• NY-Sen-B: Steve Israel might have backed down from a primary challenge to appointed Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, thanks to last Friday’s iron-fist-in-a-velvet-glove moment from Barack Obama… but fellow Rep. Carolyn Maloney isn’t cowed. “I respect the choices that every member makes about their future. Steve Israel’s decision to not run for the U.S. Senate was his choice to make, but it doesn’t affect my decision-making process,” says Maloney. She has reportedly told colleagues of her plans to run, but nothing is official yet.
• KY-Sen: Mitch McConnell was tap-dancing like crazy when Chris Wallace asked him point blank on Fox News Sunday whether or not he endorsed Jim Bunning for re-election, restating endless variations on the theme that the race is unfolding and it’s not clear who the players are yet.
• CT-Sen: Another random primary challenger to Chris Dodd has surfaced: Merrick Alpert, a former Air Force officer, aide to Al Gore, and software company executive. Although his online statement about his candidacy attacked Dodd’s “corporate campaign contributors,” Merrick’s previous track record in the leadership of Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century (or DL21C for short), a group for centrist pro-business young Democrats, suggests he may be running to Dodd’s right.
• WV-Sen: Best wishes to 91-year-old Sen. Robert Byrd, who was hospitalized over the weekend as a “precautionary measure” after he developed a fever from a minor infection.
• NY-Gov: Tom Golisano, wealthy gadfly who lost three gubernatorial runs on the Independence Party line, will not be running in 2010, despite some speculation he might run for the GOP nod this time. He’s changing his legal residence from New York to Florida, saying he wants to avoid New York’s high taxes.
• ID-Gov: Weirdo conservative Rex Rammell, who spend a lot his own money to run as an Independent in last year’s Idaho Senate race because of his disdain for Jim Risch (and ultimately had little impact on the race), has caught the political bug and been casting about for a new race. After considering primarying Rep. Mike Simpson in ID-02, he’s now planning to run in the 2010 Governor’s race. He seems to think current Gov. Butch Otter will retire after only one term (although he freely admits, “I could be totally wrong”).
• Redistricting: Roll Call has an interesting piece detailing organizational steps the Democrats are undertaking for the 2010-12 redistricting process. Apparently many felt caught flat-footed for the 2000 round of redistricting, and are wisely revving up years in advance this time.
This may be reading way too much into it, but I take McCaonnell’s evasions to mean that Bunning is still in the race or at least leaning that way. When Grayson came out with the explatory committee, I thought it meant Bunning planned to get out. But, if that were the case, then McConnell would just say nice things about Bunning. His evasions feel like he’s still trying to push him out.
I spoke to Congressman Rodney Alexander over the weekend and he said that Charlie Melancon told him he wasn’t running for senate, not that we didn’t already know this but rumors were still running and the DSCC is still trying to convince him to give up a cozy house seat for a risky statewide race.
Alexander actually surprised me by telling me State Senator Eric LaFleur was going to run for Senate according to his sources.
I don’t expect her to cave in to any Obama pressure. Why Obama is meddling in this race is beyond me. Let him meddle in his home state race if he feels the need to meddle.
BOR says State Sen. Royce West of Dallas is taking a look at the race. West got elected as a standing member of the DNC in 2008 and is a big deal in African American, urban democratic politics.
West joins Fmr. Travis County AG Ronnie Earl in the rumored phase. Currently Lawyer and incompetent campaigner Barbara Radnofski is in.
CNN reports that the DSCC is looking at Shuler, Etheridge, Moore and Dalton.
http://politicalticker.blogs.c…
that democrats do a better job with redistricting. I’m not in favor or doing to Republicans what they did to us, but at least making it rational. There is no way that states that have gone for Gore/Kerry/Obama should have more Republicans than Democrats (Pennsylvania, Michigan are the two that came to mind, at least BEFORE Democrats killed in the 2006 midterms)
At the end they give the example of Texas, I’m assuming Texas is going to be their number one target, state house.
Who can tell us how likely of doing that? Plenty of seats are up right? Give us a rundown por favor.
Senator Byrd!