The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee went up Tuesday with its second TV ad attacking Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou (R). The committee's first ad criticized Djou for his "troubling record on jobs."
This one hits Djou on both jobs and his support for "cutting thousands of teachers." The 30-second spot is airing in the Honolulu media market, which covers the entire state. Djou faces Democrats Colleen Hanabusa and Ed Case in the special House election set for May 22.
Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) is bringing in one of Utah's favorite sons to help him in his reelection bid.
Mitt Romney will introduce Bennett at the state Republican convention -- the place that could decide Bennett's political future.
Jim Bennett, the senator's son and campaign manager, told the Desert News that Romney will bring excitement to the gathering because "he's the most popular political figure in the state of Utah,
so we're glad to have him on our side."
"Nine
of 10 voted for him the last presidential primary here," Jim Bennett noted of Romney. "He's been a strong supporter and wants to be as helpful as he
can."
Romney, the first serious Mormon presidential candidate, attended Brigham Young University and headed the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter games.
Bennett has been under attack by conservatives in the state and faces a primary challenge from the right. He needs more than 60 percent of the delegates support at the convention in order to avoid a primary and more than 40 percent to avoid being bounced at convention. If he gets between 40 percent and 59 percent, a June 22nd primary would decide the Republican nominee.
It is not the first time Romney has helped Bennett. He attended a fundraiser for him last year.
New Hampshire Senate candidate Paul Hodes (D) got some bad news Tuesday.
The two-term congressman trailed two of his potential Republican rivals in a new poll.
And his so-called "Granny D constitutional amendment" to restrict campaign spending by corporations was panned by a major New Hampshire newspaper.
To the numbers: A Public Policy Polling survey conducted April 17-18 showed Hodes with an approval rating far below 50 percent. Moreover, he trailed Republicans Kelly Ayotte and Bill Binnie 47-40 and 46-41, respectively.
Meanwhile, the editorial board of Foster's Daily Democratcalled Hodes's "Granny D" proposal, "vindictive, naive and is only aimed at part of the problem."
"Such pandering to the fears of voters may explain why recent polls show all the major Republican candidates beating him in a November election," the paper said.
Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) went up Tuesday with his first TV ad of the Senate primary campaign.
The minute-long spot doesn't attack his rival, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), directly but instead focuses on his biography and his support for healthcare reform.
The ad opens with the implication that Sestak is the only real Democrat in the race. It closes with him saying, "If we want real change in Washington, we can't keep sending the same career politicians to represent us."
The ad is airing "throughout" the state and was produced by The Campaign Group, according to a Sestak spokesman. Specter launched three TV spots last week. [Update: Specter is also up with a new attack ad hitting Sestak as "no-show Joe" and saying he was "relieved of duty" in the Navy.]
Here's the script of Sestak's ad:
Announcer: "Meet Joe Sestak, he's the Democrat running against Arlen Specter. Sestak has been called Pennsylvania's most effective new congressman. But he's not a career politician. Sestak served in the Navy for 31 years and became a three-star admiral. He commanded an aircraft carrier battlegroup in Afghanistan and served in President Clinton’s White House. Democrat Joe Sestak."
Sestak: "Five years ago, my daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We had great healthcare and my daughter made a full recovery. But the experience changed my life. I decided to run for congress because every American deserves the healthcare I got from the Navy. When I got to Washington, I found that too many politicians are more concerned about keeping their jobs instead of serving the public, instead of helping people. If we want real change in Washington, we can't keep sending the same career politicians to represent us. I'm Joe Sestak. And I authorize this message because it's time for a new generation of leadership."
Republicans bring a small lead into the final month of the contest for the late Rep. John Murtha's (D-Pa.) seat, according to a Public Policy Polling survey.
The Democratic-leaning pollster found businessman Tim Burns (R) leading former Murtha aide Mark Critz (D) 44-41, thanks to an electorate that is upset with the recently passed healthcare bill, President Obama and the Democratic leadership.
Obama's is approved by 33 percent of voters and disapproved by 57 percent. Slightly less (28 percent) approve of the healthcare bill, and less than a quarter (24 percent) approve of Gov. Ed Rendell (D).
Burns uses those advantages to build a 51-31 lead among independents and grab twice as much crossover support as Critz.
Though the district is heavily Democratic, it's clear that it's a different brand of Democrat than exists elsewhere. Less than half -- 43 percent -- of them approve of the healthcare bill, and just 50 percent approve of Obama.
A GOP poll obtained by The Fix on Tuesday also showed a statistical tie in the race, with Critz maintaining a 40-39 lead.
An international investigation is underway into whether Hewlett-Packard executives paid million in bribes to win lucrative overseas contracts. The alleged illicit activities are reported to have taken place while Carly Fiorina (R), now a California Senate candidate, was CEO.
Fiorina has made her business acumen central to her campaign. If the investigation remains in the news, it could cause problems for her bid to challenge Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).
She denied any knowledge of the alleged misdeeds, but one of
her primary opponents is claiming she must've known what was happening.
"I had no knowledge of any of these allegations," Fiorina told Northern California radio station KQED-FM on Friday. "I certainly welcome, as I'm sure the company does, I welcome the government's investigation. I mean, these are serious allegations. I have a long track record of firing people who are engaged in illegal or unethical behavior. And certainly had this occurred and I had been aware of it, I would have done the same."
State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R) told the Los Angeles Times he was skeptical of Fiorina's explanation.
"When confronted with this news, Fiorina will do what she always does: deny knowledge despite having been a famously micromanaging and bottom-line-oriented CEO," DeVore said.
He added, "Now that she aspires to constitutional high office, she owes Californians -- and herself -- something more. It's the one thing we have yet to see when she addresses her rocky and increasingly questionable corporate past: honesty."
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