Congressional Campaigns

Take this as a sign that Florida Gov. Charlie Crist isn't taking former state House Speaker Marco Rubio lightly in Florida's GOP Senate primary.

Crist has just issued a statement opposing the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor.

This is all the more interesting given that fellow centrist and former U.S. attorney Chris Christie (R) came out in favor of Sotomayor in advance of this year's New Jersey governor's race. While Christie must come to the center, Crist is covering his right flank.

Here's Crist's statement:

"While I have not had the opportunity to meet personally with Judge Sotomayor -- a crucial step in the selection process -- I have reviewed and reflected upon her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and come to the conclusion that I cannot support her appointment to the United States Supreme Court. Judge Sotomayor is worthy of respect for her many accomplishments and her remarkable story of success. However, I have strong concerns that Judge Sotomayor would not strictly and objectively construe the constitution and lacks respect for the fundamental right to keep and bear arms. For these reasons, I cannot support her appointment to the highest court in the land."

Dan Seals is back for more, but the question is, has he worn out his welcome?

Seals was the well-funded challenger who fell to Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) in each of the last two elections. Now that Kirk is running for Senate, Seals announced Tuesday that he would run for the open seat Kirk is leaving behind.

But after losing twice, including in a year in which President Obama won Kirk's district with 61 percent of the vote, it's hard to see the Democratic establishment rallying around him in an open-seat race.

State Sens. Michael Bond (D) and attorney Elliot Richardson (D) were already in the race, and several other candidates are expected to join them.

Seals's name recognition should be high after two consecutive runs, and that should help him in a crowded primary. And don't forget, he turned away a well-funded primary opponent last year with a surprising amount of ease, defeating former Clinton administration official Jay Footlik 81-19.

Committees generally lose patience with a candidate once they've lost a few times, but Democrats might need to line up behind somebody else if they are to avoid another round with Seals.

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) leads likely Democratic opponent Rep. Charlie Melancon 44-32 in a new poll by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling.

Just 38 percent of voters say Vitter deserves to be reelected, while 47 percent would like someone else. But Vitter is at 44 percent against both Melancon and a generic Democrat, with the generic Democrat trailing 44-38.

Vitter's approval rating is also 44 percent, with 36 percent disapproving. Those are not high negatives for a man who is recovering from a prostitution scandal, but it's pretty clear from this and other polling that Vitter's support, while good enough for a lead at this point, is pretty soft.

The Vitter primary talk has died off a bit, and the poll gives an indication as to why. More than half - 56 percent - of Republicans say Vitter deserves another term, and 62 percent of GOPers approve of him.

A new poll from Republican firm Strategic Vision shows former U.S. attorney Chris Christie (R) growing his lead over New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D).

Christie leads Corzine 53-38 in the new poll, which is up from 51-39 last month. The new margin mirrors a poll put out by the Republican Governors Association earlier this month but shows a slightly wider margin than more recent Quinnipiac (+12) and Monmouth (+8) polling.

There was some thought that perhaps Corzine was closing a bit following Christie's appearance before a congressional committee about a big contract he approved that went to his one-time boss, former Attorney General John Ashcroft. But Christie appears to be holding steady.

The newest poll includes 5 percent going for independent Christopher Daggett. President Obama's approval is at 50 percent, with 40 percent disapproving.

As the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) hits Republicans for being "quitters" in their current jobs, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner hits her Democratic primary opponent with the same line.

The latest Monmouth poll shows voters giving New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) a C- and not being able to point to a major accomplishment for his administration.

A look at the committees' June fundraising numbers in chart format.

Connecticut state Sen. Scott Frantz could crowd the GOP primary to face freshman Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.).

Former Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R) grabs BET co-founder (and Democratic donor) Sheila Crump Johnson's endorsement in the state's governor's race.

The New York Times documents the surge in black turnout in 2008. It confirms that 2010 is a different year for Democrats who moved into office in districts with significant black populations.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) will probably wish she would have chosen her words a little more carefully, even if she was quoting somebody else.

From a profile in City Hall News:

There is Carolyn Maloney, ripping into Kirsten Gillibrand broad and hard for voting against the two stimulus bills and for changing her positions on several core Democratic issues, sounding out her case on the fly as, "It's the NRA, it's immigration, it's all these other things. In fact, I got a call from someone from Puerto Rico, said [Gillibrand] went to Puerto Rico and came out for English-only [education]. And he said, 'It was like saying n--r to a Puerto Rican,'" she said, using the full racial slur. "I don't know -- I don't know if that's true or not. I just called. I'm just throwing that out. All of her -- well, what does she stand for?"

Maloney is getting ready to face the kind of political scrutiny she hasn't seen in years, maybe decades, in her primary against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and this probably isn't the start she was looking for.

Update: In a statement, Maloney apologizes.

"I apologize for having repeated a word I find disgusting," she said. "It's no excuse, but I was so caught up in relaying the story exactly as it was told to me that, in doing so, I repeated a word that should never be repeated."

Sen. John Ensign's (R-Nev.) numbers have continued to fall over the last month.

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) is set to make an announcement today about a candidacy for statewide office. That office is expected to be Senate.

Kirk would have a retired judge for a primary opponent.

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) attends an ill-timed event with lobbyists.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) reminds us that he can really raise money when he puts his mind to it.

A political blog reports state Sen. Darrel Aubertine (D) will run in the special election to replace Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.). It would be a big get for congressional Democrats.

The war in Iraq cost the GOP politically, the former head of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) admitted this weekend.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said that the war in Iraq was a war of choice, and one that became associated with Republicans, costing them a toll in the last two election cycles.

"The reality is that if you engage in a war of choice -- and Iraq was a war of choice -- it

President Obama's political arm, Organizing for America (OFA), expanded its pro-healthcare reform ad campaign to target vulnerable House Republicans and centrist Democrats.

OFA said Saturday that it'd expanded the ad buy of their "It's Time" ad to 15 additional markets beyond its initial state ad buys it had made to pressure centrist senators in both parties into supporting healthcare reform legislation.

The move puts the OFA message on air in the backyards of a number of Republicans who may face tough reelection battles in 2010, and on-air in the districts of Democrats who have been on the fence about supporting healthcare reform.

"Millions of Americans lose their health insurance when they lose their job, are denied care because of a pre-existing condition, and delay care or skip medication because they can't afford it," OFA Director Mitch Stewart said in a statement. "It's time to reform our health care system to lower costs, preserve patient choice and ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable care."

A partial list of the lawmakers whose districts will be hit by the OFA ad buy includes:

• Savannah, - Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.)


• Palm Springs, Calif. - Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.)


• Seattle - Dave Reichert (R-Wash.)


• Nashville - Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.)


• Bloomington - Baron Hill (D-Ind.)


• Sacramento - Dan Lungren (R-Calif.)


• Salt Lake City - Jim Matheson (D-Utah)


• New Orleans - Ahn "Joseph" Cao (R-La.)


• Pittsburgh - Tim Murphy (R-Pa.), Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), John Murtha (D-Pa.), Jason Altmire (D-Pa.)


• Charlotte - Larry Kissell (D-N.C.)


• Little Rock - Vic Snyder (D-Ark.)


• Columbus - Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio)


• Marquette, Mich. - Bart Stupak (D-Mich.)


• Grand Rapids, Mich. - Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.), Pate Hoekstra (R-Mich.)


• Medford, Ore. - Greg Walden (R-Ore.)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) endorsed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Friday, giving her first reelection bid a boost as she heads toward a primary with Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D).

In a statement, Reid called Gillibrand a "rising star" in the Democratic caucus.

"As a working mother with two young children, Kirsten brings unique perspective to the challenging issues we are debating in Congress," Reid said. "In just six months, Kirsten has introduced a number of new and innovative legislative approaches to the problems many families face."

Reid's endorsement comes as Gillibrand blew Maloney away in fundraising for the second quarter. Recent polling, though, shows Maloney holding a slight lead over Gillibrand in the primary.

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