KS Primary Preview; GOP sucker punches Katherine Harris; CA CD-11; polls; more
July 31st, 2006
TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE.KANSAS: PRIMARY PREVIEW.
Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) is unopposed for renomination in Tuesday's primary -- and she remains a prohibitive favorite in independent polls to win reelection in November. She is again gaining an advantage because of the ongoing fiscal conservative-versus-social conservative rift. In fact, Sebelius' runningmate for Lieutenant Governor is former GOP State Chair Mark Parkinson, who switched parties earlier this year over his disgust with the Religious Right's domination of the Kansas GOP. On the Republican side, seven hopefuls are competing in the gubernatorial primary -- but all of them were "second-tier choices" after all of the highly-recruited top-tier candidates passed on the race. Of the seven, the three frontrunners appear to be State Senator Jim Barnett, social conservative activist Ken Canfield and former State House Speaker Robin Jennison. Barnett and Canfield exchanged a volley of very negative spots, accusing each other of running desperate and dishonest campaigns. Jennison is benefiting from the Barnett-Canfield punching match -- but probably not enough. Look for Barnett to narrowly win the primary. The debate over evolution continues to play an important role in Kansas politics. The AP reports that three members of the conservative State Board of Education who supported anti-evolution standards face tough GOP primary challenges. Among those facing challenges includes Board Member Connie Lewis, who referred to evolution as an "age-old fairy tale." The GOP fiscal conservative-versus-social conservative fight is also playing out against Republicans incumbents in the primaries for Secretary of State and Insurance Commissioner. While not formally endorsing any candidates, many church leaders in Kansas have stressed the importance of voting in the Tuesday primaries. The Lawrence Journal-World reports Scott Jameson-Jones, a United Methodist Church bishop, urged congregants to vote: "[Voting] is something every Christian ought to do. It's part of your Christian life; it's part of your Christian responsibility." Republicans hold a 20% registration advantage over Democrats in the state. Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh predicts a 23% turnout for the election.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger; Contributing Writer: Dustin McKissen - 08.01.06
BY THE NUMBERS: LATEST INDEPENDENT NUMBERS.
MISSOURI - US SENATE: State Auditor Claire McCaskill (D) - 45%, US Senator Jim Talent (R) - 42%. (Rasmussen Reports).
OHIO - US SENATE: Congressman Sherrod Brown (D) - 44%, US Senator Mike DeWine (R) - 42%. (Rasmussen Reports).
SOUTH DAKOTA - VOTE TO UPHOLD THE STATE'S ABORTION BAN: Reject the Ban - 47%, Uphold the Ban - 39%. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader/Mason-Dixon).
VERMONT - GOVERNOR: Governor Jim Douglas (R) - 47%, former State Democratic Chair Scudder Parker (D) - 36%. (American Research Group).
VERMONT - US SENATE: Congressman Bernie Sanders (Independent) - 56%, businessman Rick Tarrant (R) - 35%. (American Research Group).
VERMONT - CONGRESS: State Adjutant General Martha Rainville (R) - 42%, Senate President Pro Tem Peter Welch (D) - 41%. (American Research Group).
VIRGINIA - US SENATE: US Senator George Allen (R) - 48%, former US Navy Secretary Jim Webb (D) - 32%. (Roanoke Times/Mason-Dixon).
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.01.06
FLORIDA: STATE GOP THROWS HARRIS UNDER THE BUS (AGAIN).
Just when Congresswoman Katherine Harris (R) thought her own party could not do anything more to sabotage her run against US Senator Bill Nelson (D), state party leaders found a new way to embarrass her. Someone leaked a copy to the AP of a letter written to Harris on May 7 by State GOP Chair Carole Jean Jordan, RNC Committeewoman Sharon Day and RNC Committeeman Paul Senft. In the scathing letter, the three wrote: "Katherine, though it causes us much anguish, we have determined that your campaign faces irreparable damage. We feel that we have no other choice but to revoke our support ... while we have marveled at your fundraising prowess in the past, this campaign has not seen the same success. Combined with a tenuous relationship with the media, turmoil within your campaign, and a lack of support nationally, we feel that these obstacles, in the aggregate, will prove to be insurmountable ... The polls tell us that no matter how you run this race, you will not be successful in beating Bill Nelson, who would otherwise be a vulnerable incumbent if forced to face a stronger candidate." The letter was "was done in an attempt to express those concerns, but we haven't seen any changes since then," said a spokesperson for the Florida GOP. The Harris campaign declined to comment. Just the latest episode in the GOP effort to derail Harris' campaign for the US Senate nomination.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.01.06
CALIFORNIA: CAMPAIGNS EXCHANGE VERBAL SHOTS IN FEISTY CD-11 RACE.
Interesting shots flying back and forth in the California CD-11 race. Former Congressman Pete McCloskey -- who lost the GOP primary to incumbent Congressman Richard Pombo -- crossed party lines last week to endorse Democratic nominee Jerry McNerney. McCloskey ran against Pombo because he was highly critical of the incumbent's poor environmental protection record. Meanwhile, McNerney is defending himself from articles detailing his multiple-choice position on some key issues. The day the Stockton Record highlighted several controversial positions taken by McNerney in his Project Vote-Smart candidate survey -- views in support of some tax hikes, opposing a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, etc. -- McNerney apparently went back online and changed his answers. According to the newspaper, McNerney "altered [answers to] 55 of the 147 questions" and his "new answers all are either more conservative or less revealing than his earlier positions, with only a handful of exceptions." Pombo, by contrast, has not responded to a Project Vote-Smart survey since 1994. "He doesn't reveal anything. I'd like to see some of his answers," said McNerney.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.01.06
PENNSYLVANIA: FOLLOW-UP ON THIRD PARTY BALLOT EFFORTS.
Yesterday we highlighted how businessman Russ Diamond (Independent) appears likely to miss qualifying for the state ballot in the gubernatorial race by a wide margin -- falling far short of the 67,000 required signatures. Politics1 reader Julian Stolz emailed us with what was involved for the Green Party to secure ballot status in the Keystone State for their nominees. Here's what he wrote: "Green Party Nominee for the US Senate from Pennsylvania, Carl Romanelli, appears to have collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. He said he is confident that he will turn in between 90,000-100,000 signatures. This should be enough to withstand any challenge. His campaign spent more than $100,000 on collecting signatures, even going so far as to pay circulators $20 per hour. His effort may also have some coat tails for the Green Nominee for Governor, Marakay Rogers, a York County lawyer, as they circulated their petitions jointly." The Constitution Party is also seeking to qualify building contractor Hagan Smith for Governor.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.01.06
FREE SPEECH ZONE.
"An absolute replay of Vietnam," said Vietnam veteran and US Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) to the Omaha World-Herald, speaking about the Iraq War.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.01.06
SEND A PIN = GET A FREE PLUG HERE.
Here's my open offer for every campaign (and campaign supporter): send me a button or pin from the Governor, US Senate, Congressional, Statewide Office, etc., campaign you are involved in -- feel free to add a sticker and brochure -- and I'll place a link to official campaign site here on our homepage in a daily "thank you" note. My address: Ron Gunzburger, 409 NE 17 Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. TODAY'S THANKS GO TO: businessman and retired USMC veteran Marv Pixton, Independent candidate for Congress in Virginia's CD-1.
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