The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) announced additions to its leadership team Wednesday, naming Rep. Tom Price (Ga.) to the executive committee and Rep. Darrell Issa (Calif.) as the chairman of its March fundraising dinner.

Price will replace former Rep. Roger Wicker (Miss.), who was appointed to replace retired Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.). The executive committee is a member advisory arm that helps develop strategies for the 2008 elections.

“We have a terrific opportunity to demonstrate to the American people the fundamental differences between the two parties in Washington,” Price said.

Issa’s role as the chairman of one of the major fundraising events for the 2008 cycle will be to lead the committee in meeting its $7.5 million goal on March 12 at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

“Our conference is very excited about our prospects in ’08 and we are ready and willing to do everything it takes to make sure we win in November,” Issa said.

In addition to Issa, 24 members will lead regional fundraising teams to help the committee reach its fundraising goal.

—  Jackie Kucinich


Arizona

The state Democratic Party filed a Federal Election Commission complaint on Wednesday against Rep. John Shadegg’s (R) political action committee (PAC), claiming that it worked with Shadegg’s campaign to bypass campaign finance rules.

Democrats allege that Shadegg used his PAC, Leadership for America’s Future, to avoid laws limiting individuals to contributions of $2,300 to a campaign in an election cycle.

Two contributors who both had given Shadegg’s campaign the maximum donation in May gave a total of $10,000 to his PAC in June.

About two weeks later, the PAC transferred $10,000 to the campaign, completing a pattern that Democrats say is an attempt to circumvent individual contribution limits.

But Shadegg said that the transfers were legal and that neither he nor the two donors had discussed the PAC transfer until a reporter called him about it. His campaign returned the $10,000 to his PAC on Wednesday.

Shadegg added that he would have waited until he had more money in his PAC than it had in June before transferring $10,000 to his campaign to avoid any questions.

“What the Democrats want out of this is a news story,” Shadegg said. “They want to muddy this up. They want to make Shadegg look bad.”

— Walter Alarkon


Florida

State Democrats hope former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez’s (D) decision to challenge longtime Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R) will bolster their efforts to unseat two other Cuban-American GOP incumbents.

Miami-Dade County Democratic Chairman Joe Garcia is expected to challenge the other Diaz-Balart brother, Mario, while businesswoman Annette Taddeo is expected to challenge Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

The three incumbents have rarely, if ever, received more than token opposition, but Martinez, a charismatic but controversial longtime Florida politician, represents a serious threat to Diaz-Balart.

“It adds a lot of credibility to people involved in campaigns and running campaigns,” said Jeff Garcia, a Democratic pollster advising Martinez. He said the three GOP incumbents have “perpetuated a myth” that they were unbeatable.

In a release, Florida Republicans immediately predicted a contentious race and attacked Martinez as having a “history of corruption and indecency.”

Martinez was caught using vulgar language last fall in disparaging Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer, and he was convicted in 1991 on federal extortion charges. The decision was overturned on appeal, and two subsequent trials ended in hung juries.

— Ian Swanson


Maine

The liberal-leaning group People for the America Way has begun running a radio ad against Sen. Susan Collins (R), hitting her for voting to confirm President Bush’s Supreme Court picks while also supporting abortion rights.

The ads, which feature the voice of actress Kathleen Turner, will launch next week in honor of the 35th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. They suggest Collins’s two positions are incompatible. The group is working to make the Supreme Court an issue in several key states this year.

Collins faces a challenge from Rep. Tom Allen (D).

— Aaron Blake


New Jersey

State Sen. Leonard Lance officially entered the GOP primary to replace retiring Rep. Mike Ferguson (R) on Wednesday, while state Assemblyman Peter Biondi (R) opted on Tuesday not to run, according to the Bridgewater Courier News.

Biondi’s decision is likely to open the door to other Republicans in his part of the district who were deferring to him.
Kate Whitman, the daughter of former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman (R), is also in the race, as are Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks and Hillsborough Deputy Mayor Chris Venis.

Democrats have lined up behind state Assemblywoman Linda Stender, who narrowly lost to Ferguson in 2006.

— A.B.