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SSP Daily Digest: 5/4

by: Crisitunity

Mon May 04, 2009 at 1:50 PM EDT

• KY-Sen: It wouldn't occur to me to assign great meaning to Jim Bunning's decision to skip attending the Kentucky Derby this year, but apparently that's a big deal, as there's lots of behind-the-scenes elbows-rubbing with potential donors. It's one more clue in the retirement puzzle, in view of GOP SoS Trey Grayson's formation of an exploratory committee, supposedly with Bunning's blessing, and the likelihood that Grayson's emergence will further dry up Bunning's fundraising.

• FL-Sen: With Gov. Charlie Crist poised to make a decision on whether or not to run for Senate upon the end of the Florida legislative session Friday, former state House speaker Marco Rubio has kept turning up the heat on him, suggesting that he's running in the primary with or without Crist. Regarding Crist's support for the stimulus package, said Rubio: "If you agree with Susan Collins or Olympia Snowe on some of these issues, you might as well become a Democrat."

• LA-Sen: David Vitter posts some mediocre numbers in a new poll from Southern Media & Opinion Research. He gets an approval rating of 58%, but only 30% say they would definitely vote to re-elect him (with 28% saying definitely not and 35% open to an alternative). Most ominously, only 35% of white voters said they would definitely vote to re-elect. In related news, potential primary challenger Stormy Daniels is embarking on a "listening tour" of Louisiana. I got nothing here; make up your own lascivious pun.

• OH-17: Turns out that Gov. Ted Strickland talked the 36-year-old Rep. Tim Ryan out of jumping out of a promising House career and into the #2 slot on his ticket. (Strickland said that when he does announce his Lt. Gov., it'll be a "huge surprise.")

• Redistricting: Dave's Redistricting blog is about to release a new feature that should keep SSP's many redistricting fans awake into the wee hours: a free and allegedly easy-to-use Flash-based online redistricting tool. It sounds like it's only based on Census population data and not precinct-level voting data, but even that would be a huge help for tinkerers like us. Keep your eyes peeled for the tool's launch some time this week.

Crisitunity :: SSP Daily Digest: 5/4

Tags: Daily Digests, KY-Sen, Jim Bunning, Trey Grayson, FL-Sen, Charlie Crist, Marco Rubio, LA-Sen, David Vitter, Stormy Daniels, OH-17, Ted Strickland, Tim Ryan, Redistricting, (All Tags)

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SSP Daily Digest: 5/4 | 17 comments

Hopefully dave will work with us

to crowdsource the precinct level data. His could turn into a very powerful tool in the next couple of years.

by: andgarden @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 12:53:53 PM CDT

by: you @ soon

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OH-Lt. Gov.

Maybe he's trying to talk Brunner out of the Senate primary and into being his running mate (based solely on Q1 fundraising, the former is looking like an increasingly fruitless row to hoe)?

by: SC @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 14:03:01 PM CDT

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What about a Republican switching parties to run with Strickland?

I know next to nothing about Ohio politics, but that sounds pretty damn surprising.

Follow the elections in Georgia at the 2010 Georgia Race Tracker.

by: TheUnknown285 @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 14:13:08 PM CDT

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No need

I believe Sebelius in KS and Schweitzer in MT did that. But there really is no need for it in a state like Ohio. Strickland can run with a progressive Dem and still wipe the floor against a party hack like Kasich.

by: ChadInFL @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 14:30:15 PM CDT

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I thought about that.

But short of someone like Mike DeWine, I wouldn't be tremendously suprised.

Stop complaining and whining and get to work.

by: ARDem @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 15:41:57 PM CDT

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I really doubt it

If anything, Ted would want Brunner to defend the SoS position -- if Democrats lose that office, a lot of hard work will go down the drain come the next round of redistricting.

by: James L. @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 14:26:19 PM CDT

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Auditor?

I believe that's another position on the board that draws legislative districts. Republicans barely won it in 2006 and we had a subpar candidate. We can win that one.

by: ChadInFL @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 14:28:39 PM CDT

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Well, ideally, sure

but she's signalled she doesn't want to do that; we're past that. If he's trying to talk her out, offering something that would still qualify as a step up would be a big enticement.

by: SC @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 15:39:49 PM CDT

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"she doesn't want to do that" = ?

as in, she doesn't want to run again for SoS?

Bill Posey is not half-alligator...and is outclassed by Davy Crockett anyway: http://www.washingtonmonthly.c...

by: Glenn Magus Harvey @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 18:00:07 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Yes.

By running for the Senate. So, if, hypothetically, he was trying to get her to give up the challenge to Fisher, that's what I mean.

by: SC @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 19:25:31 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

LA-Sen. Republican?

I hadn't realized that Stormy Daniels is a Republican running in the Repub primary.
I guess I assumed that she'd be running as an independent, or something.

Vitter might be vulnerable to a serious candidate. Vitter Still Beatable. His polling is rather mediocre, plus I would think that most from Louisiana (with the hurricane season approaching) wouldn't be pleased that he's pulling this stunt:
Louisiana senator blocks nominee to lead FEMA.

(BTW, you didn't call him "Diaper Dave". Is SSP going soft?)

by: homerun @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 14:23:22 PM CDT

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I think Daniels understands what a spoiler is

and thus her targeting the primary rather than the general.

Bill Posey is not half-alligator...and is outclassed by Davy Crockett anyway: http://www.washingtonmonthly.c...

by: Glenn Magus Harvey @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 15:01:50 PM CDT

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I know he lost re-election, but..

I wonder if ex-Rep. Cazayoux would consider running. Especially since he probably would have won re-election had Jackson not been on the ballot. I dont think he should give up on politics just because of that loss. Itd be a shame. Alot of wasted potential if that happened.

by: HarrisCountyBrian @ Tue May 05, 2009 at 02:00:27 AM CDT

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side-topic: reaction John Edwards news.

In my opinion, having a sex scandal is "get out"; having a sex scandal alongside a cancer-suffering wife is "get out and stay out"; involving said scandal in campaign finance is "get out and stay out, and don't come back".

Granted, I'm aware that the last allegation has not been proven yet.

Bill Posey is not half-alligator...and is outclassed by Davy Crockett anyway: http://www.washingtonmonthly.c...

by: Glenn Magus Harvey @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 18:02:21 PM CDT

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This is kinda creepy

From Specter's appearance on Face the Nation.

SENATOR ARLEN SPECTER: If we had pursued what President Nixon declared in 1970 as the war on cancer, we would have cured many strains. I think Jack Kemp would be alive today. And that research has saved or prolonged many lives, including mine.

That's an odd quote coming from a guy who stayed a republican for nearly 30 years. I agree that more should be done to fight cancer, but that quote kind of steps over the line.

by: ChadInFL @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 18:09:24 PM CDT

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we should stop

poisoning our bodies with so much artificial shit, that'd stop cancer.

by: Andrew @ Mon May 04, 2009 at 22:20:32 PM CDT

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Yes, let's go back to living in filth