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Rob Maness, a retired Air Force Colonel who has never run for public office, announced Monday that he is entering the race. Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy is also challenging Landrieu. “After serving 32 years in the military devoted to supporting and defending the Constitution from threats outside of America, I realized when my peers and I were facing out, behind us the political class in office was not living up to their oath to support and defend the Constitution,” Asked what he brings as a candidate that neither Landrieu nor Cassidy does, Maness said it was his sense of principle....

This has been brought up before, but now there's apparently a ground-swell of support and a full-fledged grass-roots movement, to draft true conservative Lee Bright as a primary challenger to treasonous RINO Lindsey Grahamnesty in South Carolina. Lindsey Graham has sold us out many times before, but now he's gone way too far in supporting an America-ruining immigration reform bill centered on increasing the H1B visa and amnesty, at a time when our economy is still reeling from 5 years of Obama's mismanagement and the Depression it's caused. In joining up with his fellow treasonous RINO's in the Gang of...

A group organized as The Tea Party Leadership Fund is trying to draft former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to run for the U.S. Senate in 2014. The fund claims that the former Fox News analyst would be favored to unseat incumbent Mark Begich (D-AK), whose polling numbers have suffered recently. But the organization has not even discussed its effort with Gov. Palin, and she has never expressed any real desire to be a U.S. Senator. The fund's Niger Innis says the interest of Tea Party members in a Palin run, however, is clear. "We...

"Do the words 'Senator Sarah Palin' excite you?" That's the opening line of a recent email by The Tea Party Leadership Fund, which is trying to draft the former Alaska governor and past Fox News commentator to run for the Senate in 2014. The fund argues Palin has a clear path to victory in part due to recent polling showing incumbent Sen. Mark Begich, a Democrat, with less than 50 percent of the vote. But, it being a draft, the group hasn't talked with Palin about whether or not she's interested. And Palin – whose PAC didn't respond to request...

It is an amazing testament to how bad the other candidates were that Mark Sanford ran away with the race in South Carolina’s first congressional district. A deeply flawed man, he was the one guy the primary voters knew wouldn’t go wobbly in Washington. But they, and I, presumed he was over the issues with his ex-wife. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago we learned things were not settled. The NRCC and GOP abandoned Mark Sanford as a result. In a race the GOP could still — even now — win, the GOP decided it would rather lose than win....

Following revelations that his ex-wife accused him of trespassing on her property earlier this year, former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford (R) has lost the support of his national party. The news comes as controversy continues to swirl around Sanford and his personal life — a process that began with his well-publicized 2009 affair but was inflamed, the Washington Post has learned, when one of the Sanfords’ sons met Mark Sanford’s former mistress for the first time the night he won the GOP nomination. The National Republican Congressional Committee on Wednesday took the unusual step of telegraphing that it will...

National Republicans are pulling the plug on Mark Sanford’s suddenly besieged congressional campaign, POLITICO has learned — a potentially fatal blow to the former South Carolina governor’s dramatic comeback bid. Blindsided by news that Sanford’s ex-wife has accused him of trespassing and concluding he has no plausible path to victory, the National Republican Congressional Committee has decided not to spend more money on Sanford’s behalf ahead of the May 7 special election.

Insiders and grassroots activists are starting to zero in on a primary challenger to face off against embattled incumbent US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Graham has become extremely unpopular due to his votes on taxes, the NDAA, gun rights and his position on drones. He recently came out against Rand Paul’s filibuster, which created National backlash against him and is refusing to support Paul’s efforts to filibuster Obama’s attempt at Second Amendment restrictions.

Wyoming Republican Sen. Mike Enzi may be gearing up to run for re-election in 2014, but that doesn’t mean Liz Cheney is ruling out a run for the Senate seat now. A source close to the politically active daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney tells The Daily Caller that she is still seriously considering running. (RELATED: Wyoming Republican Mike Enzi reportedly will run again for Senate) Over the weekend, The Casper Star Tribune reported that Enzi told a meeting of the GOP state party committee that he is looking forward to running for re-election — something he has yet to...

"I want to thank my God," Sanford said. "I used to cringe when somebody would say I want to thank my God because at that point I would think this is getting uncomfortable. But once you really receive God's grace and (have) seen it reflected in others you stop and acknowledge that grace and the difference He has made in my life and in so many lives across this state and across this nation."

The former three-term congressman and two-term governor saw his political career sidelined four years ago when he disappeared from the state only to return and confess to an extramarital affair with an Argentine woman to whom he is now engaged.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (AP) -- Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford on Tuesday cleared another hurdle in his bid for a political comeback, defeating a former county council member to win the GOP nomination for a vacant U.S. House seat. With 96 percent of precincts reporting, Sanford had about 57 percent of the vote to 43 percent for Curtis Bostic, a former Charleston County Council member. The candidates were vying Tuesday in a GOP runoff in the 1st Congressional District, which covers the south coast. Sanford will face Elizabeth Colbert Busch and Green Party candidate Eugene Platt in a May...

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the second-highest Republican member of the Senate, has drawn a 2014 primary challenger. Erick Wyatt of Rockport, Texas filed papers this week with the Federal Election Commission to run for Senate against Cornyn, the Senate Minority Whip, who is up for re-election in 2014. Cornyn is seen as vulnerable to a challenge from the right, and has said he’s been expecting and preparing for a primary battle. He was one of just three senators who voted against John Kerry’s confirmation as Secretary of State. He cast the vote with Texas’ junior senator, tea party favorite Ted...

Nebraska Republican Sen. Mike Johnanns has informed Republicans in his home state that he will retire at the end of his current Senate term, GOP sources tell NBC News. The first-term senator has informed Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman that he won't run for reelection in 2014, a Republican official said.

Former Navy Seal Gabriel Gomez has announced his intention to run in the special election to fill the vacancy left by John Kerry. A private-equity investor, Gomez now has until the end of the month to collect the 10,000 signatures necessary to get on the ballot. If successful, we would face state Rep. Dan Winslow, a former Romney staffer, in the primary April 30th. “As I look at Washington," Gomez said in a public statement, "I see a lot of unproductive noise and bickering, and I see two parties attacking each other at all times over every issue. I see...

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) is ramping up his 2014 reelection bid with 2012 barely in the rearview mirror. The timing is no coincidence, with the past two election cycles illustrating that early action is the most effective way for vulnerable Republicans to deter primary threats. To wit: Sens. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who charted starkly different paths in 2012. Hatch will return to Congress in 2013, while Lugar will not. “It sends a message that Tennessee Republicans have their house in order,” said a Republican close to Alexander. “We’re not going to stand around slinging mud at...

With Scott Brown backing out of the special election to the Senate in Massachusetts, some wondered whether former Governor and erstwhile presidential candidate Mitt Romney might take a shot at filling the rest of John Kerry's term in office. Instead, the Boston Herald reports that the task might go to the next generation of Romneys: Tagg Romney is considering a run in the special Senate election now that Scott Brown has opted out, the Truth Squad has learned.Calls for Romney, 42, to join in the short campaign to replace Secretary of State John F. Kerry have increased since the Herald...

The biggest donors in the Republican Party are financing a new group to recruit seasoned candidates and protect Senate incumbents from challenges by far-right conservatives and Tea Party enthusiasts who Republican leaders worry could complicate the party’s efforts to win control of the Senate. -snip- The Conservative Victory Project, which is backed by Karl Rove and his allies who built American Crossroads into the largest Republican super PAC of the 2012 election cycle, will start by intensely vetting prospective contenders for Congressional races to try to weed out candidates who are seen as too flawed to win general elections.

This is somewhat surprising given all the signals Brown had been sending over the last few weeks. But his reasoning appears sound. From Boston Herald: ________________________ Scott Brown will not run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Kerry, the former senator told the Herald first today. "U r the first to know I am not running," Brown texted the Herald. Brown's decision follows yesterday's announcement by fellow Republican Charlie Baker that he won't run for the seat either. Baker did urge former Gov. William Weld, who just moved back to Massachusetts, to run if Brown doesn't. [...] Brown...

Geraldo contemplating run for Senate By Jonathan Easley - 01/31/13 02:02 PM ET Television personality and radio host Geraldo Rivera announced Thursday he’s “truly contemplating” a run for Senate in New Jersey. “I mention this only briefly, fasten your seatbelt,” Rivera said on his radio show. “I mentioned this only briefly to my wife ... but I am and I’ve been in touch with some people in the Republican Party in New Jersey. I am truly contemplating running for Senate against Frank Lautenberg or Cory Booker.” 
New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D), 89, is up for reelection in 2014 but...

Teddy Turner inherited his love of sailing from his father, media magnate Ted Turner. But there is less of a family resemblance when it comes to politics. While the elder Turner leans Democratic, Teddy Turner is running as a Republican in a crowded race for an open South Carolina congressional seat created by a U.S. Senate appointment. "My dad asked, 'What's the minimum amount I can give because you're a Republican?'" Teddy Turner, 49, said. "My dad has been asking for years, 'How the heck did you become so conservative?'"

The 36-year Senate veteran is trounced by Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock, whose business and Tea Party backers spent $2.7 million to defeat a once-powerful pol they portrayed as out of touch.That cracking, thudding sound emanating from Indiana on primary night Tuesday was the crumbling of a Washington institution, punctuated by muffled shrieks of terror from incumbent office-holders everywhere.Republican Sen. Richard Lugar—a towering figure in the national-security, arms-control, and foreign-policy realms who six years ago was so popular in his home state that local Democrats didn’t bother to field an opponent—lost his bid for a seventh term to a lesser-known,...

The disastrous 2012 election and embarrassing fiscal cliff standoff has brought forth one principal conclusion from establishment Republicans: They have a primary problem.The intra-party contests, or threat thereof, have become the original sin that explains many of the party’s woes in the minds of GOP leaders. It’s the primaries that push their presidential nominees far to the right (see “self-deportation” and “47 percent”); produce lackluster Senate candidates (Todd Akin has almost become a one-word shorthand); and, as seen most vividly in the last two weeks, dissuade scores of gerrymandered House members from face-saving compromise while politically emasculating their speaker.What to...

DES MOINES, Iowa - In the days since Republicans lost an election many in the party thought was theirs, chatter has been bubbling about what the GOP should do to recover. For Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, it starts with the smallest of actions: abandoning the state's now-infamous straw poll. Once a festive checkpoint on the road to the leadoff Iowa caucuses, the poll has devolved into a full-blown sideshow, Branstad and other critics contend. They say it's an unfair and false test that has felled good candidates and kept others from competing in the state. "It's just something that's gotten...

(Reuters) - A Republican state senator whose vote was crucial to legalizing gay marriage in New York has lost his primary election while a Senate colleague who also broke with the party's stance against same-sex unions narrowly escaped defeat. Senators Roy McDonald and Stephen Saland were among four New York Senate Republicans to cast key votes last year to make New York the most populous U.S. state to allow homosexual marriages. After a count of absentee ballots, McDonald was determined to have lost his race while Saland narrowly won in September 13 primary elections. Mark Grisanti, another Republican senator who...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: You know, I could be wrong about this, but here's Bill Kristol, who is saying that Romney... Let me get this quote in front of me. I always put this stuff the bottom of the Stack. Bill Kristol says Romney was "stupid and arrogant," and every Democrat under the sun is retweeting it. On the tape, talking about the 47%, Kristol says Romney was "stupid and arrogant." Every Democrat under the sun's retweeting that all over the place, Donna Brazile and others. You know what struck me about this? During the primary, all these people -- not...

<p>NDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Sen. Richard Lugar says he will not campaign for the man who vanquished him in May's Republican primary.</p> <p>Lugar told conservative Indiana blogger Abdul Hakim-Shabazz in an interview posted Monday that he would not actively support Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock on the campaign trail. The six-term senator had previously left the question unanswered. But he raised eyebrows in July when he introduced Mourdock to Senate Republicans at a weekly lunch.</p>

Republican primary voters in New York punished two incumbents last week who voted to legalize same-sex marriage, firing a potential warning shot nationwide toward GOP lawmakers who could soon face tough votes in their states. Two of the four veteran — and long-secure — Republican senators in New York who voted for same-sex marriage a year ago await counts of absentee ballots as they sweat out the political fight of their lives. A third announced his retirement this year in the face of strong opposition to his gay marriage vote. A fourth won his primary Thursday but only after a...

I’m concerned about the unrestrained euphoria of conservatives who believe that the Tea Party is unstoppable and that the election will be a rout in November. As a Cub fan I haven’t dealt with it often, but I’ve heard that over confidence can lead to disaster. (Somehow the Cubs are able to invite disaster without it.)The TEA Party candidates lost Tuesday in Florida and Wisconsin. Even after flirting with attractions to elements of ObamaCare, former Governor Tommy Thompson won in Wisconsin. The Queen of TEA herself endorsed Rep. Sandy Adams but even that couldn’t create a repeat of the Texas...

Cliff Stearns has been in Congress since 1989. On Tuesday, by a less than 800-vote margin, the 12-term incumbent’s career came to an end.In an Election Day shocker, Gainesville veterinarian Ted Yoho sent Stearns packing in the GOP primary for the 3rd Congressional District, which stretches from Clay County to the Gulf of Mexico.

While two veteran Republicans, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson and Rep. John Mica of Florida, survived conservative challenges in Tuesday's primaries, a veterinarian and political novice named Ted Yoho stole much of the spotlight. Florida tea party challenger Yoho was on the verge of a major upset against 12-term GOP Rep. Cliff Stearns as four states held primaries, including Connecticut and Minnesota. Yoho was ahead of Stearns by less than 900 votes, complete but unofficial primary results showed.

Discuss the Wisconsin races, especially the race for the GOP U.S. Senate candidate.

Look at the enthusiasm gap in this part of Florida...don't tell me the Tea Party is dead, dammit.

U.S. House - District 3 - GOP Primary 226 of 233 Precincts Reporting - 97% Name Party Votes Vote % Yoho, Ted GOP 21,708 34% Stearns, Cliff (i) GOP 20,929 33%

Polls closed in Connecticut at 8 p.m. as voters cast ballots in the state's primary elections Tuesday. The Associated Press delcared Linda McMahon the winner of the GOP Senate race over Chris Shays about 40 minutes after the polls closed. Elections officials said turnout appears to be on track to hit 25 percent to 30 percent as Republicans and Democrats picked their candidates for the November general election. Hotly contested races for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives dominate Tuesday's ballots. Many polling places saw a slow stream of voters. Secretary of the State's office spokesman Av Harris said...

On August 2nd, 5 GOP candidates seeking re-election to the Tennessee State legislature discovered just how dangerous it can be to disdain the wishes of those conservatives who helped put them in office. In 2010, members of various Tea Party groups in Tennessee donated the necessary time and money to put Republicans in charge of both the legislature and the governor’s mansion for the first time in 150 years. But after 2 years, not one of the top 10, Tea Party priorities placed before the Republican–controlled legislature had been implemented. Those priorities were based upon “…re-asserting state sovereignty over unconstitutional...

Instant analysis of Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar’s crushing defeat at the hands of state Treasurer Richard Mourdock in Tuesday’s Republican primary cast it as yet another example of a tea party-aligned GOPer ousting a prominent face of the party establishment. And that instant analysis would be wrong. Lugar lost — and lost badly — for a number of reasons, the vast majority of which had nothing to do with the relative tea party-ness of his opponent. At its heart, Lugar’s defeat was attributable to the fact that he broke the political golden rule: Never lose touch with the people who...

* Democrat Daniel Akaka, 86, is retiring from Senate * Lingle is heavily favored to win Republican primary * Republican has set up her own cable TV station HONOLULU, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Voters in Hawaii went to the polls on Saturday in a primary expected to set up Republicans for their first real chance at a U.S. Senate seat in the heavily Democratic state since 1970. A victory by former governor Linda Lingle, who has an early edge in fundraising, in President Barack Obama's home state could also help Republicans take control of the U.S. Senate as they battle...

Washington state's primary election results as reported by the state elections office. US Senator: Maria Cantwell (D) 56% Michael Baumgartner (R) 30% Congressional District 1 - U.S. Representative: John Koster (R) 44% Suzan DelBene (D) 23% Congressional District 2 - U.S. Representative: Rick Larsen (D) 59.5% Dan Matthews (R) 27% Congressional District 3 - U.S. Representative: Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) 55% Jon T. Haugen (D) 39% Congressional District 4 - U.S. Representative: Doc Hastings (R) 57% Mary Baechler (D) 28% Congressional District 5 - U.S. Representative: Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R) 54% Rich Cowan (D) 35% Congressional District 6 - U.S....

CBS News Tea Party-backed Rep. Akin wins Missouri GOP Senate primary to take on McCaskill JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Rep. Todd Akin, who played up his tea party credentials and conservative appeal, broke out from a three-way Missouri Republican primary on Tuesday to earn the right to take on Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, setting up one of ...

U.S. Rep. Todd Akin of Wildwood is leading in the hard-fought battle of conservatives for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, according to early statewide returns. With 515 of the state's 3,428 precints reporting, Akin has 32,050 votes, or 34 percent; followed by 29,675 for former state treasurer Sarah Steelman of Rolla, at 31 percent; and 28,463 for businessman John G. Brunner of Frontenac with 28,463 votes, or 30 percent. Five other candidates trail far behind. There will be much more to count as the night goes on. The winner will face Sen. Claire McCaskill, who is seeking re-election to...

Polls opened Tuesday morning across Michigan for the state's primary election, with voters making choices including a Republican to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow. About 20 percent of Michigan's 7.33 million registered voters are expected to cast ballots. Officials told 24 Hour News 8 they expect 10-15 percent of Kalamazoo voters and 20 percent of Ottawa County voters to vote. Pete Hoekstra of Holland has an advantage in money and name recognition over Clark Durant of Grosse Pointe as they duke it out for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination. The race also includes former Kent County Judge Randy...

The U.S. Senate race in Indiana remains a dead heat between Democratic Congressman Joe Donnelly and Tea Party-backed State Treasurer Richard Mourdock. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the Hoosier State finds Mourdock earning 42% of the vote, while Donnelly draws support from 40%. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate in the race, but another 15% are still undecided.

U. S. Senator (4 of 3,428 Precincts Reported) Claire McCaskill DEM 598 38.9% Todd Akin REP 232 15.1% Jerry Beck REP 16 1.0% Sarah Steelman REP 343 22.3% John G. Brunner REP 300 19.5%

Support Mark Neumann Bus Tour Posted on August 5, 2012 August 7th – August 9th, 2012 Day 1: Tuesday, August 7th La Crosse, WI – 2:00-2:45 PMEau Claire, WI – 5:30-6:15 PM Day 2: Wednesday, August 8th Superior, WI – 8:30-9:00 AMWausau, WI – 1:30-2:00 PMMadison, WI – 5:30-6:15 PM Day 3: Thursday, August 9th Milwaukee, WI – 10:00-10:45 AMFond du Lac, WI – 12:45-1:15 PMAppleton, WI – 3:15-3:45 PMGreen Bay/ De Pere, WI – 5:30-6:15 PM  

Tea Party Express Endorses Mark Neumann for U.S. Senate Milwaukee, WI – Fresh off a historic upset victory in Texas, Tea Party Express, the nation’s largest tea party political action committee, proudly announced their endorsement of Mark Neumann (for Senate) today in Milwaukee, WI. Tea Party Express also announced a 3-day bus tour for Neumann next week. Tea Party Express Chairman Amy Kremer said, “We are excited to be here in Wisconsin today to announce our endorsement of Mark Neumann for the U.S. Senate. Mark earned the support of the Tea Party Express, and tea party members from every corner...

MADISON – Together at last. All four of the lead GOP candidates for Wisconsin’s hotly contested U.S. Senate race appeared at a debate Monday, marking the first time these bitter rivals have shown up to the same debate since the campaign began. While the candidates threw verbal jabs and blasted negative advertisements and past voting records, their prescriptions for American policy could have come from the same doctor. Each candidate tried to appear more conservative than the next. Jeff Fitzgerald, who is in last place in the latest polls, pointed to his record as Assembly speaker during last year’s tumultuous...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Sarah Palin is mounting an aggressive campaign in Missouri — in television and radio ads, in automated telephone calls, even serving barbecued pork sandwiches at a rural political picnic. She's urging residents to vote for Sarah — Sarah Steelman, one of three Republicans in a prickly U.S. Senate primary. Fresh off a resounding Republican runoff victory by Ted Cruz in Texas, Palin and the tea party movement now are trying to capitalize in primaries this month in Missouri, Wisconsin and Arizona. But they may pose a more difficult test than in Texas, where the charismatic...

Michael Quinn Sullivan, leader of the conservative activist group Empower Texans, agreed that Texas voters were pushing out Republican moderates, like state Sen. Jeff Wentworth, who lost to tea party leader Donna Campbell. He said lawmakers allied with [RINO] Texas House Speaker Joe Straus continued to lose key races."It's a very bad night for Joe Straus, losing two big committee chairs (Miller and Hopson)," he said, adding that five Straus chairs have now lost in the GOP primary. "The state Senate has become a lot more conservative after this cycle, and especially with this runoff." Gov. Rick Perry tried to...

Missouri and Michigan hold primary elections next Tuesday! Sarah Steelman and Clark Durant should be supported over the establishment go-along candidates!