• TN-03: Paula Flowers, the former Tennessee Insurance Commissioner, formally announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination on Thursday. This is a tough district at R+13, but between it being an open seat (as Zach Wamp is running for governor) and Flowers’ statewide profile, we have a shot here.
• IL-13: Last year, businessman Scott Harper held Rep. Judy Biggert to a much closer than expected margin (54-44) without DCCC help, in this once solidly Republican district (which just plunged from R+5 to R+1). Harper filed an exploratory committee on Friday for a rematch. He can probably count on a higher-profile race this time, especially as strong fundraising might encourage the 71-year-old Biggert to think about retirement.
• MI-07: The GOP is still trying to settle on a challenger to freshman Rep. Mark Schauer in this rural Michigan district. Former Rep. Tim Walberg (who lost after one term to Schauer) seems to have dibs on the race, and state GOP chair Saul Anuzis is thinking he’ll do it again, but Walberg says he’s in no hurry to decide. Brad Smith, a lawyer who’s the son of the district’s former Rep. Nick Smith, seems to be taking shape as their fallback option.
• NJ-03: John Culbertson, a wealthy investor who was courted by the New Jersey GOP to run against frosh Democratic Rep. John Adler based on his capacity to self-fund, says he’s not interested in pursuing the race. (J)
• KS-Sen: I’m not exactly sure what Dennis Hastert has at stake in the Kansas Senate primary, but he waded into it today, endorsing Rep. Todd Tiahrt. (Tiahrt is up against another former Hastert colleague, Rep. Jerry Moran, in a moderate/conservative duel; maybe Hastert sees this as a proxy battle over the GOP’s heart-and-soul.)
• Mayors: In Austin’s mayoral election over the weekend, no candidate finished over 50%, but it looks like there may be no contested runoff after all; 2nd-place finisher Brewster McCracken, who trailed fellow city councilor Lee Leffingwell by 20 points on Saturday, said that he’s bowing out of the runoff and conceding. In San Antonio, former city councilor and rising star Julian Castro easily won against eight other challengers.
I hate rematches, especially in these districts that are fairly conservative-ish. It always seems like they get really close the first try, then lose by more the following year. I think its because people are willing to express their distaste with their current representation by voting against them, but when it comes down to it, they would prefer to have a republican in office. I do this. I vote against my congress woman Napalitano because I do not think that she’s a good congressperson, but if I thought for an instant she would lose to a republican, I would vote for her in an instant.
Didn’t Tom Coburn also wade into the KS-Sen race? If I’m right, this contest seems to be attracting some outsize names to the well-wishers lists.
I am not sure how much Paula Flowers’ past experience as Tennessee Insurance Commissioner will help her. The position is not an elected one and she was the Commissioner for one term. She has some local experience with the energy industry. Her name recognition in the district is probably about the same or less than the Republican elected officials that have either announced their candidacies for the seat or are considering doing so.
http://www.ajc.com/services/co…
Mind you, he regulates the insurance industry and takes shit loads from said industry.
Looks like only the elected officials salaries prop has any chance of passing. Man, they sure hate Arnold’s ballot measures in California.
http://www.surveyusa.com/clien…
http://www.finance.senate.gov/…
His latest policy paper on healthcare reform has a public option included. Sounds like he may now be on board, which would be huge given he’s the point man in the Senate on healthcare reform.