Starting Lineup: Obama Batting For Boxer
Good Tuesday morning and welcome back to the Starting Lineup. We are two weeks from Election Day and here's what's on the radar: the DCCC pulls back in Philly; the DGA doubles down on Florida; it's elitism versus extremism in the Nevada Senate race; few signs of a Ted Strickland comeback in new polling; Giannoulias looks to strike; and a rough morning for Alaska's Joe Miller.
Obama Goes To Bat For Boxer: Pres. Obama has cut only his second campaign ad of this election cycle, appearing in a one minute radio spot for Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).
"This is Barack Obama. On November 2, California has a choice and the stakes couldn't be higher. I am asking you to get out and vote for Sen. Barbara Boxer."
Obama has very rarely appeared in ads this year -- a sign of his damaged political brand. The only other one he filmed was a TV spot for state Rep. Cedric Richmond (D), who is challenging Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao in Louisiana's heavily Democratic 2nd District.
The President also recorded a robocall for Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D), who is running for Obama's old Senate seat. Obama has stumped for Giannoulias several times and Giannoulias used footage of Obama in an early campaign ad.
AD: http://bit.ly/9fv8b2
Robocall: http://bit.ly/ayHqSc
Strickland Still Struggling: Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D) isn't making up ground against former Rep. John Kasich (R), despite buzz that Democrats were starting to rally behind their candidates in Ohio. A new Quinnipiac survey shows Kasich leading 51 percent to 41 percent, virtually the same as the 50 percent to 41 percent deficit Strickland faced in the last Q poll earlier in October.
Even more telling, the poll shows that the president is a major drag on Strickland's prospects, making his decision to appear alongside Obama all 11 times he's visited the state - including last weekend's big OSU rally -- a bit puzzling. So much for a comeback. http://bit.ly/ae95ln
DCCC Pulls Back In Philly: The suburbs have been a huge growth area for Democrats over the past two cycles, but if the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's ad reduction in Philadelphia is any indication, they're going to give up a lot of gains in those areas come Election Day.
It's a sign of how the landscape has changed in just a month's time. The initial conventional wisdom was that Republicans wouldn't have enough cash to compete in the Democratic-leaning and expensive suburbs around Philadelphia. But now, with more races coming into play, it's Democrats who can't afford to spend valuable millions on behalf of Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) and the PA 07 open seat, when there are dozens of other races they'll need to defend, where the DCCC's money can go further.
DGA Doubles Down On Florida: The DGA is sending another $500,000 to Florida, a sign that Florida is the top gubernatorial pick up opportunity for Democrats this year. With the transfer, the DGA has sent $6 million to the state -- the most the committee has ever sent to any state ever.
The transfer is also a sign that the race between state CFO Alex Sink (D) and businessman Rick Scott (R) is tight as a tick. In a sign of the race's importance, DGA Chair Jack Markell (D-Del.) will also be heading to Florida on Tuesday to campaign for Sink.
Alexi Looks To Strike Again: It's round two in the Illinois Senate debates and Giannoulias is looking to land another blow on Rep. Mark Kirk (R). Giannoulias' campaign says they saw their numbers tick up after the first debate, so expect the Democrat to stay on the offensive and highlight the latest flap surrounding Kirk exaggerating his role in drafting legislation that cracked down on companies who did business with Iran.
Kirk told the Chicago Sun-Times that he helped draft the legislation then passed it to House Foreign Affairs Chair Howard Berman (D-Calif.) so it would be easier to pass in a Democratic Congress. Berman said that was an "exaggeration." http://bit.ly/dfakj4
Other Debates: There are plenty more on Tuesday including another showdown between Marco Rubio (R), Gov. Charlie Crist (I) and Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) in Florida as well governor's debates in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, South Carolina.
There is also a "debate" occurring in the Texas gubernatorial race on Tuesday, but Gov. Rick Perry (R) isn't participating. Perry is protesting all of the debates this year after demanding that Democratic nominee Bill White release more income tax returns. If this holds up -- and it looks like it will -- it'll first time since 1990 that there won't be a general election debate in a Texas governor's race.
Speaking Of Meek: He'll get a boost on the stump on Tuesday from Pres. Bill Clinton.
Elitism Vs. Extremism In Nevada: Sharron Angle is making her closing argument in the Nevada Senate race: Sen. Harry Reid is a wealthy DC politician out of touch with the hardships facing Nevadans. We saw a glimpse of the argument in their recent debate. Now she is up with a new ad that hammers it home.
"Harry Reid vs. You," the ad says. "Harry Reid, living large in the DC Ritz-Carlton. You, living in the state with the highest unemployment rate, worried about paying the mortgage."
AD: http://bit.ly/bo9jw5
Rough Morning For Miller: Attorney Joe Miller (R) is facing a few troubling headlines in the Alaska Senate race. First, he admitted on Monday that he used state computers for political purposes while working for the Fairbanks North Star Borough in 2008. And remember that townhall meeting where a reporter was handcuffed? Turns out Miller also made a controversial statement about immigration reform. When describing how to secure the border, Miller hearkened back to the Cold War. "We have the capacity to, as a great nation, obviously to secure our border," Miller said. "If East Germany could, we could."
Story: http://bit.ly/ccQ90j
Video: http://bit.ly/cOs3CE
Headline Of The Day: "Albany Governor's Debate Verges On Farce." http://nyti.ms/cS0KK9
Well That's That: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on what seems to be rapidly accelerating presidential talk: "I am not a candidate for president...If the vice presidency is offered to me, I will turn it down." http://bit.ly/cZZypj
White House Watch: Pres. Obama is off the campaign trail on Tuesday, but he raised $400,000 at the DSCC fundraiser on Monday, according to pool reports.
Vice Pres. Joe Biden is on the West Coast. He'll attend a rally for Sen. Patty Murray (D) in Vancouver, Wash., then head to a fundraiser in San Francisco, Calif., for Boxer.
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