2010 Elections, Political News

An all-star list of downtown and Capitol Hill Republican heavyweights is holding a National Republican Congressional Committee fundraiser on Sept. 28. According to an invitation obtained by CQ Politics, Minority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) are co-chairmen of the event, which is expected to include Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.), NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions (Texas) and a half-dozen or more of their House Republican colleagues. Former Speaker Dennis Hastert (Ill.), a senior adviser at the firm Dickstein Shapiro, is also a co-chairman of the rooftop fundraiser, which will be held at the C2 Group’s Chinatown offices. The invitation urges potential donors to “please join in our efforts to ‘Take Back The House.’”

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GOP Heavy Hitters on K Street Line Up for NRCC Event

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Democrats are confronting deep divisions in their nervous ranks over whether to support President Barack Obama’s plan to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans — or just punt the entire matter until after voters go to the polls Nov. 2.

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House Dems deeply divided over Obama tax cut plan

Businessman Matt Doheny’s GOP primary victory Tuesday night sets Republicans up for a case of déjà vu in upstate New York’s 23rd district. Doheny led accountant Doug Hoffman 53 percent to 47 percent when the race was called with just over 93 percent reporting. But Hoffman holds the Conservative Party line and has promised to campaign through November. That would create the same scenario that helped Rep. Bill Owens (D) win last year’s special election against Hoffman and Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava. One difference from last fall is that Hoffman’s campaign hasn’t garnered the same enthusiasm it did from national conservatives, who poured nearly $2 million into the special election. Doheny, meanwhile, has vast personal resources. The National Republican Congressional Committee has talked up GOP chances in the 23rd district which, until Owens’ victory, had been in GOP hands since the 19th century. But the NRCC has yet to reserve air time for TV ads in the district. Owens had over $1 million in the bank as of mid-summer and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has already reserved over $900,000 for TV ads in media markets that cover the 23rd district.

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Doheny Win Sets Up Three-Way Race in N.Y. 23

State Sen. Brad Zaun is up with his first TV ad in the Des Moines media market this cycle. Standing in a tool shop, Zaun draws a contrast between himself and seven-term Rep. Leonard Boswell (D). “Leonard Boswell claims the country is on the right path. I couldn’t disagree more,” Zaun says. “This November we have a clear choice in the 3rd Congressional district. The Boswell-Pelosi path leads to more spending, bigger government and more debt. If you think government is too big and costs too much, I need your vote.” The ad follows a radio ad Zaun already released. Boswell started airing his first TV ad in Des Moines on Friday, following three weeks of a radio ad airing in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. The third district race is the most competitive House race in the Hawkeye State. Boswell is a perennial Republican target, and a recent poll showed him leading Zaun by nine points. CQ-Roll Call rates this race Leans Democratic . In eastern Iowa Rep. Dave Loebsack (D) also went up with his first ad of the campaign today. The introductory ad talks about the Congressman being raised in poverty by a single mother, and briefly mentions his work on small business issues and standing up to Wall Street. It doesn’t mention his Republican opponent, Mariannette Miller-Meeks , who he defeated by a vote of 57 percent to 39 percent in 2008.

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Zaun on TV in Central Iowa Against Boswell

The National Republican Congressional Committee’s independent expenditure arm announced Sunday it is airing new TV ads in eight districts across the country. The spots are targeting six current Members of Congress and two Democratic candidates in open-seat races. Reps. Allen Boyd in Florida’s 2nd district, Chet Edwards in Texas’ 17th district, Bobby Bright in Alabama’s 2nd district, Travis W. Childers in Mississippi’s 1st district, Tom Perriello in Virginia’s 5th district and Ann Kirkpatrick Arizona’s 1st district are the Democratic Members being targeted. All except Perriello and Kirkpatrick are in the conservative Blue Dogs Coalition. The two challengers being targeted are Roy Herron , who’s running to replace retiring Rep. John Tanner (D) in Tennessee’s 8th district, and Julie Lassa , who’s running to replace retiring Rep. David Obey (D) in Wisconsin’s 7th district. Each ad similarly ties the Democrat to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and will run in a single media market in the district.

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NRCC Ties Democrats to Pelosi in New Ads

BARNSTABLE, Mass. (AP) — When Sen. Scott Brown staged his surprise special election win in January, he relied heavily on Massachusetts’ 10th Congressional District.

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10th Mass. district seen as key in fall elections

Texas Rep. Bernice

The air war is on in Texas’ most competitive House race. Following the release of Republican businessman Bill Flores’ first general election ad earlier this week, Rep. Chet Edwards (D) is accusing Flores of lying about his vote in 2008. “When Bill Flores said he’d voted for Rob Curnock, he knew it wasn’t true,” a narrator says. The ad then cuts to a clip of Flores telling the 2008 Republican nominee that he voted for him. “He didn’t even vote that day,” the narrator continues. Flores’ campaign manager, Matt Mackowiak, said the Republican didn’t vote in 2008 because he was caught in rush hour traffic in Houston and couldn’t make it to Bryan before the polls closed. He questioned the focus of Edwards’ ad, though. “Given a chance to discuss his 20-year record in Congress, Congressman Edwards is running from his support of Obama and Pelosi’s job killing agenda while choosing to personally and deceitfully attack a man who has successfully created hundreds of jobs and developed American energy,” he wrote. Both ads are airing in the Waco and Bryan-College Station media markets. The race to represent the Waco-based district promises to be one of the premiere House races of 2010. Edwards holds the most Republican district that elected a Democrat to the House, and he is a perennial Republican target. Both Congressional campaign committees have given their full support to their nominees: Flores was named to the top tier of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Young Guns program, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reserved TV time in the district on Edwards’ behalf. Also within the district lines is Crawford, the address of former President George W. Bush’s ranch. CQ-Roll Call rates this race a Tossup .

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Edwards Accuses Flores of Lying in New Ad

Florida Rep. Allen Boyd (D) nearly became the latest incumbent to fall to a primary challenge this cycle but held on Tuesday night to secure his party’s nomination with just 51 percent of the vote. Despite being outspent 10-to-1 in the 2 nd district primary state Senate Minority Leader Al Lawson (D) gave Boyd a serious scare by taking 49 percent. The close race will only encourage Republicans, who already believed the Blue Dog Boyd was in serious trouble before he was forced to move to the left to win the primary. Boyd will now have to work quickly to unify the Democratic electorate ahead of the general election, where he is already being targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee. On the GOP side, funeral home owner Steve Southerland easily earned the right to face Boyd this fall.

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Boyd Hangs On In Florida 2

State Sen. Frederica Wilson (D) is now all but certain to replace Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) in the House after securing her party’s nomination in the overwhelmingly Democratic 17th district on Tuesday night. With 60 percent reporting the Associated Press called the contest for Wilson, who had 35 percent in the nine-way contest. Wilson, who has already followed Meek in the state House and state Senate, was considered the frontrunner in the Congressional race they day she threw her hat into the ring last year. But wealthy physician and first time candidate Rudy Moise used his deep pockets to emerge from political obscurity to challenge Wilson in the crowded primary. Moise spent $1.4 million of his own money on the race but came in second with 16 percent.

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Fla. 17: Wilson Wins, Likely To Follow in Meek’s Footsteps Again