The Week In Midterms: Romney's In The Mix
As he gears up for 2012, Mitt Romney is keeping his name in the 2010 mix as he tours the country selling his recently released book. He was in Phoenix on Tuesday talking up his former presidential rival and also took the time to announce which gubernatorial candidate he likes in South Carolina.
Here's a quick rundown of some of the highlights of the week that was in the always hectic 2010 midterm election cycle:
SENATE
ARIZONA: A new poll out this week showed the GOP primary race for John McCain's Senate seat is close, with McCain polling under 50 percent and holding off former Rep. J.D. Hayworth by just 7 points. The two have been going after each other recently over earmarks and which candidate is truly conservative. McCain's also getting help from some old friends -- Mitt Romney in Phoenix this week and Sarah Palin in Tucson and Phoenix next week.
COLORADO: Sen. Michael Bennet (D) released a TV ad this week that -- as many candidates around the country are doing -- attempts to show him as a D.C. outsider. "I've been in Washington for only a year," he says, accurately. Meanwhile, Bennet's primary challenger, former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, was tying him right back to Washington, saying his caucus victory over the senator on Tuesday was a backlash against Washington. The point of the caucuses was to select delegates to the May state party assemblies, but also proved Romanoff has a strong group of activist supporters.
CONNECTICUT: A Quinnipiac poll found WWE executive Linda McMahon, who's already spending big, taking the lead in the GOP Senate primary against former Rep. Rob Simmons. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal still leads both by more than 30 points.
KENTUCKY: Things got a little maddening in the two Senate primary races this week as the NCAA basketball tournament kicked off -- both physician Rand Paul (R) and Attorney General Jack Conway (D) hold degrees from Duke, while their primary opponents, Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R) and Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo, hold degrees from Kentucky. Things got started when Grayson released a web ad calling out Paul for his ties to Duke. The schools have a deep and contentious history in the tournament, and basketball is huge in Kentucky.
NEW YORK: Former Rep. Joe DioGuardi (R) announced Tuesday morning that he was joining a short but growing list of Republicans running for Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand's Senate seat. As we mentioned a few weeks ago when we reported he was considering a bid, DioGuardi -- who's been out of Congress for more than 20 years -- is now better known as the father of an "American Idol" judge.
LEFTOVERS: New polls this week showed potentially close general election races in California, Florida and Wisconsin.
GOVERNOR
CONNECTICUT: Quinnipiac finds Ned Lamont and Tom Foley leading in the Democratic and GOP primaries, respectively.
CALIFORNIA: Two polls -- the Field poll and Rasmussen -- showed Meg Whitman surging in both the primary and the general. Maybe pulling an Obama helped afterall? Jerry Brown says he wants the unions to do his dirty work. George Skelton says Whitman is proving herself to be a formidable candidate.
FLORIDA: Alex Sink, criticized by some for her tepid campaign, is now gearing up with a tour of the state focused on economic plans. Those plans sounded familiar to some. Bill McCollum is turning his attention to national issues, saying he'd be ready to sue over health care.
IOWA: A potential Democratic challenger to Gov. Chet Culver has decided to run instead as an independent. Meanwhile, the Republican field just got larger. Culver filed for re-election, and said he's very confident he can win a second term. Culver: "This isn't my first rodeo."
NEW YORK: NY-23 all over again? Some Republicans, unhappy with Rick Lazio's campaign, are working to lure Democrat Steve Levy into switch parties. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, meanwhile, is no closer to entering the fray.
OHIO: Joe Biden campaigned for Ted Strickland, one of many vulnerable Democrats the veep has hit the trail for.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Mitt Romney picked sides in a race in the important early primary state. He's backing Nikki Haley, the only woman in the primary field. She had endorsed Romney in the 2008 primaries.
THE REST: The Democratic-turned-indie candidate in Massachusetts might have taken the strongest stand on health care, criticizing both the state plan signed by Mitt Romney and the national plan nearly through. Howard Dean endorsed R.T. Rybak in Minnesota. A new Michigan poll found Andy Dillon leading among Democrats, while Rep. Pete Hoekstra and Attorney General Mike Cox are tied at the top of the GOP field. Susquehanna's latest poll shows Attorney General Corbett safely ahead of potential Democratic foes. Pete Domenici Jr., son of the former senator, drew a scant 5 percent of the vote at the GOP convention.
HANDICAPPER WATCH
Cook Political Report:
*HI-01 from Lean D to Toss Up