Starting Lineup: Paging Heather Wilson?
Good Thursday morning and welcome to the Starting Lineup. Hard to believe Election Day was a whole month ago, isn't it?
On the radar today: the GOP looks for a New Mexico Senate contender against Jeff Bingaman (D) retirement speculation; John Ensign (R-Nev.) breathes a big sigh of relief; more drama in the Minnesota gubernatorial recount; Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) expected to face censure vote and MoveOn Skypes the president.
Paging Heather Wilson? New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D) made waves on Wednesday by suggesting he hasn't ruled out retiring instead of facing re-election in 2012. "Certainly there are many pros and many cons, he told Politico.
The remarks sparked renewed interest in New Mexico Republican circles since the GOP gained the governorship and a House seat in the state this year. The problem, however, is that there isn't much of a Republican bench. The focus, so far, has been on former congresswoman and 2008 Senate contender Heather Wilson.
Wilson, however, didn't sound much like a candidate when reached by Hotline On Call late Wednesday. "I just have to focus on helping the governor and can't focus on that right now," she said, referring to her job chairing Gov.-elect Susana Martinez's (R) transition team. Wilson added that "the speculation is flattering."
Wilson is virtually the only Republican in New Mexico with a statewide profile, she held a Democratic-leaning Albuquerque seat for a decade before mounting an unsuccessful Senate campaign, when she lost to Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) in the primary. Another Republican, Greg Sowards, also appears to be getting ready to run, according to his website. Sowards ran for Pearce's open House seat in 2008, but didn't make it through the primary. http://politi.co/gcLkFX
(By the way, Sowards has a great URL: www.shortbaldhonest.com)
Ensign Breathes Sigh Of Relief: Nevada Sen. John Ensign (R) got a major break on Wednesday when his lawyers announced that the Department of Justice was no longer investigating him for criminal and ethics violations regarding lobbying laws and the cover up of an affair.
"The Department of Justice has informed us that Sen. Ensign is no longer a target of its investigation and that it has no plans to bring any charges against him in this matter," Ensign lawyer Paul Coggins said in a statement.
The news is a boost to Ensign's re-election chances in 2012 - at least insofar as the primary is concerned -- but it still remains to be seen whether he'll face an intraparty challenge. Rep. Dean Heller (R) has been considering the race, and was viewed as ready to jump, if Ensign was forced to retire as a result of the investigation.
A mid-November Public Policy Polling (IVR) survey found Ensign leading Heller by a 45 percent to 37 percent margin among Republican voters. Also notable in that survey: 64 percent of Nevada Republicans approve of Ensign's job performance.
Ensign still faces an Ethics Committee investigation that could carry sanctions and even expulsion from the Senate with it. And the allegations involving the cover-up of his affair would be pretty damaging. (Can't you already see the attack ads?) But if he can make it through the Ethics Committee investigation, he could find himself in surprisingly decent shape for 2012.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Shelley Berkley (D) is reportedly considering the race.
Stay tuned to Hotline On Call for more on the political situation in Nevada.
Ensign Story: http://bit.ly/i6Sl2M
Poll: http://bit.ly/cVVdVS
More Drama In Minnesota: The Minnesota Republican Party grabbed headlines again late Wednesday, by criticizing Hennepin County Elections Manager Rachel Smith. Minnesota GOP chairman Tony Sutton said in a statement that Smith was changing "the rules in the middle of the game to advance" Democrat Mark Dayton's chances. At issue appears to be Smith attempting to add counting tables to her facility.
"Smith also unsuccessfully tried to change the rules by expanding the number of tables and changing the 'sign in' rules for challenged ballots to discourage Emmer observers from lodging challenge," Sutton said.
Hennepin is the state's largest county and has seen a distinct rise in ballot challenges from Republican Tom Emmer's team. As of Wednesday night, Emmer's team has challenged 679 ballots while Dayton has challenged 163, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State. Emmer's team has also issued hundreds more "frivolous" challenges.
That comes after the Minnesota GOP made waves on Wednesday by saying it was considering lawsuits over "vouching" -- the process where a registered voter and vouch for an unregistered voter so he/she can register on Election Day -- and "reconciliation" -- the process the state goes through go make sure the number of votes cast match the number of voters.
The frequency of the Republican complaints -- virtually one a day now -- suggests that Emmer and the GOP may be leaning toward legal action.
Mark Drake, a spokesman for the GOP, told Hotline On Call that Wednesday's story line on vouching on reconciliation, however, was "blown out of proportion" and that the possible lawsuit is purely "hypothetical."
The party, he said, "has made no decisions either way." http://bit.ly/eJnxtT
Rangel Censure Vote: Keep an eye on the House Thursday, as the vote to censure Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) is expected to take place. The New York Post reports that Rangel sent a last-ditch email to his supporters "asking them to flood Congress' switchboard with calls pleading he get a lesser punishment for breaking multiple ethics rules...Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle ridiculed the stunt, saying it was 'inappropriate' and added campaign-style politicking to the House ethics process." http://bit.ly/h01VhO
Skyping The President: MoveOn.org is ramping up pressure on Pres. Obama not to compromise and extend the Bush-era tax cuts, airing a new ad on Wednesday that features submitted web videos from across the country.
The 60-second ad is another example of the tight rope walk Obama is trying to do on the tax cuts. Polling shows a strong majority of Americans want some of the cuts cuts extended, but the left will be ultimately disappointed if Obama goes too far to reach a compromise with Republicans and extends them for wealthy Americans.
"Mr. President, please do not compromise with the Republicans about extending the Bush tax cuts," one woman says in the ad. "I am in the highest tax bracket. We don't need the money--the country does!" adds another.
It is unclear how long the ad will be on the air. MoveOn is now the second progressive group to take to the airwaves to pressure Obama on the issue. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee also went up with an ad Wednesday that uses Obama's own words on the issue when he was a candidate in 2007. http://bit.ly/dQGfyN
AD: http://bit.ly/e5c4qs
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