House Democrats are encouraging members to make the tax cuts they’ve delivered a key part of their reelection strategy.

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) was touted as the "best bet" for keeping his seat in Democratic hands by two major Pennsylvania newspapers.

The former Republican won strong backing in his first bid for the Democratic Senate nod from the editorial boards of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday.

The Inquirer said the "80-year-old newcomer to their party" is a "good choice for Democrats."

The Post-Gazette editorialized, "His knowledge of the state's needs, his ability to command respect on Capitol Hill and his voice for the brand of civil discourse that is too rare in America today have few rivals."

The Inquirer called Specter's primary rival, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), a "worthy opponent for the nomination." But it noted he "suffers from low name recognition and the absence of support by party leaders, from President Obama to Gov. Rendell."

The Post-Gazette said that a "true-blue" liberal like Sestak will have a hard time winning in the current national environment.

"In a different political year, his true-blue liberalism might be just the ticket for the Democratic Party," the paper said. "But in 2010, with an insurgent challenge from the right to claim the seat and with grass-roots tea party activists railing against the role of government, whoever hopes to become Pennsylvania's next senator will need to win votes from the center."

The Inquirer said Specter "is a senator for the ages. He is still a vital player and a worthy choice for Democrats."

Specter and Sestak will meet in their only televised debate of the primary campaign on May 1.

Chairman Michael Steele is committed to using most, if not all, of its cash on hand in midterm elections.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is talking up the healthcare reform law in a big way on the campaign trail.

Reid, who led efforts to shepherd the $940 billion legislation through the Senate, is facing a tough reelection battle this fall. He spoke at several Democratic county conventions in northern Nevada on Saturday.

“The most important thing we've done for the country and the world is health care,” he said according to the Nevada Appeal. 

Republicans have warned Democrats to use the healthcare law, upon which the public is divided, during the fall campaigns at their own peril.

Democrats have countered, saying that the healthcare law is one of their greatest achievements, comparing it to the passage of large, popular entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. 

Cross-posted to the Briefing Room

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Sunday that he would withdraw his support from Florida Gov. Charlie Crist if he decided to run as an independent in the face of a stiff Senate primary challenge from Marco Rubio.

McConnell, asked about his endorsement of Crist on "Fox News Sunday," noted that he'd lent his backing more than a year ago, and "a lot has happened" since then.

"My advice to him would be to compete as a Republican," McConnell said. "...I think if the governor decided to run as an independent he's not going to have any Republican support."

The senator wasn't taking back his support immediately, he said, but would if the circumstances change.

"I would be troubled if the governor decided to run as an independent," McConnell said. "He certainly would not have my support."

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), who has fundraised for Crist's Senate campaign this year, said that Cheney's statement was damaging.

Senate candidate Carly Fiorina jumped into one of the most contentious issues in the House on the day when Armenians mark the killing of 1.5 million by the Ottoman Empire.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee narrowly passed a resolution March 4 to call the killings genocide, which sparked a tiff with Turkey in which the ambassador was recalled to Ankara for a month.

Fiorina issued a statement Saturday afternoon calling on Congress to pass the resolution and calling on President Barack Obama to recognize the killings as genocide, which he didn't in his Armenian Remembrance Day statement.

“There are periods in our history that are dark and horrible," Fiorina said. "They reveal the evil that exists in our world and underscore the atrocities that humankind is capable of committing.

"It is our duty to acknowledge the contemptible, premeditated crimes and horrible acts of genocide that were committed by the Ottoman Turks when they drove Armenians from their ancestral homeland during this dark period of human history," she said.

Armenian communities are prevalent in central and southern California, with the city of Glendale hosting one of the largest concentrations of Armenians in the U.S.

"I've learned never to say never," said the former N.Y. governor, who toyed with running for president in 2008.

The campaign website of businessman Tim Burns (R) crashed Friday morning as it was in the midst of a so-called "money bomb" tied to the visit of Vice President Joe Biden to Pennsylvania.

But it wasn't because of foul play, said Kent Gates, a spokesman for the campaign. "It is a problem with the hosting company and we tried to get it resolved all day."

By Friday evening, the website was still down.

Biden was in Pittsburgh Friday for a fundraiser for Burns' Democratic opponent, Mark Critz. The two are running to fill the late Rep. John Murtha's (D-Pa.) seat.

The Burns campaign started a money bomb last Friday tied to the visit. Gates said the campaign had surpassed its goal of raising $50,000 by Thursday night morning and was on pace to surpass $60,000 before the site crashed.

Gates said the website hosting company, Network Solutions, "had a bunch of websites that they were hosting crashing" on Friday.

(This post was updated on April 25 at 7:26 p.m.)