Congressional Campaigns

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) on Tuesday became the fourth member of Florida's GOP House delegation to endorse Gov. Charlie Crist's (R) candidacy for Senate.

Buchanan, who eyed the Senate seat himself but yielded when Crist stepped forward, is a good bet to run for statewide office in the future, and backing the establishment's candidate in the Senate primary is probably the right move.

"Gov. Crist's record of accomplishment of cutting property taxes, protecting 2nd Amendment rights and promoting family values, with Florida achieving a record number of adoptions, shows that Charlie Crist is a common sense conservative ready to fight for Florida as her next United States Senator," Buchanan said in a statement.

Crist has also been backed by the Diaz-Balart brothers and Rep. Connie Mack.

Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) has endorsed former state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R).

Mississippi state Sen. Alan Nunnelee (R) has filed to run against Rep. Travis Childers (D-Miss.) in 2010, giving Republicans hope of winning back one of three seats they lost in a series of 2006 special elections.

Nunnelee will take over for Southaven Mayor Greg Davis (R), who came up short against Childers in both the special election and the general election.

Andy Sere, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) suggested the stimulus package, which Childers voted for, would figure prominently in next year's race.

"The Obama-Childers

State Rep. Julie Hamos is set to join the Democratic primary for Rep. Mark Kirk's (R-Ill.) seat, adding another name to what looks to be a lengthy list of suitors.

It looks like, at this point, Democrats will have trouble avoiding a primary in a district that has trended Democratic in recent years. Already, state Sen. Michael Bond and 2006 and 2008 nominee Dan Seals are in the race, and many others are looking at it.

On the GOP side, the early focus seems to be on state Rep. Beth Coulson, who has promised a speedy decision.

Kirk recently announced that he is running for Senate, paving the way for one of the biggest House races in the country in his district.

The Democratic primary will probably only get bigger. Once two well-known candidates jump in, the floodgates seem to open. Plus, the is one of the most Democratic-performing districts still held by Republicans.

Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher (D) announced the backing of Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) for his Senate campaign on Monday.

Expect Fisher to continue to roll out endorsements like this, as his side tries to squeeze underfunded Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner out of the Democratic primary.

"I am honored to have Congressman Tim Ryan's support and look forward to working side-by-side with him in Washington to rebuild our middle class and create good-paying jobs in the Mahoning Valley and across Ohio," Fisher said.

Ryan is the second member of Congress from Ohio to endorse Fisher.

Fisher also has the endorsements of Gov. Ted Strickland (D), Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory (D), Ohio's United Auto Workers and the Ohio Teamsters.

The Republican National Committee's (RNC) radio ad blitz on healthcare legislation will target 60 centrist Democrats, many of which represent districts in swing states.

The RNC will spend almost $1 million on the radio ads targeting centrist and vulnerable lawmakers in 33 states in addition to television ads airing in Nevada, North Dakota, and Arkansas. The ad blitz urges the members of Congress to oppose the healthcare reform proposals currently being debated in the House and Senate.

The RNC is especially focusing its radio ads in Ohio and Pennsylvania, targeting five lawmakers in the Buckeye state and four in the Keystone state. Congressmen in swing states Arizona, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia will also feel the heat.

"The Democrats targeted by the RNC radio ad have campaigned on fiscal responsibility, and now these Democrats are being held accountable to their campaign promises as they prepare to vote on a government-run health care bill that will cost American taxpayers $1.6 trillion, add to the record budget deficit and burden American families and small businesses with higher taxes," said RNC spokeswoman Gail Gitcho.

The ad blitz comes as healthcare negotiations wrap up in the House and Senate and lawmakers head back to their states and districts for the August recess in Congress before heading back to Washington to continue work on reform legislation.

Listen to a sample radio ad here.

View the list of lawmakers targeted by the RNC after the jump. Read more...

With it looking highly unlikely that Republican Dede Scozzafava will secure the Conservative Party endorsement in the upcoming New York special election, a Conservative Party activist is stepping forward.

Jim Kelly, who managed John Spencer's campaign against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in 2006, sounds very much like a candidate.

Kelly managed John Spencer's unsuccessful Senate bid against Hillary Clinton in 2006, and said he traveled 48,000 miles around the state while doing so.

"I'm going to work this fight," Kelly said. "I stand for conservative values; Dede Scozzafava and the Democrat don't. I'm going to expose her voting record."

Kelly said the 23rd District, like the 20th District where Democrat Scott Murphy beat Republican James Tedisco earlier this year, has a plurality of registered Republicans but also a large number of independents. However, he said, the people of the 23rd are more conservative, noting the 20th has a large number of New York City natives with seasonal homes in Dutchess and Columbia counties, and in the Albany area.

It should be noted that the state Conservative Party chairman mentioned Kelly's name when I called him last week, so he seems a pretty good bet for the Conservative nod.

Democrats officially landed Bethlehem, Pa., Mayor John Callahan to run against Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), putting a seat in play that the party has long targeted.

Callahan was reported to be running for the seat last week, but he confirmed that report Monday.

"Just like I've done as Mayor, in Congress I'll work to create jobs, get our economy moving again, restore fiscal responsibility, and keep our communities safe," he said. "I'll be an independent voice for our district that's focused on finding bipartisan solutions to address the many challenges we're facing."

Dent's district is one of the most Democratic not currently held by the majority party and went for both President Obama in 2008 and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004. While the party has taken over similar and much more conservative districts in recent years, Dent's has eluded them - in large part thanks to weak challengers.

They feel Callahan can change all that. It should be a fun race to move into the competitive column.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the founder and co-chairman of the Senate India Caucus, is apologizing after listing the U.S. ally as an emerging threat.

In talking about the need to continue the F-22 program that is currently being shut down, Cornyn appeared to mistakenly insert India in the place of China, saying it had "increased exercise of their military power."

"It's important to our national security because we're not just fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq," he said, according to reports. "We have graver threats and greater threats than that, from a rising India, with increased exercise of their military power; Russia, Iran, that's threatening to build a nuclear weapon; with North Korea, shooting intercontinental ballistic missiles, capable of hitting American soil."

The video was posted online but has since been removed.

Cornyn spokesman Kevin McLaughlin said the senator misspoke.

"Sen. Cornyn misspoke saying 'India' when he meant to say 'China,'" McLaughlin said. "As founder and co-chairman of the Senate India Caucus, no senator has greater respect or admiration for India or values our relationship with (it) more. Sen. Cornyn regrets the mistake and apologizes for any misunderstanding this may have caused."

Pelosi says 2010 will not be like 1994, when Republicans capitalize on Democratic missteps to take Congress.

As it begins to look like he might be the Democratic frontrunner, Illinois state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias launches his Senate campaign.

Turmoil rocks New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine's (D) reelection campaign, and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) is openly talking about running if Corzine steps aside.

Former Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) won't join the ranks of GOP former congressmen seeking a return.

Bunning donors are now choosing Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson.

Former Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) will not seek a return to Congress, after all.

After giving it plenty of thought in the nearly nine months since he lost to Democrat Tom Periello, Goode issued a statement to the Franklin News Post saying he won't run on the GOP ticket.

"I have decided not to seek the Republican nomination for Congress in 2010," Goode said.

Goode, a former independent, also foreclosed the idea of running without a party. He elaborated that he would support the Republican nominee, whoever it might be.

Goode was elected first in 1996 as a Democrat and won reelection as an independent before running as a Republican in 2002.

It's not clear where Republicans will go now that Goode has opted against running. Regardless, Perriello remains one of their top targets.