DSCC Outraises NRSC 2-to-1; Dems Find Manchin-Style Candidate in WV; Barrow Considering GA SEN Bid

National Journal

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WHAT'S NEWS

  • The NRSC raised $2.2M in February, roughly half of the DSCC's $4.3M haul last month. In 2013, the DSCC has collected $8.5M to the NRSC's $3.7M (On Call). Meanwhile, the NRCC raised a "record" $14.4M at its annual March dinner last night (Roll Call).

  • SC-01 Special: State Sen. Larry Grooms (R) conceded second place in Tuesday's GOP primary. Ex-Charleston Co. Councilor Curtis Bostic (R) will now face ex-Gov. Mark Sanford (R) in the April 2 runoff (On Call).

  • MA SEN Special: Rep. Ed Markey (D) released a new TV ad touting his response to the BP oil spill, his second ad "focusing on policy issues" (Boston Globe).

  • NYC Mayor: Comptroller John Liu (D) is running radio ads in four languages echoing the "populist, defiant themes" he outlined this weekend. He's the first Dem on the air (Wall Street Journal).

  • GA SEN: Rep. John Barrow (D) told supporters in an email that he is giving the seat "serious consideration" and is seeking their input on a bid (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

  • MI SEN: '10 GOV nominee Virg Bernero (D) said he won't run for higher office in '14 and "pegged his interest" in the open SEN seat at "1 or 2" out of 10 (MLive).

  • WV SEN: Atty Nick Preservati (D), a wealthy, pro-coal Dem in the style of Sen. Joe Manchin (D), has spoken with the DSCC and is "seriously considering" a bid (On Call).

  • WI-01: '12 nominee Rob Zerban (D) has filed an exploratory cmte for a rematch against Rep. Paul Ryan (R) (Bloomberg News).

  • IL GOV: Sen. Dick Durbin (D) said he expects AG Lisa Madigan (D) will soon make a decision and that ex-WH CoS Bill Daley (D) will likely "sit out the race" if she runs (Chicago Tribune).

  • TX GOV: Ex-state GOP chair Tom Pauken will file for the seat today, underscoring a "larger, growing dissatisfaction" with Gov. Rick Perry (R) (Dallas Morning News).

NUMBER BRUNCHING

  • According to a new Fox News poll of nat'l RVs, conducted 3/17-19 by Anderson Robbins Research (D)/Shaw & Co. Research (R), 47% approve of the job Obama is doing as POTUS, while 47% disapprove. In the previous poll, conducted 2/25-27, 46% approved of Obama, and 47% disapproved (release).

  • CA GOV: According to a new Public Policy Institute of CA poll of adults, conducted 3/5-12, 49% approve the way Gov. Jerry Brown (D) is handling his job, while 31% disapprove. In the previous poll, conducted 1/15-22, 51% approved of Brown, and 28% disapproved (release).

OUR CALL

Hotline editors weigh in on the stories that drive the day


• What a pleasant 24-hours for the DSCC. Not only did they outraise the NRSC again, they also picked up potential candidates in two red-state races that will be highly contested in '14, with John Barrow reconsidering a bid in GA and a pro-coal newcomer taking a look at Jay Rockefeller's seat. Both will be tough contests, but Dems should be pleased with "maybes" from best-case-scenario candidates.

• Markey and Lynch both have released two TV ads in the MA SEN special, and the competing strategies speak to each candidate's strengths: Lynch's pitch is bio-heavy, while Markey's campaign is appealing to voters on policy issues.

• Sen. Dick Durbin's speculation that a Lisa Madigan bid would keep Bill Daley out of the governor's race could be an indication that IL Dems are hoping to avoid a three-way primary. A Madigan challenge to Gov. Pat Quinn would be a major test of loyalties and political machines, and Daley's entrance would complicate things further and add to those divisions.

• Rep. Mark Amodei's mother, who passed away earlier this week, was one of the most unlikely influential figures of the 2012 elections. During her son's 2011 special election, Joy Amodei appeared in several TV ads lauding Amodei as a protector of Medicare, trying to defang Democratic attacks on the Ryan budget. Recognizing the promise of the tactic, the NRCC highlighted it and dozens of Republican candidates across the country taped similar ads with their parents in 2012.

HAIR OF THE DOG

FRESH BREWED BUZZ

  • "If things run really, really well, I'm going to be like 75 years old before the first undocumented person gets to vote" -- Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), 59, conceding that it will be a while before there's a pathway to citizenship (Yahoo! News).

  • Pres. Obama is considering Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx (D) and NTSB chair Deborah Hersman to replace Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood, according to sources (Bloomberg).

  • "I'm not gay. So I'm not going to marry one" -- Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R), asked if his position on gay marriage has changed (Politico).

  • "Claire McCaskill Penning Tell-All Book On Todd Akin Race" (Huffington Post).

  • "Jesus had Judas. Republicans have Gov. Brewer" -- Maricopa County GOP chair A.J. LaFaro, on AZ Gov. Jan Brewer's (R) Medicaid expansion proposal (Arizona Capital Times).

  • Ex-Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) "has emailed supporters" in WA asking for contributions "'to help support candidates who will stand for the truth, and to help us broaden our reach for an America which tells the truth'" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer).

  • "If you can't get the deer in three shots, you shouldn't be hunting. You are an embarrassment" -- VP Biden, talking about banning high-capacity magazines on NPR's "All Things Considered" Wednesday (release).

  • "Rudy the shill: Giuliani plugs Lifelock on late-night TV" (New York Post).

  • "From the mouths of babes ... Me: 'Bella go to sleep' She: 'Mama, you are not the boss of me; Mimi (@NancyPelosi) and Obama are'" -- a tweet from Nancy Pelosi daughter Christine Pelosi (h/t New York Magazine).

SWIZZLE CHALLENGE

  • Theodore Roosevelt is credited with the creation of the original athletic association, having convened a meeting of college presidents to address safety in football in 1905. As a result in 1906 they formed the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, which very soon after became the NCAA.

  • The winner is Stewart Verdery, and here's his Swizzle Challenge: "In honor of the NCAA tournament, what famous band was originally named after Oklahoma point guard Mookie Blaylock, who holds the single tournament record of 23 steals in 1988?" The 3rd correct e-mailer gets to submit the next question.

NJ'S EARLY BIRD SPECIALS

SHOT...

"That's why I say prayers for President Obama and Vice President Biden every day. ... I don't want to be president. This is not anything I've ever thought about" -- Speaker John Boehner, on being the highest ranking member of government while Biden and Obama were in the air yesterday ("The Lead," CNN).

...CHASER

"Such a waste of talent" -- House Maj. Whip Frank Underwood ("House of Cards").

Sarah Mimms, Editor