Maine: Yesterday, I mentioned that CREW released a new report "exposing massive failures and billions wasted at Dept. of Homeland Security." I also reminded readers that Susan Collins was Chair of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs during the middle years of the decade and should have provided oversight on the billions in waste and mismanagement at Homeland Security. Well, it turns out that, back in 2006, lots of Senate Democrats felt the same way:
All seven Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Tuesday pressed Chairman Susan Collins to hold hearings on the billions of dollars in Iraqi reconstruction funds that have been squandered due to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.
We've known about this waste and mismanagement at DHS and in Iraq for a long while, and Senate Democrats urged Collins, as Committee Chair, to actually conduct oversight hearings to look into it. But, yet again, Susan Collins was more interested in protecting George W. Bush's administration than she was in protecting Maine and the rest of America from waste and mismanagement at the Department of Homeland Security and in Iraq. Just another reason Susan Collins should be kicked out of office on Election Day 2008.
Mississippi: Rumor (yes, just rumor for now) has it that GOP Gov. Haley Barbour has decided on GOP Rep. Roger Wicker as his pick to fill a vacancy caused by Trent Lott's resignation, when the time comes. Though Wicker enjoys solid approval numbers compared to his disapproval numbers, still roughly half of Mississippians have no opinion of Wicker.
Kansas: Businessman Greg Orman confirms that he will run for Senate in 2008 against Pat Roberts. Orman has an impressive professional background and a clear vision for his campaign. The only question is whether he can get traction against the entrenched incumbent Roberts. Back in July, I outlined the five reasons a Democrat can beat Roberts in 2008, including: Roberts' unintimidating approval numbers, Roberts' failure as Senate Intelligence Chair, Kansas voters becoming more friendly to Democrats, a lack of available support from the NRSC, and the mess the KS-GOP is currently in.
Louisiana: Republican Secretary of State Jay Dardenne confirms that he is still considering a 2008 Senate bid despite recently-Republican state Treasurer John N. Kennedy's entrance into the race. While I don't expect Dardenne to enter the race (he is still recovering from a car accident he caused back in August), I wouldn't mind a bruising LA-GOP Senate primary.
Tennessee: Cross former TN-Dems Chair Bob Tuke off the list of possible challengers to Lamar Alexander. Next up, Nashville attorney Kevin Doherty, who has a very interesting background. Fun fact about Doherty: he was student body President of Princeton University following the tenure of now-New York Governor Eliot Spitzer. Hopefully Doherty will announce a decision in the near future.
Florida: Politics1 suggests that Mel Martinez could see a GOP primary challenge from Florida's Republican state House Speaker Marco Rubio. Politics1 notes:
Some Florida Republicans are upset with Martinez over his immigration position, others in the agricultural community are unhappy about his support for CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement), and party activists grumble about his brief, hands-off RNC Chairmanship. Considered a fairly poor campaigner with weak name ID and no discernable association with any particular issue, Martinez could be vulnerable to a challenge from the right. Others who know Martinez -- who was largely strong-armed into the race by the Bush White House -- say he is simply not enamored with serving in the Senate and may opt to not seek a second term.
As noted in the Guru's Quick Glance at 2010, Martinez has weak approvals and is one of the oldest freshman Senators in recent memory. Florida will indeed be one of the top ten targets for Democratic pick-ups in 2010.
Texas: The Texas College Democrats have produced a tremendous YouTube video illustrating the similarities between The Grinch and one John Cornyn:
Are you sure LA -has- a GOP primary? Isn't it an open primary where if no candidate gets a majority, it goes to runoff? Either way, it could help Sen. Landrieu to have multiple GOPers in the field.
Starting with 2008, Louisiana's federal elections are returning to the standard primary-general format instead of the "jungle primary" and run-off format that they have been using.
2 Comments:
Guru,
Are you sure LA -has- a GOP primary? Isn't it an open primary where if no candidate gets a majority, it goes to runoff? Either way, it could help Sen. Landrieu to have multiple GOPers in the field.
Starting with 2008, Louisiana's federal elections are returning to the standard primary-general format instead of the "jungle primary" and run-off format that they have been using.
Post a Comment
<< Home