Until Bunning confirms this story, I would view it with a great deal of skepticism as this smells like another weak Politico hit piece with nothing in it but "GOP operatives" who are trying to bring down Bunning. This is part of the coup, not a plan that Bunning is part of. ...
Just as I suspected...From the New York Times this evening:
A prominent Kentucky Republican - Secretary of State Trey Grayson - has formed an exploratory committee for a possible run for United States Senate next year, fueling speculation in Kentucky and in Washington that Senator Jim Bunning may be planning to retire.
But a spokesman for Mr. Bunning, Mike Reynard, refuted those rumors. "Senator Bunning has every intention of running," he said in an e-mailed statement.
I can't wait for Jim Bunning to personally respond to this latest volley.
Georgia: A new Research 2000 poll shows that, with strong recruitment, GA-Sen could be a serious sleeper race, with Republican freshman Johnny Isakson looking vulnerable. Isakson's favorable-unfavorable is a fairly weak 47-41. Further, he is held under 50%, only narrowly leading two Democrats. Former Governor Roy Barnes only trails 47-43, and Congressman Jim Marshall only trails 48-40. Last year, we saw Saxby Chambliss' first re-election bid become much more exciting than we had originally expected. Can lightning strike twice in a GA-Sen race? We'll see.
I'll put it simply: a Democrat with credibility, message, and money could give Specter just as much trouble as Toomey was set to. There is a very straightforward strategy to be pursued: win the Democrats who don't particularly care for Specter, either. By and large, this would be working class white Democrats in the west, upper income white liberals in the east, and African Americans of all income groups and ideological dispositions statewide. These groups have voted against Arlen Specter for nearly 30 years. A Democrat who can unite them under his banner could defeat him.
Further, on the prospect of a primary from Congressman Joe Sestak:
Hmmm...a progressive Democrat with military credentials. It sounds to me like he'd have a leg up with two of those three voting groups: western working class Dems and (mostly eastern) upscale liberals.
Keep an eye on Sestak. Snarlin' Arlen certainly will.
Nothing could be more unrealistic. After a lifetime of public service, Mr. Ridge had virtually no money to his name. Facing the prospects of putting several children through college, he leveraged his political experience and entered the private sector and now enjoys the benefits of a lucrative position. Earning a fraction of his current income likely would not appeal to Mr. Ridge.
The GOP could very well be stuck with unelectable Pat Toomey.
Missouri: Says Republican climatologist Roy Blunt: "There isn't any real science to say we are altering the climate path of the earth." Reward his idiocy by contributing to Democratic Senate candidate and Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan.
A new poll conducted by Dave Beattie (of Hamilton Campaigns) for Sen. Evan Bayh suggests little reason for concern as the Indiana Democrat looks toward a race for third term in 2010. Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of Indiana voters see Bayh in a favorable light while just 23 percent view him unfavorably. Bayh's favorability ratings are high across party lines with 74 percent of Independents and 61 percent of Republicans viewing him in a positive light. Republicans made some noise about challenging Bayh earlier this year but that talk has largely faded amid glowing poll numbers (like these) and the Democratic incumbent's massive campaign warchest ($11.4 million on hand at the end of March).
