Congressional Campaigns

With the Arena Football League apparently on its deathbed, one of its owners is turning his attention to one of the marquee House races in the country.

Columbus Destroyers co-owner Jim Renacci, the former mayor of Akron suburb Wadsworth, has filed the preliminary paperwork to challenge freshman Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio), reports to the AP.

Renacci could be formidable thanks to his political experience and his financial means. He is the first Republican to step forward to face Boccieri.

Boccieri defeated Republican Kirk Schuring 55-45 in the race to replace Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Ohio) last year.

Republican efforts to grow the electoral map continue to bear some fruit, after they landed a candidate this week to face Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.).

Farmer and Turlock Irrigation District board member Mike Berryhill officially announced his candidacy Monday, and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) followed it up with a statement Tuesday praising Berryhill.

"Mike Berryhill is a lifelong resident of the Central Valley who understands what it takes to help his neighbors overcome the devastating 17. 6 percent unemployment rate that Cardoza's recklessly partisan record has inflicted upon them," NRCC spokeswoman Joanna Burgos said.

Berryhill comes from a known political family, including having two cousins in the state assembly and an uncle who served as the state's agriculture commissioner.

Cardoza's district has been off the radar since he won it with 51 percent in 2002. He hasn't faced serious opposition since then and has won reelection with at least 65 percent of the vote the last three cycles (including being unopposed in 2008).

The plurality Hispanic district leans Democratic and went 59-39 for President Obama in 2008, but it also went 50-49 for President Bush in 2004.

Cardoza defeated his former boss, Rep. Gary Condit (D-Calif.), in a 2002 primary after questions arose about the disappearance of a Washington intern Condit had had a relationship with, Chandra Levy. State Sen. Dick Monteith (R) challenged Cardoza in the general election, but he fell 51-43.

This race will be a tough one for Republicans, as Cardoza has plowed a pretty centrist record in an agricultural district. But if 2006 and 2008 are any indication, having a candidate at-the-ready for the right situation can only pay dividends.

Former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton says he's sticking with challenging Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) in a primary and won't run in the special election for the mayor's office he recently vacated.

Herenton has been all over the map in recent months, first saying he would resign his mayoralty to run against Cohen, then delaying his resignation. He finally resigned, but then pulled a shocker by pulling a petition to run in the special election to reclaim his old post.

Herenton went on local radio last week to insist, over the host's suggestions, that he hadn't gone "crazy."

Now, Herenton says he will not run in the special election and will indeed challenge Cohen. And the all-too-blunt longtime mayor is continuing his vulgar and racially tinged assault on Cohen, labeling him "an a**hole."

Cohen represents a majority black district, which has made him susceptible to primary challenges.

"I can't think of a better description of Steve Cohen," he said. "He was an a**hole three weeks ago. And he's an a**hole now. To know Steve Cohen is to know he doesn't think very much about African-American people. He has a notion of superiority and he has temper tantrums."

Former Rep. Bob Beauprez (R-Colo.) has decided not to seek his party's nomination for Senate in 2010.

Beauprez wrote on his website late Monday that the 2010 Senate race simply wasn't the right opportunity.

"Short of being a candidate, I will do all I can to see that Colorado elects a Senator in 2010 who represents our conservative values and who will bring badly needed common sense to Washington," Beauprez wrote. "I believe we will have a great nominee, and I believe we can and will win. It will take all of us pulling in the same direction, for the same reason."

In a recent Public Policy Polling survey, the 2006 GOP gubernatorial nominee held a small lead over appointed Sen. Michael Bennet (R), and Beauprez's renown would have made him a favorite to take the Republican nomination over two little-known candidates.

Despite the numbers, though, Republicans in Colorado weren't enamored with having a Senate nominee who lost the governor's race so badly just three years ago.

Beauprez's decision could open the door to former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton, who recently expressed interest in running on the GOP side. Short of that, Republicans will have a battle between Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier and Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck.

Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.) announced Monday that he is pulling his name from consideration to fill out the term being vacated by Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), according to local reports.

Young was one of several current and former politicians being looked at for the appointment, which will be made by Gov. Charlie Crist (R).

Young has served in the House for nearly 40 years and has been considered a potential retiree. His decision to remain in the House appears to provide a strong indication that he will seek reelection in 2010, which could be his toughest reelection race in years.

Democrats have recruited state Sen. Charlie Justice (D) to run against Young, with the hope being that he might consider retiring in his battleground Tampa-area district.

The appointment would have served a similar function for the Democrats, given that Young would have been yielding his seat for it.

Young is the second current House member to decline Crist's interest in a potential appointment, joining Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.).

The current list of those being actively considered by Crist is as follows:

Former Rep. Mike Bilirakis
Former Rep. Clay Shaw
Former Rep. Lou Frey
State Rep. Jennifer Carroll
North Florida University President John Delaney
Former U.S. Attorney Bobby Martinez
Former Crist Chief of Staff George LeMieux
Former state Sen. Dan Webster
Former Florida Secretary of State Jim Smith

Poll roundup:

-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is hardly bulletproof, but who will run against her?
-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) trails two little-known Republicans, including by double-digits to a two-time loser.
-Neighboring Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.) could both have big primary problems.
-A GOP poll shows former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) cruising past current Gov. Chet Culver (D) by 19 points. Now, we'll find out whether Branstad seeks a 5th term in that office.

Other items:

-There is a libertarian running for Senate in New Hampshire and he has some name ID. Ken Blevens, who has carried his party's banner in several races over the years, could steal some votes, but polling at about 3 percent means he likely won't cause any serious shifts in the race.

-RNC Chairman Michael Steele steps in it (the crapper?) as a conservative talk show host eviscerates the GOP's likely Senate nominee in Missouri. Not good for Steele, not good for Rep. Roy Blunt and maybe even worse for their party.

-Marco Rubio (R) fills out his revamped campaign team for his Senate primary against Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, adding political director Brandon Patty.

-Crist's list of potential appointees to fill out Sen. Mel Martinez's (R-Fla.) term grows to include former Reps. Mike Bilirakis, Clay Shaw and Lou Frey. It sounds like a decision could come in the next week or so. I know I said I would abstain from handicapping, but Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.) just seems like a logical choice here. No, he doesn't help Crist with valuable Hispanic voters, but he is a long-serving congressman who could go out on top, serving a year in the upper chamber to complement his nearly 40 years in the House. Young also has a potentially tough challenge on his hands this year, and this would give him a graceful way to avoid that without looking like he's slighting his party.

-Could there really be a fifth straight Baron Hill-Mike Sodrel matchup? The answer: for better or worse, yes. Former Rep. Sodrel (R-Ind.) says he'll decide on the race this fall, after he finishes writing a book. Hill (D) is now 3-1 in their four matchups, but if the environment swings in the GOP's favor, Sodrel's personal wealth has to be attractive to the national GOP.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) may be headed for a tough reelection bid in 2010, according to a new, independent poll released Monday.

35 percent of voters told this month's Siena Poll of New Yorkers that they would prefer to vote for someone else in 2010, compared to 24 percent who said she deserved reelection. 41 percent were unsure.

Gillibrand has faced poor public opinion numbers since she was appointed by New York Gov. David Paterson (D) after a prolonged and controversial process to fill the Senate seat vacated by now-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Still, a plurality of New Yorkers who responded view the freshman senator positively. 29 percent have a favorable opinion of Gillibrand (down from 33 percent in May), compared to 20 percent who have an unfavorable opinion. 52 percent of respondents didn't know or had no opinion.

Democrats have managed, though, to clear the primary field for Gillibrand so she can focus on bucking up for her Republican challenger.

Two of those potential challengers, former Gov. George Patacki (R) and Rep. Peter King (R), would face slightly different prospects out of the gate against Gillibrand, the poll found.

42 percent of New Yorkers would prefer Patacki over Gillibrand, in a test of a hypothetical matchup, with 18 percent undecided.

Gillibrand leads King 46-24, by contrast, with 30 percent undecided.

The Siena Poll, conducted August 17-20, has a 3.9 percent margin of error.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) channeled one actor, Clint Eastwood, on Sunday to respond to another Hollywood star's threat to challenge him for reelection.

"Make my day," Lieberman said about actor Alec Baldwin's comments in the latest issue of Playboy that he might move to Connecticut to challenge Liberman, a centrist "Independent Democrat," for reelection in 2012.

Baldwin, a political liberal, told Playboy that he has "no use" for Lieberman, who supported Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign over President Obama's, and has stymied his party by not backing a public option in healthcare reform legislation.

"I mean, I must say that I respect Alec Baldwin as an actor and as a comedian, and if he wants to run, that's his right," Lieberman added during an appearance this morning on CNN.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) could face a tough reelection race in 2010, according to a new, independent poll released this weekend.

40 percent of Conyers's constituents said he deserved reelection, according to a poll conducted earlier this month by the Lansing, Mich.-based Deno Noor Polling, in conjunction with the Rossman Group and Perricone Group.

44 percent of Detroiters represented by Conyers said they would prefer to elect someone else. 15 percent were unsure or didn't know.

The 80-year-old Conyers has served in Congress since 1965, making him one of the longest-serving members of Congress still in office. He could face a challenging reelection, though, due to the conviction of his wife, Monica Conyers, for bribery charges incurred while she served as President Pro Tempore of the Detroit City Council.

Rep. Conyers has dodged questions about his wife's conviction, and it isn't clear whether the couple has maintained a close relationship in recent years.

Still, 76 percent of those surveyed said the conduct of Monica Conyers wouldn't affect how they would vote for her powerful husband.

Another Detroit lawmaker's political future could be imperiled by a family member's illicit political conduct, as well.

27 percent of Detroiters said Rep. Carolyn Cheek Kilpatrick (D-Mich.) deserves reelection almost a year after she was almost unseated in a Democratic primary challenge.

58 percent said that someone else should replace Kilpatrick, with 14 percent undecided.

Kilpatrick won a hotly-contested three-way primary last August with 39 percent of the vote after her son, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, was forced from office after pleading guilty to charges stemming from his testimony denying an extramarital affair to which he later admitted.

60 percent of Detroiters said the former mayor's conduct would have no bearing on their vote for Kilpatrick, who's served in Congress since being elected in 1996.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) trails two potential Republican opponents in a new independent poll testing those matchups.

Reid trails real estate businessman Danny Tarkanian and Nevada GOP Chairwoman Sue Lowden in a Mason-Dixon poll conducted this past week and released Sunday.

Tarkanian, a former basketball player for the University of Nevada - Los Vegas, would take the support of 49 percent of Nevadans, while 38 percent would support Reid for reelection. 13 percent of Nevada voters were undecided between the two choices.

By contrast, Lowden would beat Reid 45-40 percent, with 15 percent undecided.

National Republicans have made targeting Reid a priority in their 2010 midterm election efforts. And while the polls show Reid below the 50 percent threshold considered healthy for incumbents, Reid's been furiously raising money for the race, reporting a hefty $7.3 million in cash on hand through the end of June, in Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.

Republicans also haven't been able to draw their preferred candidates into the race, either. Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki (R) had been a favorite recruit until falling under ethical scrutiny, and Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) had declined to challenge Reid in recent weeks.

(Mason-Dixon tested a potential Heller-Reid race. 50 percent of Nevada voters said they would support Heller, and 40 percent would support Reid, with the rest undecided.)

National Democrats and Republicans have made a point of targeting Senate leaders in their reelection efforts this past decade. Republicans managed to knock off then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) in 2004, while Democrats almost succeeded in unseating Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in 2008.

The poll, conducted August 17-18, has a five percent margin of error.