SSP Daily Digest: 11/27

Post-Thanksgiving food coma = digest on a diet.

FL-Sen: The 99th-most senior senator in the United States, George LeMieux, has been working his new colleagues on behalf of Charlie Crist. After James Inhofe endorsed Marco Rubio, LeMieux began trying to play the role of gatekeeper, urging other fellow senators to see him first before picking sides. Supposedly, LeMieux has told some of these people that a “shoe was about to drop” in the race – but the Miami Herald’s use of the past tense in that quasi-quote has me wondering if some expected bombshell failed to go off.

IL-Sen: As the bank owned by Alexei Giannoulias and his family started failing over the last couple of years, it nonetheless paid out $70 million in dividends to him and his siblings. Giannoulias claims he only personally received a “minimal” portion of those dividends – except by minimal, he means $2.5 million. Unsurprisingly, his opponent David Hoffman is hammering him about this.

NY-Sen-B: Chatter is heating up about NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson’s future. The NYT reports that folks close to Thompson say he’s considering one of three options: challenging Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, challenging state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, or taking a breather and running for mayor again in 2013. The article focuses most heavily on a potential matchup with Gillibrand. Not only have her poll numbers been anemic, but the White House would probably have a hard time trying to dissuade Thompson, given that their public attempt to push another African American, Gov. David Paterson, out of his race.

In related news on the GOP side, Larchmont Mayor Elizbeth Feld said she’s considering a run. Feld got crushed in a run for the state Senate’s 37th district seat last year.

CA-50: Solano Beach City Councilman Dave Roberts is dropping out of the race against Brian Bilbray because he and his partner are adopting two more children who are siblings of one of their sons. Roberts declined to endorse either of the remaining Dem candidates, Francine Busby and Tracy Emblem, but pledged to work with the winner to beat Bilbray next year.

FL-08: The Republicans have “finally found” a candidate to take on Alan Grayson, rich guy Bruce O’Donoghue. That attitude, though, is indicative of the fact that the GOP establishment is ignoring Armando Gutierrez, the young carpetbagging real estate developer who’s been in the race since October. Who knows whether O’Donoghue will pass wingnut purity tests, but if he’s wobbly, he may be vulnerable to getting teabagged to death by Gutierrez. And if the power players continue to diss Gutierrez, that’s only likely to fuel teabag rage further.

Polling: Another installment of Choose-Your-Own-Adventure from PPP. This time, the choices are Delaware, Georgia, Illinois primary, and South Carolina. Click the link to cast your vote.

99 thoughts on “SSP Daily Digest: 11/27”

  1. From the OP’s linked article

    His decision to open a political action committee has heightened expectations that he will challenge Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012.

  2. I’d really like to see Bill Thompson try again in 4 years. He just came so tantalizingly close (despite being outspent 14 to one according to that article) that against a non-billionaire he ought to have a great chance and be a great mayor.

  3. …circular firing squad.

    “I think the more the numbers keep coming out saying she’s vulnerable, the more people will try to figure out where she stands on the issues,” said Representative José E. Serrano, one of the most outspoken Democratic critics of Senator Gillibrand, referring to her shifting stance on issues like gun control.

    I am not a NY resident, and I was cool to Gov. Paterson selecting now Sen. Gillibrand for the seat, but for Serrano to frame her position on gun control as a shifting stance is at best two-faced. NYC Dems insisted that her voting record in the House on gun control was something that she should “reconsider”, and now that she (correctly) has modified that position, it is now a “shifting stance?”

    Just be straight up and honest, Serrano. You really mean that the only legit Democratic nominees for statewide office are the ones based inside the City’s limits.

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