NJ Voters Head to Polls; Clinton Kicks Off Speech Series; MD's Gansler Cites Opponent's Race in Tape
Wake-Up Call! is Hotline's daily morning briefing on campaigns and elections. Click here to subscribe.
WHAT'S NEWS
Polls are open in the NJ SEN Special primaries until 8 p.m. Experts expect "one of the lowest voter turnouts the state has ever seen" (Newark Star-Ledger).
"In a move that appears to edge her closer" to a WH '16 bid, ex-Sec/State Hillary Clinton (D) "said Monday that she will make a series of addresses around the nation to explore key issues -- kicking off the effort in San Francisco, where she made a strong appeal to protect the voting rights that she called 'the heart of America's democratic experiment'" (San Francisco Chronicle).
Both AG Ken Cuccinelli's (R) campaign and the RGA are launched new TV ads this week, highlighting an SEC investigation into GreenTech, an electric-car company tied to ex-DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe (D) (Politico).
NYC's "stop-and-frisk" policing tactic "re-emerged" as a mayoral campaign issue "on Monday after a federal judge said the city's use of the tactic had violated the constitutional rights of black and Hispanic young men" (New York Times). The "top five" Dem candidates will debate Tuesday night at 7 p.m., airing on WABC-TV (New York Daily News). City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D) released a new TV ad on Tuesday (release).
MD AG Doug Gansler (D) "told a group of campaign volunteers last month" that LG Anthony Brown (D), "his chief" Dem rival in MD GOV, "has a thin record of accomplishment and is trying to rely on his race to get elected next year" (Washington Post).
SC Gov. Nikki Haley (R) will officially announce her reelection bid on 8/26 in Greenville (Columbia State).
The NRCC launched a $10K ad buy against Rep. John Barrow (D) in GA-12 (release).
San Diego Mayor Bob Filner (D) "remained in self-imposed exile Monday two days after his lawyers say he completed a round of intensive therapy to address his inappropriate behavior toward women," but "roughly 75 protesters" still gathered outside City Hall to welcome him back "with chants of 'Bob must go!'" (U-T San Diego).
OUR CALL
Hotline editors weigh in on the stories that drive the day
• While the media obsess over candidate travel to IA, Clinton's moves are a lot more significant than a brief trip for a Harkin steak fry. From her surprisingly political speech on voting rights at the ABA last night to McCaskill's enthusiastic surrogacy over the weekend, Clinton is sure acting like a prospective '16 candidate.
• Gansler's (secretly recorded) comments criticizing Brown's reliance on race made headlines, but as significant was his camp's subtle swipe at Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) for his LG's "no record of accomplishment." The Dem primary may become as much a referendum on O'Malley's agenda as anything else.
• Don't crown Shelley Moore Capito just yet. Harry Reid's announcement last week that a Democratic candidate who can make West Virginia "competitive" will soon jump into the Senate race, could be good news for nat'l Dems after months of recruiting disappointments there. The party would seem to have the best shot at retaining the seat with Sec/State Natalie Tennant (D)as their nominee. Tennant won two statewide elections in '08 and '12 with more than 62% of the vote, outpacing the GOP WH nominee in both cycles. Hers in the only remaining name on the long list of potential contenders the nati'l party had their eye on. But West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval added another possibility to the list last month: retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Allen Tackett, who had close ties to late Sen. Robert Byrd.
• In 2010, the League of Conservation Voters spent a little over $5M on federal independent expenditures, mostly in the final weeks before the vote. This week, the group began an approximately $2M TV buy targeting four GOP members, one of whom (Sen. Ron Johnson) isn't even on a ballot until '16. The amount of money flowing to outside groups hasn't stopped growing yet, and that's has saturated Oct. TV markets, forcing groups to think creatively about how to spend their riches more effectively. Bigger, stronger, earlier: that's the IE mantra right now.
HAIR OF THE DOG
FRESH BREWED BUZZ
"You should always lead with love, lead with kindness, and just be good and decent to people. I'm not one of those firebrands that throws Molotov cocktails at people and the like" -- Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D), asked "if he expected a warm reception from possible Senate colleagues" if he wins the NJ SEN Special (NBC News).
A DC political operative "with long-standing ties" to Mayor Vincent Gray (D) "was charged Monday with lying to federal authorities investigating an alleged off-the-books campaign" on Gray's behalf (Washington Post).
"All of the thousands of dollars in tangible gifts -- including a $6,500 Rolex watch -- showered on" VA Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and his family over the past few years "have been returned" to Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams, McDonnell said Monday (AP).
'10 SC SEN nominee Alvin Greene (D), "who as an unemployed Army veteran stunned the political world," was arrested last week "on a trespassing charge" in Myrtle Beach, SC. But "the details of the arrest and why Green has been behind bars for four days on a misdemeanor charge with a $100 fine remain a mystery" (AP).
"I do. I'm not telling you" -- Ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner (R), asked Monday if he knows what role his wife, Huma Abedin, would play in a Clinton WH '16 bid (Buzzfeed).
"Skilled craftsmen in Normandy spent 250 hours making ... a hand-made copper bath" for NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I). The tub is likely to have set Hizzoner back at least $13K (AFP).
"That you did. That's true" -- NYC comp. candidate Scott Stringer (D), after ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) said in a debate Monday night, "I got my hands dirty for 10 years as attorney general, as governor" (NY1).
Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) is hosting a fundraiser at a San Francisco karaoke bar on Friday (San Francisco Chronicle).
"I think we're going to be very competitive in West Virginia. We have a candidate there who should be announcing shortly" -- Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid, asked about the Senate map last week on the public TV program "Nevada Week in Review." Unfortunately, the hosts didn't ask a follow-up question about the identity of this mystery WV SEN candidate (KLVX-TV).
"'Redneck millionaire' and 'Duck Dynasty' star eyed for La. House seat" (Washington Examiner).
SWIZZLE CHALLENGE
Ex-House Speaker Sam Rayburn was the author of the quote in Monday's Wake-Up Call!
The winner is Martin Burns, and here's his Swizzle Challenge: "Which future speaker of the House was needled by a president of the United States during a state of the union address from the podium who did better in a certain precinct than did the representative?" The 1st correct e-mailer gets to submit the next question.
NJ'S EARLY BIRD SPECIALS
SHOT...
"What message do we send to America if we impeach Obama and he gets away with what he's impeached for and is found innocent?" -- Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX), telling a town-hall meeting last week that "we would probably get the votes in the House" to impeach Pres. Obama, but the Senate wouldn't convict him (Houston Chronicle).
...CHASER
"It was boring and there were not many people there. I've seen the photos of the party, and the party got worse after I left" -- Farenthold, on the infamous "pajama party" that became an issue in his '10 TX-27 campaign (Brownsville Herald).
Josh Kraushaar, Editor-in-Chief
Steven Shepard, Executive Editor
