House GOP to Slow-Walk Immigration; Booker's Boffo Fundraising; S.D. Mayor Filner Prodded to Resign

National Journal

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WHAT'S NEWS

  • "Meeting for the first time as a group to hash out their approach to immigration," House GOPers on Wednesday "came down overwhelmingly against a comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, putting in jeopardy the future of sweeping legislation that includes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Despite the resistance," House Speaker John Boehner "warned about the steep price of inaction," telling House GOPers "that they would be in a weaker political position against a bipartisan Senate coalition" and Pres. Obama "if they did nothing to answer the immigration measure passed by the Senate last month" (New York Times).

  • "It's the House Bill or Nothing on Immigration" -- Headline of a Wall Street Journal op-ed on immigration, by Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR).

  • "House GOP leadership has officially moved forward on a farm bill without food stamps, setting up a Thursday final passage vote on an agriculture-only measure that has shaky support" (Roll Call).

  • NJ SEN Special: Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) raised $4.6M in the second quarter, "a huge haul could vault him well ahead of all other candidates in the push for campaign dollars." Booker has $4.5M CoH (Philadelphia Inquirer).

  • VA GOV '13: AG Ken Cuccinelli (R) "on Wednesday put some distance between himself and the man he wants to succeed with his strongest remarks to date on the cascading gift scandal engulfing" Gov. Bob McDonnell's (R) admin. (Richmond Times-Dispatch).

  • NYC Mayor '13: Public Advocate Bill de Blasio (D) "was arrested Wednesday morning protesting against the closure of Brooklyn’s Long Island College Hospital" (New York Daily News).

  • Seattle Mayor '13: "Ballots will be mailed" on 7/17 for the 8/6 primary, and King Co. elections "is unofficially estimating" 35% turnout, lower than four years ago (Seattle Times).

  • IA SEN: "After weeks of deliberations," state Sen. Joni Ernst (R) announced her candidacy on Wednesday (Des Moines Register).

  • KY SEN: Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell (R) raised $2.2M in the second quarter and has $9.6M CoH (Washington Examiner).

  • MN SEN: '12 candidate Pete Hegseth (R) "plans to sit out the next election cycle" (Forest Lake Times).

  • NH SEN: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) raised $1.2M in the second quarter and has $2.15M CoH (Hotline reporting).

  • NC SEN: State House Speaker Thom Tillis (R) raised close to $300K in the second quarter of the year and will report about $250K CoH, his consultant said (Hotline reporting).

  • AZ-02: '12 nominee Martha McSally (R) "announced Wednesday she's filed paperwork to formally explore running" again against Rep. Ron Barber (D) (AP).

  • CA-17: Rep. Mike Honda (D) raised "about" $345K in the second quarter, "one third of what" ex-Obama admin. official Ro Khanna (D) raised. Honda was "about" $375K CoH, while Khanna's camp reported having $1.74M CoH, "more than four and a half times as much" as Honda (San Jose Mercury News).

  • CA-31: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) endorsed Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar (D) on Wednesday (Redlands Daily Facts).

  • ID-02: The Club for Growth on Wednesday endorsed atty Bryan Smith (R) in a primary against Rep. Mike Simpson (R), a Boehner "confidant." Simpson announced he raised "over" $300K in the second quarter, while Smith "said he raised" $149K, "including" $50K "from his own pocket" (Idaho Statesman).

  • IA-01: Cedar Rapids city Councilor Monica Vernon raised nearly $104K in the second quarter (Des Moines Register). '88 IA-06 candidate/Clinton-Gore WH '92 state dir. Dave O'Brien "announced his candidacy" on Wednesday (Des Moines Register).

  • MA-05: State Rep. Carl Sciortino (D) raised "about" $200K in the second quarter in the expected special election to succeed Sen.-elect Edward Markey (D) (Boston Globe).

  • NY-24: Rep. Dan Maffei (D) "raised more than" $315K in the second quarter and has "about" $484K CoH (Syracuse Post-Standard).

  • PA-08: Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R) raised nearly $502K in the second quarter and has almost $682K CoH (PoliticsPA.com).

  • TN-04: State Sen. Jim Tracy (R), who "plans to take on" Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R) in a GOP primary, raised $303K in the second quarter and has $656K CoH (Nashville Tennessean).

  • VA-10: Ex-Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL) commissioned a poll testing himself in a GOP primary in the event Rep. Frank Wolf (R) retires (DailyCaller.com).

  • IL GOV: Gov. Pat Quinn (D) "tried to bounce back off the ropes Wednesday, boldly denying state lawmakers their paychecks because of their failure on pension reform." Ex-WH CoS Bill Daley (D) "was quick to criticize" Quinn, and AG Lisa Madigan (D) "echoed ... qualms" held by the state comp. "about the constitutionality of Quinn's move" (Chicago Sun-Times).

  • MA GOV: Treas./ex-DNC Chair Steve Grossman (D) "said that he will officially announce his candidacy ... within the next week," at the state Dem convo in Lowell this weekend (WSHM-TV). State Sen. Dan Wolf (D) declared his candidacy on Wednesday (WBUR-FM).

  • SC GOV: Gov. Nikki Haley (R) raised $619K in the second quarter and has $2.45M CoH. '10 nominee Vincent Sheheen (D) raised $611K (Columbia State).

  • LA SEN '16: "A super PAC that supports" Sen. David Vitter (R) has "raised a whopping" $750K thus far this year "to aid" Vitter's reelection or "a possible" GOV '15 bid (Roll Call).

  • San Diego Mayor '16: "At least three staunch supporters" of San Diego Mayor Bob Filner (D) "are asking him to resign over allegations of sexual harassment" (KPBS-TV)

NUMBER BRUNCHING

  • According to a new Quinnipiac Univ. poll of nat'l RVs, conducted 6/28-7/8, 44% approve of the way Obama is handling his job as POTUS, while 48% disapprove. In the previous poll, conducted 5/22-28, 45% approved of Obama, and 49% disapproved (release).

OUR CALL

Hotline editors weigh in on the stories that drive the day

• Immigration reform isn't moving anywhere in the House this month, and senior lawmakers say they won't finish the piecemeal approach until after the next debt ceiling fight. That means House members will go home to town hall meetings sure to be dominated by questions -- and pressure -- on immigration, as we predicted last month. Flashbacks to August 2009, anyone?

• Filner left Congress with a reputation for being a bit punchy. Now that several top supporters are asking him to quit amid sexual harassment allegations, Filner has the chance to help his old caucus: If he quits, former city councilman Carl DeMaio, one of the House GOP's top recruits, might take another look at a mayoral special. Otherwise, DeMaio has a strong chance to take out Rep. Scott Peters.

HAIR OF THE DOG

FRESH BREWED BUZZ

  • Ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) "is returning to the political stage" to attend a NH GOP fundraiser next month (AP).

  • "Most Alaskans I see on a pretty regular basis, but I haven't seen her for a long time" -- Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK), on ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R), who said earlier this week she might challenge him in '14 (Politico).

  • "Please don't stare at the Spitzer petitioning operation" (CapitalNewYork.com).

  • "This area is becoming too citified. ... I would fear that this gentleman coming in would be too relaxed in his views" -- Winchell's Pizza and BBQ owner David Winchell, asked about investor Sean Eldridge's (D) possible NY-19 bid. Winchell, "wearing an apron over his maroon flannel shirt and bluejeans," decried downstate residents moving north into the Hudson Valley and "described their fondness for gourmet coffee shops, boutiques, organic grocery stores -- and liberal politics" (New York Times).

  • "A masked man carjacked an ice cream truck with two people inside" Wednesday night in SE DC, "authorities said" (Washington Post).

SWIZZLE CHALLENGE

  • In 1934, Dems won 9 House seats and 10 Senate seats, and in 1986, they gained 5 House seats and 8 Senate seats.

  • The winner is Joseph Luchok, and here's his Swizzle Challenge: "Only two presidents were in that office more than 10 years after first getting elected. Who were they?" The 6th correct e-mailer gets to submit the next question.

NJ'S EARLY BIRD SPECIALS

SHOT...

"That sounds like a mafia thing, making me disappear. What is that? That is the way the mayor of the city of New York talks about people?" -- NYC mayoral candidate/The Doe Fund co-founder George McDonald (R), to fellow candidate/billionaire John Catsimatidis (R) at Wednesday night's televised GOP debate (NY1).

...CHASER

"Oh, Paulie -- won't see him no more" -- "Peter Clemenza" ("The Godfather").

Reid Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

Steven Shepard, Executive Editor