Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Charlie Crist "have agreed to keep in touch" as the Florida governor pursues a renegade Independent Senate bid, with the possibility of a highly prized endorsement that could tip a close three-way race.
Lieberman told The Hill he spoke to Crist just hours before the governor's April 29 announcement. Boating on Tampa Bay at the time, Crist reached Lieberman through his office.
"He said, 'I just want you to know I'm going to do this, and I'd like to keep in touch with you, and obviously you've done it,' " Lieberman said of Crist. "I wished him well and I did say, which he repeated -- which was OK -- that when I lost the primary in '06 it was probably the most difficult moment of my political career but on the other hand when I won in November as an Independent it was probably the best moment of my career. And I've been lucky enough to have had a lot of moments. I was just, you know, so grateful for the opportunity to have come back as an Independent. Ultimately, it was liberating. When you're an Independent, you can do what most people do, which is take every issue on its own."
Democrats have launched an early offensive against the likely challenger to Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.).
Republican Jeff Miller hasn't yet been certified as the 11th district GOP nominee but Democrats are already saying he "can't be trusted" -- an attack national Republicans call "laughable."
A story in the Hendersonville Times-News in January said that Miller "met with local political officials and representatives from the National Republican Congressional Committee." Miller and the NRCC deny any meeting took place, but the conjecture has made its way into other reports about his candidacy.
"I would like to thank Jeff Miller for making crystal clear on his first day as nominee for Congress that he can't be trusted to tell the truth to the voters of Western North Carolina," Andrew Whalen, executive director of the North Carolina Democratic Party, said in a statement Thursday.
Republicans are adamant that no meeting took place.
"We have never met with Jeff -- we look forward to doing so," said Andy Sere, a spokesman for the NRCC. "Obviously we have talked to him via phone like we do most candidates."
Brian Barrett, Miller's campaign manager, said the Hendersonville businessman participated in a conference call organized by the committee and spoke to NRCC staff in Washington over the phone while they attempted to recruit him to run. "They were trying really hard over six months to get him to run," Barrett said. "We haven't officially met with them."
Miller hasn't even been certified as the official GOP nominee. He took 40.15 percent of the vote on Tuesday but elections officials are still counting provisional ballots, which could force a runoff if they go exclusively to Dan Eichenbaum (R), Barrett said.
Meanwhile, Shuler pulled in only 61.6 percent of the vote against the unknown Democrat Aixa Wilson, who got 38.4 percent in Tuesday's primary. Shuler's performance, after more than four years in office, seems to have worried Washington and North Carolina Democrats.
Sarah Palin endorsed California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina (R) via Facebook Thursday.
"California is still Reagan Country, and Carly promises her 'Reagan Conservative' values will be put to good use for her state and for our great nation," the former Alaska governor wrote. "Shaking it up in California is long overdue. Let's help Carly do it!"
Fiorina said she was "honored and grateful" to Palin's backing.
"She, too, is a political outsider and a strong fiscal conservative, and we share a common concern for the direction our country is headed in under Barbara Boxer and her allies in Washington," Fiorina said in a statement. "Californians across the state have had enough of Washington insiders and their political games, and together, I am confident we will help restore integrity to our nation's capital by bringing Barbara Boxer's 28-year career to an end."
Palin's note includes links to Fiorina's website and Twitter feed but does not say to donate directly to her campaign.
This is the second major conservative endorsement in as many days for Fiorina. On Wednesday her campaign announced it was being supported by National Right to Life, a powerful anti-abortion group.
A spokeswoman for the Fiorina camp said no campaign events with Palin have been scheduled.
Conservative talk-radio host Herman Cain is considering a presidential bid, and he's getting encouragement from Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher.
Cain, who broadcasts from Atlanta and placed second to then-Rep. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) in a 2004 Georgia GOP primary, said he's looking at running in 2012 as a Republican or an independent.
Cain told The Hill he would run because he "totally disagrees with the Obama-Reid-Pelosi agenda."
Democrats are trying to highlight the Republican rift in the California Senate race by making one of their own "demon sheep" ads.
Carly Fiorina's camp released the bizarre and much-discussed original ad in February, attacking former Rep. Tom Campbell (R) as a faux fiscal conservative.
On Thursday, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) released a sequel of sorts, called "Demon Sheep II: The Fleecing of California."
Fiorina, Campbell and state Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R) will square off tonight in a debate.
New York Republicans are pushing for Gov. David Paterson (D) to call a special election in the 29th district to fill the seat vacated by disgraced former Rep. Eric Massa (D).
Paterson has opted to leave the seat vacant since Massa resigned in March as opposed to calling a special election.
Republicans in the state Senate now say they’ll introduce a resolution calling on the governor to call a special election, according to the Albany Times Union.
A low-turnout special election could favor the GOP. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) carried the district in 2008, the same year Massa eked out a 5,000 vote margin of victory over Republican John Kuhl.
Republican Tom Reed and Democrat Matthew Zeller are running for the seat.
Connecticut Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal (D) remains out front of his GOP rivals in a new Rasmussen Reports poll.
The state's attorney general garnered more than 50 percent support from likely voters and held a double-digit lead when matched against the top three Republican candidates.
Blumenthal led former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon by 52 to 39 percent. In a match up with former Rep. Rob Simmons, the Democrat’s support climbed to 55, while the Republican got 32 percent.
Investment banker Peter Schiff trailed Blumenthal 54 to 29 percent.
There was some good news for McMahon from May 4 survey -- she was the only Republican candidate who beat Blumenthal among Independent voters. She also had the highest favorability rating of the GOP field.
The poll will also be a relief to Blumenthal, who had been called "Martha Coakley in pants" in a recent New York Timesprofile. The paper wrote in the April piece, "He appears almost incapable of offering concise answers to even the most predictable questions, like why he is running for the Senate."
Former Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) wrapped up his second big newspaper endorsement in the Hawaii special election to fill Rep. Neil Abercrombie's (D) seat.
In an editorial Thursday, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin called Case "a fiscally moderate Democrat who exercises independence from his party's Hawaii establishment" and urged readers to vote for him May 22.
Case was endorsed in April by the Honolulu Advertiser’s editorial board.
Still, state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa (D) is putting on a brave face -- despite polls showing her trailing Case and Republican Charles Djou.
"I'm staying in this race for the people who have supported me, who have made phone calls for me who have knocked on doors for me, who have waved signs for me, who have donated to my campaign," Hanabusa said during a press conference Wednesday.
Utah Sen. Bob Bennett (R) faces a decisive showdown this weekend in Salt Lake City, the GOP primary gets wild in West Virginia's 1st district and the GOP's best hope in Iowa goes in for surgery.
Working for the weekend
Campaigning to save his job, Utah Sen. Bob Bennett (R) has missed 36 of the 131 Senate roll call votes as of Wednesday, according to the Deseret News.
Reporters aren't the only ones taking notice, the Club for Growth issued a statement saying Bennett's "supposed to be Washington fighting to save our economy, not in Utah fighting to save his career."
Club spokesman Mike Connolly added that in addition to issuing a release attacking Bennett for absenteeism, the group will set up booths at the GOP convention on Saturday and will dispense information there about his missed votes.
This weekend's convention is expected to be Bennett's Waterloo. Challengers Mike Lee (R) and Tim Bridgewater (R) have been leading the incumbent in some recent polls.
Bennett needs the support of 60 percent of the some 3,500 delegates at the convention to hold the nomination and 40 percent to stay alive for a June primary. Some surveys have shown that Bennett may be hard pressed to hold on to 40 percent.
It's getting ugly in West Virginia
Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.) is facing one of the toughest races of his career after voting for healthcare reform but his eventual GOP challenger may emerge bloodied and bruised from the primary.
Republicans Mac Warner and David McKinley got into a fierce exchange during a GOP candidates debate in Wheeling Wednesday night. Warner accused McKinley of "feigning concern" for his son who was injured serving in Afghanistan, then calling his opponent "unfit to serve" in Congress in a mailer the next day.
"Some don't get it because they've never served in our Armed Forces," Warner said. "Don't ever call me unfit to serve." The moderator quickly ended the debate and the station ended the broadcast.
Terry's on the mend
Former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) went in for elective heart surgery on Wednesday. He's expected to make a full recovered according to a spokesman for the Iowa Heart Center.
"Governor Branstad should be able to resume his normal campaign schedule within the next few days and should quickly return to his normal lifestyle without limitations. He should be fully capable of performing the activities of a candidate and a governor," the spokesman said.
Branstad's the favorite to win the GOP nod to face Gov. Chet Culver (D). Should his health compromise his ability to campaign vigorously, it could be a boon to the embattled Democrat.
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