UT-SEN

Report: Chaffetz Won't Challenge Hatch For GOP Senate Nomination

Eric Kleefeld | August 22, 2011, 2:43PM

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), who had long been eyeing a primary challenge against long-time Sen. Orrin Hatch, is expected to announce later today that he will not seek the Senate, and instead run for re-election to the House, the Salt Lake Tribune reports -- thus removing the single greatest threat to Hatch's re-election.

The Hatch and Chaffetz camps had already been fighting it out in public, in expectation of the likely contest. In addition, polling had shown that Hatch was vulnerable after 35 years securely in office, thanks in part to the overall anti-incumbent restlessness that has seen the rise of the Tea Party movement.

However, Chaffetz would have had to have risked a lot -- a secure spot in the House, and a position as a major voice among House conservatives -- for a Senate bid that would not have been any sure thing. In addition, Hatch has been going further to the right, with his support for a "Balanced Budget Amendment" proposal that would limit government spending and put up roadblocks to tax increases. Perhaps as a result, a more recent survey was showing Hatch with a lead over Chaffetz.

Harry Reid

Dems, GOP Demand: If You're Gonna Slash Medicare, Raise Taxes, Can You At Least Do So In Public?!

Brian Beutler | August 10, 2011, 6:00AM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) appointed three Democrats to a 12-member deficit Super Committee Tuesday, giving observers and advocates an early indication of how the committee will function as it seeks over a trillion dollars in further deficit cuts by the end of the year.

Just as important as who serves on the panel, though, is the question of whether it will function like most Congressional committees do -- open to press and voters, with conflicts of interest disclosed publicly, if not always swiftly or conveniently.

So often, high-stakes negotiations like these are conducted in private, where members feel free from accountability, and, to a lesser extent, from special interest influence. And because the debt ceiling statute that created the panel included no significant transparency requirements, the expectation has been that it will operate away from public scrutiny.

But there is growing pressure on Congressional leaders to pull back the curtain on the panel, including from influential members of their own parties. And now it seems as likely as not that the proceedings will take place in a way that makes it difficult for members to hide deal-making from the public.

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Debt ceiling

GOP Reps Uneasy About Triggered Defense Cuts

Benjy Sarlin | August 1, 2011, 4:11PM

Emerging from a meeting with party leaders, House Republicans cited potential defense cuts as a top concern in the bipartisan debt ceiling agreement.

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UT-SEN

Poll: Chaffetz Leads Hatch In Potential Senate Primary Challenge

Eric Kleefeld | July 13, 2011, 3:54PM

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

A new survey of Utah from Public Policy Polling (D) shows longtime Sen. Orrin Hatch vulnerable for the Republican nomination, trailing his potential opponent Rep. Jason Chaffetz.

The numbers: Chaffetz 47%, Hatch 43%. The survey of Republican primary voters was conducted from July 8-10, and has a ±4.9% margin of error.

Chaffetz, who was first elected to Congress in 2008 by defeating an incumbent in the GOP primary, has been considering a challenge against Hatch. The poll gives Chaffetz a favorable rating of 61%, to 17% unfavorable. Hatch's approval rating is actually a very similar 60%, to a disapproval of 28%.

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Debt Ceiling

McConnell Debt Back-Up Plan Gives Dems Opportunity To Break GOP Anti-Tax Hegemony

Brian Beutler | July 13, 2011, 6:00AM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

The U.S. political world reacted with confusion on Tuesday to a ground-shifting proposal by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Debt Negotiations At The White House]

The plan itself was clear enough: Republicans don't really have the stomach to allow the country to default on its debt in pursuit of their decades-long goals of slashing deeply into popular entitlement programs. But instead of admitting that and extending President Obama's borrowing authority through the 2012 election, McConnell proposed a Rube Goldberg-esque scheme by which Obama, by accepting some public embarrassment for himself and his party, could raise the debt limit on his own, with no policy strings attached.

No spending cuts for Republicans. No tax increases for Democrats. In effect, a clean debt-limit hike with all attendant political consequences, such as there are any, falling on the latter.

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UT-SEN

Poll: Could A Democrat Get Elected To The Senate From Utah?

Eric Kleefeld | July 12, 2011, 12:46PM

Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT)

A new survey of Utah from Public Policy Polling (D) finds a surprising result: That in this deep, deep, deep-red state, Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson could potentially be a competitive -- or even winning -- candidate for U.S. Senate.

Matheson, a Blue Dog Democrat, was tested against incumbent six-term Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, plus GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who could potentially challenge Hatch for the Republican nomination. The result showed Matheson edging out Hatch by 45%-44%, and leading Chaffetz by 47%-42%.

The poll showed Matheson with a 59% favorable rating, to 28% unfavorable. Two other Democrats were tested -- former state Attorney General Jan Graham, and 2010 Senate nominee and state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control chairman Sam Granato -- and they both trailed Hatch and Chaffetz by martins of about 20 points in all cases.

Of course, it should be noted that the idea of a Democratic senator from Utah does fall into the category of "believe it when you see it." And even then, you'd still have your doubts.

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2012 elections

GOP Rep. Chaffetz Backs Romney -- And Is A Former Huntsman Chief Of Staff

Eric Kleefeld | July 5, 2011, 6:00PM

Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) has announced that he is supporting Mitt Romney for president. The twist to the story: Chaffetz previously served as chief of staff to Romney's fellow candidate Jon Huntsman.

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UT-SEN

Chaffetz vs. Hatch -- On The Radio

Eric Kleefeld | June 17, 2011, 5:45AM

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

Two top Utah politicians are starting to line up against each other in the state's Senate race, with longtime Sen. Orrin Hatch facing a likely challenge for the Republican nomination from two-term Rep. Jason Chaffetz -- and they're fighting it out via talk radio.

Chaffetz, who first came to Congress after defeating incumbent GOP Rep. Chris Cannon, has been sending lots of signals that he could try to harness the Tea Party anti-incumbent fervor and turn it against Hatch. And in turn, Hatch was sent a serious message in 2010, when his fellow Sen. Bob Bennett was defeated at the state GOP convention, unable to even advance to a primary under the procedures used in the state.

It is important to note that the state convention system used in Utah -- in which a candidate can win a nomination outright by a vote of 60% of delegates at the state convention, without need for a primary -- can seriously empower the party's right-wing activist base. As such, the early phase of this fight is not fought out through a wider primary electorate, but through activists and a caucus system. Thus, targeted radio shows and the activities of activist groups will be the initial field of battle.

Now, Hatch and Chaffetz have hit the radio hustings.

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Afghanistan

Bipartisan Group Urges Obama To Use OBL Raid As Example And End War In Afghanistan

Susan Crabtree | May 9, 2011, 12:51PM

A bipartisan group of eight members of Congress are calling on the Obama administration to abandon the nation-building effort in Afghanistan in favor of a scaled-down mission focused primarily on quashing al Qaeda in the wake of the targeted special forces raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Reps. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), who chairs the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations, want the Obama administration to view the successful mission against bin Laden as a model for U.S. counter-terrorism strategy as a whole. Welch, Chaffetz and a group of three Democrats and three Republicans sent Obama a letter calling for the end of the war in Afghanistan and a shift to more surgical, strategic operations to combat worldwide terrorism.

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John Boehner

Strikes In Libya Divides GOP, Puts Boehner In A Bind

Susan Crabtree | March 21, 2011, 10:34AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

Freshmen House Republicans are already putting House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) in a bind over the budget, with a contingent of Tea Party-backed fiscal conservatives refusing to vote for any more continuing resolutions. Now a group of libertarian-leaning Republicans are balking at President Obama's missile strikes in Libya.

Republican Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Ron Paul (R-TX) and Justin Amash (R-MI) over the weekend objected to the President's decision to use military force to contain Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, with some questioning the constitutionality of the operation and others opposing U.S military intervention in another Arab country because they aren't convinced that the U.S. has a clear national interest in the action.

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Senate '12

Poll: Majority Of Utah Voters Think Sen. Hatch Should Go

Jon Terbush | February 24, 2011, 9:27AM

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

Last year, Utah voters ousted incumbent Sen. Bob Bennett (R) -- and now, a majority of them say it's time for the state's other Senator, Orrin Hatch (R), to go as well.

In a new Utah Policy poll, 54% of Utah voters said it was time to send someone else to Washington in Hatch's place, while only 31% said Hatch should be reelected to the seat he has held for 34 years. The poll also had dire news for Hatch's chances of surviving a primary challenge. In a hypothetical match-up with two-term Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Hatch only managed a tie at 42% apiece.

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UT-SEN

Poll: Hatch Under 50 Percent Against Chaffetz

Eric Kleefeld | February 15, 2011, 12:27PM

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

A new poll out of Utah finds Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch leading his possible challenger for the GOP nomination in 2012, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, but nevertheless measuring under the crucial 50% mark for his own support.

The new numbers from Dan Jones: Hatch 44%, Chaffetz 34%. The poll of Utah residents has a ±4.4% margin of error.

Chaffetz, who was elected to the House in 2008, has responded to the poll, Deseret News reports. "Not bad for a rookie. I'm excited. What an honor," said Chaffetz. "I was nine years old when he (Hatch) took office."

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UT-SEN

Mike Lee: 'Not My Intention To Support Any Candidate' In Hatch's Primary (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 11, 2011, 1:00PM

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who effectively won his Senate seat when he defeated incumbent Sen. Bob Bennett for the Republican nomination, now says he won't take any position in the next GOP Senate contest in Utah -- where his senior Senator, Orrin Hatch will likely face a primary challenge of his own.

It is widely expected that Hatch will face a stiff challenge from Rep. Jason Chaffetz, already leading in recent polls . Hatch has recently gone out of his way to impress the Tea Partiers, most notably appearing at the Tea Party Express town hall in Washington this week. TPMDC's own Evan McMorris-Santoro asked Lee at that event whether he would endorse Hatch -- and got no answer.

Lee appeared this morning on The Daily Rundown on MSNBC, where Chuck Todd asked him: "Senator Lee, does your colleague in Utah, Senator Orrin Hatch, deserve re-election?"

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UT-SEN

Tea Party Express Loves Orrin Hatch: 'An Original Tea Partier'

Eric Kleefeld | January 27, 2011, 3:56PM

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

In some good news for Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), he will not be targeted for defeat from the right by the Tea Party Express, which in 2010 supported such primary insurgents (and general election losers) as Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell. And far from attacking Hatch as a RINO, National Review reports, Hatch is being hailed as "an original tea partier" -- apparently thanks to some old connections.

Just this past cycle in 2010, Hatch's fellow Utah Sen. Bob Bennett was defeated for renomination at his state GOP convention, following an activist uprising motivated in part by his vote for the TARP bailout. Hatch -- who also voted for TARP -- has also had some weak polling and could face a challenge from Rep. Jason Chaffetz.

An important thing to note: While Tea Party Express, a project of Our Country Deserves Better PAC, is branded as an outsider organization, their chief strategist is Sal Russo. For his part, Russo is a longtime GOP strategist who has worked for Republican politicians such as Jack Kemp, George Pataki -- and Orrin Hatch, with whom he has a long history.

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Senate '12

Poll: Hatch Could Face Tough Road Back To Senate In 2012

Jon Terbush | January 18, 2011, 12:43PM

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

In 2010, Utah Republicans ousted Sen. Bob Bennett at the party's nominating convention, and according to a new Utah Policy poll, they may be ready to give the state's other incumbent Senator the boot in 2012.

In the poll, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) trailed two challengers in a hypothetical primary contest. Forty-eight percent of respondents said they'd support former Governor Jon Huntsman if he made a bid for the party nod, while 23% said they'd back Rep. Jason Chaffetz, and 21% said they'd support Hatch.

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Jared Loughner

2 Reps. Say They'll Now Carry Guns In Their Home Districts

Eric Lach | January 10, 2011, 9:32AM

Reps. Heath Shuler (D-NC) and Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)

In the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and 19 others in Arizona this weekend, Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Heath Shuler (D-NC) say that they will carry firearms when in their home districts.

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