King, Sink, Baker Talk Statewide Races; Gay Marriage Wins New Senate Backers; Clinton Backs Greuel

National Journal

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WHAT'S NEWS

  • The Supreme Court today "takes up the delicate and divisive issue of gay marriage"(Chicago Tribune). It also "added a new affirmative action case to its docket" (New York Times).

  • L.A. Mayor '13: Bill Clinton's endorsement of Cont. Wendy Greuel (D) "could be pivotal, especially in what is expected to be a low-turnout election" (Los Angeles Times).

  • NYC Mayor '13: City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D) "has threatened, repeatedly, to slice off the private parts of those who cross her" (New York Times).

  • AK SEN/VA SEN: Statements supporting gay marriage were released by Sens. Mark Begich (D) (Buzzfeed) and Mark Warner (D) (Roll Call).

  • GA SEN: Rep. Phil Gingrey (R) "will formally announce his run" on Wednesday, holding events in Augusta and Atlanta "to kick off his campaign" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

  • IA SEN: Rep. Steve King (R) "hinted Monday he is leaning toward a run next year," saying the odds are "a little more than 50-50" that he will launch a Senate campaign (Des Moines Register).

  • SD SEN: If Sen. Tim Johnson (D) announces his retirement today "as expected, it will trigger a fierce open-seat race" that "could attract some of the state's biggest political names" (National Journal).

  • FL GOV: "I definitely think they were wrong" -- '10 nominee Alex Sink (D), on stories dismissing her as a possible candidate (Tampa Tribune).

  • MA GOV: '10 nominee Charlie Baker (R) "will decide by this fall whether to run" and "says he’ll focus on education and economic issues if he makes another bid" (Springfield Republican).

  • WI GOV: Gov. Scott Walker (R) "is collaborating on a book with Marc Thiessen, a former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush" (National Review).

  • FL-16: "A federal judge sentenced a prominent campaign donor" to Rep. Vern Buchanan (R) "to three years of probation and $200,000 in fines for organizing an illegal campaign donation scheme to help Buchanan’s past campaigns for Congress" (Sarasota Herald-Tribune).

  • MN-06: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) "is embroiled in a litany of legal proceedings related to her rolling disaster of a presidential campaign—including a Office of Congressional Ethics investigation into campaign improprieties" (Daily Beast). "An attorney for Bachmann's campaign on Monday denied any wrongdoing on her part" (Minneapolis Star-Tribune).

NUMBER BRUNCHING

  • MA SEN special: A new WBUR-FM poll of Dem primary LVs, conducted 3/19-21 by MassINC Polling Group, shows Rep. Edward Markey leading Rep. Stephen Lynch, 35-24%. Among GOP primary LVs, ex-U.S. Atty Michael Sullivan leads state Rep. Dan Winslow, 28-10%, with ex-Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez at 8% (release).

  • NJ GOV: A new Quinnipiac Univ. poll of RVs, conducted 3/19-24, shows Gov. Chris Christie (R) leading state Sen. Barbara Buono (D), 60-25%. In the previous poll, conducted 2/13-17, Christie led Buono, 62-25% (release).

OUR CALL

Hotline editors weigh in on the stories that drive the day


• When Clinton endorsed Greuel on Monday, he wasn't just taking sides in Los Angeles's mayoral race. He was also supporting a former employee and an early Hillary '08 backer against an early and enthusiastic supporter of Obama, Eric Garcetti. Stop us if you've heard this one before.

• Ex-Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin's (D) decision on a Senate bid may be predicated on how vulnerable she considers Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) and whether Rep. Kristi Noem (R) joins the Senate race. All three offices could hold appeal for Herseth Sandlin, but if the governor's office and House seat are occupied by strong GOP incumbents, she could make a case that she gives Dems their best chance to retain the Senate seat.

• Lynch trails Markey by double digits with just five weeks to go before the primary in the MA SEN special. So far, both candidates have remained positive, but Lynch may be tempted to come out swinging on Wednesday in the first debate between the two Democrats.

HAIR OF THE DOG

FRESH BREWED BUZZ

  • "Bill Clinton will sit down for his very first interview with Stephen Colbert, and the TV host will lead the closing session of the Clinton Global Initiative University's annual meeting on April 6th" (Rolling Stone).

  • "I happen to be a private person. But here I am sitting out in front of the Supreme Court, freezing and surrounded by journalists. I keep thinking, 'Why am I here?'" -- Donna Clark, who is camped out in front of the Supreme Court ahead of oral arguments on two gay marriage cases (National Journal).

  • "A source" at a fundraiser for Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) "passed along this video, where you can see" House Min. Leader Nancy Pelosi "grooving along as the Queens congressman plays guitar and sings" (Capital New York).

  • "It's clear he's got a bright future. I even hear for example he's starting to look at vacation homes in Iowa and New Hampshire." -- Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), hosting Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) at the Univ. of Louisville (CN|2).

  • "The daughter of former New York Post owner Peter Kalikow can tell you exactly how to get caught selling heroin on Craigslist, because she just got busted for it herself. The key: Use a lot of slang words that, even if the reader didn't know they meant heroin, obviously do mean heroin" (New York Magazine).

  • "It's wonderful, it's honest, it's authentic." -- Ex-NJ Gov. Jim McGreevey (D), on his life now as an openly gay man (New York Daily News).

  • Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) "is suddenly in high demand. His banishment is over, his rehabilitation almost complete" (Washington Post).

  • "I don't like this coffee. If this cream were any richer and whiter it'd be carrying a liberal protest sign. -- Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) tweet (Roll Call)

  • Ex-New York Times reporter/columnist Anthony Lewis, 85, "whose work won two Pulitzer Prizes and transformed American legal journalism, died on Monday at his home" in Cambridge, MA (New York Times)'

  • "Extraterrestrial 'truthers' holding hearings in D.C. next month" (Washington Examiner).

SWIZZLE CHALLENGE

  • Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden was the answer to yesterday's question.

  • The winner is Chris Huckleberry, and here's his Swizzle Challenge: "Name the Heisman Trophy winner who quarterbacked his college to their first National Football Championship and led their basketball team to the sweet sixteen in 1992 and the elite 8 in 1993 and was drafted in the 1st round of the NBA draft." The 3rd correct e-mailer gets to submit the next question.

NJ'S EARLY BIRD SPECIALS

SHOT...

"Oh, you are annoying" -- FNC's Sean Hannity, unable to convince Ann Coulter of the conservative credentials of Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rand Paul (R-KY) ("Hannity," FNC, 3/25).

...CHASER

"Help! Help! I'm being represssed!" -- The Annyoing Peasant

Quinn McCord, Guest Editor
Sarah Mimms, Editor