Senate 2008 Guru: Following the Races

Keeping a close eye on developments in the 2008 U.S. Senate races

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Massive Tuesday Rundown

  • The DSCC is launching a new ad blitz against Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, Norm Coleman and John Sununu on Iraq as debate resumes in the Senate. Notes the DSCC spokesman:

    “Four times this year Republican Senators have had the opportunity to support a new direction in Iraq, and four times they have instead voted for George Bush’s failed status quo,” DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller said.
    Here is the ad aimed at McConnell:



    WaPo's Cillizza and MyDD's Singer offer further insights.

  • MyDD's Singer highlights the prospect of immigrant advocates focusing political efforts against Republicans who offered anti-immigration rhetoric during the recent debate, like John Cornyn and Norm Coleman.

  • Tennessee: Think Progress catches Lamar Alexander engaging in double-talk and empty rhetoric on Iraq.

  • Maine: Congressman Tom Allen clocked in at just under $1.1 million raised for his Senate campaign in Q2, roughly $300,000 of which was raised online, thanks in large part to Susan Collins and Joe Lieberman.

  • New Jersey: Senator Frank Lautenberg has his new campaign website up and running. Meanwhile, NJ.com looks three of Lautenberg's potential challengers: far-right-wing state assemblyman Michael Doherty, less-far-right businesswoman Anne Evans Estabrook, and state assemblyman Joseph Pennacchio, who is currently running for a seat in the New Jersey State Senate but may also run for the Senate seat.

  • Minnesota: WaPo's Cillizza and The Hill's Aaron Blake gush over Al Franken beating Norm Coleman in Q2 fundraising. Elsewhere, MN Blue offers a compilation of the interviews of the DFL Senate candidates. Further, the Star Tribune reports on the ad campaigns on Iraq aimed at Norm Coleman, from both the DSCC and Americans United for Change.

  • Oregon: First, Stop Gordon Smith.com has been enhanced and includes much more content now. Second, though there was speculation about a possible Senate run, State Senator Kate Brown announced that she will run for Secretary of State of Oregon. Third, Blue Oregon's Alworth begins his three-part series looking at Oregon state Speaker of the House and possible Senate candidate Jeff Merkley, highlighting some of his political and policy victories.

  • Texas: Though San Antonio attorney Mikal Watts is willing to use up to $10 million of his own money to help fund his campaign, it may not be necessary as he raised over $1.1 million in the last 30 days of Q2. We'll see in the coming months if he can continue that pace. Meanwhile, Texas Kaos looks at the Houston Chronicle's profile of State Representative Rick Noriega. Further, Burnt Orange Report and Capitol Annex offer details on former Texas Tech Chancellor and State Senator John Montford considering an entry into the Democratic Senate primary.

  • Virginia: A signal of things to come? The firm that handles GOP Rep. Tom Davis' online communications has bought up a few domain names that could be used in the event of a Davis campaign for Senate (which, should it happen this cycle, would require a John Warner retirement). Just a contingency, or something more?

  • Rhode Island: A bit of speculation has sprung up about Jon Scott, who lost his Congressional challenge to Patrick Kennedy 69-23 last year, challenging popular incumbent Senator Jack Reed.

  • Louisiana: "Family values Republican" Senator David Vitter cheated on his wife with prostitutes. Hypocritically, he called for President Bill Clinton's resignation after his extramarital affair. (Coincidentally, Vitter won the Congressional seat of Republican Congressman Bob Livingston who resigned after his affairs came to light.) Though he claims to have the forgiveness of his wife, his wife has been quoted suggesting that, in that situation, she's closer to the castration end of the spectrum than the forgiveness end of the spectrum. Vitter has the gall to claim that he does not want to further comment on the situation out of concern for his career respect for his family. I'd expect this story to play out over the course of the week, with Louisiana Democrats citing Vitter's own statements calling for a resignation in response to an extramarital affair.

  • 12 Comments:

    Blogger VA Blogger said...

    Calling for Vitter's resignation would be just plain dumb.

    And it should be noted that Davis bought those sites in November of 2006. While it is another indication that Warner will retire and Davis will run, I don't think it tips the speculation greatly in one way or another. Warner could easily have told Davis in '06 to prepare, then change his mind in '07 and run. By all accounts, if he does end up running for re-election, then that's exactly what happened.

    1:47 PM, July 10, 2007  
    Blogger Senate2008Guru said...

    Why would calling for Vitter's resignation be "just plain dumb"? Vitter called for Clinton's resignation for doing something similar - except, in Clinton's case, there wasn't the added indiscretion of prostitution on top of infidelity. Vitter's own standard is resignation. Why shouldn't Vitter live up to his own standard?

    As for Davis' sites, I don't know why you're getting worked up because I don't overhype it - I explicit wonder if it's just a contingency or a signal of things to come. Take a deep breath.

    2:00 PM, July 10, 2007  
    Blogger VA Blogger said...

    Where was I getting worked up? I said, "It should be noted". In other words, I felt that the fact I mentioned was worthy to be mentioneod along with the fact that you mentioned. You've seen me worked up before. This is far from it. Don't be so sensative, guy.

    Clinton also had the added "indiscretion" of lying under oath on top of infidelity.

    2:27 PM, July 10, 2007  
    Blogger Senate2008Guru said...

    A) Vitter's call for resignation was in response to the infidelity, not lying under oath.

    B) If Vitter cares about people lying under oath, you wouldn't know it by his silence on the Scooter Libby commutation upon his convication for - oh, wow - perjury and obstruction of justice.

    2:30 PM, July 10, 2007  
    Blogger Josh I said...

    In a radio interview, Vitter then called the allegation [of his affair with a prostitute] "absolutely and completely untrue" and dismissed it as "just crass Louisiana politics."

    VA Blogger: Why is lying under oath about sex cause for resignation but lying to the voters NOT under oath about sex okay?

    2:33 PM, July 10, 2007  
    Blogger VA Blogger said...

    Can you please point out where I said it was "okay"? If the voters want to see him punished, they can choose not to vote for him the next time he's up for re-election.

    2:35 PM, July 10, 2007  
    Blogger Josh I said...

    You said calling for his resignation was dumb. You said that the difference between Clinton (who Vitter himself said SHOULD resign) and Vitter is that Vitter didn't lie UNDER OATH.

    Apparently, he did lie, just not under oath. I'm asking why you feel that should be the distinction.

    And the "wait until the next election" standard is pretty dangerous. Do you hold it for all officeholders? Should Duke Cunningham have been permitted to serve out the rest of his term and let the voters decide? Jim Trafficant? Jim Rowland? Heck, why not let Bill Clinton serve out his term knowing that the voters can pick a new guy in 2000?

    2:41 PM, July 10, 2007  
    Blogger VA Blogger said...

    I would think that the difference is pretty clear: one is a felony, the other is not. Adultery, while generally bad, is a personal matter. Perjury is a legal matter. The same goes for the list of felons that you presented.

    2:53 PM, July 10, 2007  
    Blogger Josh I said...

    Oh, I see. Last I had heard, hiring a prostitute was illegal in DC and Louisiana.

    2:58 PM, July 10, 2007  
    Blogger Senate2008Guru said...

    va blogger - are you saying that it's only wrong if you get caught and convicted?

    Also, are you ignoring the hypocrisy of running on a "family values" platform and then, well, cheating on your wife with a hooker? That doesn't count for anything?

    Very classy.

    3:19 PM, July 10, 2007  
    Blogger Anthony_Distler said...

    From politics1.com. Big news:

    US Senator David Vitter (R) on Monday night admitted his phone number was on the client list of alleged "DC Madam" Deborah Palfrey's escort service. On Tuesday, the New Orlean Times-Picayune reported that Vitter -- who is married and who ran as a self-styled "family values" social conservative -- was a regular client at the Mid-City brothel in New Orleans starting in the 1990s. The newspaper reported Vitter paid $300 per hour for the sex services of prostitutes, but that he stopped visiting Mid-City before the FBI raided the operation in 2001. "I believe that marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman," said Vitter in a 2006 Senate floor speech in support of the failed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Perhaps Vitter misspoke and meant instead to say "between a man, a woman, and a series of talented prostitutes." Louisiana Republican State Central Committeeman Vincent Bruno called on Vitter to resign "for his own good, the good of the party and the good of his family.� If Vitter doesn�t resign, Bruno said the Senator should �join the Democratic Party where they think that kind of behavior is OK ... If [we're] not going to enforce family values, they ought to take it out of [our] vocabulary. We�re the party of hypocrites. 'Vote for us and we�ll lie to you, we�ll engage prostitutes and we�ll cheat on our wives.'" Vitter does not face re-election again until 2010.

    12:21 AM, July 11, 2007  
    Blogger Josh I said...

    Well that's all well and good, Anthony, but VA BLOGGER has already decreed, such a call is "just plain dumb."

    7:48 AM, July 11, 2007  

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