Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was reminded Friday of the disadvantages of being an incumbent this cycle.

After spending the week at the heart of the legislative debate surrounding the repeal of the Pentagon's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, McCain was scheduled to fly back to Arizona on a 6 a.m. flight.

He's facing a tough primary challenge from former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) and had a series of campaign appearances lined up Friday, starting with a town hall event in the Phoenix area.

But McCain's flight had mechanical problems and was delayed leaving Washington. His campaign subsequently had only a few hours' notice to reschedule to Saturday the town hall event in Fountain Hills.

This wasn't the first time McCain missed a campaign appearance because his responsibilities kept him in Washington.

On May 14, McCain failed to make the opening of his Tucson campaign office because his flight was grounded by weather during a layover in Dallas. His campaign staff were left scrambling to find a replacement for the senator and eventually had to settle for Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup and local car dealer Jim Click.

"He flies commercial; this happens to everyone," said McCain spokesman Brian Rogers.

That's certainly true. But in a year when incumbents need to campaign hard to save their jobs, the challenge of getting back home from D.C. is an added complication.

And it doesn't look like the Senate's summer schedule will provide any respite.

On the docket: the financial regulatory reform conference report, Elena Kagan's Supreme Court confirmation, the war supplemental conference report, an extension of jobless benefits, a defense authorization, small-business loans and other jobs bills, plus a budget resolution.

It seems McCain's campaign staff can expect more delays.

— Walter Alarkon contributed to this report.

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) issued a statement Friday confirming the White House's account of its job offer to him to get out of the Senate primary race.

"Last summer, I received a phone call from President Clinton. During the course of the conversation, he expressed concern over my prospects if I were to enter the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate and the value of having me stay in the House of Representatives because of my military background. He said that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel had spoken with him about my being on a Presidential Board while remaining in the House of Representatives," Sestak said. "I said no. I told President Clinton that my only consideration in getting into the Senate race or not was whether it was the right thing to do for Pennsylvania working families and not any offer. The former president said he knew I'd say that, and the conversation moved on to other subjects."

Pennsylvania Republicans were unsatisfied with Sestak's explanation.

"Joe Sestak's refusal to comment on this issue until the White House released their carefully concocted statement, proves that Joe Sestak is now officially the same kind of Washington 'insider' he claimed to be fighting against," Mike Barley, a spokesman for the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, said in a statement. "Regardless of what the White House or Joe Sestak may hope, this is a matter that should be pursued and not forgotten over a long holiday weekend."

Washington Republicans said Friday the memo only raises more questions about the job offer, which they say could have broken federal laws. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is holding a press conference at 2:50 p.m. where he's again expected to call for an investigation into the White House job offer.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said the White House's explanation of how Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) was offered an executive branch board position "raises more questions."

"What was Bill Clinton authorized to offer?," Steele asked in a statement. "Did President Obama sign off on this conversation before it took place?"

White House Counsel Bob Bauer addressed the controversy in a two-page memo released Friday. The memo confirmed reports that former President Bill Clinton spoke to Sestak at the request of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel about dropping out of the race against Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.).

Steele called the memo "unsubstantiated."

"Now more than ever it is clear that this White House is not capable of policing itself and needs to open itself to an independent investigation," Steele said.

Senate Judiciary Republicans have asked the White House to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the matter. The memo did not address the Republicans’ request.

—Sam Youngman and Walter Alarkon contributed to this post.

Senate hopeful Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) believes Charlie Crist's independent bid will help him win a seat in the upper chamber.

"I think [Crist's bid] will eventually [help]," Meek said.

In a brief interview, Meek told The Hill many voters in Florida "don't know I'm running" because he hasn't gone up with campaign ads yet. He said Crist and Republican Marco Rubio will split the GOP vote, noting there are 750,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in Florida.

Meek, who was a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton in the 2008 presidential Democratic primary, said the Obama White House has been very supportive of his campaign.

Asked if the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) has been helpful enough, Meek said DSCC Chairman Robert Menendez (N.J.) recently helped him raise funds for his campaign in the Sunshine State.

"Of course," Meek said with a smile, "they could always do more."

In a recent St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald/Bay News poll, Crist attracted 30 percent of the vote, with Rubio at 27 percent and Meek at 15 percent.

After months of trailing by double digits, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has pulled about even with his potential Republican challengers, according to a new Las Vegas Review-Journal poll.

If the election were held today, Reid would fall just 3% short of former Nevada Republican chairwoman Sue Lowden (39%-42%), would defeat ex-Assemblywoman Sharron Angle by the same margin (42%-39%), and is in a statistical dead heat with businessman Danny Tarkanian (41%-42%).

Reid hasn't grown any more popular in the state. Forty-seven percent of Nevada voters have an unfavorable opinion of him. But his opponents have been taking a drubbing in the press. Lowden committed an embarrassing gaffe by seeming to suggest that Nevadans could get healthcare by paying their doctor with a chicken. Angle has been portrayed as a far-right Tea Partier.

The poll shows that any of the Republicans still have a shot at the nomination. If the primary were held today, Lowden would receive 30% of the vote, cmopared to 29% for Angle and 23% for Tarkanian.

Former NFL star Jon Runyan (R) continues to put up anemic fundraising numbers that may hamper his ability to mount a strong challenge to Rep. John Adler (D-N.J.).

Runyan, a top recruit for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), has only $134,692 cash on hand ahead of the June 8 primary. From April 1 to May 19 he raised $75,095 but spent $77,961 during the same time. His committee is also carrying $112,206 in debt.

One bright spot in his report is that none of the contributions were his own money — an improvement over the last quarter, when he lent his effort $100,000.

Democrats are pointing to Runyan’s fundraising numbers as the latest example of an underachieving NRCC recruit.

But the former Philadelphia Eagle still has time to turn things around. He will likely get through the primary without having to launch a last-minute ad blitz against his primary opponent — Republican rival Justin Murphy reported having just $3,918 left in the bank. 

Still, the numbers are a troubling sign for one the GOP's top prospects in the Northeast.

Meanwhile, the pre-primary report for Adler wasn't yet available. He reported having $1,670,029 banked in his last quarter's Federal Election Commission report. Adler faces a nominal primary challenge from progressive Democrat Barry Bendar.

California Republicans could be setting a new record for spending, White House jobs are an issue in Colorado, and with Vito Fossella out of the picture, the race for the GOP nod to take on Rep. Mike McMahon (D-N.Y.) appears all wrapped up. 

Going on a spender in California

California Republican Steve Poizner spent more than $17 million on his gubernatorial effort between March 18 and May 22, according to his pre-primary financial report.

Poizner had only $3 million cash on hand as of May 22 after spending some $24 million from his own fortune. His GOP rival for the nod, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, has yet to release her numbers.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown only spent about $320,000 through May 22. But Brown has a whopping $20.6 million in cash on hand and doesn't face major competition in the June 8 primary.

Meanwhile in the GOP Senate race, former Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Calif.) has a cash-on-hand edge over Republican rival Carly Fiorina. He's got $975,271 in the bank compared with her $620,460 ahead of their June 8 primary. State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore has $276,614 left to spend.

What works in Pennsylvania...

The Colorado Democratic Senate primary has its own story of White House job-offer intrigue.

Last September, the Denver Post reported that former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff was told a job "might be found" in the executive branch for him if he dropped his challenge to Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). Romanoff stayed in the race and now the GOP is trying to use the reported offer against him the same way the Pennsylvania GOP is hitting Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) on the issue.

"It's reprehensible to have an administration, especially the one that has set itself up as the paragon of ethical virtue, to run around trying to buy off candidates to get out of these competitive primaries," said Colorado Republican Party chairman Dick Wadhams. "Buying them off with taxpayer-funded jobs. It's reprehensible, it shouldn't happen, and it's clear we now have two very clear examples of where the administration attempted to do that."

Romanoff today declined to comment on the issue.

The man who united Brooklyn and Staten Island

Republican House candidate Michael Allegretti got the backing of the Staten Island Republican Party Thursday night, although the win was marred by the withdrawal of his GOP rival.

Former FBI agent Michael Grimm took his name out of consideration and blasted the endorsement process. "The charade is not one in which I want to be a part of," he said. Grimm is expected to continue running as an outsider candidate.


The Staten Island GOP's executive committee had endorsed Fossella last week, but he announced on Wednesday he wouldn't run. 


Allegretti now has the Brooklyn and Staten Island Republican Party endorsements. Rep. Mike McMahon (D-N.Y.) released a statement Thursdaty night that reaffirmed his plan to be reelected but it didn't mention Allegretti by name.

Candidates stake out positions on offshore drilling while tourism and fishery industries suffer financial losses.

Former Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.) passed on running for Missouri's open Senate seat this cycle, but he's still thinking about a rematch with Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.).

"I do have to make a decision early next cycle if I'm going to run," Talent told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Since losing to McCaskill in 2006 by less than 50,000 votes, Talent has remained in Washington working on national security issues.

"I do want to stay involved or, if anything, step up my involvement in public affairs. It could take that form [running for office], it could take many forms," he said. "Now is not the time to be withdrawing from public affairs."

He warned his fellow Republicans not to assume voters' anger will be directed solely at Democrats in November.

"I don’t think it is inherently a partisan thing," he said about the national mood. "I think it's directed at the people they identify as in power."

The GOP may also lose some members, he added. "You don’t know whether there might be some impact on Republican incumbents. But I would be surprised to see that on any broad scale."