By The Hill Staff
November 08, 2007
National
The Democratic and Republican National Committees each claimed momentum heading into the 2008 campaigns in the aftermath of Tuesday’s elections, issuing dueling memoranda that outlined their arguments.
Democrats pointed out that, in Kentucky, they regained a 28th governorship that they lost last month in Louisiana.
They also regained the state Senates in Mississippi and Virginia and now hold 56 of 98 chambers nationwide, according to the memo.
A much shorter memo from Republicans highlighted Louisiana Gov.-elect Bobby Jindal (R) and near-miss Massachusetts special election House candidate Jim Ognonowski (R), both of whose races concluded last month. It also emphasized Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour’s (R) reelection Tuesday.
Republicans claimed successes in holding on to the Virginia House of Delegates and in winning two statewide races in Kentucky, while Democrats noted they won the other four Bluegrass State offices.
“These results show that Republican candidates are providing solutions that the American people believe in,” the GOP memo said. “The Democrat[ic] formula of pessimism and negativity has been proven to be no substitute for an agenda in 2007. The same will hold true for 2008.”
The Democrats said: “If Democrats continue to show up everywhere, run on our values, and offer clear solutions on the critical issues, the clear lesson of 2007 is that Democrats are well-positioned to win anywhere in 2008.
— Aaron Blake
Indiana
Rep. Julia Carson (D) offered few clues about her political future Monday in her first public interview since taking leave from the House in September, according to local reports.
Carson, 69, was hospitalized in late September and has been in poor health for years, including undergoing a double bypass a decade ago. She has requested not to return to work until mid-December.
In the interview, which was played on local radio station WTLC-AM 1310, Carson left her reelection bid up in the air.
She has previously said she intended to seek reelection.
“When I get to the point where I come to the end of the road and talk to the Lord about what I’m going to do now, I think He’ll show me the answers,” Carson said, as quoted by The Associated Press.
Carson defeated Republican Eric Dickerson 54-46 last year — her smallest margin since being elected in 1996.
— A.B.
Iowa
Freshman Rep. Bruce Braley (D) is enjoying the fruits that come with being an undecided congressman in the first-in-the-nation caucus state.
As Braley is looking to build his war chest for his reelection effort next year, he is getting help from some of his party’s biggest names as they seek his endorsement in their own 2008 quests.
Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) is scheduled to attend a fundraiser with Braley at his “Bruce, Blues and BBQ” event in Dubuque this weekend, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) joined the congressman for a series of events in Davenport last weekend, and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is slated to join Braley at a fundraiser later this month, according to Braley’s office.
Of the state’s House members, only Rep. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.) has forfeited the help of the entire field by endorsing Obama. The rest of the Iowa and New Hampshire House delegations have been reluctant to throw their support behind any one candidate.
Braley represents a Democratic-leaning district and hasn’t drawn a serious challenger yet.
— Sam Youngman
Kentucky
A day after incumbent Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher lost his reelection bid by nearly 20 points, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell called his home state a “solid, competitive, two-party state.”
Hoping to replicate the Republicans’ 2004 success in defeating Democratic Leader Tom Daschle in South Dakota, Democrats have put a target on the back of McConnell, who is up for reelection next year and has seen his approval rating slide at home.
But McConnell has yet to draw any serious challengers, and he has amassed a war chest of almost $7 million cash on hand, according to his latest financial report.
McConnell said that the Republicans in the state, which President Bush carried with 60 percent of the vote in 2004, “are still very competitive,” pointing to GOP victories in other statewide offices on Tuesday.
“I think Kentucky is still a red state,” McConnell said. He predicted that 2008 will mirror 1948, 1956 or 1996, “when a new Congress came to power and the opposite party benefited a mere two years later.”
— Manu Raju
Maine
A new poll shows that Rep. Tom Allen (D) trails Sen. Susan Collins (R) not only statewide, but also by double digits in his own congressional district.
The independent Critical Insights poll, released Friday, shows Collins leading Allen 49-36 in his 1st congressional district and 56-30 in the state’s other House district. Overall, Collins leads 54-34 among likely voters.
Allen has represented the 1st since 1996, the same year Collins was first elected to the Senate.
Allen has been hyped as a strong Democratic challenger in a blue state, but early polling shows he has a long way to go before making a competitive race with the popular Collins.
Collins takes 32 percent of Democratic voters in the poll and leads among independents.
— A.B.
Massachusetts
Any hopes Republicans had of luring Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling into a race against Sen. John Kerry (D) in 2008 were dashed this week, when the GOP supporter agreed to a one-year contract with the club, extending his career until just before the 2008 elections.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee hadn’t completely closed the door on the possibility. But after speculation about a Schilling-Kerry match-up was sparked early this year, Schilling said he planned to play baseball in 2008.
Kerry’s numbers aren’t terribly strong in the state, but his large war chest and the dark-blue nature of his state have scared off any strong challengers.
— A.B.
Nevada
Rep. Jon Porter’s (R) likely Democratic challenger won a guilty plea in a high-profile murder case on Monday, clearing the way for him to begin campaigning full-time.
Chief deputy district attorney Robert Daskas (D) declined to enter the race full-bore until the trial of Darren Mack was complete. On Monday, Mack unexpectedly pleaded guilty to killing his estranged wife and entered a second conditional guilty plea in a plea deal, according to local reports.
Daskas claimed victory afterward.
“Our goal going into this case was to see Darren Mack convicted of premeditated murder and of attempted murder,” Daskas told The Associated Press. “Whether it was by jury verdict or guilty pleas was insignificant to us.”
Porter defeated Tessa Hafen (D), a former staffer to Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), by about two points in 2006.
— A.B.
http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/state-by-state-2007-11-08.html
