Sneed is told a soon-to-be released statewide poll conducted by Dem national pollsters Greenberg, Quinlan & Rosner shows Dem U.S. Senate hopeful/state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias beating Republican U.S. Senate opponent Mark Kirk in a head-to-head race. "Alexi has a solid lead over Kirk . . . outside the margin of error of 3 percent," a source said.
Barring the 2010 landscape turning angrily against Democrats and eagerly for Republicans, I just don't see Republican Mark Kirk winning Barack Obama's Senate seat.
Arkansas: Arkansas state Senate President Bob Johnson, a Democrat, is publicly considering a 2010 Senate primary challenge to Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-WalMart). Normally, I'd be highly in favor of a Democratic primary challenger to Lincoln, but for him saying that "he would run as a conservative Democrat against her." My gripe with Lincoln is that she has too frequent a tendency to vote with Republicans and against the interests of working families on legislation regarding taxes and workers' rights and benefits. If this Democrat plans on running to Lincoln's right ("as a conservative Democrat, as though Lincoln wasn't conservative enough), what's the point? Not to mention that Johnson reportedly co-hosted a fundraiser for Republican State Senator Gilbert Baker last year. Coincidentally, Baker is considering a 2010 Senate bid as well.
Iowa: A week ago, speculation that Democratic Congressman Bruce Braley might challenge Republican deather Chuck Grassley sprung up after an item in the Des Moines Register suggested that Grassley could likely expect a well-funded, relatively well-known Dem opponent. That speculation was further stoked recently when Congressman Braley took to the virtual pages of the Huffington Post to criticize Grassley for "Putting Party Before the People on Health Care." Not only did Congressman Braley slam Grassley for the Republican's scare tactics and partisan obstructionism, but he also made sure that the media were aware of the critique.
Florida: Charlie Crist cancelled a speaking engagement with the predominantly Cuban American and Republican Latin Builders Association. So the LBA invited 2010 Senate candidate and Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek - and Meek proceeded to harshly criticize Crist's lousy economic record. Congressman Meek also struck the right notes regarding Crist's arrogance:
After Crist canceled, the association booked Meek. The congressman pounced on Crist's absence by saying the governor took the Republican group for granted.
"The governor is not here because he knows that he can afford not to be here,"' Meek said.
Not only does Congressman Meek make Crist look bad in a head-to-head comparison, but it also helps nudge this influential group in the direction of Crist's Republican primary opponent, Cuban American former state House Speaker Marco Rubio. Don't be shocked if a few LBA members send contributions to Rubio, or even Congressman Meek, after Crist's cancellation. In other Charlie Crist news, he's caught shamelessly pandering to Florida's religious conservatives by talking about how he used prayer to ward off major hurricanes during his tenure as Governor. I wonder how many conservatives will buy Crist's song and dance.
Nevada: It's great to see conservative groups flushing money down the toilet by futilely attacking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. What's troubling is that TV stations might air these right-wing ads that feature already-debunked lies:
"Now Harry Reid is pushing a massive government-run health care system requiring taxpayer funding for abortions," says the ad.
Given that the Hyde Amendment bans public federal funding of abortions, the ad is flat-out lying. On top of which, how do you "require" someone to have an abortion anyway? Right-wing nutjobs.
Louisiana: Hookerlover David Vitter's "independent conservative" challenger in the 2010 Senate race, Vietnam vet William Robert "Bob" Lang, gets more local press. Given that Vitter's putting all his eggs in the far-right-wing basket, Lang may be one too many chickens in the henhouse, hurting Vitter with this key far-right-wing demographic.
Texas: In preparation for Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison's resignation, the NRSC has already begun opposition research against Democratic Houston Mayor Bill White. I wonder what Republicans will try to smear Mayor White with and what they'll try to mislead voters on.
