Monday Tidbits

August fundraising numbers are out. Another losing month for the NRSC. DSCC: $2.58 million; NRSC: $2.36 million. The DSCC continues to enjoy a $10 million advantage in cash-on-hand minus debts. Meanwhile, the end of the third quarter of 2007 is this Sunday, so please contribute this week if you can.

Nebraska: Incompetent NRSC Chair John Ensign may have just guaranteed that the Republican Senate primary will be nasty, divisive, and rife with bad blood. Ensign has been pressuring GOP leaders in Nebraska to clear the field for Mike Johanns. Suffice it to say, Jon Bruning and Hal Daub appear absolutely livid. Heckuva job, Ensign. Also, Bruning has already begun sending barbs Johanns' way on immigration. (As a side note, look at the difference between the NE-GOP and the NH-Dems for a study in Party unity.)

Alaska: Republican Gov. Sarah Palin, possibly the most popular public official in the state, is urging scandal maven Ted Stevens to break his silence and comment on his numerous investigations to provide Alaskans with a "more thorough explanation." The pressure on Stevens keeps building.

New Jersey: Political analyst Stu Rothenberg declares that "Republicans [have] no reason for even a shred of optimism" in a campaign against Senator Frank Lautenberg.

North Carolina: Public Policy Polling breaks down its poll numbers in a Grier Martin vs. Elizabeth Dole match-up, finding that increased name recognition across the state for Martin would help cement broader support among Democrats and African-Americans. Whether or not Martin could defeat Dole in a Senate race could likely come down to how effectively Martin communicates his impressive background to North Carolina voters.

Michigan: The 2008 Senate race in Michigan could very well be a repeat of 2002. '02 GOP nominee Rocky Raczkowski is considering giving it another go. Also, GOP state rep. Jack Hoogendyk is considering a challenge to Senator Carl Levin. The political mood in 2002 favored Republicans even more than the 2008 political mood is shaping up to favor Democrats. Nevertheless, Levin crushed Raczkowski 61-38 in '02.

Montana: Well, this is curious. Disgraced Republican Senate candidate Mike Lange is criticizing Senator Max Baucus for his original 2002 vote to authorize George W. Bush to use military force against Iraq. Of course, Baucus has since called Bush's Iraq War "a mistake based on false pretenses and faulty information." But this is an interesting dynamic: a right-winger trying to run to the left of a centrist in a traditionally red state that's shifting to purple. More likely, Lange is just trying to deflate enthusiasm for Baucus among MT-Dems.

As bad as the NRSC is doing compared to the DSCC in fundraising and recruiting, at least the GOP can take heart in the fact that John Ensign and Mitch McConnell aren't publicly at each others' throats with resignation threats like House GOP Leader John Boehner and NRCC Chair Tom Cole are. Congressional Republicans are an odd bunch.

Let's get Dubya out there on the campaign trail!