SSP Daily Digest: 8/24 (Morning Edition)

  • AK-Sen: Just an FYI: The Tea Party Express has now spent $550K on behalf of Joe Miller – quite a sum in a super-cheap state like Alaska. (That means they’ve poured in about $200K in just the last week.) Remember, the TPX is the organization that helped power Sharron Angle to victory. Knocking off an incumbent senator is a much bigger task than beating Chicken Lady, of course, but the teabaggers are determined to keep this one interesting. (Also, any day I get to write about Chicken Lady is a good day.)
  • KY-Sen: Rand Paul, subjecting himself to a rare press conference, announced his preferred way of combating drug abuse in Eastern Kentucky. Instead of using federal dollars, he prefers church-based options: “I like the fact that faith is involved, that religion – Christianity – is involved, and I’m not embarrassed to say so. You have to have innovative local solutions to problems.” Paul still called for the end of earmarks to fund Operation UNITE, an anti-drug program, which caused some awkwardness for his host, Hopkins County Attorney Todd P’Pool, who has made use of UNITE himself. (And yes, that awesome name is NOT a typo.)
  • NH-Sen: Paul Hodes has a new ad up, featuring music he wrote himself, which continues a theme we’ve seen elsewhere – namely, referring to Congress as some kind of daycare center for overgrown children. I’m not really sure how effective this characterization really is, given that it’s been incumbents who keep deploying it. Anyhow, NWOTSOTB, though the Hodes campaign tells us it’s “a significant buy in both the Manchester and Boston media markets” that’s going up on both broadcast and cable today.
  • OR-Gov: Good news for Dem John Kitzhaber: The Oregon Progressive Party declined to nominate a candidate for governor, meaning that there won’t be anyone on the ballot running to Kitz’s left. Jerry Wilson, creator of the Soloflex, had been hoping for the Prog nod, and says he may run a write-in campaign instead.
  • AZ-03: Just a day before the primary, Dan Quayle emerged from his undisclosed potatoe to pen an email on behalf of his embattled, pathetic spawn, Ben. At this point, though, nothing can undo the Shame of the Super-Son.
  • CA-52: Democrat Ray Lutz has ended his 11-day hunger strike, which he launched in an attempt to get Rep. Duncan Hunter to meet him for a series of debates. Hunter actually did say he’d meet for an Oct. 15th debate, though he claims he was planning to accept that date even before Lutz went on his strike. Lutz, of course, is claiming victory – and if this tactic really did have its intended effect, I wonder if we’ll ever see anyone else try it again.
  • IA-03: Rep. Leonard Boswell’s been hitting Republican Brad Zaun on his flip-floppery over agricultural subsidies, and it seems like he’s landed a solid blow. In Iowa, anything less than maximal statism in support of the ethanol industry is usually a political sin, but Zaun couldn’t help himself at a teabagger debate earlier this spring. Zaun related a conversation with a farmer, who asked him “What are you going to do for me and the biofuels industry?” Zaun’s description of his own response: “Nothing.” Boswell’s put out his first radio ad of the cycle (NWOTSOTB) featuring this very quote.
  • IL-11: Debbie Halvorson is getting a new campaign manager. Julie Merz, who has previously worked for Dennis Moore and Jim Matheson, is taking over for Travis Worl. It’s always hard to say whether moves like this reflect campaign turmoil, a sign that the team is upgrading, or just natural turnover. The only tea leaf we have here is that Worl’s departure was announced before Merz’s hiring was.
  • LA-02: A good get for Cedric Richmond: New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu just gave the state legislator his endorsement yesterday. Richmond faces fellow state Rep. Juan LaFonta in the primary, which is this Saturday (note the unusual date).
  • NV-03: Republican media buying company Smart Media Group says that AFSCME has put down $240K for ads against GOPer Denny Joe Heck. The union hasn’t filed an independent expenditure report yet, though.
  • NY-01: Republican George Demos is up with his first TV ad, attempting to out-conservative opponents Randy Altschuler and Ed Cox – and doing his best to make himself unelectable in the general election by painting himself as “pro-life.” NWOTSOTB. Meanwhile, Altschuler succeeded in knocking Cox out of the Conservative Party primary, though Cox has vowed to appeal the judge’s ruling.
  • NY-25: Republican (and Mama Grizzly) Ann Marie Buerkle says she won’t rule out SSP – the bad kind of SSP, of course:
  • “There’s so many options when it comes to privatization. I would have to look at each plan that’s being proposed… but I would certainly consider looking at it.”

    SSP Daily Digest: 6/4

    CT-Sen: Ex-Rep. Rob Simmons needs to look like one of those allegedly-not-quite-extinct moderate New England Republicans in order to get elected in Connecticut, but he’s not doing himself any favors by appearing with Newt Gingrich at the annual Prescott Bush Awards Dinner. With a large Puerto Rican population in Connecticut, Simmons probably doesn’t want to be anywhere near Sonia Sotomayor’s loudest and most toxic critic. Another problem for Simmons: businessman Tom Foley, the former ambassador to Ireland, made his official entry into the GOP primary field today. Foley, unlike Simmons, has deep pockets he can self-fund with.

    MN-Sen: Sources close to Norm Coleman are suggesting he won’t appeal at the federal level if he loses his case with the Minnesota Supreme Court. Republicans still publicly say they’ll try to stop any Dem efforts to seat Al Franken until Coleman has conceded or exhausted his appeals. John Cornyn has sent some mixed signals, though, saying it’s “entirely” Coleman’s decision whether to keep fighting and that he’s “amazed that Sen. Coleman’s been willing to persevere as long as he has.”

    NV-Sen: Wondering why the GOP is having a hard time attracting a challenger to supposedly-vulnerable Harry Reid? Maybe it’s because of his deep levels of support among much of the state’s Republican establishment. The Reid camp released a list of 60 GOP endorsers, including, most prominently, soon-to-be-ex-First Lady (and former NV-02 candidate) Dawn Gibbons, Reno mayor Bob Cashell, and, in a move guaranteed to nail down the key 18-29 demographic, Wayne Newton.

    NH-Sen: Could it be that the NRSC could actually be stuck running Ovide Lamontagne against Rep. Paul Hodes? Just the very fact that the NRSC is talking to Lamontagne (a businessman whose one claim to fame is losing the 1996 governor’s race to Jeanne Shaheen) with an apparently straight face should be a red flag that their top-tier possibilities (ex-Sen. John Sununu, ex-Rep. Charlie Bass) aren’t looking likely.

    NY-Sen-B: Joe Biden reportedly had a sit-down earlier this week with Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who may or may not be running in the Senate primary against Kirsten Gillibrand. Presumably the meeting would contain some of the same content as Barack Obama’s now-famous phone call to Rep. Steve Israel.

    OH-Sen: If a candidate falls in the woods with no one around, does he make a sound? State Rep. Tyrone Yates has been exploring the Senate race for several months, and apparently found nothing that would help him overcome Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and SoS Jennifer Brunner, as he bowed out of the race.

    NJ-Gov: Rasmussen has the first post-primary poll of the New Jersey governor’s race. Chris Christie may have gotten a bit of a brief unity bounce in the wake of his primary victory, as he’s up to a 51-38 edge over Jon Corzine now, as opposed to 47-38 last month. There’s one spot of ‘good’ news, as it were, for Corzine: his approval rating is back up to 42%.

    AZ-08: Construction company executive and ex-Marine Jesse Kelly seems to be the establishment GOP’s choice to go against Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in 2010. He announced endorsements from three House members: Trent Franks, Duncan Hunter, and Frank Wolf. (Not quite clear how endorsements from Hunter and Wolf help him in Arizona, though.)

    KS-01: State Senator Jim Barnett got into the race for the seat being vacated by Rep. Jerry Moran, who’s running for Senate. Barnett may quickly become front-runner, based on his name recognition from being the 2006 GOP gubernatorial candidate (where he lost the state as a whole to Kathleen Sebelius, but won the dark-red 1st). He’s up against a more conservative state Senator Tim Huelskamp, and Sam Brownback’s former chief of staff, Rob Wasinger. The primary is the whole shooting match in this R+23 district.

    KY-01: After the purchase of “whitfieldforsenate.com” got people’s attention yesterday, Rep. Ed Whitfield had to tamp that down, confirming that he’s running for re-election in his R+15 House seat.

    MN-06: Even if this goes nowhere, it’s great to have a GOPer doing our framing for us… attorney Chris Johnston is publicly mulling a primary challenge to (his words, on his website) “‘anti-American’ hurling, malaprop-spouting, ‘they took me out of context'” Rep. Michele Bachmann. He confirms that he and Bachmann share “strong conservative beliefs;” he just thinks the 6th would prefer someone “who thinks before they speak.”

    NH-02: Attorney Ann McLane Kuster is launching an exploratory committee to run for the open seat left behind by Rep. Paul Hodes. St. Rep. John DeJoie is already in the primary field, and they may soon be joined by Katrina Swett.

    NY-03: Dems are scoping out potential candidates in Long Island’s NY-03 (which fell to R+4 in the wake of 2008), thinking that even if Rep. Peter King doesn’t vacate to run for Senate he’s still vulnerable. The biggest fish would be Nassau Co. Exec Tom Suozzi, who seems to have bigger fish to fry (reportedly AG if Andrew Cuomo vacates). The next-biggest fish would Nassau Co. DA Kathleen Rice. Smaller fish listed include Isobel Coleman of the Council of Foreign Relations, and minor league baseball team owner Frank Boulton.

    NH-Legislature: It took a rewrite of a couple sentences that Gov. John Lynch didn’t like, but after a few weeks of back-and-forth New Hampshire finally enacted gay marriage. Both chambers passed the amended bill yesterday (clearing the House 198-176) and Lynch signed it into law on the same day.

    Presidential Endorsements

    This is a diary of Presidential Endorsements that I will periodically update.  It will include those I learn of and I make no pretensions of this being a comprehensive listing.  I welcome comments that update endorsements as the election progresses as I plan to update this diary periodically.  The more eyes we have looking, the more accurate this can be.  I considered piggybacking the 2008 race tracker David set up as adding a line to the bio boxes would not be too time consuming, but will try a diary first.

    I am attempting to track Members of Congress, Governors, State Party Chairs, former officeholders, and other politically prominent individuals like George Soros or Donald Trump.

    If I missed any candidates in the tabs let me know.  I plan to list the states and sublist by candidate.  Will do Democrats then Republicans.  The primaries are by states so listing by states can show where someone is running strong.

    If I am not sure what state someone connects to I will list as unknown under the state of the candidate they’re endorsing until I can place them more accurately.
    Unless I can determine their home otherwise, I list anyone connected Hollywood under California, and move them later if I determine where exactly they do in fact live.

    ALABAMA

    Barack OBAMA
    -Rep. Artur Davis

    Duncan HUNTER
    -Rep. Terry Everett

    John McCAIN
    -94 & 98 GOP Gov. nominee Winston Blount III
    -Rep. Spencer Bachus
    -Adjutant Gen. Stan Spears
    -Dax Swatek campaign manager for fmr Gov. Bob Riley

    ALASKA

    Mike HUCKABEE
    -Rep. Don Young

    ARIZONA

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Raul Yzaguirre – President National Council of La Raza

    John EDWARDS
    -Rep. Raul Grijalva

    Duncan HUNTER
    -Rep. Trent Franks

    John McCAIN
    -Senator Jon Kyl
    -Rep. Rick Renzi
    -Rep. John Shadegg
    -Rep. Jeff Flake

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County Sheriff

    ARKANSAS

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Gov. Mike Beebe
    -Rep. Marion Berry
    -Fmr. General Wesley Clark
    -Jimmie Lou Fisher – losing 2002 Gov. nominee
    -Mac McClarty – fmr. Chief of Staff for Bill Clinton
    -Sen. Mark Pryor
    -Rep. Mike Ross
    -Rep. Vic Snyder

    Mike HUCKABEE
    -Rep. John Boozman

    CALIFORNIA

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Sen. Diane Feinstein
    -Hugh Hefner – of Playboy fame
    -Magic Johnson – Hall of Fame Basketball player
    -Rep. Tom Lantos
    -Rep. Grace Napolitano
    -Gavin Newsome – Mayor of San Fransisco
    -Rob Reiner – filmproducer “meathead of All in the Family”
    -Filmmaker Steven Speilberg
    -Antonio Villaraigosa – Mayor of Los Angeles

    Christopher DODD
    -Rep. Xavier Bercerra
    -Rep. Anna Eshoo
    -Steve Martin – a “wild & crazy guy”
    -Lorne Michaels – Saturday Night Live producer
    -Rep. Doris Matsui
    -Paul Newman – actor

    JOHN EDWARDS
    -fmr Rep. & St. Sen Leader John Burton
    -Seth “Scott Evil” Green – actor
    -Don Henley of rock band “The Eagles”
    -David Mixner – noted GLBT activist
    -Scott Weiner – Board of Directors: Human Rights Campaign

    Barack OBAMA
    -Jennifer Anniston – actress
    -George Clooney – actor
    -Tom Hanks – Actor
    -Tobey Maguire – Actor

    Bill RICHARDSON
    -Michael Douglas – actor

    Rudy GUILIANI
    -Rep. David Drier
    -Kelsey Grammer – actor
    -Rep. Jerry Lewis
    -Dennis Miller – comedian
    -Fmr. LA Mayor Richard Riordan
    -Adam Sandler – actor
    -Ben Stein – actor
    -fmr. Gov. Pete Wilson

    Duncan HUNTER
    -Chuck Yeager – retired Astronaut

    John McCAIN
    -Rep. Daniel Lungren

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Rep. John Campbell
    -Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon

    COLORADO

    Barack OBAMA
    -Frederico Pena – fmr Mayor of Denver and Clinton cabinet member

    MITT ROMNEY
    -Sen. Wayne Allard

    -Bob Beauprez – losing 2006 gubernatorial candidate

    Tom TANCREDO
    -Bay Buchanan – political commentator

    CONNECTICUT

    Christopher DODD
    -Sanford Cloud – fmr. Pres. National Conference for Community Justice
    -Rep. Joe Courtney
    -Rep. Rosa DeLauro
    -Stanley Greenberg – Democratic pollster
    -Rep. John Larson
    -Rep. Chris Murphy

    John McCAIN
    -Rep. Christopher Shays

    DELAWARE

    Joseph BIDEN
    -Senator Thomas Carper

    John McCAIN
    -Rep. Mike Castle

    FLORDIA

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Rep. Alcee Hastings
    -Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz

    Barack OBAMA
    -Rep. Robert Wexler

    Rudy GUILIANI
    -Jeb Bush Jr., son of fmr Gov Bush

    Duncan HUNTER
    -Rep. C.W. “Bill” YOUNG

    John McCAIN
    -Rep. Ric Keller
    -Rep. Ilena Ros-Lehtinen
    -Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart
    -Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Rep. Ginny Brown-gWaite
    -Rep. Tom Feeney
    -Dorothy Bush Koch – sister of Jeb & President George Bush

    Fred THOMPSON
    -George P. Bush s/o Gov. Jeb Bush
    -Randy Enright – Fla. regional Director for RNC
    -Rep. Jeff Miller
    -Rep. Adam Putnam

    GEORGIA

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Rep. John Lewis

    John EDWARDS
    -fmr. Gov. Roy Barnes
    -Shi Shailendra – Atlanta business leader

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Rep. Jack Kingston
    -Rep. Tom Price
    -Rep. John Lindner
    -Rep. Phil Gingrey

    HAWAII

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Sen. Daniel Inouye

    Barack OBAMA
    -Rep. Neil Abercrombie

    IDAHO

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Senator Larry Craig
    -Lt. Gov. Jim Risch
    -Rep. Mike Simpson

    ILLINOIS

    Barack OBAMA
    -Rep. Melissa Bean
    -Governor Rod Blagojevich
    -Rep. Jerry Costello
    -Matt Damon – actor
    -Rep. Danny Davis
    -Senator Richard Durbin
    -Rep. Luis Guiterrez
    -Rep. Phil Hare
    -Christine Hefner – CEO Playboy Enterprises
    -Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
    -Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.
    -Rep. Bobby Rush
    -Rep. Jan Schakowsky
    -Oprah Winfrey

    Rudy GUILIANI
    -fmr. Gov. James Thompson

    John McCAIN
    -Rep. Mark Kirk
    -Rep. Roy LaHood
    -Rep. John Shimkus
    -IL. Sen. Minority Leader Frank Watson

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Rep. Dennis Hastert

    Fred THOMPSON
    -Rep. Donald Manzullo

    INDIANA

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Sen. Evan Bayh

    John McCAIN
    -Gov. Mitch Daniels

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -James Bopp Jr. – Legal counsel for the National Right to Life Committee

    Fred THOMPSON
    -Rep. Dan Burton
    -Rep. Steve Buyer

    IOWA

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Jerry Crawford – noted Dem strategist in Iowa
    -Ruth Harkin – wife of Sen. Tom Harkin
    -fmr. Gov. Tom Vilsack

    John EDWARDS
    -Ed Fallon – fmr. St. Rep. & Dem. Gubernatorial candidate
    -Jennifer O’Malley – 2004 Iowa field director for John Edwards

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Joe Earle – Director of Outreach Iowa Christian Alliance

    Fred THOMPSON
    -Andrew Dorr – fmr. political director for Jim Nussle KANSAS

    John McCAIN
    -Sen. Sam Brownback

    KENTUCKY

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Rep. Ron Lewis
    -Rep. Harold Rogers
    -Rep. Ed Whitfield

    LOUISIANA

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Thomas Boggs – Lobbyist

    Rudy GUILIANI
    -Senator David Vitter

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Rep. Rodney Alexander
    -Rep. Jim McCrey

    Tom TANCREDO
    -David Duke –  fmr KKK Imperial Wizard

    MAINE

    John EDWARDS
    -David Garrity – fmr. DNC member & LGBT activist

    John McCAIN
    -Senator Susan Collins
    -Senator Olympia Snowe

    MARYLAND

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Sen. Barbara Mikulski
    -Gov. Martin O’Malley

    John EDWARDS
    -Joe Trippi – Howard Dean’s campaign manager in 2004
    -Rep. Albert Wynn

    Barack OBAMA
    -Rep. Elijah Cummings

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -fmr. Gov. Robert Ehrlich

    MASSACHUSETTS

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Rep. James McGovern
    -Rep. Richard Neal
    -Joe Wilson – husband of outed CIA operative Valerie Plame

    Barack OBAMA
    -Laurence Tribe – noted Constitutional Law scholar
    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Paul Weyrich – Free Congress Foundation

    MICHIGAN

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Sen. Debbie Stabenow

    John EDWARDS
    -Rep. Bart Stupak

    Barack OBAMA
    -Rep. John Conyers

    Rudy GUILIANI
    -Rep. Candace Miller
    -James Tiganelli – Police Officers Association of America

    John McCAIN
    -Rep. Fred Upton

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Rep. Dave Camp
    -Rep. Peter Hoekstra
    -Rep. Joe Knollenberg

    Fred THOMPSON
    -fmr. Sen. Spencer Abraham

    MINNESOTA

    John EDWARDS
    -Scott Benson – Majority Leader Minneapolis City Council
    -Rep. James Oberstar

    Hillary CLINTON
    -fmr. VP Walter Mondale

    Barack OBAMA
    -Rep. Keith Ellison

    John McCAIN
    -Governor Tim Pawlenty

    MISSISSIPPI

    Mike KUCKABEE
    -Don Wildmon – (American Family Ass’n)

    John McCAIN
    -Senator Trent Lott

    MISSOURI

    Hillary CLINTON
    -fmr. Rep. Richard Gephardt

    Barack OBAMA
    -Rep. Russ Carnahan
    -Rep. Lacy Clay

    -John McCAIN
    -Rich BOND – fmr. RNC Chair

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Governor Matt Blunt

    MONTANA

    NEBRASKA

    NEVADA

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Rory Reid – son of Harry Reid
    -Dina Titus – losing 2006 Dem. Gov. nominee

    Barack OBAMA
    -Floyd Mayweather, professional boxer
    NEW HAMPSHIRE

    Joseph BIDEN
    -St. Rep. Steve Shurtleff, Ass’t House Majority Leader

    Hillary CLINTON
    -St. Sen. Betsey DeVries
    -Bill Shaheen – husband of ex-Gov.Jeanne Shaheen
    -St. Rep. Mary Jane Wallner – NH House Majority Leader

    John EDWARDS
    -St. Sen. Peter Burling
    -St. Sen. Joe Foster
    -St. Sen. David Gottesman

    Barack OBAMA
    -Rep. Paul Hodes
    -Gary Hirshberg – CEO Stonyfield Yogurt
    -Bishop Gene Robinson – 1st openly gay Epicopalian Bishop

    Bill RICHARDSON
    -Steve Marchand – Mayor of Portswouth

    John McCAIN
    -Steve Duprey – fmr. Chair NH GOP
    -Peter Spaulding – fmr. NH Executive Councillor

    Ron PAUL
    -Barbara Hagan – Frm Rep. & Pro-life acticist

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Sen. Judd GREGG
    -Bruce Keough – 2002 GOP nominee for NH Gov.
    -Jim Merrill – Attorney in Manchester

    NEW JERSEY

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Rep. Rob Andrews
    -Gov. John Corzine
    -Sen. Robert Menendez
    -Rep. Frank Pallone

    John EDWARDS
    -fmr. Governor Richard Codey
    -A.J. Sabath – fmr. Labor Commissioner
    -St. Sen. Stephen Sweeney

    Barack OBAMA
    -Cory Booker – Mayor of Newark

    John McCAIN
    -fmr. Gov Tom Kean Sr.

    NEW MEXICO

    Bill RICHARDSON
    -Senator Jeff Bingaman
    -Rep. Tom Udall

    NEW YORK

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Rep. Gary Ackerman
    -Rep. Michael Arcuri
    -Actress Candace Bergen
    -Rep. Steven Bishop
    -Rep. Yvette Clarke
    -Rep. Joseph Crowley
    -fmr. Mayor of NYC David Dinkins
    -Rep. Eliot Engel
    -fmr Rep. Geraldine Ferraro
    -Rep. Kristin Gillibrand
    -Rep. John Hall
    -Rep. Brian Higgins
    -Rep. Maurice Hinchey
    -Rep. Stephen Isreal
    -Robert Johnson – billionaire founder of Black Entertainment TV
    -Billie Jean King – All-time tennis great
    -Rep. Nita Lowey
    -Rep. Carolyn Maloney
    -Rep. Carolyn McCarthy
    -Rep. Michael McNulty
    -Rep. Gregory Meeks
    -Rep. Jerrold Nadler
    -Rep. Charles Ragnal
    -Senator Charles Schumer
    -Rep. Joseph Serrano
    -Rep. Louise Slaughter
    -Gov. Eliot Spitzer
    -Rep. Edolphus Towns
    -Rep. Nydia Velazquez
    -Rep. Anthony Weiner (candidate: Mayor of NYC)

    Barack OBAMA
    -Shelia C. Johnson – billionarie co-founder of Black Entertainment TV

    Rudy GUILIANI
    -Steve Forbes – Chief executive Forbes magazine
    -Rep. Vito Fossella
    -Louis Freeh – fmr. Director FBI
    -Rep. Peter King
    -St. Sen. Andrew Lanza
    -Fmr. Rep. Guy Molinari
    -Theodore Olson – fmr. Slicitor General
    -Rep. James Walsh

    John McCAIN
    -Colin Powell – fmr. Sec of State

    Fred THOMPSON
    -fmr. Sen. Alphonse D’Amato

    NORTH CAROLINA

    John EDWARDS
    -Rep. G. K. Butterfield
    -Rep. Bob Etheridge
    -Rep. Mike McIntyre
    -Rep. Brad Miller
    -Rep. David Price
    -Rep. Heath Schuler
    -Rep. Mel Watt

    Mike HUCKABEE
    -Ric Flair – Professional Wrestler

    John McCAIN
    -Charlie Black Jr. – longtime GOP political strategist
    -Senator Richard Burr

    Fred THOMPSON
    -Rep. Sue Myrick

    NORTH DAKOTA

    John EDWARDS
    -Merle Boucher – ND House Minority Leader
    -Roger Johnson – ND Agriculture Commissioner
    -David O’Connell – ND Senate Minority Leader

    OHIO

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Jerry Springer – fmr Mayor of Cincinnati & Talk show host
    -Gov. Ted Strickland
    -Rep. Stephanie Tubb-Jones

    Christopher DODD
    -Rep. Timothy Ryun

    Barack OBAMA
    -Mike Coleman – Mayor of Columbus
    -St. Sen. Eric Kearney

    Mike HUCKABEE
    -Phil Burress – “Citizen’s for Community Values”

    John McCAIN
    -fmr Sen. Mike Dewine
    -Rep. Stephen LaTourette

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Rep. Ralph Regula
    -Dr. John Wilke – Chair Right to Life Committee

    OKLAHOMA

    John McCAIN
    -fmr. Gov. Frank Keating
    -Rep. Stephen LaTourette

    OREGON

    John McCAIN
    -Senator Gordon Smith

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Vance Day – fmr. Ore State GOP Chair
    -Kevin Mannix – fmr. GOP Gov. nominee

    PENNSYLVANIA

    Hillary CLINTON
    -John Street – outgoing Mayor of Philadelphia

    John EDWARDS
    -Kate Michelman ex-President of NARAL

    John McCAIN
    -fmr. Governor Tom RIDGE

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Rep. Bud Schuster

    RHODE ISLAND

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

    Christopher DODD
    -Rep. Patrick Kennedy

    SOUTH CAROLINA

    Joe BIDEN
    -st. Rep. Fletcher Smith

    Hillary CLINTON
    -St. Rep. Terry Alexander
    -St. Sen. Robert Ford – black leader
    -fmr. St. Sen. Maggie Glover
    -St. Sen. Darrell Jackson – black leader
    -St. Rep. David J. Mack III
    -fmr. Gov. Richard Riley
    -St. Rep. John Scott Jr.

    John EDWARDS
    -St. Rep. Bill Clyburn – black leader
    -Bob Coble – Mayor of Columbia
    -St. Rep. Chris Hart – black leader
    -St. Rep. Lonnie Hosey – black leader

    Barack OBAMA
    -Ernest Finney – 1st black SC Supreme Justice
    -Dick Harpootlian – fmr. Dem. State Chair

    Bill RICHARDSON
    -James Dukes – SC director for John Kerry 2004
    -Lachlan McIntosh – Executive Director Dem Party of South Carolina

    Rudy GUILIANI
    -Karen Floyd – Spartenburg Co. Council
    -Jim Miles – fmr. Sec of State in SC, failed 2002 GOP Gov candidate
    -fmr. Rep. Arthur Ravenel, father of cocaine fiend Thomas Ravenel
    -Thomas Ravenel -disgraced SC State Treasurer, indicted on cocaine distribution charges (SC chair Guiliani campaign when indicted)
    -Heath Thompson – SC Political operative
    -Barry Wynn – fmr. SC GOP Chair

    Mike HUCKABEE
    -Iris Campbell widow of Gov. Carroll Campbell
    -Mike Campbell fmr. Lt. Gov candidate s/o Iris

    John McCAIN
    -Caroll Campbell III s/o fmr. Gov.
    -Sen. Lindsey Graham
    -Secretary of State Mark Hammond
    -State House Speaker Bobby Harrell
    -St. Sen. Hugh Leatherman
    -SC Atty. Gen Henry McMaster
    -Richard Quinn – SC political consultant
    -St. Rep. Doug Smith (Speaker Pro Tem of the House)
    -Adjutant Gen. Stan Spears

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Rick Beltram GOP State Chair for SC
    -Sen. James DeMint
    -ex-Gov. James Edwards
    -ex-Rep. Thomas Hartnett
    -Bob Jones III
    -Brig. Gen. Thomas R. Mikolajcik
    -Terry Sullivan – Fmr. Sen. DeMint campaign manager
    -Robert Taylor – Dean @ Bob Jones University
    -Paul Thurmond: Charleston Councilman & son of fmr. Sen. Strom Thurmond
    -Warren Tompkins – SC politial consultant
    -Lt. Gen. Claudius “Bud” Elmer Watts III
    -Don Wilton – Spartanburg superchurch pastor

    Fred THOMPSON
    -Rep. Gresham Barrett

    SOUTH DAKOTA

    John EDWARDS
    -Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin

    Barack OBAMA
    -fmr. Sen. Tom Daschle

    Mike HUCKABEE
    -Governor Mike Rounds

    John McCAIN
    -Sen. John Thune

    TENNESSEE

    Christopher DODD
    -fmr. Senator James Sasser

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Ted Welch – prolific Southern GOP fundraiser

    Fred THOMPSON
    -Sen. Lamar Alexander
    -Rep. Marsha Blackburn
    -Sen. Bob Corker
    -Rep. John Duncan
    -fmr. Rep. & ex-Gov. nominee Van Hillery
    -Rep. Zach Wamp

    TEXAS

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Rep. Shelia Jackson-Lee

    John EDWARDS
    -fmr. Rep. & 2006 Dem Gov. nominee Chris Bell
    -Rep. Charlie Gonzalez

    -Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson

    Bill RICHARDSON
    -Rep. Gene Green
    -Rep. Silvestre Reyes

    Rudy GIULIANI
    -Tom Hicks, Owner Texas Rangers
    -T. Boone Pickens
    -Patrick Oxford – Managing Partner of Bracewell & Giuliani, LLP
    -Gov. Rick Perry
    -Rep. Pete Sessions
    -David Wallace – Mayor of Sugarland

    Mike HUCKABEE
    -fmr. Rep. Tom DeLay
    -Movie Actor Chuck Norris

    Duncan HUNTER
    -Rep. John Culberson
    -Rep. Ralph Hall

    John McCAIN
    -fmr. Sen. Phil Gramm
    -James Huffiness: Chair Texas GOP
    -fmr. Rep. Tom Loeffler
    -fmr. Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher Sr.
    -Lance Tarrance Jr. (strategist & pollster)

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Neil Bush – brother of the President
    -Rep. Mike Conaway
    -Bob Perry – primary financial backer of “Swift Boat Veterans”

    UTAH

    Bill RICHARDSON
    -Rocky Anderson – Mayor of Salt Lake City

    John McCAIN
    -Sen. Majority Leader Curtis Bramble
    -Gov. Jon Huntsman
    -Atty Gen Mark Shurtleff

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Senator Robert Bennett
    -Jon Huntsman Sr. father of the Gov.

    VIRGINIA

    John EDWARDS
    -Dick Cranwell: Virginia Democratic State Chair

    Barack OBAMA
    -Gov. Tim Kaine

    Rudy GIULIANI
    -ex. Va. Atty. Gen. Jerry Kilgore
    -Televangelist Pat Robertson

    John McCAIN
    -Sen. John Warner

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Jay Sekulow: Chief Counsel American Center for Law and Justice
    -Gary Marx: Dir. Judicial Confirmation Network
    -fmr. Sen. George “Macaca” Allen

    WASHINGTON

    Barack OBAMA
    -Rep. Adam Smith

    WEST VIRGINIA

     
    WISCONSIN

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Rep. Tammy Baldwin
    -Bill Broydrick – Fmr. St. Rep. Founder Broydrick & Associates
    -Georgia Duerst-Lahti, Beloit College Professor, Commentator
    -Dane Co., Executive Kathleen Falk
    -Mathew Flynn – Fmr. State Chair Wis Dems
    -Ambassador & Fmr. Majority Leader Tom Loftis
    -Nancy Nussbaum – Fmr. Brown Co. Executive & Mayor of DePere
    -Janis Ringhand – Fmr. Mayor of Evansville
    -Teresa Villmain – long time Iowa Dem operative

    John EDWARDS
    -Dave Cieslewicz – Mayor of Madison
    -Fmr. Gov. Tony Earl
    -State Senator Jon Erpenbach
    -State Senator Bob Jauch
    -Dottie LeClair, 2nd Vice Chair Wi. Democratic Party
    -State Senator John Lehman
    -Rep. David Obey
    -State Representative Sondy Pope-Roberts
    -Dawn Marie Sass – Wi. State Treasurer
    -State Representative Donna Seidel
    -State Representative Mike Sheridan, UAW Local 95 President
    -State Representative Jennifer Shilling
    -State Representative David Travis, Fmr. Majority Leader
    -State Representative Amy Sue Vruwink 
    -Joseph Wineke – Democratic Party State Chair
    -State Senator Bob Wirch

    Barack OBAMA
    -Rep. Gwen Moore

    Bill RICHARDSON
    -Paul Maslin – pollster for Howard Dean

    Rudy GIULIANI
    -fmr. Sen. Robert Kasten
    -fmr. Gov. Tommy Thompson
    -Rick Wiley – ex-Executive Dir. Wi GOP

    John McCAIN
    -Lawrence Eagleburger (Born in Milwaukee) fmr. Sec of State for BUSH I

    WYOMING

    Fred THOMPSON
    -Elizabeth Cheney d/o VP Dick Cheney (is she from Wyoming?

    District of Columbia

    Hillary CLINTON
    -Deborah Jeane Pelphrey – noted Madame

    Mitt ROMNEY
    -Bill Wichterman – Religious Right political operative