Joe Miller Moves Toward Another SEN Bid; Joe Baca Switches Districts; Dems To Coalesce In GA?
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WHAT'S NEWS
Pres. Obama will hold a fundraiser for the DNC while in Dallas for the opening of the George W. Bush library on April 24 (Dallas Morning News). Obama will also hold a fundraiser for the DCCC in Chicago on May 29 (Chicago Sun-Times).
Mayors Against Illegal Guns is running new TV ads calling on senators in seven states -- including Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) who are up in '14 -- to support the Manchin-Toomey gun control bill (release). Meanwhile, the Citizens Cmte for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, "which calls itself the second-largest gun rights" org. in the country, endorsed the legislation (Washington Post).
MA SEN Special: Rep. Stephen Lynch (D) raised $1.5M in the first quarter and has $500K on hand "for the final two weeks of the campaign" (release).
VA GOV '13: Ex-DNC chair Terry McAuliffe (D) raised "roughly" $5.1M in the first quarter, including a $100K check from Bill Clinton (Washington Post). Meanwhile, GreenTech Automotive, which McAuliffe founded, has filed an $85M lawsuit against Watchdog.org for libel (Washington Post).
DC Mayor '13: '10 candidate Leo Alexander (D) said Mayor Vince Gray (D) "urged him to drop out" and "told him to speak with an associate who has admitted to participating in an illegal scheme to help get Gray elected" (Washington Post).
NYC Mayor '13: Ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) released a 21-page booklet on Sunday "that he described as a blueprint" for keeping NYC "'the capital of the middle class.'" But the document is very similar to one he released five years ago ahead of another potential bid. In some cases, whole paragraphs are "repeated verbatim" (New York Times).
LATEST Q1 FEC REPORTS: Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL): $736K raised, $3.23M on hand (Chicago Sun-Times). Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) $1M on hand (Hays Post). TN state Sen. Jim Tracy (R) $450K raised, $400K on hand as he prepares to take on Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-04) (Roll Call).
AK SEN: '10 nominee Joe Miller (R) formed an exploratory cmte for the seat (release). Meanwhile, Sen. Mark Begich (D) raised more than $935K for the first quarter and ended with $1.5M on hand (Anchorage Daily News).
GA SEN: Rep. John Barrow (D) and Sam Nunn daughter Michelle Nunn (D) "are planning to meet soon to discuss which one will run," according to Dem insiders (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
IA SEN: "Sources close to House conservatives" say Rep. Steve King (R) is "working behind the scenes to sour his right-wing colleagues on the Gang of Eight's" immigration plan and is confident they'll reject it (National Review).
CA-31: Ex-Rep. Joe Baca's (D) website now lists him as a candidate, "a change" from a week ago when it said he would run in CA-35 (Riverside Press-Enterprise). Baca is also holding a DC fundraiser on Monday for a bid in CA-31 (Redlands Daily Facts). Meanwhile, atty Eloise Gomez Reyes (D) said she is "all but certain to run" (Riverside Press-Enterprise).
OUR CALL
Hotline editors weigh in on the stories that drive the day
• Until this week, we've mostly seen stellar financial reports that campaigns have chosen to release their figures to the media. Over the weekend, some poorer ones trickled out just before the deadline: for example, Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC) got off to his usual slow start ($136K) despite winning by just 654 votes in 2012, and heavily endangered Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA) raised just $78K to help defend his Obama-friendly district.
• The $1.5 million Stephen Lynch has raised since entering the special election is less than half of what Rep. Ed Markey had in his account at the end of 2012. Markey hasn't released his latest fundraising numbers yet, but it's a safe bet that he maintained a significant financial advantage over Lynch.
• Mike Bloomberg shouldn't expect an invite down to the Big Easy any time soon. In his second slate of TV buys in as many months, he's scrapped ads targeting Dems in red states like Kay Hagan and Mark Pryor -- but not Mary Landrieu, the only vulnerable senator on his list of targets. To make matters worse, the new ad comes just as the GOP seems to be coalescing around Bill Cassidy and just days after Landrieu voted to proceed with debate on gun control legislation -- while Pryor did not.
• Maybe Doug Gross is correct when he predicts that Steve King, Bill Northey, and Kim Reynolds will all take a pass on the IA SEN race. But it seems a bit odd that they would have had conversations about the seat if none of them were ultimately interested in running for it.
• While IL GOP Chair Pat Brady survived a second effort to oust him, it seems likely -- as Capitol Fax's Rich Miller points out -- that he will voluntarily step down soon. The longer the fights over Brady's chairmanship drag on, the more bad headlines they will generate.
HAIR OF THE DOG
FRESH BREWED BUZZ
The late Sen. Dan Inouye's (D-HI) PAC gave $10K to Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) and Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI). DANPAC had roughly $50K in "unspent funds when he died. ... The PAC didn't report contributing to Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI)," who was appointed to his seat over Hanabusa, Inouye's pick (Honolulu Civil Beat).
"Why would you want to change?" -- TX Gov. Rick Perry (R), making his case for reelection -- though he won't make a decision about his '14 plans until the summer (Dallas Morning News).
Ex-Rep. Charlie Wilson (D-OH) "died Sunday afternoon at age 70 in a Florida hospital after complications from a stroke he had in February." Political leaders in OH remembered him "as an advocate for the working man and a loyal friend" (Youngstown Vindicator).
"Nothing's off the table and nothing's on the table. Right now I'm recharging the batteries and working hard" -- ex-Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), on a NH SEN bid ("Fox News Sunday").
As his presidential library "prepares to open," George W. Bush "and his confidants don't hesitate to defend a presidency that's taken its share of lumps over the years." Bush is "doubling down on 'compassionate conservatism.' He's listing no new regrets. He's focused on the center's policy institute, which builds upon the main themes of his presidency. And he delights in taking on preconceived notions of him -- on everything from his fiscal record to his artistic talent" (Dallas Morning News).
"I invite manufacturers of firearms and related accessories — some of which are under siege in their home states by politicians pushing anti-gun legislation — to come to Maine. As a state that is fiercely protective of our right to bear arms, we will welcome you and your business" -- ME Gov. Paul LePage (R), in an op-ed Saturday (Wall Street Journal).
TX homebuilder Bob Perry, a wealthy GOP megadonor, died at his home near Houston on Saturday. He was 80 (Texas Tribune).
"My positive experience in life is that there are many people in life who were willing to not just forgive but understand that individuals are imperfect" -- ex-Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY), who has largely stayed out of the public eye since fathering a child with his mistress (Politico).
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) said he called Cyndi Lauper "hot" in a tweet, in "an effort to fool the media," after they "went wild" over his tweets to a 24-year-old woman who was later revealed to be his long-lost daughter. "Besides, says Cohen, who is single, he had no reason to cyber-flirt with Cyndi Lauper because his date at the White House event was 'gorgeous'" (Daily Beast).
"I sincerely believe that Linda Fondren's time working as a legal prostitute in Nevada has given her the necessary business acumen to be a very successful mayor" -- Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof, endorsing Fondren for Vicksburg, MS, mayor (release).
SWIZZLE CHALLENGE
The Yankees have retired all their single digit jerseys except for two: #2, worn by Derek Jeter and #6, worn by Joe Torre.
The winner is Don Appel, and here's his Swizzle Challenge: "The year is 1961. Roger Maris is destined to break the home run and hit 61 dingers that year. Everyone knows he waited until the last day of the season to break the record off a pitch thrown by Boston's Tracey Stallard in Yankee Stadium. But it took Maris a while to get hot that season, so: In which game did Maris hit his first home run, for which pitcher, for which team and where?" The 3rd correct e-mailer gets to submit the next question.
NJ'S EARLY BIRD SPECIALS
SHOT...
"God, his voice is really terrible. You can't take that voice to Iowa. I know it's ridiculous, but it's an issue" -- a "prominent" Dem strategist, on NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo's (D) WH '16 chances (New York Magazine).
...CHASER
"You'll have your looks! Your pretty face! And don't underestimate the importance of body language!" -- Ursula ("The Little Mermaid").
Sarah Mimms, Editor
