Campaign Finance

Ron Johnson Ducks TPM Questions On His $10 Million Payday: 'It's A Private Company'

Benjy Sarlin and Susan Crabtree | June 28, 2011, 1:04PM

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)

Legal experts say that whether Sen. Ron Johnson's (R-WI) $10 million parting gift from his company potentially violates campaign laws depends on when it was negotiated. But asked by TPM to directly address the timing, Johnson repeatedly ducked the question.

Johnson's collected $10 million in deferred compensation from his former company, Pacur, a figure that Wisconsin papers have noted lines up conveniently with the $9 million he spent on his Senate campaign in 2010 against incumbent Democrat Russ Feingold. The freshman lawmaker has offered few details on how or when the company worked out the $10 million number, but legal experts told TPM that if the package was negotiated after his Senate run it could potentially count as an illegal corporate donation to his campaign.

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Generic Ballot

Dems Retake Edge In Generic Ballot For First Time Since 2009

Jon Terbush | May 11, 2011, 4:54PM

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Just a few months removed from last year's midterm elections, the wave that swept Republicans to an epic victory has already receded, as they now trail Democrats in a generic election ballot, according to the latest TPM Poll Average.

Last year, Republicans held a huge edge in generic ballot surveys as voters turned against the party in power, Democrats. But since taking over control of the House of Representatives back in January, that big lead has quickly evaporated, giving Democrats an edge they haven't had in the TPM Poll Average in about a year and a half, since November 2009.

The poll that tipped the scales came this week from CNN. In that survey of adults nationwide, Democrats emerged with a 50% to 46% edge over Republicans. As a result, the TPM Poll Average shifted just enough to give Democrats a tiny lead, 42.4% to 42.2%.

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Sharron Angle

Sharron Angle For Senate? Poll Says Fat Chance

Jon Terbush | April 29, 2011, 8:20AM

According to a PPP poll released this week, Sharron Angle would face strong opposition should she run for a Senate seat in Nevada next year. This time, however, that opposition would come from within her own party.

In the poll, Angle trailed Rep. Dean Heller (R) in a hypothetical Republican primary contest to seek the seat being vacated by embattled Sen. John Ensign (R) -- and it wasn't even close. In that matchup, Heller led Angle by a mammoth 84% to 8% margin.

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Scott Walker

Poll: Russ Feingold Ties Gov. Scott Walker In Hypothetical Wisconsin Recall

Jon Terbush | April 25, 2011, 12:23PM

Russ Feingold and Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

A slim majority of Wisconsin voters don't support the idea of a recall election to oust Gov. Scott Walker (R), according to a new poll. That is, unless Russ Feingold is offered up as the challenger who could replace Walker in just such an election.

In a poll of registered voters conducted by Ethridge & Associates, 51% of respondents said they oppose recalling Walker, compared to 44% who said they supported doing so. However, a recall election would not be just a choice of keeping or booting Walker, but would pit Walker against a Democratic challenger. To test that dynamic, Ethridge paired Walker with progressive favorite former Sen. Russ Feingold, and found the two tied at 48%.

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Polls

Poll: Seven In Ten Say U.S. On Wrong Track, Highest In Over Two Years

Jon Terbush | April 13, 2011, 4:31PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday, nearly seven in ten Americans say the country is on the wrong track, the highest level since Obama took office.

That finding caps three months of diminishing confidence in where the nation is headed, a sharp downward trend that began back in mid January, shortly after the new Congress was sworn in.

In the poll, 69% of Americans said they think the country is headed in the wrong direction, versus just 25% who said the country was headed in the right direction. Those results resemble the current TPM Poll Average, which shows that 67.7% of Americans believe the country is heading in a negative direction, while 25.7% believe the opposite.

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House Republicans

Poll: Plurality Of Voters Displeased With GOP House Majority, View Party As 'Extremist'

Jon Terbush | April 12, 2011, 12:22PM

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Only a few months removed from a landslide election that threw control of the House of Representatives back to Republicans, a plurality of registered voters now say the new GOP majority is doing a worse job than Democrats did when they controlled the lower chamber of Congress.

In a PPP poll released Tuesday, 43% of voters said Republicans are doing a worse job running the House than Democrats did before being ousted in last year's midterms. Meanwhile, 36% said Republicans were doing a better job than their counterparts, and an additional 19% said things are about the same.

The poll also found that a plurality of voters (48%) now say the Republican party is "extremist," while 40% say the party is mainstream. The numbers were almost flipped on the Democratic side, with 46% viewing the party as mainstream, and 39% viewing it as extremist.

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Rick Scott

Poll: Florida GOP Gov. Scott's Net Approval Rating Plummets

Jon Terbush | April 6, 2011, 12:04PM

Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL)

According to results of Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday morning, the percentage of Floridians who now approve of Gov. Rick Scott's (R) job performance has remained unchanged since two months ago. But at the same time, the percentage who disapprove of his job performance has more than doubled, putting his net approval rating deep underwater.

In the latest poll, a 48% plurality of registered voters now disapprove of how Scott has handled his job, a huge leap from February when only 22% of voters disapproved of the new Governor's job performance. Meanwhile, 35% of voters currently approve of Scott's job performance, the exact same percentage who gave Scott a thumbs up two months ago.

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2010 elections

Poll: FL. Gov. Rick Scott Would Lose Do-Over Election -- By 20 Points

Jon Terbush | March 29, 2011, 11:36AM

Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL)

Another day, another poll showing a recently elected Republican governor losing a do-over election -- and this one isn't even close.

A PPP poll of registered voters released today shows that in a hypothetical re-do of last year's gubernatorial election, Florida Gov. Rock Scott (R) would lose to Democrat Alex Sink by a nearly 20-point margin, 56%-37%. Scott won a squeaker of an election last year, edging out Sink by about one point.

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John Kasich

Poll: Percent Of Ohio Voters Who Disapprove Of New Gov. Doubles

Jon Terbush | March 23, 2011, 12:52PM

Gov. John Kasich (R-OH)

Ohio Gov. John Kasich's first term in office is off to a rocky start. A new Quinnipiac poll shows that less than one third of registered voters approve of his job performance.

In the poll, just 30% of Ohio voters said they approved of Kasich's job performance, compared to 46% who said they disapproved. When Quinnipiac polled the state back in January, Kasich also posted a 30% approval rating. But at that time, just 22% of voters disapproved of his job performance, a number that has now more than doubled.

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Rick Snyder

Buyer's Remorse: Polls Show 3 New GOP Gov's Losing In Do Overs

Jon Terbush | March 23, 2011, 8:33AM

Last year's midterms elections swept incumbents from office nationwide, as voters turned to newcomers -- often Republican newcomers -- for change.

But just months after election day, three new Midwestern governors -- Wisconsin's Scott Walker (R), Ohio's John Kasich (R), and Michigan's Rick Snyder (R) -- have seen their approval ratings fall to the point that polls show them losing hypothetical do-over elections with the candidates they beat last year.

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Barack Obama

Obama Met With Former Bush Strategist Matthew Dowd

Eric Kleefeld | January 24, 2011, 11:33AM

Matthew Dowd, former strategist for President George W. Bush

President Obama sought out the advice of a very interesting person in the wake of the shellacking of the 2010 elections: Matthew Dowd, the former chief strategist for George W. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign.

As New York magazine reports, Obama met privately in the Oval Office with various people in November and December:

Some of the names have been reported: former Clinton chiefs of staff John Podesta and Leon Panetta; former Reagan chief of staff Ken Duberstein; former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle and centrist jack-of-all-trades David Gergen; and, of course, Bill Clinton. But others have not. Longtime Clinton consigliere Vernon Jordan is one. And another, more surprising, is Matthew Dowd, who served as chief strategist for the 2004 Bush-Cheney reelection campaign. (Dowd declined to confirm the meeting, but the White House did.)

Just add this to the very interesting arc of Dowd's career. He started as a Democratic strategist in Texas, and then became a top Bush adviser. And then after heading up a campaign that attacked John Kerry as weak on defense, he later broke with Bush and supported Kerry's positions in favor of Iraq withdrawal. And now he has advised Obama on how to turn things around post-shellacking.

Gabrielle Giffords

Flashback: Giffords Warned Of 'Consequences' To Palin's Target Imagery (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 8, 2011, 6:51PM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

Back in March 2010, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) responded to the use of violent imagery and heated political rhetoric from conservative activists -- mentioning Sarah Palin's use of crosshairs on a map over Democratic-held districts such as hers. At the time, Giffords said that people should realize such rhetoric has consequences.

Giffords was shot today at a meet-and-greet with constituents in Tucson.

In March, Giffords appeared on MSNBC to talk about the then-recent vandalism of her office, which followed her vote for health care reform. During the interview, she said that political leaders had a responsibility to say they would not stand for violence.

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Gabrielle Giffords

Flashback: Palin Used Crosshair Targets For Giffords's District, Other Dems

Eric Kleefeld | January 8, 2011, 3:40PM

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

Back in March 2010, Sarah Palin created a campaign push through her Facebook page against Democrats from conservative districts who had voted for the health care bill -- among them, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), who was shot today.

The page used a picture of a map of the United States, with crosshair targets located over 20 districts that were carried by the McCain-Palin ticket in 2008, and whose representatives voted for the health care bill. The picture did not use photos of the members themselves, but instead placed the crosshairs over their geographic districts and included a list of their names below.

The page was promoted through Palin's Twitter account with the slogans, "Take Back the 20!" and, "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!"

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Dem Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Shot In Arizona]

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Gabrielle Giffords

Flashback: Giffords Opponent Had M16 Shooting Event, 'Help Remove Gabrielle Giffords From Office'

Eric Kleefeld | January 8, 2011, 3:20PM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

Back in June 2010, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's (D-AZ) Republican opponent Jesse Kelly had an event at which voters could shoot an assault rifle with the candidate, promoted as thus:

Get on Target for Victory in November Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly

(Highlighted image via Blog For Arizona)

Late Update: Kelly has posted this statement on Twitter:

We are all deeply saddened by this morning's shooting. Gabrielle Giffords, the other victims, and their families are in our prayers.

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NV-SEN

What The Cluck? Lowden Ready To Run Again (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 7, 2011, 6:37PM

Sue Lowden

Sue Lowden might not be done kicking up the dust in Nevada politics. In an interview just now with Chris Matthews, the former Nevada Senate candidate, who lost the Republican primary last year, was asked whether she might run for the Senate in 2012, if scandal-plagued incumbent Republican Sen. John Ensign were to retire. And on top of that, you might be surprised to hear what she's doing now.

"If John Ensign doesn't run, and Congressman Dean Heller decides not to throw his hat in the ring, I would think about it seriously," said Lowden.

"But you don't want to beat Heller?" Matthews asked

"I don't think I can beat Heller," Lowden said, laughing. "I mean, that's an honest answer it's a very honest answer."

What's the matter, Sue Lowden -- chicken?

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2010 elections

Neva-d'oh! 68% Of Nevadans Regret Nominating Sharron Angle

Jon Terbush | January 7, 2011, 8:45AM

Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R)

If Nevada voters could do it over again, they'd really, really like to nominate someone not named Sharron Angle, according to a new PPP poll.

In the poll, 68% of Nevadans said they think Republicans should have nominated someone other than Sharron Angle to challenge Sen. Harry Reid last year. Only 21% said the GOP did the right thing in nominating Angle, and 11% had no opinion.

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2010 elections

Feingold, Specter To Teach law

Eric Kleefeld | January 6, 2011, 12:41PM

Former Sens. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Arlen Specter (D-PA)

Two former U.S Senators who lost their seats in 2010 are landing on their feet -- they can no longer make the law, but they will now teach it in their home states.

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), who was defeated in November by Republican Ron Johnson, is now going to be a visiting law professor at Marquette University. As the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports:

"I'm really excited about trying out some new things," the former Democratic senator said in an interview Wednesday, speaking in some detail about his future for the first time since he was defeated by Republican Ron Johnson in November. "I'm going to be very, very happy to be in Wisconsin almost full-time for the first time in many, many years."

It makes a lot of sense that Feingold would become a law professor back home, given the support he long enjoyed from students. Also, all those ethics laws he passed would probably make it hard for him ever get a job on K Street.

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2010 elections

Rasmussen Poll: Majority Of Americans Don't Expect To Like This Congress Either

Jon Terbush | January 5, 2011, 10:49AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

Though Republicans won't officially assume control of the House until this afternoon, a Rasmussen poll released yesterday finds that a large majority of Americans already believe most people will be disappointed with Congressional Republicans by the 2012 elections. What's more, Republicans are already more unpopular now than they were immediately prior to the midterm elections.

In the new poll, 67% of respondents said it was likely that voters would grow dissatisfied with Republicans in Congress over the next two years, including 37% who said that was very likely. Only 25% of respondents said it wasn't likely that voters would be dissatisfied with the GOP come 2012.

That finding comes just two months removed from the midterm wave that swept away 63 Democratic seats in the House. Further, the 67% of voters who expect to be dissatisfied with Congressional Republicans is also eight points higher than the 59% who felt the same way around Election Day, when a Republican takeover seemed inevitable.

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller Ends Legal Challenge To Murkowski's Write-In Victory

Eric Kleefeld | December 31, 2010, 7:04PM

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Joe Miller

Alaska Republican Senate nominee Joe Miller, the Tea Party-backed (and Sarah Palin-backed) insurgent who defeated incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the Republican primary, only to then lose to Murkowski's write-in campaign for the general election, has now announced that he is ending his legal challenge to Murkowski's victory -- effectively conceding the race and ending the 2010 election right on New Year's Eve.

As the Anchorage Daily News reports:

Miller thanked his supporters and said the time has come to accept the "practical realities" of court decisions that have been unanimous in ruling against his challenge. He said he would remain a voice for smaller government, less federal spending and other issues favored by the tea party.

...

Miller, a self-proclaimed expert in Constitutional law, had his challenges to Murkowski's election thrown out by an Alaska Superior Court judge from Ketchikan, a unanimous Alaska Supreme Court, and a U.S. District Court judge in Anchorage. The federal judge, Ralph Beistline, said the case against Miller was so overwhelming that he ruled before the state even filed all its arguments opposing Miller's claims.

2010 elections

TPM Approves These Messages: Five Great Ads Of 2010 (VIDEOS)

Eric Kleefeld | December 31, 2010, 3:07PM

With the year 2010 coming to a close, and a truly raucous election season behind us (and another set to begin), let's take a look at a real highlight of the cycle: A sampling, even just a small one, of some great campaign ads we got to see over the past year.

Unlike some of our other lists, we're not talking about a mix of great ads and awful ones that took on a kitsch value. (I'm looking in your direction, "I'm not a witch. I'm you," and also at you, "Aqua Buddha.")

No, here we're talking about truly great ads that applied ingenuity, creativity and pure guts to an election. We're talking about the ones whose creators deserve accolades and good spots on campaigns for 2012 -- and might just get them.

So get out your popcorn and your New Year's alcohol, and watch our five picks.

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2010 elections

The Goodbyes Of 2010: Politicians Who Are Going Home

Eric Kleefeld | December 31, 2010, 1:52PM

Russ Feingold

As the year 2010 comes to a close and the year 2011 begins, it's time to look back on some of the politicians who are leaving office because of defeat, retirement, or the strange spaces that seem to fall in between.

These are folks who had a presence on the political scene, either long or short, but who have made their marks in different ways on the political consciousness in their arrivals, their service and their ultimate departures.

As is the fashion with these sorts of lists we do around here, the folks we've chosen to highlight include the folks that we and you, our readers, think of as being great -- and others who are so bad that they're good. Of course, there are plenty of departing pols who aren't here. This is just a sampling.

So goodbye to 2010, and goodbye to these politicians. But who knows, perhaps we'll be seeing some of them again, soon.

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2010 elections

Top Five Political Catch Phrases Of 2010

Brian Beutler | December 29, 2010, 12:45PM

Sarah Palin

A big part of politics is coming up with catchy slogans and phrases so that voters draw conclusions that help your party. They run the gamut from Barack Obama's "Yes we can!" to Sarah Palin's "death panels."

The flipside of that is that you have to avoid saddling yourself with unflattering slogans and catch phrases. A bad gaffe will stick to a politician like flypaper -- sometimes for years. These buzzwords and catchphrases bubble up into the political discourse all the time. Most of them dissipate harmlessly, but a few attach themselves to their subjects like stink on, well, chickencrap.

Here's our list of the top five political catch phrases of 2010 -- the good, the bad, and the ugly.

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2010 elections

Artur Davis: Southern Dems Should Think About Running As Independents

Eric Kleefeld | December 27, 2010, 10:59AM

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL)

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL), who is leaving Congress after a failed run in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, has an interesting suggestion for moderate Democratic politicians in the wake of the party's near-total wipeout in the South: Forget the Dems, run as an independent.

As The Hill reports:

Southern voters "see the Democratic Party as a liberal institution that wants to spend their money recklessly, that doesn't honor their social values and that has a very different view of the world," said Alabama Rep. Artur Davis (D).

"It's hard for local Democratic candidates to break clear of that," Davis added. "Some [of those candidates] who are thinking about competing in the South may have to look at running as Independents."

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2010 elections

Poll: Obama Far More Popular Than GOP In Lame Duck Session

Jon Terbush | December 23, 2010, 11:57AM

President Barack Obama

Maybe the midterm elections weren't such a referendum on the President after all.

According to a CNN poll released Wednesday, 56% of Americans approve of President Obama's job performance during the lame duck session -- 14 points higher than the 42% approval rating for Congressional Republicans over the same period. Even the Democratic Party, which just one month ago suffered enormous midterm losses, polled slightly higher than the GOP, with 44% of Americans approving of their job performance in the lame duck session.

Respondents also said they believe Obama's policies rather than those of the GOP would move the country in the right direction. Fifty-five percent of respondents said Obama's proposals would move the country in the right direction, while 42% said they would do the opposite. By contrast, 51% said the Republicans' policies would be good for the U.S., versus 44% who said they would be bad for the country.

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2010 elections

OMG: One-Fourth Of Americans Used Cell Phones To Connect To 2010 Elections

Jon Terbush | December 23, 2010, 8:50AM

Americans can't seem go anywhere without talking about politics these days. Whether they were texting or tweeting, talking or typing, one in four Americans used a cell phone for some purpose related to the elections this year, according to a Pew Internet poll released today.

According to the survey, 26% of all Americans used a mobile phone to learn or communicate about the midterm elections. Of the entire U.S. population, 82% own a cell phone, according to the poll.

In general, the results reinforce what was already widely known -- that cell phones have become extremely versatile devices that are permeating more and more facets of daily life. But on a deeper level, the results show that mobile phones are emerging as a new frontier in politics, whether for reading the news, tracking campaigns or even donating to candidates.

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2010 elections

Poll: 90% Of Voters Say Midterm Elections Had Misleading Information

Jillian Rayfield | December 17, 2010, 11:48AM

A new poll finds that 90% of voters say they encountered information in the 2010 election cycle that was "misleading or false," and 56% say this happened frequently.

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AK-SEN

Cornyn: I Hope Alaska Can Have Full Two Senators Soon (Really?)

Eric Kleefeld | December 10, 2010, 12:11PM

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has expressed his hope that litigation in the Alaska Senate race -- where Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski's apparent victory as a write-in candidate is being challenged by the Tea Party-backed GOP nominee Joe Miller -- ends soon and the state has full representation in the Senate. Hmm...

As Roll Call reports:

"We just have to be patient and wait for the judge to decide," said Cornyn, a former judge. "I understand that could be as early as [Thursday], and I hope it doesn't go on much longer because I think the people of Alaska deserve to have a Senator when we reconvene again in January, and not still have that up in the air."

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Republicans

Meet The Chairmen! House GOPers Get Back To The Gavels

Eric Kleefeld | December 10, 2010, 8:40AM

The Republicans' midterm sweep in the House of Representatives doesn't just mean that John Boehner will become Speaker -- it means a drastic shift of leadership and legislative priorities throughout the whole chamber.

This week, House Republicans officially rolled out the list of committee chairs in the new Congress. And as can be expected, some of them are really interesting personalities. It is these individuals who will be holding hearings on legislation and oversight of the executive branch -- that is, attacking the Obama administration and trying to dig up scandals, as typically occurs during periods of divided government.

So let's take a look at several of the key GOPers who will be heading up these important House panels: Their backgrounds, their positions, their histories -- and a few gaffes, too.

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AK-SEN

Murkowski And Miller Lawyers Clash In State Court

Eric Kleefeld | December 8, 2010, 6:38PM

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Joe Miller

Attorneys for Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) faced off in state court today against the legal team of Republican nominee Joe Miller, in Miller's attempts to defeat Murkowski's write-in campaign. No ruling will come immediately today, but is expected to come by Friday.

As KTUU, the local NBC affiliate in Anchorage, reports:

Miller argues that write-in votes must name "Lisa Murkowski," exactly as her name appears on her declaration of candidacy, to be counted.

Murkowski's lawyers, who have intervened in the lawsuit, turned to a dictionary for their argument and say the word "appears" means "seems to be" and therefore allows elections officials to assume voter intent.

The state's attorney, Joanne Grace, agreed and says Miller's "standard of perfection" clearly disenfranchises voters.

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2012 elections

PPP Poll: Pawlenty Trails Obama In Minnesota -- And Romney Does Better

Eric Kleefeld | December 8, 2010, 3:57PM

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) and President Barack Obama

The new survey of Minnesota from Public Policy Polling (D) finds President Obama leading various potential Republican challengers for 2012 -- including the state's departing governor, Tim Pawlenty. And not only that, but this poll has an extra-bad data point for Pawlenty. Mitt Romney actually does better in Minnesota than Minnesota's governor.

Obama carried Minnesota by a 54%-44% margin against John McCain in 2008. The state has not voted Republican at the presidential level since the Nixon landslide of 1972. It was the only state to vote for its Democratic native son Walter Mondale in the Reagan landslide of 1984, but in fact he won it only narrowly.

In this poll, Obama leads Newt Gingrich by 51%-38%, leads Mike Huckabee by 50%-40%, and trounces Sarah Palin by 54%-36%. As it turns out, he leads Pawlenty by 51%-43%, but only leads Romney by 47%-42%.

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MN-GOV

Republican Tom Emmer (Finally) Concedes MN-GOV Race

Eric Kleefeld | December 8, 2010, 12:14PM

Gov.-elect Mark Dayton (D-MN) and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer

The Minnesota gubernatorial recount has now come to an end, with Republican state Rep. Tom Emmer conceding defeat to Democratic former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton -- bringing this story to a much quicker end than the long and drawn out Senate race from 2008, which lasted for eight months of recounts and litigation with a much, much closer margin.

Emmer appeared with his family on his front porch, and addressed reporters. "Well, Minnesotans made their choice, by however thin a margin, and we respect that choice," said Emmer. "Now is the time for all of us to come together and do what is best for Minnesota."

Going into the recount, Dayton led by 8,770 votes, or 0.42%. While this was within the 0.5% needed to trigger a statewide recount, many observers doubted from the start that Emmer could have pulled ahead -- including Fritz Knaak, a former lawyer for Norm Coleman. By comparison, the 2008 Senate recount and litigation resulted in a net change in the margins of only a few hundred votes. However, a possible drawn-out legal contest could have resulted in Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty staying in office in the interim, with the opportunity to work with a newly elected Republican legislature.

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NY-01

Dem Rep. Tim Bishop Wins Final Contested House Race Of 2010

Eric Kleefeld | December 8, 2010, 10:20AM

Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY)

The 2010 House cycle is now officially over, with Republican nominee Randy Altschuler conceding to incumbent Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) in the final disputed House seat of the cycle.

In the most recent totals, Bishop leads by 263 votes, with under 1,000 absentee ballots remaining to be counted. Bishop led by a very narrow margin in the Election Night count. However, during the recanvassing process -- when the counties essentially proofread their spreadsheets compared to the numbers from the voting machines -- Altschuler briefly pulled ahead.

However, absentee ballots remained to be counted, and Bishop took the lead as that process went forward. The Altschuler campaign attempted for a time to challenge absentee ballots on the grounds of residency or handwriting on the envelopes. But in the end, Altschuler called Bishop this morning to concede.

This finalizes the Republican gains of the cycle at 63 House seats, for a total House makeup of 242 Republicans to 193 Democrats.

MN-GOV

Tom Emmer Expected To Concede MN-GOV Race Today

Eric Kleefeld | December 8, 2010, 9:23AM

MN Gov candidate Tom Emmer (R)

The Minnesota gubernatorial race is expected to come to an end today, five weeks plus one day after Election Day, with Republican state Rep. Tom Emmer reportedly to concede defeat to Democratic former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton.

The news was first reported by KSTP, the local ABC affiliate in the Twin Cities area, and has also been confirmed by the Star Tribune. Emmer has an announcement scheduled for 10:30 a.m. CT. This election follows the disputed Minnesota Senate race from the 2008 cycle, which lasted for eight months of counting and litigation -- but this current race always seemed likely to take much less time, because even its close margin of about 9,000 votes was far wider than the Senate race that came down to just a couple hundred votes.

Going into the recount, Dayton led by 8,770 votes, or 0.42%. While this was within the 0.5% needed to trigger a statewide recount, many observers doubted from the start that Emmer could have pulled ahead -- including Fritz Knaak, a former lawyer for Norm Coleman. By comparison, the 2008 Senate recount and litigation resulted in a net change in the margins of only a few hundred votes. However, a possible drawn-out legal contest could have resulted in Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty staying in office in the interim, with the opportunity to work with a newly elected Republican legislature.

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MN-GOV

Tom Emmer Loses Court Fight On Key Argument In MN-GOV Recount

Eric Kleefeld | December 7, 2010, 5:46PM

MN-GOV candidate Tom Emmer (R)

The Minnesota Supreme Court just handed down its full opinion on a key issue that Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Emmer had been trying to fight on during the current recount -- and which he might have continued to fight in a post-recount lawsuit. And as the opinion shows, they appear to have done nothing less than shoot him down entirely.

Emmer has tried to make an issue of cases where precincts have more votes than the total number of people who signed in on the register. But, Emmer didn't just lose the argument in the courts -- he lost it big, and is running out of legal avenues by which his campaign could even try to contest the election once the recount is over.

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MN-GOV

Emmer Drops Almost All Ballot Challenges In MN-GOV Recount

Eric Kleefeld | December 7, 2010, 4:52PM

Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer (R)

Republican nominee Tom Emmer has now withdrawn almost all of his campaign's challenges of ballots in Minnesota's gubernatorial recount.

As the Star Tribune reports, Emmer had about 650 challenges remaining, going into today. By today's deadline of noon Central Time, his campaign had cut that down to a mere 131 challenges. The board will meet tomorrow to adjudicate the remaining challenges from Emmer, as well the challenges from Democratic nominee Mark Dayton.

This follows his campaign's actions over last weekend, when they withdrew over 2,500 challenges in heavily Democratic Hennepin County (Minneapolis), which the local officials at the counting tables had deemed to be frivolous.

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller: Nobody's Proven It'll Hurt Alaska If Senate Race Continues (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | December 6, 2010, 5:46PM

Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller (R)

Alaska Republican Senate nominee Joe Miller appeared today on Fox News with Neil Cavuto, and brushed off concern that his legal maneuvering to try to stop the apparent victory of incumbent GOP Senator and write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski would damage the state, by depriving it of a second Senator. Furthermore, he seemed to say that Alaska having a full complement of senators would only further the "fiscal destruction of the nation" if the other senator is Murkowski.

Cavuto asked about comments today from Alaska's Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, who called upon Miller to concede and not hold up the certification of Murkowski's win: "I'm sorry, but are you concerned, as Sen. Begich pointed out, that whatever your reasons -- and they might be perfectly justified -- Alaska stands a pretty good likelihood now of having just one senator for a while, when some of the biggest issues of our time are being debated."

"Yeah, and I guess the question becomes, is that one extra vote gonna be used to continue to grow government, continue the largesse, to continue earmarks -- to basically continue the fiscal destruction of the nation?" Miller responded. "And frankly, I don't think we need that.

"But you know, getting more to the point, I don't think anybody's actually proven there's gonna be adverse impact. Hopefully, this process can be resolved quickly, and before, you know, the January swearing-in date."

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AK-SEN

Alaska Dem Sen. Begich Calls On Joe Miller To Concede

Eric Kleefeld | December 6, 2010, 3:11PM

Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) and Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller (R).

Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) is now wading into the intramural Republican battle in Alaska, calling upon GOP Senate nominee Joe Miller to concede the race against incumbent GOP Senator and write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski.

As the Anchorage Daily News reports:

Begich, though, said it's time for Miller "to put Alaska interests ahead of personal ambition and allow the State of Alaska to certify Lisa Murkowski as the winner."

"Failure to certify the election could prevent Senator Murkowski from being sworn into office in early January when other new senators officially take office," Begich said.

...

"Without both senators, Alaska's interests will be at risk on critical issues from energy development to job creation and reducing the national debt in a way that's fair to Alaskans," he said.

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller Blames Native Alaskan Groups For 'Writing In Corruption'

Eric Kleefeld | December 6, 2010, 11:14AM

Senate candidate Joe Miller (R-AK)

In a column on Friday in the Washington Times, Alaska Republican Senate nominee continued to rail against the apparently successful write-in campaign by incumbent GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski. In this new column, entitled "Writing In Corruption," Miller blames the federally-charted Alaska Native corporations, which have a big presence in the state, for supporting Murkowski. They did this, he writes, in order to maintain a pipeline of federal earmarks that sustain them.

In this effort, he says, they formed a "super-PAC" called Alaskans Standing Together, which conducted all sorts of underhanded activities for Murkowski -- such as running an ad campaign against him, educating voters on how to cast a write-in vote, and getting out the vote with rides to the polls.

"AST hit the airways with hundreds of thousands of dollars in attack ads, making numerous false allegations regarding my positions and background. Within a mere three weeks, AST spent $1.2 million, inundating the Alaska market," Miller writes. "It also hired dozens of workers to travel to the villages to teach people how to vote for Lisa Murkowski. They even painted vans with AST's logo to bus people to the polls."

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MN-GOV

Tom Emmer: 'We're Not Going Away Regardless Of What Happens' In MN-GOV Recount

Eric Kleefeld | December 6, 2010, 9:50AM

MN-GOV candidate Tom Emmer (R)

Some key developments took place over the weekend in the Minnesota gubernatorial recount, with Republican nominee Tom Emmer's withdrawing almost all of its ballot-challenges that were deemed to be frivolous by the local officials at the counting table. But on the other hand, even though he is mathematically guaranteed to lose the recount, he also says he's not going away.

As the Star Tribune reports, the Emmer campaign had challenged 2,604 ballots in heavily Democratic Hennepin County (Minneapolis), with almost all the challenges being declared frivolous. At Friday's State Canvassing Board Meeting, Emmer lead attorney Eric Magnuson (a former state Chief Justice who previously sat on the board in the 2008 Senate recount between Al Franken and Norm Coleman) promised to bring the number down.

Then on Saturday, out of 2,604 challenges, the Emmer campaign reviewed the ballots and brought the number down to...24. Magnuson said that the large number of withdrawals "doesn't mean I agreed they were frivolous ... but I was not going to take them before the Canvassing Board."

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