Louisiana: Jefferson Gets Support From Officials, Unions
Embattled Rep. William Jefferson (D) rolled out a lengthy list of endorsements Monday from local elected officials and community leaders in Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans.
Many of the leaders joined Jefferson, who faces 13 candidates in the Nov. 7 all-party primary, at a New Orleans news conference.
“These endorsements speak to the wide range of support I hold across my district,” Jefferson said in a statement. “This is a coalition of support representing all corners of the district. ... The support of these individuals shows their confidence in my ability to deliver in this district.”
The list includes three state Senators and four state Representatives, including the Congressman’s daughter, state Rep. Jalila Jefferson-Bullock (D). All of the legislators are members of the Legislative Black Caucus.
New Orleans City Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis (D) also endorsed Jefferson.
Also endorsing the Congressman were more than a dozen ministers and numerous Democratic-aligned labor and interest groups, including the AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the American Trial Lawyers Association.
He also has the backing of the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee and Jefferson Parish Democratic Executive Committee.
Jefferson has been the subject of a federal bribery investigation since last year. He has not been charged and denies any wrongdoing.
State Rep. Karen Carter, one of the Democrats challenging Jefferson, previously announced the backing of a few local leaders, including the president of the New Orleans City Council. She announced Monday that she was being endorsed by several law enforcement veterans.
If no candidate in the all-party primary garners more than 50 percent of the vote in November, a December runoff between the top two vote-getters will be held.
— Lauren W. Whittington
WASHINGTON
BCRA First: Libertarian Trips Millionaires’ Rule
Bruce Guthrie, a former college instructor who is the Libertarian candidate for Senate, is spending his entire life savings of $1.18 million on his quixotic campaign.
Guthrie told the Federal Election Commission on Saturday that he intended to infuse his almost-bare war chest with his own money, thereby triggering the “Millionaires’ Amendment,” according to The Seattle Times.
Guthrie said he mortgaged his home, emptied his savings account and cashed out investments to pull together the hefty sun.
Guthrie taught at Western Washington University until June.
The expenditure could allow Sen. Maria Cantwell (D) and former insurance CEO Mike McGavick (R) to accept donations from individuals above the current limit of $4,200 — once an individual candidate donates a set amount to his own race, his challengers can raise more.
McGavick loaned his campaign $2 million but did so before the Sept. 19 primary, thereby denying Cantwell and his other general election opponents the right to raise money at the higher limit allowed by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.
Cantwell appealed to the Federal Election Commission to get McGavick’s contribution to count toward the Millionaires’ Amendment trigger for the general election, but the FEC ruled against her. Now it looks as if both McGavick and Cantwell can benefit from someone else’s spending.
It is unclear whose candidacy Guthrie hurts most.
Traditionally, Libertarian candidates appeal to Republican voters, but Guthrie’s platform includes opposing the Iraq War and supporting gay marriage, two issues more likely to resonate with Democrats.
Cantwell led McGavick by 10 points in a new Mason-Dixon survey released over the weekend.
Aaron Dixon also is running for Senate on the Green Party ticket.
— Nicole Duran
NEW MEXICO
NRCC Ponying Up More for Attack Ads
With a new independent poll showing the race between Rep. Heather Wilson (R) and state Attorney General Patricia Madrid (D) dead even, the National Republican Congressional Committee on Friday committed to spending an additional $258,000 on anti-Madrid ads.
According to new independent expenditure reports, the NRCC is paying Crossroads Media to air new spots attacking Madrid.
Both the NRCC and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have spent more than $1 million each on the highly competitive race. A poll released in Sunday’s Albuquerque Journal showed Wilson and Madrid each getting 44 percent of the vote.
With a new scandal swirling around Congressional Republicans, Wilson told the Journal in Monday’s edition that she would donate the $8,000 she has received in contributions from ex-Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) to an Albuquerque nonprofit group.
And in another development that could have some bearing on the Congressional race, a federal jury on Saturday found ex-state Treasurer Robert Vigil (D) guilty on one count of attempting to extort kickbacks from a state contractor. Republicans have accused Madrid, as the state’s leading law enforcement official, of turning a blind eye on corruption in state government.
— Josh Kurtz
ILLINOIS
Despite Wealth, Bean Foe Turns to Giuliani for Aid
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) will headline a fundraiser Thursday for wealthy investment banker David
McSweeney (R), who is challenging Rep. Melissa Bean (D).
McSweeney has gotten plenty of fundraising help from top GOP leaders and also has the ability to pour personal resources into the race.
— L.W.W.
FLORIDA
Buchanan Continues to Fund House Campaign
Wealthy car dealer Vern Buchanan (R) recently lent his campaign $650,000 — bringing his personal contribution to the race to succeed Rep. Katherine Harris (R) to more than $2.7 million.
Buchanan faces bank executive Christine Jennings (D) in November.
While the Sarasota-based district favors the GOP, Buchanan won a nasty primary in August and Democrats view the seat as a pickup opportunity. A recent Democratic poll had Jennings leading.
— L.W.W.
MINNESOTA
Top Wellstone Aide Joins Final Push for Klobuchar
A key aide to the late Sen. Paul Wellstone (D) has joined the Senate campaign of Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar (D).
Former Wellstone campaign manager Jeff Blodgett came on board this week as the race for the open seat being vacated by Sen. Mark Dayton (D) concludes.
Klobuchar also tapped Bob Hume to replace spokeswoman Tara McGuinness.
McGuinness left the campaign after revealing that she had viewed an unaired ad for GOP nominee Rep. Mark Kennedy, which was obtained under questionable circumstances.
The Kennedy campaign has called for an investigation and accused Klobuchar’s camp of using dirty tricks.
Blodgett is taking a leave of absence from his job as executive director of Wellstone Action to become a senior Klobuchar adviser. Hume is on leave from the city of St. Paul, where he has been communications director to Mayor Chris Coleman (D).
In a related development, the Klobuchar campaign announced that it has scheduled a fundraiser featuring Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Oct. 9 in Minneapolis. The luncheon at the Minneapolis Club costs $250 per ticket and $1,000 for people who want their picture taken with Obama and Klobuchar.
— N.D.
IDAHO
NRCC Paying for Poll in Race for Otter’s Seat
Although the Gem State seems like it should always be a slam dunk for Republican candidates, the national GOP isn’t taking any chances.
The National Republican Congressional Committee has just commissioned a poll in the 1st district open-seat race, according to newly released independent expenditure reports. The committee is paying the Tarrance Group $16,275 to survey the race pitting state Rep. Bill Sali (R) against Boise attorney Larry Grant (D). The two are competing to replace Rep. Butch Otter (R), who is the heavy favorite in the gubernatorial race.
An independent poll conducted a month ago showed Grant leading Sali 22 percent to 14 percent — though a whopping 61 percent of those surveyed were undecided.
Sali won a crowded Republican primary in the spring, and while he should be the overwhelming favorite in the general election, he has never been particularly popular with his fellow Republican elected officials, and that could explain the GOP’s nervousness.
Neither candidate had a tremendous amount of cash on hand as of the last campaign finance reporting period: Sali had banked $92,000 and Grant $74,000.
— J.K.
NEVADA
Cleland Backing Hafen in Race Against Porter
Former Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.) has endorsed Tessa Hafen (D) in her challenge to Rep. Jon Porter (R) in the 3rd district.
“We need Tessa Hafen in Congress where she can fight for better education, stronger communities and to honor America’s veterans,” Cleland said in a news release.
Cleland, a Vietnam War veteran, lost three limbs in combat there.
His 2002 loss to then-Rep. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) has become a rallying cry for Democrats who thought a Chambliss campaign ad that put Cleland in the same frame with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein was below the belt.
“President Bush and the Republican Congress have broken the promise our nation made to Max Cleland and all those who have served in America’s military,” said Hafen, a former top aide to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). “That is why it is time for a change in Congress.”
— N.D.
MAINE
Long Shot Getting Help From Kucinich Visit
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) is heading to Maine to help Senate candidate Jean Hay Bright (D) in her uphill race with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R).
Kucinich, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 as an anti-war candidate, will speak Oct. 9 at a rally and fundraiser for Hay Bright at South Portland High School.
The event is free, but Hay Bright seeks donations of $5 from students and $10 from adults.
“He is a powerful speaker, and I’m sure with all that is going on around the world and in Washington, he will deliver an important message,” Hay Bright said of Kucinich’s appearance.
Hay Bright’s husband, David Hay Bright, served as Maine co-coordinator of Kucinich’s failed presidential effort.
— N.D.
NATION
Club for Growth Backs Four House Candidates
Club for Growth’s political action committee announced last week that it had endorsed four additional Republican House candidates — one embattled incumbent, two challengers and one candidate in an open-seat race.
The conservative, anti-tax group is backing Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), who is facing a tough challenge from Cincinnati City Councilman John Cranley (D); wealthy businessman David McSweeney (R), who is challenging freshman Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.); South Carolina state Rep. Ralph Norman (R), who is taking on Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.); and Minnesota state Sen. Michele Bachmann (R), who is running against child safety advocate Patty Wetterling (D) in the race to replace Rep. Mark Kennedy (R-Minn.).
Earlier in the cycle, the Club for Growth had endorsed Minnesota state Rep. Phil Krinkie (R) for the Kennedy seat, but he lost the nomination fight to Bachmann at a district-wide GOP convention.
— J.K.
