Former Florida state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R) will announce Tuesday that he raised $340,000 in the second quarter. Including his $250,000 raised in the first quarter, that gives him nearly $600,000 raised for his Senate primary matchup with Gov. Charlie Crist (R).
The Orlando Sentinel reported Crist raised $3 million in the second quarter alone, while Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek's campaign said Tuesday that he raised $1.2 million in the second quarter for a total of about $3 million this cycle.
From Rubio's e-mail:
Together, generous support like yours has generated over $340,000 in overall contributions during the second quarter, over $144,000 of which was raised online, including over $34,000 in the last two days of the period alone. You were one of nearly 2,500 donors, representing all 50 states and more than 55 Florida counties. We are also well on our way to unleashing the enormous potential of our passionate and committed donors, over 96 percent of which have the continued ability to support my campaign repeatedly, consistently and quarter after quarter.
This is a strong statement about the direction you believe our Republican Party, our state and our nation should take. It is an encouraging reminder about how piece by piece, supporter by supporter and idea by idea, we are building a movement that will only grow and gain momentum as we continue on this path.
Former Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has closed the gap on a pair of Democrats in the latest Ohio Senate poll from Quinnipiac University.
Portman, who trailed Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner each by around 10 points in the May version of the poll, now trails Fisher 37-33 and Brunner 35-34.
The closing gap tracks closely with Quinnipiac's measurement of Gov. Ted Strickland's (D) reelection matchup with former Rep. John Kasich (R). Kasich trailed by 12 in May, but is now within one in the poll.
President Obama's numbers in the state have declined as well, with less than half (49 percent) now viewing him favorably.
Fisher maintains a small, statistically insignificant lead over Brunner in the Democratic Senate primary, with a 24-21 edge.
The potentially bruising primary is of concern to Democrats, and the numbers bear that out. Both Fisher and Brunner have seen their favorability drop and their unfavorable numbers rise in recent months. Fisher has seen his favorability decline by eight points and his unfavorables rise seven points. Brunner has lost seven points of favorability and gained six in unfavorables.
Portman also faces primary opposition, with car dealer Tom Ganley trailing him, 33-10.
The Senate seat is being vacated by retiring Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio).
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is up with a, well, somber web ad on Democrats now having a filibuster proof 60 vote majority in the Senate.
The ad features string music and images of Minnesota Senator-elect Al Franken, the Democrats' 60th vote, gesturing emphatically.
"The Democrats have total Control," scrolls across the screen. "No Checks. No balances."
"In 2010, you can hold them accountable. Vote Republican."
Franken is set to be sworn in on Tuesday.
Of course the usual web ad disclaimer applies here. These ads are cheap and won't air on television. So, producers try to make them eye-catching so they get picked up on blogs, like this one, and earn other free media.
The ad is certainly dramatic - maybe melodramatic? What do you think? Sound off in the comments section below.
Check it out below.
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Former Ohio state Sen. Steve Stivers (R) makes itofficial - he's seeking a rematch with Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio).
Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) is not backing down from his rant labeling Michael Jackson a "pedophile." Is this a campaign issue?
Amidst rumors that he might back off his promise to resign his current office, Memphis Mayor and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) primary challenger Willie Herenton (D) delays his resignation by a couple weeks.
Rep. John Sullivan (R-Okla.) is out of rehab and says he will run for reelection.
Massachusetts state Treasurer Timothy Cahill switches from Democrat to independent, potentially in advance of a general election challenge to Gov. Deval Patrick (D) in 2010. The twist? Cahill actually polled a lead over Patrick in a Democratic primary.
Businessman Steve Welch (R) will run for Rep. Joe Sestak's (D-Pa.) seat.
Sestak offers moreunequivocal language indicating he's running against Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.). At this point, it's safe to call him a candidate, no matter how much wiggle room he tries to retain.
Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) kept up his strong fundraising pace in the second quarter, bringing in $580,000, according to this campaign:
WASHINGTON -- North Shore Republican Congressman Mark Kirk, who has been contemplating a costly run for the U.S. Senate or governor, reported Monday that he has built up a campaign warchest of more than $1 million.
Kirk raised more than $580,000 during the second quarter of the year, according to a statement his campaign released. Such a fundraising performance is robust by the standards of U.S. House members but lags slightly behind the amount of money Kirk raised during the same period in the last election cycle.
A statement released by spokesman Eric Elk described the results as "on pace" with Kirk's fundraising during the second quarter of last election cycle. Kirk raised $606,000 during the second quarter of 2007 and had accumulated a balance of $1.1 million at the end of the period.
During the last election cycle, Kirk was among the most prodigious fundraisers in the U.S. House outside of the party leadership, drawing on a support base in a wealthy region to defend a swing congressional district fiercely contested by the opposition Democrats.
The statement from Kirk's campaign described this year's fundraising as "strong" given the economic recession.
"I am humbled that during these difficult economic times, our support is stronger than ever," Kirk said in a written statement.
It is less than his first quarter of 2009 ($690,000), too, but it's still impressive for a House member.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) fired away at House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on Monday for what they said was hypocrisy in his vote against President Obama's stimulus package.
Cantor's support for stimulus funds for a high-speed rail in contradicts his orchestrating the House GOP's unanimous opposition to the $787 billion bill, the DCCC said.
Earlier Monday, Cantor said he doesn't see "any inconsistency" in that position on a conference call with reporters.
The DCCC's "hypocrisy" charge has been one of its go-to tactics since the stimulus passed. Following the vote in February, the committee sent out numerous releases slamming House Republicans for touting funding from the bill that is going to their districts despite voting against it.
Republicans contend that there is nothing wrong with supporting individual projects in a spending bill but, ultimately, voting against it because it wastes too much money.
Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for Cantor, turned the fire back on the DCCC and whether the stimulus bill has been effective in light of unemployment continuing to rise.
"The DCCC is rightly embarrassed that not a single Democrat bothered to read the bill before casting their vote to spend $787 billion on 'stimulus' that has failed to create jobs and is even viewed by Majority Leader [Steny] Hoyer (D-Md.) as a disappointment," Dayspring said.
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Senate Republican leaders on Monday acknowledged Senate Democrats' grasp of the magic number of 60 seats on Tuesday is a sobering setback to their ability to block the Democratic legislative agenda.
GOP Whip Jon Kyl (Ariz.) and Senate Republican Conference President Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) said former comedian Al Franken's swearing-in by Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday--giving the majority party the technical ability to override GOP filibusters--will indeed be a challenge to overcome. Both GOP leaders cautioned that the new math is still far from a guarantee for Democrats, however.
"Obviously adding one more on the Democratic side and getting up to 60 is a big deal in terms of moving legislation and yes, it will make our job a little harder," Kyl said. "The Democratic conference has 60 votes, if they're all here, and if there are straight party-line that means that Republicans cannot stop legislation...(But) it is not all that common to have total party-line votes. If a couple of Democrats don't vote with their party, then it doesn't matter that they have 60 votes...You still have to put together the 60 votes even though you may have that many members in your own party."
Alexander said Americans "have an innate sense that we need checks and balances in our government."
"It may mean that for many Democratic senators who come from swing states, that there's more pressure to slow down this runaway debt and the number of Washington takeovers that we've seen," Alexander said. "So it may put more pressure on Democrats. The best thing for Republicans to do is to be good advocates for our positions, to say what we're for and what we're against."
Things are getting awfully crowded in the race to face freshman Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.) in 2010.
Florida state Rep. Dorothy Hukill (R) just announced that she has filed her candidacy for the seat. Her announcement comes just weeks after Winter Park City Commissioner Karen Diebel (R) launched her own bid for the seat, and just days after state Rep. Sandy Adams (R) sounded plenty like a candidate herself.
At least for now, Republicans are headed for a crowded primary.
Hukill holds Kosmas's old state House seat and is the first Republican to hold it. Before that, she served as mayor of Port Orange.
She said she thinks the party is well-positioned in the race, despite the potential primary. When asked if a primary was inevitable, she said she has reached out to Diebel but hasn't heard back.
"I don't know what her intentions are; I've tried to reach her and haven't been able to reach her," Hukill said. "I intend to stay in."
Adams told the Orlando Sentinel last week that "there's a high probability that there's truth to" rumors that she plans to face Kosmas.
"We're putting everything together now, and I expect to make an announcement soon," Adams told the paper.
Here's a trivia question I don't know the answer to: When's the last time three women battled for the right to face an incumbent woman in a congressional race, with not one man in the field?
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) had a stern message for his Republican colleagues today regarding the new 60 seat Democratic majority. He tweeted from Sen. Al Franken's (D-Minn.) news conference today:
Just welcomed Al Franken to Senate. That doesn't abdicate Republicans' responsibility to work w/us, address challenges facing our country.
The top Senate Democrat seemed to warn Republicans that the supermajority is not an excuse for Republicans to double down on partisan opposition to Democratic legislation.
Reid's comments were also intended to cover his bases because it is not guaranteed that the Democratic majority will stay intact on every vote.
The Nevada Senator may need Republicans support to push through controversial measures on healthcare reform, climate change, and a second stimulus if the Senate votes on these pieces of legislation.
Franken is set to be sworn into the Senate tomorrow after being declared the winner of the election versus former Sen. Norm Coleman last week
Reps. Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) announced Monday that they have endorsed Florida Gov. Charlie Crist in the GOP primary for Florida's open Senate seat.
The endorsements of the Diaz-Balart brothers are important because they could bite into Crist opponent Marco Rubio's natural constituency - Cuban-Americans in Miami. Rubio, like the Diaz-Balarts, is Cuban-American.
"With his commitment to a strong national defense, a world-class education system, and ensuring that all Floridians have access to health care, it is clear that Charlie Crist will be a strong advocate for Florida in Washington D.C." Mario Diaz-Balart said. "He is exactly the leader that we need and I look forward to supporting and campaigning with him."
The Diaz-Balarts are important figures, but they also backed Caucasian Bill McCollum over Cuban-American Mel Martinez in the 2004 Senate primary, and Martinez still won Miami-Dade County with 80 percent of the vote. That despite the fact that Martinez was from the Orlando area.
Conspicuously absent from the endorsements, though, is Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.). She is the third Republican Cuban-American in the area and wields significant influence with that voter group.
Complicating matters on that front is the fact that her husband, former U.S. attorney Dexter Lehtinen, was on the leadership committee for a late-June Rubio fundraiser.
It will be interesting to see what, if anything, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen does.
Rubio recently earned the backing of Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.).
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