Special Elections in New York Tomorrow February 8, 2010
Posted by rslcpol in : Blog , add a commentCheck out RSLC.com to track special elections across the country.
http://www.rslc.com/SpecialElections
California: Nine Hopefuls in Attorney General Race
Posted by rslcpol in : Attorney General News , add a commentFrom the Sacramento Bee:
By digging into his own pocket for $2 million, Chris Kelly catapulted on New Year’s Eve from worst to first in fundraising over a crowded Democratic pack fighting to succeed Jerry Brown as the state’s top law enforcement officer.
With six candidates running, the AG’s Democratic primary on June 8 promises to test what effect a wealthy candidate, a large field, and incumbency as a legislator or a sitting district attorney will have on balloting.
In the battle for the Republican nomination, a state senator is squaring off against the district attorney of vote-rich Los Angeles County and a former U.S. Supreme Court aide.
IL: Columnist - Democrats Lack Real Leader
Posted by rslcpol in : Lieutenant Governor News , add a commentFrom Chicago Sun-Times:
The debacle of Democrats nominating pawnbroker Scott Lee Cohen for lieutenant governor — a candidate so politically toxic he could bring down the Democratic ticket in November — highlights the awful job House Speaker Michael J. Madigan is doing as chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois. Unlike every other state party chairman in the nation, Madigan refuses to run a viable statewide political organization.
With Democrats now facing uphill battles to elect Gov. Quinn and Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias, they head into the nine-month general election campaign without a real, working statewide party. The Illinois Republican Party has a very engaging, energized chairman, Pat Brady. Illinois Democrats have Madigan, who shows little interest in doing the job of state party chairman, including mapping strategy to win in November.
Republicans Buoyant as Candidate Filings Opens
Posted by rslcpol in : State Legislature News , add a commentFrom Charlotteobserver.com:
Rarely have N.C. Republicans seen so much interest in running for office.
Dozens of prospective candidates have come to orientation sessions put on by House Republicans. Interest in congressional and local races also is high.
“You’re going to see a huge number of candidates file on the Republican side because they smell blood in the water,” says political analyst John Davis of Raleigh.
Filing for offices from the U.S. Senate to county commissioner opens Monday across North Carolina and runs through Feb. 26. The May 4 primaries are less than three months away.
MN: Legislators Look to Move Primary to Late Summer
Posted by rslcpol in : State Legislature News , add a commentFrom StarTribune.com:
DFL legislative leaders will try again this session to move the state’s primary election from September to August, even though Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed such a shift last year.
This time around, however, an earlier primary date is being prompted by a new federal law that all but mandates it.
A massive defense spending bill signed into law last year contains a provision that requires states to give overseas voters — including those in the military — at least 45 days to mail back their general election ballots this fall.
Dem Secretary of State Investigated for Using Taxpayer Funded Database for Campaign
Posted by rslcpol in : Dems Behaving Badly, Secretaries of State , add a commentFrom The Middletown Press:
Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, of Middletown, is under fire for using a database of citizens’ names to send out unsoliticed e-mails seeking campaign contributions, according to the Hartford Courant.
Bysiewicz, a Democrat, is running for attorney general. Current Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is now investigating her actions.
The database of citizens’ names was assembled at taxpayers’ expense by her office, according to the Hartford Courant. She allegedly used the database to promoted her candidacy.
A Republican political activist who received unwanted Bysiewicz campaign e-mails lodged a complaint last October against Bysiewicz, charging she was misusing “official state data for a political campaign,” according to the Hartford Courant.
NY: A Career Ending Scandal for Democrat Governor Paterson?
Posted by rslcpol in : Dems Behaving Badly , add a commentFrom MyFoxNY.com:
Paterson met privately with key Democratic leaders about his re-election plans as questions swirl around the state capitol about a variety of unproven accusations involving the Democratic governor’s personal conduct.
Paterson campaign spokesman Richard Fife said the weekend calls had nothing to do with the accusations but were “routine re-election campaign calls.”
“The governor started making calls two weeks ago to step up his campaign effort and get ready to officially announce his re-election campaign,” Fife said. “The calls were — and are — going well … And then look what happens — a coordinated effort to stop him and spread rumors.”
New Orleans Elects Lt. Governor Mayor
Posted by rslcpol in : Lieutenant Governor News , add a commentFrom the Wall Street Journal:
Mr. Landrieu won in a landslide in a vote that was scheduled as a primary and that many had worried would be overshadowed by revelry and football fever as the New Orleans Saints prepared for their first Super Bowl appearance on Sunday in Miami, and as Mardi Gras parades were under way.
He won more than 65% of votes with 96% of precincts reporting, despite the fact he was just one of 11 candidates in the race.
Mr. Landrieu will succeed term-limited Mayor Ray Nagin, whose popularity has fallen in recent years as he struggled to revive New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
During his victory speech, Mr. Landrieu was flanked by his family members, including his father, Moon, the city’s last white mayor, and his sister, Mary, a Democrat who represents Louisiana in the U.S. Senate.
Pressure over Scandalous Past Forces Democrat Lt. Governor Candidate to Drop Out - During Super Bowl
Posted by rslcpol in : Dems Behaving Badly, Lieutenant Governor News , add a commentFrom Chicago Tribune:
Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Scott Lee Cohen, a Chicago pawnbroker whose surprise primary win last week was followed by scandalous revelations about his troubled past with a prostitute ex-girlfriend, said Sunday night he would quit as nominee.
“For the good of the people … I will resign,” a tearful Cohen told reporters at a news conference he chose to hold at a Far North Side bar during halftime of the Super Bowl.
“The last thing I ever, ever wanted to do was to put the people of Illinois in jeopardy in any way,” he also said.
Cohen’s decision came five days after Democratic voters bypassed five rivals, including veteran state lawmakers, and chose the rookie candidate who poured $2 million in personal funds into an advertising blitzkrieg for the state’s lightly regarded lieutenant governor spot. It marked one of the quickest and most dramatic changes to an Illinois political ticket in history.
RSLC Chairman Ed Gillespie on “Meet the Press” (Video)
Posted by rslcpol in : Blog , add a commentCheck out the video of RSLC Chairman Ed Gillespie on NBC’s “Meet the Press”.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
New RSLC Chairman Ed Gillespie Scheduled to Appear on Meet the Press February 5, 2010
Posted by rslcpol in : Blog , add a commentBe sure to tune in this Sunday as the RSLC’s new Chairman, Ed Gillespie, is scheduled to appear on NBC’s Meet the Press.
Nebraska AG Says No Pay Raises for Lawmakers
Posted by rslcpol in : Attorney General News , add a commentFrom JournalStar.com:
Nebraska lawmakers don’t want a pay raise because of budget problems, and Attorney General Jon Bruning’s office agrees they shouldn’t get a chance at one this year.
A legal opinion issued by his office on Thursday says the Legislature overstepped the Nebraska Constitution when, in 2007, it voted to wait until this year to ask voters for a $10,000 pay raise.
Bruning’s office says the proposed constitutional amendment for the raise could have been given to voters for consideration before or at the next general election, in 2008.
Democrat State Senator investigated for sexual indecency
Posted by rslcpol in : Dems Behaving Badly, State Legislature News , add a commentFrom Arkansas News:
An eastern Arkansas legislator who survived an election fraud trial in the state Senate faces new allegations of sexual indecency in his home district.
The Arkansas State Police is investigating allegations by a former substitute teacher that Sen. Jack Crumbly, D-Widener, the Earle School District superintendent, exposed himself to her in his office.
“That’s under investigation and my attorney has just said for me to refer all the inquiries to him,” Crumbly told the Arkansas News Bureau.
His lawyer, Dion Wilson, did not return repeated calls seeking comment this week.
A complaint originally filed with the Earle Police Department was turned over to the Arkansas State Police, Earle Police Chief Lee Johnson said Wednesday. No charges have been filed.
NY: Should Prisons Be Part of Census Tally? February 4, 2010
Posted by rslcpol in : Blog , add a commentHere’s one for those of you follow redistricting and census matters. In short, this prison based gerrymandering uses prison population figures as part of the line drawing process for districts where the prisons are located. Crossposted at WeCanChangeCongress.com
From the Albany Times Union:
A group of three upstate Democrats whose districts include or are near large prison populations have found themselves pitted against mostly downstate urban senators who want to exclude inmate counts from redistricting, which will start next year.
Concerns by upstate Democrats Bill Stachowski, David Valesky and Darrel Aubertine about the push to end what advocates call prison-based gerrymandering provides an up-close example of how Senate Democrats, who are clinging to power with a 32-30-vote majority, remain split on many issues.
The latest rift opened last week when a coalition of groups rallied behind a bill sponsored by Manhattan Sen. Eric Schneiderman.
The measure would let New York exclude inmate counts from legislative districts when the state conducts its once-a-decade redistricting.
Traditionally, the redistricting, which results in heavy gerrymandering, relies on U.S. Census data for the population counts.
Skepticism Surrounds Democrat Secretary of State Candidate
Posted by rslcpol in : Secretaries of State , add a commentFrom MLive.com:
If Winfrey plans to use some of the same techniques implemented in Detroit’s government on a statewide level, then those last two initiatives are key for anybody who’s ever had to visit a Secretary of State branch office. After all, who doesn’t hate long lines for something as simple as renewing your tags?
Negative perceptions of Detroit politicians, however, could harm Winfrey in the long run if she doesn’t work quickly to distance herself from her former co-workers — including former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and former city councilwoman Monica Conyers, both of whom have fell victim to corruption.
“Ask some one who has ever dealt with Detroit city hall/clerk before you jump on that bandwagon,” writes one commenter here on MLive.
