SCOTUS Poised to Rule on Gay Marriage; Markey Cruises in MA SEN Vote; Weiner Leads Dem Mayoral Poll

National Journal

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WHAT'S NEWS

  • "Proponents" of the Voting Rights Act, a portion of which was voided by the SCOTUS on Tuesday, "called the ruling a death knell," as they said it "will be almost impossible for a Congress bitterly divided along partisan lines to come up" with an agreement to define new parameters "to determine which states should be subject" to special requirements. "There could be immediate consequences from the court's ruling," including the implementation of a voter-ID law in TX that had been invalidated by a federal court (Washington Post). The SCOTUS is "expected to decide their first-ever cases about gay marriage Wednesday" in its "last session before the court's summer break" (AP).

  • Pres. Obama "on Tuesday invoked his executive authority to undertake a slew of measures aimed at curbing climate change and preparing America for its costly impacts" (Huffington Post). Obama will ask the State Dept. "not to approve the construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline unless it can first determine that it will not lead to a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions" (Huffington Post).

  • MA SEN Special: Rep. Edward Markey (D) "cruised to victory Tuesday," 55-45%, over ex-Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez (R), "despite running a low-key campaign that drew record low voter turnout." Markey's ascendancy "sets off a scramble to fill the remainder of his House term" in MA-05, where a special election "is expected to be scheduled for the fall" (Boston Globe).

  • VA GOV: Obama's speech on climate change "added fuel to an ongoing feud over energy policy," as ex-DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe (D) "took the opportunity to put a relatively rare bit of distance between himself" and the WH (Washington Post).

  • NYC Mayor '13: A new WNBC-TV/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll of Dem primary LVs, conducted 6/17-21, shows ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner leading City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, 25-21%, with '09 nominee/ex-Comp. Bill Thompson at 14%, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio at 13%, Comp. John Liu at 8%, minister Erick Salgado at 2% and ex-Councilor Sal Albanese at 1%. (release).

  • IA SEN: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R), "who has been taking pains to let the GOP candidates" for the state's other Senate seat "know that he's not taking sides," "offered to be a special guest at" a DC fundraiser for ex-radio host Sam Clovis (R), the third GOP candidate to whom Grassley has offered his assistance, including ex-Grassley CoS David Young (Des Moines Register).

  • AL-01: RNC dep. CoS Wells Griffith (R) is "strongly" considering running for the seat set to be vacated by Rep. Jo Bonner (R) this summer. Griffith: "I'm still praying about it and thinking about it" (YellowHammerPolitics.com).

  • IA-02: State Rep. Mark Lofgren (R) "will announce his candidacy" on Wednesday, he said in a statement Tuesday (Des Moines Register).

  • MN-08: Mills Fleet Farm VP Stewart Mills (R) "said on Tuesday that he plans to challenge" Rep. Rick Nolan (D) (Minneapolis Star Tribune).

  • IL GOV: '10 nominee Bill Brady (R) "will officially launch his bid ... on Wednesday, setting the stage for a four-way GOP primary" (Chicago Sun-Times).

  • TX GOV: State Sen. Wendy Davis (D) "spent most of the day staging an old-fashioned filibuster" against a bill that would have been one of "the toughest abortion measures in the country." Davis' filibuster attracted "wide support, including a mention" from Obama's "campaign Twitter account" (AP). Ultimately, the bill was not adopted by the state Senate "because it passed after midnight," LG David Dewhurst (R) admitted this morning. Dewhurst: "An unruly mob, using Occupy Wall Street tactics, disrupted the Senate from protecting unborn babies" (Austin American-Statesman).

  • WH '16: "Two dozen" leading Dem donors "will gather for breakfast with allies" of ex-Sec/State Hillary Clinton (D) in NYC on Thursday "to discuss raising money for" Ready for Hillary, a "pro-Clinton 'super PAC,' according to people with knowledge of the event" (New York Times).

NUMBER BRUNCHING

  • According to a new Fox News poll of nat'l RVs, conducted 6/22-24 by Anderson Robbins Research (D)/Shaw & Co. Research (R), 43% approve of the job Obama is doing as POTUS, while 51% disapprove. In the previous poll, conducted 6/9-11, 44% approved of Obama, and 50% disapproved (release).

  • According to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll of nat'l adults, conducted 6/19-23, 53% have a favorable opinion of Obama, while 44% have an unfavorable opinion of him. In the previous poll, conducted 3/20-24, 57% viewed Obama favorably, and 41% viewed him unfavorably (release).

OUR CALL

Hotline editors weigh in on the stories that drive the day

• Some of the loudest opposition to Obama's climate change speech yesterday came not from Republicans, but from Dems like Sen. Joe Manchin and Reps. Bill Enyart and Nick Rahall. Even VA GOV nominee Terry McAuliffe is reversing his 2009 stand against coal. This looks like an initiative that'll only advance through executive action.

• While Weiner's rise to first place is rightfully dominating the coverage of the new poll, Quinn, once the clear favorite in the race, also has to be concerned about the third and fourth place finishers. Among LVs, Thompson is only 7 points out of second place, while de Blasio trails Quinn by 8 points. While analysts once debated whether Quinn would be able to reach 40% and win the primary outright, the city council speaker now has to focus on securing a spot in the runoff.

HAIR OF THE DOG

FRESH BREWED BUZZ

  • "Marc Rich, the trader known as the 'King of Commodities'" whose "controversial" '01 pardon by Bill Clinton "just hours before he left office unleashed a political firestorm of criticism," died Wednesday in Switzerland, his spokesperson said (AP).

  • Donor Johnnie Williams purchased a $6.5K Rolex watch for VA Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) "engraved with the inscription '71st Governor of Virginia,'" according to "two people with knowledge of the gift," and McDonnell "did not disclose it in his annual financial filings" (Washington Post).

  • "Shelby County has never had a history of denying votes, to my knowledge, and certainly not now" -- Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), on the underlying case for Tuesday's SCOTUS decision (Huffington Post).

  • Both tea party and pro-immigration groups are planning to protest outside of Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-FL) Tampa office at noon (Tampa Bay Times). On Tuesday afternoon, "LGBT activists staged a sit-in" at his Tampa office (WTSP-TV).

  • "Laura Ingraham Floats Campaign To Primary Lindsey Graham Over Immigration Reform" (MediaMatters.org).

  • "I've always had the belief that age is just chronology. I know people who are 50 who are older than I am" -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who turned 80 last Saturday (Washington Post).

  • "The use of bear imagery" in a CA GOV campaign "isn't exactly groundbreaking," but the bear in ex-LG Abel Maldonado's (R) campaign logo "seems more contemplative than ferocious, like he's a little too worried about conditions at county jails to go salmon hunting" (Sacramento Bee).

  • "I didn't know who he was right away, but I was so happy to shake his hand. I don't think I'll wash my hand for three days" -- Emmons, WV, resident Bobby Baire, on meeting Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), who returned to the "rural town" of Emmons this past weekend, where he lived in '64 and '65 (Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail).

  • A trial began Tuesday for '04 WV AG nominee/'06 WV SEN candidate Hiram Lewis (R), who is "accused of shooting and wounding a man last year at his home" (MetroNews).

  • Radford Univ. "awarded diplomas" at its Dec. and May commencements "that spelled Virginia without the final 'i'" and also misspelled "thereto, as in 'all honors, rights and privileges thereto appertaining'" (Richmond Times-Dispatch).

  • "I think I've drunk more beer than any other member of the Senate" -- Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), during a visit on Monday to the Flying Dog brewery in Frederick (Frederick News-Post).

SWIZZLE CHALLENGE

  • DC's football team was originally the Boston Braves.

  • The winner is Geoff Burgan, and here's his Swizzle Challenge: "In honor of the Chicago Blackhawks' Stanley Cup victory, today's challenge features Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D). In 1988, Emanuel was at the DCCC and sent a dead fish to pollster Alan Secrest after the race was over (Emanuel's candidate lost). Who formerly held the congressional seat that Emanuel and Secrest sought for the Democrats?" The 3rd correct e-mailer gets to submit the next question.

NJ'S EARLY BIRD SPECIALS

SHOT...

"[Ex-comm. dir.] Mark Minor Returning to Team Perry" -- A headline from the Texas Tribune, which writes that Minor's return "is sure to spark more speculation" about TX Gov. Rick Perry's (R) "intentions for both" TX GOV and WH '16 races.

...CHASER

"Anybody saying they know what the governor is going to do is most likely wrong" -- Miner, asked last week about Perry's future plans (Fort Worth Star-Telegram).

Reid Wilson, Editor-in-Chief

Steven Shepard, Executive Editor