Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) is gaining ground on ex-Lt. Gov. Jane Norton (R) in the Colorado Senate race, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll.
The statewide survey of 500 likely voters shows Norton earning 46 percent support, while Bennet takes 41 percent of the vote. It's the first time in several months that a Rasmussen poll has shown Bennet getting above 30 percent. Last month, Norton was ahead 48 to 39 percent.
In a matchup with former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D), Bennet's primary challenger, Norton gets 49 percent of the vote and Romanoff earns 38 percent. Last month, they were close to tied.
Carly Fiorina made her business experience the focus of her first TV ad of the California Senate campaign.
Announcer: "She started as a receptionist and became the CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Carly Fiorina's focus, decency and drive can bring America back."
Fiorina: "Let's stop sending Washington more of our money and let's make sure they spend our money wisely and well. I have faith that working together we can actually get something done."
The 30-second spot is airing on cable and broadcast statewide and will run through to the June primary, according to the Fiorina camp.
Strategic Perception's Fred Davis was the "creative" force behind the ad, according a Fiorina spokeswoman. The Hollywood, Calif.-based firm also produced the famed "Demon Sheep" web video.
Meanwhile, Democrats hit Fiorina for the layoffs that happened on her watch.
"If Carly Fiorina wants to talk about her tenure at Hewlett-Packard, we are more than happy to have that conversation, beginning with her elimination of 30,000 jobs and ending with a $42 million golden parachute," Eric Schultz, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in a statement.
Some prominent Illinois Democrats are cracking jokes at the expense of Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias (D).Â
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D) made light of the financial problems at the Giannoulias family-owned Broadway Bank during a conversation with reporters Wednesday.
"I'm glad I don't have any deposits there," Madigan said, after being asked if he thought the bank's problems would hurt Giannoulias in the general.
The powerful Democrat, whose daughter was considered a potential Senate candidate, was quick to note he's still supporting Giannoulias.


"I'm supporting all the Democratic candidates," Madigan told the Chicago Tribune. "(Giannoulias) has been a successful candidate in the past. You'll recall he won a contested primary when he was elected as the treasurer."
A freshman House Republican said Thursday that his party will unveil
its new version of the "Contract with America" closer to the fall
midterm elections , as early as the late summer.Â
Rep. Aaron
Schock (R-Ill.) told MSNBC that what members of his party are calling
the "Commitment with America," an updated version of the document that
helped propel Republicans to a surprising victory in 1994, will contain
many of the same ideas as the original treatise.
"I
think you're going to see a similar platform and a similar set of goals
[to the "Contract"], obviously relevant to today's issues, come out at
the end of this summer or early fall that many of our candidates will
be running on," Schock said on MSNBC.
Efforts to create the
document demonstrate the extent to which Republicans believe they could
take back the House of Representatives in the fall.
House
Republican Chief Deputy Whip Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), who serves as the
lead drafter of the document, said last week that the Republicans would
use Internet tools to help get out the "Commitment" message.
Schock
said that the document would contain provisions related to small
government and fiscal discipline, as the GOP plans to run primarily on
the economic issues in the fall.
New Hampshire House candidate Katrina Swett (D) announced Thursday she raised $325,000 since launching her campaign in January.
Swett also has the advantage of starting the race with money left over from her brief 2008 Senate run. As a result, her House campaign ended the first fundraising quarter with over $1 million in the bank -- $970,000 of which is designated for the primary.
One of Swett's main rivals for the nod is attorney Ann McLane Kuster (D) who reported raising $285,000 last quarter. Her campaign trumpeted the donor support she's received in-state, noting it's gotten $475,000 of the $835,000 it's raised to date from New Hampshire donors. The Kuster camp said it's waiting for the April 15 deadline to release it's cash on hand.
New Hampshire's 2nd district is an open race -- Rep. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.) is running for Senate -- and Republican strategists are excited about the possibility of a tough Democratic primary.
"They could be short on cash and bruised afterward," said one GOP strategist on background, noting that the primary is in September. "If that causes the DCCC to swoop in and drop money, that's fine because Dems have a registration advantage here, so the fact that they have to spend here and there across the country in places where they shouldn't, can spread them thin."
Rep Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) has "every intention of running" for a 10th term, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The report doesn't quote Stupak directly, and it notes the Democrat said he "hasn't made his final decision yet to run" because he needs to sit down with his family to talk about the campaign.
On Wednesday, his office declined to rule out retirement. Spokeswoman Michelle Begnoche said the congressman is evaluating his options, but that he's ready to run again if he decides to.
Speculation continues about whether Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) will run as an independent. Hawaii is shaping into a competitive three-way race -- House candidate Colleen Hanabusa (D) announced Thursday she raised almost $500,000 last quarter. And Ohio voters are switching parties.
NY-23 all over again
Florida observers are speculating that Crist's veto this week of a bill that would have loosened state campaign finance laws indicates he plans to run as an independent.
Republican legislators wanted to again allow the use of so-called leadership funds, which Florida banned in 1989. Crist said there was no reason to lift that ban.
"While I commend the sponsors of this bill for their effort to bring more transparency and accountability in their attempt to revive leadership funds, I reject the notion that affiliated party committees, or leadership funds, will benefit our state," Crist wrote in his veto.
The move prompted swift condemnaton -- from Republicans. "The governor is 100 percent wrong," Senate Majority Leader Alex Diaz de la Portilla (R) told reporters.
With polls showing Marco Rubio with a significant lead and the former Florida House Speaker hauling in an impressive $3.6 million last quarter, Crist may be setting himself up to run as an independent. Or so the thinking goes.
Under Florida law, Crist must declare whether he's running for the Republican nod or as an independent by the end of April.
Hanabusa's haul
The state Senate president brought in an impressive $450,000 last quarter, her campaign said Thursday. It's even more impressive with reports suggesting that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is quietly supporting former Rep. Ed Case (D).
Back to Ohio
Ohio Democrats are switching to register as Republicans, according to a Columbus Dispatch report.
In Cuyahoga County, the paper reported that the "number of Democrats switching to the GOP outnumbered Republicans becoming Democrats by nearly 7 to 1 as of Tuesday." During the 2008 primary, nearly five times as many Republicans switched to become Democrats in Cuyahoga, the state's largest county. Statewide totals weren't available and Democrats still have a large registration advantage. But it's a troubling sign in year when the environment is expected to favor the GOP.
Other updates
Aaron Blake is making the trek to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans Thursday. There are some notable absences from this year's event – Mitt Romney being one of them. But the conference, which is dubbed the "most prominent GOP gathering" after the party's convention, will still feature Sarah Palin, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) among others. Embattled RNC Chairman Michael Steele -- whom Palin defended Wednesday -- will also be there.
Check back for updates from Aaron throughout the next three days.
Update: Pawlenty pulled out of the SRLC and will not be speaking at the event. He is, however, still listed on the website.
Bob Bennett's Senate career may be over sooner than expected, according to Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who has experience with embattled incumbents.
The Utah Republican must get at least 60 percent of the delegate vote at the May 8 state Republican Party convention to clinch the Senate nomination without a primary. He needs to break 40 percent to ensure he's in that primary.
"The conventional wisdom was that Bennett was at least going to get out of convention, but I think that's in serious doubt," Chaffetz told the Salt Lake Tribune Wednesday. "Go try to find a Bennett delegate. They're pretty hard to come by."
Utah's primary is June 22 -- Bennett is facing seven Republican challengers.
Chaffetz defeated then-incumbent Rep. Chris Cannon in the 2008 GOP primary. "A lot of people were very skeptical about how realistic knocking off an incumbent can be," he noted.
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