Cheney will challenge Enzi, McConnell launches coal ads, and watch out, Scott DesJarlais

National Journal

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WHAT'S NEWS

  • After reaching a deal to move beyond a fight over filibusters Tuesday that led to the confirmation of CFPB Dir. Richard Cordray, the Senate is poised to take the rest of the week to clear a handful of long-delayed executive-branch nominations, including Labor Sec.-designate Thomas Perez and EPA Admin.-designate Gina McCarthy (National Journal Daily).

  • WY SEN: Dick Cheney daughter Liz Cheney (R) "says she will run against" Sen. Michael Enzi (R) in a GOP primary. Cheney "announced her campaign in a statement Tuesday," and Enzi "announced Tuesday that he will seek a fourth term in office" (AP).

  • NJ SEN Special: Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) is launching 3 Spanish-language ads in which Booker himself speaks, in Spanish, directly to camera (release). Booker will appear at five DC fundraisers on Thursday (Politico).

  • KY SEN: Mitch McConnell's campaign is launching 1-minute radio ads in 35 counties blasting the Obama admin's "war on coal." The ads don't mention Sec/State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) (AP). McConnell and Grimes will both speak at the Fancy Farm Picnic on Aug. 3, in Graves Co. (Louisville Courier-Journal).

  • ME SEN: Sen. Susan Collins (R) "ruled out serving as the next" DHS sec. and suggested ex-Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen for the post. Collins: "The White House has not contacted me, I do not expect to be contacted by the White House and I am very happy being senator from Maine and I'm fully committed to seeking reelection" (Washington Post).

  • MT SEN: State Auditor Monica Lindeen (D) won't run for retiring Sen. Max Baucus's seat, but Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau (D) "has said she is considering a run," and some state Dems are "advancing the name" of Baucus state dir. John Lewis (AP). Ex-Lt. Gov./ex-GOPer John Bohlinger (D) says he's thinking about the race too. Bohlinger: "One thing about being 77 is that age gives you courage" (Missoulian)

  • MD GOV: Del. Heather Mizeur (D) "plans to announce her candidacy Wednesday," saying "she would run a non-traditional campaign that emphasized public-service projects" (Baltimore Sun).

  • PA GOV: GOPers are questioning whether they should let Gov. Tom Corbett (R) face "near-certain defeat" when they could find a ready replacement with a much better chance of winning, with speculation among GOP operatives centering on a quartet of candidates the party might turn to: Reps. Jim Gerlach, Pat Meehan, Mike Kelly, and state Senate Maj. Leader Dominic Pileggi (National Journal).

  • VA SEN: According to a new Quinnipiac Univ. poll of RVs, conducted 7/11-15, 61% of voters approve of the way Sen. Mark Warner (D) is handling his job, while 23% disapprove. In the previous poll, conducted 5/8-13, 59% approved of Warner, and 22% disapproved (release).

  • TN 04: State Sen. Jim Tracy (R) raised $296K in the 2ndQ, "more than eight times" what Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R) raised in the same period. Tracy has $656K on hand, while DesJarlais has just $88K. State Rep. Joe Carr (R) has $275K in the bank (Tennessean).

  • PA SEN '16: Sen. Pat Toomey (R) raised $946K in the second quarter and has $3.1M CoH (PoliticsPA.com). Ex-Rep. Joe Sestak (D) raised $210K and has $618K CoH (Hotline reporting).

  • WH '16: "Facing new speculation about his future in politics," MA Gov. Deval Patrick (D) "reiterated that he is planning to step down ... at the end of his second term next year and go to work in the private sector." Patrick: "I am not running for president in 2016" (Springfield Republican).

  • Boston Mayor '13: A new Suffolk Univ./Boston Herald poll of primary LVs, conducted 7/10-15, shows city Councilor John Connolly leading state Rep. Martin Walsh, 12-11%, with Suffolk Co. DA Daniel Conley at 9%, and Councilor Rob Consalvo at 8%, Councilor Michael Ross at 5%, ex-Menino aide Charlotte Golar Richie at 5%, Councilor Felix Arroyo at 4%, and other candidates at 3% or less (release).

OUR CALL

Hotline editors weigh in on the stories that drive the day


• There are some members who are more trouble than they're worth, and House GOPers wouldn't be terribly sad to see DesJarlais lose in a primary. Tracy finished 3rd in a 2010 primary that now-Rep. Diane Black (R) won. He's got a lot more cash this time around.

• Anyone else a little surprised Grimes is showing up at Fancy Farm? Some Dems have skipped the event in recent years, and Grimes hasn't appeared at any public events yet. Starting with Fancy Farm is a bit like learning to snorkel by swimming with Great White Sharks.

HAIR OF THE DOG

FRESH BREWED BUZZ

  • The Quinnipiac VA poll also shows Gov. Bob McDonnell's (R) approval rating at 46% approve/37% disapprove, down from 49%/28% in May. Just 16% of RVs think he should resign (release).

  • Then-IN Gov. Mitch Daniels (R), now the pres. of Purdue Univ., "took rare steps during his second term ... to eliminate what he considered liberal breeding grounds" at the state's public universities, "requesting that historian Howard Zinn's writings be banned from classrooms and asking for a 'cleanup' of college courses he called 'propaganda'" (AP).

  • "Hundreds of pages of email and text message correspondence made public last week shed new light on the infighting and organizational disarray" at the GOP media firm the Strategy Group for Media, "including one incident in which an executive said" pres. Rex Elsass "accidentally mailed a 'female pleasure machine'" to Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) (Buzzfeed).

  • After an 18-year-old NYC city Council intern fainted in the heat on Tuesday, it took 31 minutes for FDNY officials to respond, which led City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D) to make "her outrage known at the scene and later at City Hall" (New York Times).

  • "My little guy is, like, testing limits. ... He'll walk up to us and say, 'No, no, no, no,' and then dart off and do something he was told not to do" -- Ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), telling Manhattan Borough Pres. Scott Stringer (D) about his 19-month-old son, Jordan (New York Times).

  • "I really do have a steel spine" -- TX AG/GOV candidate Greg Abbott (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram)

  • "I fight hard for folks who don't have lobbyists, who don't have political action committees, who aren't in high places, but are the heart and soul of Illinois" -- IL Gov. Pat Quinn (D), taking a not-so-veiled swipe at ex-WH CoS Bill Daley. 1/3rd of Quinn's $1M 2ndQ haul came from PACs (Chicago Tribune).

  • "Somewhereinamerica. Helluva track. Piano, brass n strings rock. #Nola feel. & hilarious. Yes-- #Twerking. Even a ref to Frank Sinatra! #MCHG" -- Rep. Trey Radel (R-FL), live-tweeting his review of Jay-Z's new album (BuzzFeed).

SWIZZLE CHALLENGE

  • Chester A. Arthur faced questions about his citizenship.

  • The winner is Jerry Landry, and here's his Swizzle Challenge: "Who is the only president to have personally administered the death penalty to a convicted felon?" The 4th correct e-mailer wins a midnight pardon and gets to submit the next question.

NJ'S EARLY BIRD SPECIALS

SHOT...

"I thought we were friends" -- Enzi, reacting on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to Cheney's announcement (ABC News).

...CHASER

"My belief is, we will, in fact be greeted as liberators" -- Dick Cheney, in the days leading up to the '03 invasion of Iraq ("Meet the Press").

Reid Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

Steven Shepard, Executive Editor

CORRECTION: Tuesday's Wake-Up Call! incorrectly described a new NJ SEN Special ad from Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D). The video is currently airing only on the Internet.