NEW ORLEANS — Newt Gingrich said Thursday that the GOP could gain as many as 25 or 30 House seats through redistricting.

The five Democrats running for Senate in Kentucky will debate Friday around noon in Covington. The frontrunners, Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo and Attorney General Jack Conway, are expected to attend the event sponsored by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

The Cincinnati Enquirer's site NYK.com will be streaming the debate live here.  

The Senate primary is May 18.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) will announce he's retiring at a news conference Friday in Marquette, Mich., according to the Associated Press. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) insisted Thursday he still plans to run as a Republican but he remains at odds with the Republican caucus in the state Legislature. And the money race in the late Rep. John Murtha's (D-Pa.) district is on.

One day you're in, the next day you're out

Stupak's healthcare vote weighed heavily over his decision whether to seek another term. "Are they mad at me about a vote? Yeah," he said recently of some of his constituents. He told the Associated Press Friday that he plans to retire after his current term expires. Democrats would undoubtedly have preferred not to have to defend another open seat in this environment. 

Crist: I am a Republican

His campaign said Thursday he will run as a Republican not "as an Independent or as a No Party Affiliation." That said his relationship with Republican legislators appears to be deteriorating. He vetoed the leadership funds bill this week, which would have helped his colleagues raise money. Meanwhile, he's attending fundraisers around the state, according to the St. Petersburg Times, something legislators can't do during the session.

"It's disingenuous," said state Sen. J.D. Alexander (R).

Moreover, Crist now appears to be considering a veto of the Republican-backed "teacher tenure/merit pay" bill, which has GOP state senators "increasingly alarmed."

Fast money

Democrat Mark Critz raised some $382,000 since entering Pennsylvania's 12th House district race five weeks ago. He now has $325,238 cash on hand.

 Meanwhile, businessman Tim Burns (R) will report more than $340,000 on hand next week, according to his campaign. He started the year with $74,000 banked. The special election is May 18.

Other updates

Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) may get the award for least money raised by an incumbent in the first quarter. He raised $39,685 in the last three months. While he now has $223,000 cash on hand, Republican Steven Palazzo is quickly catching up.

Meanwhile in Pennsylvania, Republican Mike Fitzpatrick raised roughly $500,000 in the first two months of his bid to unseat Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.), according to PoliticsPA. Fitzpatrick is in a four-way primary for the nod to face Murphy.

NEW ORLEANS -- Former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.), in a well-received speech to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference tonight, offered somewhat contradictory statements about the GOP's reign in the early 2000s.

First, Watts said: "We as Republicans can’t wash our hands of what happened over the last six or eight years. … The World War II generation are rolling over in their graves. We have squandered all their principles and hard work."

And then, this: "Some might think George W. Bush had his shortcomings, but let me tell you something: history’s going to be kind to George W. Bush."

One could argue that Watts's first reference was to the Congress and not Bush. But when we look back at governmental eras, they are generally tied to the president in charge. If Republicans make the argument that spending got out of control under total GOP control, can they separate that from Bush's presidency?

In other words, can Republicans have it both ways? It could be a tough argument.

NEW ORLEANS -- Liz Cheney said Thursday that the Obama Administration has dishonored fallen soldiers by engaging in a strategy of appeasing its enemies.

The former vice president’s daughter said at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference that the administration’s strategy is to “apologize for America, abandon our allies, and appease our enemies.”

“It dishonors this nation and the brave men and women who have fought and died for our freedom,” Cheney said.

She pointed in particular to the reception Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received at a recent meeting at the White House. Republicans criticized the White House for not rolling out the red carpet more for Netanyahu.

News also broke Thursday that Netanyahu had cancelled his trip to the nuclear summit in Washington next week.

Cheney said the White House’s treatment of Netanyahu was “just disgraceful.”

Not everything from the vice president’s daughter was so negative. In fact, Cheney even praised Obama for putting General Stanley McChrystal in charge in Afghanistan and for the troop surge there.

But she continued to hammer away at Obama’s foreign policy and at the lawyers who represent Guantanamo detainees.

“If (Attorney General) Eric Holder is looking for patriots and heroes to bravely defend, I suggest he start with soldiers who have fought, captured and interrogated enemies of the American people,” Cheney said.

North Carolina GOP Chairman Tom Fetzer on Thursday became the first Republican National Committee (RNC) member to call for Chairman Michael Steele's resignation since the commitee was revelead to have spent $2,000 at a risque nightclub.

In a letter to Steele obtained by the Raleigh News and Observer, Fetzer said Steele needs to stop being a distraction.

"More than ever, America needs the Republican Party to be a force for reform, transparency, and ethics in government," Fetzer wrote. "If we are going to be an effective agent for reform in America, we must first reform our party."

Fetzer also said some of the criticism Steel has received was not earned. But he said it was a matter of doing what's best for the party.

The two men appeared at a rally together last month.

"I believe that the best service you can render to your party at this critical juncture is to graciously step aside and allow the party to move on from this current quagmire," Fetzer wrote.

North Carolina Republican National Committeewoman Ada Fisher previously called for Steele's resignation, before the recent controversy.

The former House Speaker repeatedly called the Obama Administration a “secular-socialist machine” and said its moment is fleeting.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) pushed back Thursday against speculation he may run as an independent.

"To put these rumors to rest once and for all, as we have said countless times before, Governor Crist is running for the United States Senate as a Republican. He will not run as an Independent or as a No Party Affiliation," his campaign said in a statement.

See their full statement after the jump.

Read more...

Republicans are wading into the special election to replace the late Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), according to a source.

The source tells The Hill that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has placed an ad buy in the district, signaling it tends to go after the swing district in the May 18 primary. The committee has not confirmed the buy.

There had been some uncertainty as to whether the GOP would seriously go after the seat, given the built-in advantage the Democrats have by holding the special election on the same day as the primary. Most of the top races that day are being waged on the Democratic side.

The Democratic nominee is Murtha's former district director, Mark Critz. Republicans are running businessman Tim Burns.

There is no indication as to the size of the NRCC buy.