Specter to face primary challenge

Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) will face a primary challenge in his bid for reelection in 2010. Pat Toomey, the head of the Club for Growth, will launch a second consecutive bid to remove Specter in the Pennsylvania GOP senate primary. Toomey originally stated that he would not challenge Specter, but reconsidered after Republicans became angry with Specter’s support of the economic stimulus package.

Coleman likely to lose court battle, proposes re-vote

In a last-ditch effort to salvage his chances of winning reelection to the Senate, Republican Norm Coleman is now proposing that there be a re-vote for the Minnesota Senate race between himself and Democrat Al Franken, who is likely to be the next senator from Minnesota.

Coleman’s lawyers are now arguing in court that the disputed votes are too difficult to decipher and that in order to fix the problem the entire state of Minnesota should hold a re-vote. However, Coleman’s campaign was the one that initiated court proceedings and after numerous rulings went against him, he and his campaign are attempting to frame the results as “uncertain” and cast as much doubt on their legitimacy as possible. In response, Franken’s attorney noted that Minnesota law does not allow re-votes.

Obama to name Sebelius HHS secretary tomorrow

President Obama will name Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D-KS) the next secretary of health and human services tomorrow.

Sebelius’ nomination is being met with some resistance by the Catholic right while elements of the Catholic left are pushing back hard. The two groups are using Sebelius as a battlefield over abortion rights and it is not expected to hurt Sebelius in the confirmation process. Already, Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), who is a social conservative, has announced his full support of Governor Sebelius’ nomination.

In naming Sebelius, President Obama deals a major blow to Democrats’ chances of picking up the Senate seat being vacated by Brownback, who is running for governor in 2010. The DSCC and the NRSC quietly believed that if Sebelius ran for the seat, she would easily win. Now the DSCC is scrambling to find a new candidate to run for the seat in 2010.

Opinion: Burris should resign

Rod Blagojevich and Roland Burris

Senators have done far worse in the past, but Roland Burris, the junior senator from Illinois, should resign over his revelation that he was approached by the brother of disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and told to get appointed to the Senate, he would need to donate $10,000 to Blagojevich’s reelection campaign. Burris testified under oath to an Illinois House committee that no conversations of the sort ever took place. However, in a February 4, 2009 affidavit, almost a full month after Burris took his seat in the Senate, Burris changed his tune and said that impropriety occurred.

While Burris said that he never acted improperly, when he was appointed by Blagojevich and fighting to be seated in the Senate, he spent a great deal of time denying that any conversation of the kind he detailed in his affidavit ever happened. He told any and everybody he could that his appointment was not tainted and that he was not asked for money in exchange for the seat. While lying to the media is one thing, it is quite another to quite possibly commit the crime of perjury. In his testimony before the Illinois House committee he continued to say what he had been saying to the press about his appointment.

Now not only does Burris face criminal investigation for perjury, Senate Republicans and the Republican Party will push for there to be an ethics investigation. Additionally, Republicans are salivating at the chance of picking up Burris’ seat in the 2010 midterm elections as Burris has very low approval numbers and there is a very well-funded GOP candidate waiting to mount a serious challenge.

Roland Burris entered the Senate under a cloud and taint, while insisting he did not. He entered after stating that he was never asked to give money for his appointment to the Senate. Burris entered after telling an Illinois House committee under oath that no conversations like the one he described in his affidavit ever took place.  What is his excuse? He explains that he just remembered the conversation. To talk about having not done something so often and then to conveniently remember after being seated in the Senate doesn’t pass the smell test.

It is evident that Roland Burris repeatedly lied about his appointment to the Senate by Rod Blagojevich. Now, Roland Burris is facing criminal investigation because his desire to be a member of the Senate allowed him to quite possibly perjure himself. The people of Illinois deserve to not be consistently served by those of questionable morals and ethics. The people of Illinois deserve to not be served by another official under criminal investigation. For those reasons and many others, Roland Burris should resign from the United States Senate.

Gregg will not run for reelection in 2010

Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), who withdrew as President Obama’s nominee to be secretary of commerce earlier today, also dealt a blow to Senate Republicans when he announced that he will not seek reelection in 2010.

The move comes as welcome news to Democrats who believe that they stand a strong chance of gaining Gregg’s seat. Democratic Congressman Paul Hodes (NH) has already announced that he will seek the seat and is viewed as a strong candidate for the Democrats.

Reid takes on Rep. Shuler

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is taking on North Carolina Representative Heath Shuler, a fellow Democrat, after Shuler attacked Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) over what he called “failed” bipartisanship in the economic recovery plan. Reid’s spokesman hit back against Shuler, a former NFL quarterback (who was a major flop), in a manner that is reserved for members of the opposite party. Said Reid’s spokesman:

Let me get this straight – this is coming from a guy who threw more than twice as many interceptions than touchdowns?

Maybe Someone should tell congressman Shuler that under the leadership of President Obama we have put together a bipartisan bill that will create or save 3 to 4 million jobs, and that We have been more than willing to work with our Republican friends. We have accepted some of their ideas and will continue to do so. But not at the expense of creating jobs, investing in our future of helping the middle class. He can stand on a stage if he wants, but Senate Democrats are busy trying to pass legislation that will provide essential investments designed to create and save jobs.

Shuler’s actions do not help him in his quest to run against incumbent Senator Richard Burr in 2010. The DNC and DSCC will not help him with any challenge of Burr if he keeps on attacking the party leadership.

Lynch taps Newman to replace Gregg

New Hampshire Governor John Lynch (D) has selected Bonnie Newman, a Republican, to replace Commerce Secretary-designee Judd Gregg in the Senate. Newman immediately pledged to work for the people of New Hampshire and not run for a full term in 2010.

Newman’s decision to be “keep the seat warm” is greatly beneficial to the Democratic Party’s chances of picking up the seat in the 2010 midterm elections. Democratic Congressman Paul Hodes has informed Democratic Party officials of his intent to run for the seat and the DSCC is now quietly warding off any primary challengers.

Sink opts not to run for FL Senate

Alex Sink, Florida’s chief financial officer, announced today that she will not run for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Senator Mel Martinez. The move is a blow to the Democrats’ chances of gaining the seat in the 2010 midterm elections, as Sink is considered to be one of the most popular officials in Florida.

So far, Rep. Kendrick Meek is the only Democrat to officially enter the race, with Florida House Minority Leader Dan Gelber announcing today that due to Sink’s decision to not run, he will soon enter the race.

GOP trying to get Crist to run for Senate in FL

Republican leaders are trying to convince Florida Governor Charlie Crist to run for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Florida Republican Senator Mel Martinez. Crist is up for reelection as governor in 2010 and is widely expected to win a second term as governor, but were he to run for the Senate, he would stand a good chance of winning that race as well.

The only downside to Crist running for the Senate is that it could actually hurt his chances at running for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination as he would be a much stronger candidate were he a still a second term governor as opposed to a freshman senator.

Portman to run for Senate in Ohio

Rob Portman, the former head of the Office of Management and Budget and former Republican Representative, will run for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Ohio Republican Senator George Voinovich.

Lynch opts not to challenge Gregg

Democratic Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire has opted not to challenge incumbent Republican Senator Judd Gregg in 2010. The decision is a major blow to Democrats’ chances of picking up Gregg’s seat as Lynch is an immensely popular figure in New Hampshire and the cw is that he would beat Gregg by at least five points.

Meek to run for FL Senate

Congressman Kendrick Meek (D-FL) is expected to announce that he will run for the Florida Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Senator Mel Martinez.

The move is somewhat surprising to some Democrats and Republicans as Meek is young and viewed as having a much stronger chance of succeeding Florida’s senior Senator Bill Nelson (D) were he to retire at the end of his term in 2012 or in the next twenty years. Should Alex Sink jump into the race for the Democratic Senate nomination, Meek would be a massive underdog and losing to her could effectively end his political career.

Voinovich to retire

Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) will announce tomorrow that he will retire at the end of his term.  The news is somewhat welcome news to Democrats who were already targeting Voinovich in the 2010 midterm elections, but now that he is retiring, many believe that Rob Portman, a former congressman, US trade representative, director of the office of management and budget, as well as a widely mentioned as a running mate for John McCain, has already been recruited by Republicans to run for Voinovich’s seat.

Bond will not seek reelection

Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) announced today that he will not seek reelection in 2010. The announcement has increased Democrats’ hopes that they will pick up the seat.

Two prominent Democrats being mentioned as candidates are Rep. Russ Carnahan and Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. Among Republicans, former Senator Jim Talent and Rep. Roy Blunt are already considering running for Bond’s seat.

Jeb Bush will not run for Senate

Former Republican governor of Florida Jeb Bush announced today that he will not run for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL). With the announcement, Democrats now believe that they stand a good chance of picking up the seat and holding both Senate seats. Expect all of the major players considering running for the Democratic nomination to visit with Florida’s senior Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat, who wields enormous clout throughout the state’s Democratic Party.

Coleman challenging election loss in court; Reid urges him to concede

Former Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN), who lost his Senate seat at noon on January 3, is contesting his reelection loss in Minnesota court. Yesterday, Democrat Al Franken was declared the official winner of the election by a margin of 225 votes.

Earlier today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) called on Coleman to concede.

Franken wins MN Senate race; Coleman to challenge result in court

After a two month recount, Democrat Al Franken has been declared the winner of the Minnesota Senate race, defeating incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman by 225 votes.

Coleman’s campaign is signalling that they will challenge the results in court, delaying Franken’s ability to take his seat in the Senate.

Interestingly, the Coleman campaign is now arguing that “every vote should be counted” no matter how long it takes, which on the day after the election, when Coleman was claiming victory, was what Franken was arguing and Coleman was saying should not happen.

Franken expands lead in recount after final vote tally

Democrat Al Franken has expanded his lead in the Minnesota Senate recount. Franken now leads incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman by 225 votes after all the ballots have been counted. Minnesota’s state Canvassing Board will meet tomorrow to officially announce the vote tally and then, by law, the state must wait one week to certify the election results.

While Franken could be considered the winner as early as tomorrow, he might not be seated in the Senate for an indeterminate period of time should Coleman choose to challenge the result in court. On Friday the Coleman campaign indicated that unless they won, they would fight the result in court, a process which could take months. However, yesterday Coleman’s attorney seemed to back off from that claim and left room for Coleman not taking it to court.

AP: Coleman’s lead over Franken now 2 votes

The Associated Press is now showing the lead of incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman over Democratic challenger Al Franken to be just two votes. At current rate, Franken could end up defeating Coleman in the Minnesota senate race and become the 59th vote in the Democratic Senate majority.

White to run for open Texas Senate seat

Democratic mayor of Houston Bill White will run for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. The DSCC had been courting White for several months since Hutchison’s plans to step down to run for governor of Texas became public knowledge. He has long been viewed as the Democrat who is best-positioned to win a Senate seat in the state.