Arizona

National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Tom Cole declined to call publicly for Rep. Rick Renzi’s (R-Ariz.) resignation on Monday, saying his friend is innocent until proven guilty.

The embattled Renzi said months ago that he would not seek reelection this year but has vowed to serve out the rest of his term. After he was indicted on 35 federal charges last month, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) pressed for him to step down.

Cole and Boehner have tangled over Cole’s leadership at the NRCC, but Cole had initially indicated that he supported Boehner’s comments about Renzi.

“I think he’s got every right to do what he thinks,” Cole said of Renzi. “I guess I believe in the American legal system. You’re allowed to go argue your case. I don’t tell people that they ought to resign, and I wouldn’t share that kind of discussion, honestly, in a public venue anyway.”

That differs from what Cole said immediately after Boehner suggested Renzi step down: “I support Leader Boehner and believe he is taking the appropriate steps to address this very serious matter,” Cole had said.

Renzi is scheduled to be arraigned March 6.

— Aaron Blake

California

Former gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. Tom McClintock (R) is expected to announce Tuesday morning that he will enter the race for retiring Rep. John Doolittle’s (R) seat.

McClintock, who took third in the 2003 special election to replace Gov. Gray Davis (D), is expected to be an early favorite. Polling on the race has shown him up big on former Rep. Doug Ose and former state Sen. Rico Oller in the GOP primary.

He has formed an exploratory committee for the race. He will hold a press conference Tuesday morning, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Former Air Force Officer Charlie Brown, who nearly upset Doolittle in 2006, is running again on the Democratic side.

— A.B.

North Carolina

Rep. Brad Miller (D) may face a stiff test in his bid for a fourth term this November.

Former state Sen. Hugh Webster (R) filed to run against Miller just before last week’s deadline, becoming the only candidate to challenge Miller.

Webster is known among state lawmakers for his staunch opposition to illegal immigration and his support for a law that would prevent illegal immigrants from receiving driver’s licenses.

Miller raised more than $497,000 for his campaign last year, and he has about $239,000 in cash on hand. Webster has yet to report his campaign’s fundraising totals.

— Walter Alarkon

Illinois

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has launched an $850,000 ad buy in former Rep. Dennis Hastert’s (R) district, with an ad accusing Democrat Bill Foster of being a big-government liberal and not representing change.

The NRCC’s investment in next Tuesday’s special election and GOP nominee Jim Oberweis is now up to about $1.2 million — a hefty sum for a committee that only recently got out of debt.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has spent just more than $600,000 on the race.

NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said Monday that he recognizes the magnitude of the race to replace the former Speaker and he expects it to be close.

“We understand the symbolic importance of the race; it’ll be spun out of all proportion if we were to lose it,” Cole said. “It’ll be, ‘My God, it’s the end of the Republican Party.’ ”

Cole suggested the NRCC wouldn’t spend heavily in the special election to replace former Rep. Julia Carson (D-Ind.), comparing that race to a 2007 Massachusetts special election, in which the party didn’t spend money on a candidate who lost by single digits in a Democratic-leaning district.

The DCCC has spent about $150,000 so far in Indiana.

— A.B.

 Texas

Much like fellow presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), Rep. Ron Paul (R) looks set to withstand a congressional primary challenge on Tuesday, according to polling by Public Policy Polling.

The independent firm, which last week issued a poll showing Kucinich cruising to reelection, issued another poll Monday that had Paul leading Friendswood City Councilman Chris Peden 63-30.

Both have seen primary challenges sprout from their presidential ambitions.

The poll, which surveyed 468 likely GOP primary voters on Feb. 27, also showed Paul pulling 18 percent in the presidential primary in his district.

The poll shows Kucinich took only 4 percent in the presidential race but led Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman 55-29 in the congressional contest.

— A.B.

Utah

Former Rep. Merrill Cook (R) will seek his old seat in Congress after Josh Romney (R), the son of ex-presidential candidate and -Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), opted against running in Rep. Jim Matheson’s (D) district, according to local reports.

The younger Romney had flirted with a bid in recent weeks but said he didn’t yet want to join another difficult race after campaigning hard for his father. He said he is still eyeing the 2010 race in the district.

Cook, a volatile personality who has tested his party’s patience in the past and run as an independent on several occasions, said over the weekend that he plans to run.

He ran for mayor of Salt Lake County as an Independent in 2004 and in a GOP primary against Rep. Chris Cannon in 2006.

He lost a 2000 primary to a candidate who went on to lose to Matheson in the general election.

— A.B.

Oregon

Former Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) endorsed activist Steve Novick in the Democratic Senate primary on Monday.

The endorsement of Kitzhaber should carry significant weight among the state’s Democrats. National Democrats were unable to recruit Kitzhaber and several other candidates for the race against Sen. Gordon Smith (R), eventually settling on state Rep. Jeff Merkley.

Now Kitzhaber’s endorsement could harm Merkley, who is involved in a spirited primary with Novick, a former Justice Department attorney.

Kitzhaber is a two-term governor who was reelected in 1998 with 64 percent of the vote.

“More than any other candidate in this race, Steve has not only identified the great challenges facing America, but has also candidly described the difficulties involved with overcoming them,” Kitzhaber said. “He has offered substantive solutions to the pressing problems we face.”

— A.B.