Thursday’s political round-up

September 8, 2005

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:

* California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) will reportedly announce his re-election campaign next week, sometime between Friday’s close of the 2005 legislative session and Sept. 16, the opening day of the state GOP’s annual fall convention.

* Convinced that North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven (R) is the only Republican who can beat Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) next year, the GOP machine is going all out to woo him. Karl Rove will be heading to help “persuade” Hoeven to throw his hat into the ring. The NRSC’s Liddy Dole is haranguing Hoeven as well.

* Though DC Republicans are anxious to see a Byrd-Capito match-up in West Virginia, a new poll shows they may be overly optimistic. A poll released this week by Charleston-based RMS Strategies shows Sen. Robert Byrd (D) leading Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R), 55% to 39%. Capito has not yet decided whether to make the race, but polls like this one should weigh heavily on her mind.

* The field of Dems hoping to replace Maryland’s Paul Sarbanes in the Senate just keeps growing. Almost immediately, two veteran officeholders, Rep. Benjamin Cardin (D) and former Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D), jumped into the race. Since then, psychiatrist Lise Van Susteren has formed an exploratory committee, while real estate developer Joshua Rales, historian Allan Lichtman, and former Baltimore County Executive Dennis Rasmussen have hinted strongly about their intentions. Now, there’s a new name in the mix: State House Majority Whip Anthony Brown. Brown, who admits to considering the campaign, is a 43-year-old Harvard-educated lawyer and lieutenant colonel in the Army reserves — who just returned from a nine-month stint in Baghdad.

* To the disappointment of Dems in Pennsylvania, former state Treasurer Barbara Hafer (D) has announced that she will not take on Rep. Tim Murphy (R) next year. Hafer had been eyeing the race for months, but recently announced that her newly formed consulting business would keep her from the campaign. It was a reversal for Hafer, who had already filed a campaign committee with the Federal Election Committee and had met with Democratic leaders as recently as July.

* In what will be one of the more competitive open House seats in the country, the race to succeed Rep. Mark Green (R) in Wisconsin’s 8th congressional district is getting awfully crowded. Four Dems (doctor Steve Kagen, retired police officer Rich Langan, former DePere Mayor Nancy Nusbaum, and business consultant Jamie Wall) are already in. Among Republicans, State Assembly Speaker John Gard (R) will announce his campaign today. Gard will probably face State Rep. Terri McCormick in a Republican primary. Green is giving up the seat to run for governor.

I come from ND and I will be doing everything in my power to make sure Conrad is re-elected. We are a heavy red state but I think things are changing a little and I know lots of people that would normally not vote but I have got them fired up to have a say in our states future. It will be tough work cause hoeven is liked around here but I think Conrad will still win after all is said in done.

Wish us luck!

  • Der Schwarzenegger reneged on his campaign promises to the (short-sighted) gays who supported his election because vetoing this bill is his only hope for getting re-elected next year (think record deficits, scandals, conflicts of interest, etc.).

    The GOP bewails “activist” judges (i.e., those who judge), spreads fear and loathing of CA courts which might grant equal civil rights to gays, and now Herr Schwarzenegger wants to “catapault” the legislature and himself, leaving the decision on gay rights to the courts. Power doth indeed corrupt, and politics maketh strange bedfellows, nicht wahr?

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