endorsement of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) who will campaign Friday for Moran in Kansas. 

A Survey USA poll from late June gave Moran a 20-point lead. 

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has yet to endorse Senate nominee Lee Fisher and officials say she won’t.

Gov. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) will make a statement on the process to fill Robert Byrd’s seat Wednesday at 11 a.m.

President Barack Obama will campaign with Harry Reid at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday, the Senate majority leader’s campaign announced Tuesday.

Obama will then deliver a speech on the economy Friday morning at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He’s also expected to appear at a fundraiser for the senator.

Reid, who faces Republican Sharron Angle in November, sounded excited about the overnight presidential visit.

“I’m happy the president’s coming,” Reid told the Las Vegas Review-Journal after he toured a construction project in North Las Vegas Tuesday. “He’s got a plate full of problems.”

Asked if Obama’s visit will help his chances, Reid talked about how the late President Ronald Reagan came to Nevada to campaign for his GOP opponent when he first ran for Senate in 1986.

“Every time he came my numbers went down,” Reid said with a smile.


Labor groups are placing greater emphasis on state-level elections in Ohio with redistricting looming on the horizon. 

“We’ll be working very hard on the gubernatorial race,” Tim Burga, chief of staff for the AFL-CIO’s Ohio chapter, told The Ballot Box. “There’s added importance to that race, there’s no question about it.”

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D) is facing a tough challenge from former Rep. John Kasich (R). 

Burga noted that unions, which boast close to a million members in the Buckeye State, aren’t neglecting the House or Senate races. “We’re going to be working hard on both” federal and state races, he said.

But there’s added significance to the governor’s race because the office plays a powerful role in the redistricting process, which takes place after the 2010 Census is completed in December. Ohio is expected to lose up to two of its 18 seats because of a population decline, which means the governor’s office and the General Assembly will be grappling over how to redraw the state’s House boundaries. 

“That’s why there’s so much added attention,” said Burga.

Labor’s focus on the governor’s race could be an added worry for Senate candidate Lee Fisher (D), who is battling Republican Rob Portman for the state’s open Senate seat. 

The AFL-CIO is set to begin its member education program this week, according to Burga. 

—Updated at 4:25 p.m.

Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty — a contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012 — will spend a few days in Iowa this summer campaigning for state House candidates. 

His spokesman, Alex Conant, tweeted Tuesday: 

T-Paw going to help Republicans win back Iowa legislature with 3-day trip to eastern Iowa starting 7/31. Lots of good candidates to support.

On July 31, Pawlenty will appear with Rep. Steve Lukan in Dubuque, state Senate candidate Bill Dix in Waverly, and statehouse minority leader Kraig Paulsen in Cedar Rapids. The following two days, he will appear with state Rep. Jeff Kaufmann in West Liberty, and at a morning event for the Scott County Lincoln Club in Davenport.