Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) plans to announce today that he will not run for a third term, according to a well-placed source, caving to pressure from party leaders who have indicated it is time for the Hall of Fame pitcher to hang up his cleats.
“He couldn’t win. We’re glad he realized it,” said one GOP insider. Bunning is not expected to help McConnell and National
Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas.) “They created this goddamned mess. It’s their problem now,” said a source very, very close to Bunning.
http://www.rollcall.com/ (click on today’s paper in upper left hand corner – it’s a PDF)
With Bunning out it will make the Kentucky Senate seat a harder pickup for us. Secretary of State Trey Grayson is expected to announce Thursday his intention to run for the open seat. This could also impact the decision making of Ben Chandler and Jack Conway on whether to enter the race on the Dem side. It could also be April Fools! Courtesy of Roll Call and their fake cover this morning. I have to admit I fell for it. When I saw the headline I immediately got on SSP and was confused as to why the breaking news wasn’t on the site. But then I actually read the article and my heart rate went back down.
Other highlights:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) met privately Tuesday with Norm Coleman (R) to gauge his interest in returning to the Senate as a Democrat.
Alarmed by the recent spike in incidents involving Members of Congress behaving badly in airports, the House and Senate Sergeant-at-Arms offices are teaming up for a mandatory training seminar called “Flying First Class: Avoiding Congressional Air Rage.”
Democrats handed the Appropriations gavel back to Sen. Robert Byrd at their weekly luncheon,rewarding the Senator for his rousing speech on Xerxes’ return to Persia in 480 B.C.
Eric Cantor on his Britney Spears fundraiser:
“It was, like, totally worth it,” he said. “It wasn’t just 16-year-old girls going crazy, either.”