California

A new 527 called the Courage Campaign announced plans to launch a TV ad tying Rep. David Dreier (R) to President Bush.

The organization, which claims 100,000 members and aims to be California’s MoveOn.org, calls Dreier a “rubber stamp” and seeks to emphasize that the congressman has voted with the administration 93.6 percent of the time.

“We will certainly have enough to do fairly significant cable buys next week,” said founder Rick Jacobs.

Dreier's campaign said the ad was a smear job.

"This ad is nothing more than an amateurish smear job by another 527 from outside the district that refuses to disclose its hidden agenda. This is precisely the type of unaccountable negative campaigning that prompted Sen. Obama's call to be wary of these shadowy groups," said Julie Vallante, a spokeswoman for Dreier's campaign. 

Drier rebounded from a career-worst 54 percent of support in his 2004 campaign to be reelected in 2006, a tough year for Republicans, with 57 percent. He faces a well-funded challenger in Democrat Russ Warner, who raised $540,000 through late May.

— Michael O’Brien


Florida

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s (R) opponent says she has lost touch with her district, but the incumbent maintains a wide advantage in a new poll on her reelection bid.

Democrat Annette Taddeo’s campaign points to a letter Ros-Lehtinen sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on April 30. She asked FEMA to check the accuracy of flood maps that cover nearly 50,000 parcels of land in the Florida Keys.

The problem was that the flood maps were issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, not FEMA. Ros-Lehtinen sent a corrected version of the letter to Fish and Wildlife on May 15.

The Taddeo campaign said the mistake is evidence that Ros-Lehtinen is out of touch with her district, a charge the incumbent denies. Ros-Lehtinen said she is in regular communication with constituents, that she visits different groups often. She said she also hosts tele-town hall meetings and sends messages via e-mail.

“Right now what I hear is great disgust over our ever-skyrocketing gas prices, our sluggish economy, the record number of foreclosures in South Florida, specifically in my district,” Ros-Lehtinen said.

Poll numbers show Ros-Lehtinen enjoys strong support from her constituents. A poll issued by independent Bendixen & Associates put the congresswoman 27 points ahead, with a 58-31 lead. Eleven percent said they were undecided.

Her two South Florida Cuban-American colleagues, Republican Reps. Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart, were only up by single digits, according to the poll.

“I’m keeping on message and have my ear to the ground to understand the needs of my constituents, and I humbly ask for their vote of confidence,” Ros-Lehtinen said.

All three Cuban-American incumbents have stronger challenges than they’ve faced in some time.

Taddeo appears the weakest, according to polls, but she raised $320,000 in the first quarter, including a $180,000 loan. Ros-Lehtinen collected $880,000 by March 31.

— Kristen Coulter


Illinois

Rep. Peter Roskam (R) on Wednesday filed a discharge petition seeking a House floor vote on a bipartisan energy bill.

House Republican leadership hailed Roskam, a target of Democrats this cycle, for his new legislative effort.

The discharge petition would bring a bill crafted by Reps. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and John Shimkus (R-Ill.) to the floor if it attracts 218 supporters. The Boucher measure seeks to promote the development of clean coal-to-liquid technology.

Discharge petitions rarely get the necessary signatures but offer vulnerable members something to tout on the campaign trail. Roskam faces Iraq veteran Jill Morgenthaler.

In a release, House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) noted rising gasoline prices, stating, “I want to thank Rep. Roskam for bringing forth this crucial petition, and extend my gratitude to Reps. Shimkus and Boucher for coming together to produce a well-crafted, and very much needed, piece of bipartisan energy legislation.”

The Boucher bill has 51 co-sponsors, most of them Republicans.

Other targeted GOP members who have filed discharge petitions this year include Reps. Phil English (Pa.), Thelma Drake (Va.) and Randy Kuhl (N.Y.).

— Bob Cusack

Eleventh district candidate Martin Ozinga (R) says he raised over $800,000 during the second quarter, more than double the total of his opponent, state Sen. Debbie Halvorson (D), during the same period.

Ozinga was a latecomer to the race, entering only after the winner of the Feb. 5 Republican primary, Tim Baldermann, abruptly dropped out.

Democrats have targeted this open seat, currently held by retiring Rep. Jerry Weller (R), for a possible takeover in the fall. They appeared in great position to do so, but Ozinga’s numbers should hearten Republicans.

Halvorson campaign manager Brian Doory emphasized she has raised $1.27 million to date and possessed over $900,000 cash on hand.

“We expect a vigorous campaign, and we’re going to have the resources we need to get our message out,” he said.

— Joey Michalakes

Louisiana

Former state Rep. Woody Jenkins (R) will not seek a November rematch with Rep. Don Cazayoux (D) in the 6th district, announcing Tuesday that he is dropping out of the Sept. 6 GOP primary.

“It’s a very critical time in America and very important that our party unifies,” Jenkins told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s probably the only way we’re going to win.”

Cazayoux, a former state representative himself, defeated Jenkins 49-46 to win the seat in a special election on April 6. His victory was the first for Democrats in the district since 1974.

Jenkins’s candidacy was plagued by a number of controversies, and he was decried by Republicans even before the election as a weak candidate.

His exit leaves state Sen. Bill Cassidy (R) as the likely challenger to Cazayoux in the fall. The filing deadline for all candidates is Friday, but Cassidy is not expected to face any serious primary opposition.

The Cazayoux campaign was unconcerned by Jenkins’s announcement, preferring instead to emphasize its own message.

“We’re focusing on getting out a positive message about Rep. Cazayoux,” said spokeswoman Katie Nee. “We’re less concerned about who we’re running against.”

— J.M.


New Mexico

Former Albuquerque City Councilman Martin Heinrich’s (D) campaign is playing up his centrist credentials for the general election, even though he had harsh words earlier in his campaign for centrist Democrats in Congress.

Heinrich suggested in a December 2007 questionnaire that members of the New Democrat and Blue Dog coalitions are actually closet Republicans.

“I can say without a doubt that I will not join the New Democrat or Blue Dog caucuses,” he said in a questionnaire filled out for the liberal blog Booman Tribune. “I believe that we need more and better Democrats in Congress. We need strong leaders who are willing to stand up, speak out and fight for our values. We don’t need more Republicans in Democratic clothing.”

As Democrats have won more and more conservative districts, the ranks of New Democrats and Blue Dogs have filled up with new members. Many Democrats running for Congress have played up Blue Dog support in order to burnish their centrist credentials.

Heinrich is running in a swing district, which has been a frequent battleground. A poll his campaign released this week showed the race a virtual tie.

Spokeswoman Rachel Wolin said Heinrich has a “strong, moderate record” of working across the aisle.

“In Congress, Martin will be an independent voice, continuing to bring people together while working to end the war in Iraq, provide affordable healthcare to New Mexico families, and honor America’s veterans,” Wolin said.

— Aaron Blake


North Carolina

Democratic Senate challenger Kay Hagan says she raised more than $1.6 million in the second quarter, leaving her with $1.2 million cash on hand in her campaign against incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R).

Hagan has surprised some in Washington with her fundraising and is slowly showing herself to be a formidable challenger to Dole.

Dole’s campaign has not released its numbers.

— David Matthews


Tennessee

Former state Sen. Tom Leatherwood’s (R) campaign released a poll Tuesday claiming it has closed the gap in its primary challenge to incumbent Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R).

The poll, taken in late June, shows Blackburn leading Leatherwood 48-37, which the Leatherwood campaign says is a net gain of 16 points for their candidate since March. The district-wide poll, taken June 28-29, has a 5.6 percent margin of error.

“It’s pretty bogus,” said a Blackburn campaign official. “The guy that is doing his polling is also on his finance committee, which might tell you something.”

The primary will be held on Aug. 7.

— M.O.