Share Article | Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 02:48PM Hotline Sort: The Keystone Project
By Sean Sullivan -- National Journal
CORRECTION: The previous version of this post incorrectly indicated the number of members being targeted by the NRCC. Nine members will face robocalls or web ads.
Welcome back to Hotline Sort. Romney and Gingrich go after each other in New Hampshire, the NRCC targets Democrats in union-heavy districts over the Keystone XL pipeline, the latest United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll shows some serious warning signs for congressional incumbents and Cain says Romney's $10,000 bet comment was not the end of the world. Here's today's rundown:
9) Don't worry, Mitt Romney. Herman Cain says the $10,000 bet comment wasn't "all that big of a gaffe."
8) Democrats have landed a top recruit to run for the seat of retiring Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill, in former St. Clair County Schools Superintendent Brad Harriman. Harriman had long been testing the waters, but will release a video to supporters today making his entrance official. Iraq War veteran Chris Miller is also seeking the Democratic nomination, and Republican Jason Plummer, the 2010 lieutenant governor nominee, and former Belleville Mayor Rodger Cook, are both seeking their party's nod in what could become a nasty fight. The district leans Democratic, but the GOP sees it as a top pick up opportunity.
7) Republican Jackie Walorski, who very narrowly lost in Indiana's 2nd District to Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly in 2010 is making a second go at the seat in 2012. And she says the issue of debt in the district has nearly pulled even with unemployment as the most important issue in the race. "I would tell you that in the second district, the issue of debt is paralleling, at this point, the issue of unemployment," she told Hotline On Call in an interview on Monday. Walorski won't be facing Donnelly again, as he's running for the Senate. Walorski is likely to face Democrat Brendan Mullen in a district that has become more GOP-friendly following redistricting.
6) Missouri Republican Jacob Turk, who lost by nine points to Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver in 2010, will seek a rematch in 2012 in the redrawn 5th District.
5) North Dakota Senate Minority Leader Ryan Taylor made his gubernatorial bid official on Monday. He's the first Democrat in the race in which GOP Gov. Jack Dalrymple is the clear favorite.
4) The NRCC is hitting House Democrats in union-heavy areas, launching robocalls against nine members, urging them to vote in favor of the payroll tax/Keystone pipeline package. It's about jobs, say the calls. "This week, she has a chance to vote for a bipartisan jobs bill that would create up to 130,000 union-backed jobs at a pipeline that would bring oil from Canada to the U.S. However, Sutton's strongest ally in Washington, President Obama, is pressuring her to vote against bringing these jobs to America," says the call against Rep. Betty Sutton, D-Ohio. The members being targeted with calls: Jason Altmire (PA-04), Ben Chandler (KY-06), Mark Critz (PA-12), Dave Loebsack (IA-02), Michael Michaud (ME-02), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Nick Rahall (WV-03), Sutton (OH-13), and Tim Walz (MN-01). The members being targeted with web ads: Altmire (PA-04), Critz (PA-12), Peterson (MN-07), Rahall (WV-03), Sutton (OH-13).
3) As Texas deals with what it will do about the fast-approaching Dec. 15 filing date and March primary date, in light of the Supreme Court ruling on a new Congressional map, one possibility is a primary on March 6 for statewide contests and other unaffected races and then one in May for affected campaigns, Roll Call notes.
This could mean a lower turnout March primary -- which could work in favor of underdog GOP Senate candidate Ted Cruz.
2) The latest United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll shows Americans are just as dissatisfied with Congress as they were before the wave elections of 2006 and 2010. Forty-nine percent said it was time to give a new person a chance in their district while just 31 percent said their representative has performed well enough at their job to deserve to be reelected. Not a good time to be a congressional incumbent.
1) Newt Gingrich and Romney were both in New Hampshire on Monday -- and went after each other aggressively. Romney said Gingrich needs to return his Freddie Mac consulting fees while the former Speaker responded that Romney should "give back all the money he earned from bankrupting companies and laying off employees over his years at Bain."
Romney's still the frontrunner in New Hampshire, but Gingrich is running second -- and first in the other early states. That spells trouble for the former governor who may need a strong performance in New Hampshire as a firewall. For his own part, Romney's attempting to put more pressure on Gingrich proclaiming that the former Speaker is the frontrunner.
Meanwhile, Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., got a shout out from Gingrich while the former Speaker was in the Granite State. "Reelecting Senator Brown is a key step toward being able to repeal Obamacare," Gingrich said.
Jessica Taylor contributed
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