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If you're from New Jersey or know someone from NJ tell them to go out and vote on June 2nd. Not to use a broken word, but NJ is in need of a huge 'change'. It's down to Steve Lonegan and Chris Christie; the former a Conservative the latter a Moderate. Not that I am trying to persuade one way or the other but on last Thursday's show, Mark Levin endorsed Lonegan (nudge nudge)

PHOENIX, May 31 (UPI) -- Former Republican presidential hopeful John McCain says he's not taking anything for granted in seeking a fifth U.S. Senate term in Arizona in 2010. After spending two years on the presidential campaign trail, in recent months McCain has been crisscrossing Arizona to reconnect with state voters, The Arizona Republic reported Sunday. McCain has retooled his Web site, opened a Senate campaign office in Phoenix and raised $3.6 million for his war chest, the Republic reported. "I'm very pleased with the response that I've gotten when traveling around the state, so I'm confident I'll do well,"...

Former congressman to run for Ohio governor Posted: 06:11 PM ET From CNN's Mark Preston and John King WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Rep. John Kasich plans to announce next month that he will run for governor of Ohio, two Republican sources tell CNN. Kasich has already filed paperwork with the state that allows him to raise money, established a Web site and posted a YouTube video encouraging supporters to join him at a June 1 event in his hometown for a "very special announcement." Kasich has not yet officially announced his plans to challenge Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland in 2010.

Laura Ingraham to hold Event(s) for Florida’s Marco Rubio: On her show Thursday, Laura Ingraham promised to hold events in Florida for Senate primary candidate Marco Rubio. Rubio is taking on the more liberal Charlie Crist in the Republican primary. In what looks to be a battle between grass-roots conservatives and the GOP Political class, Ingraham was very impressed with the message Rubio offered on her program and immediately offered to campaign for him against Crist. The Pro-Stimulus Governor/Obama ally Charlie Crist, meanwhile, immediately picked up the endorsement of NRSC Chair Jon Cornyn who earlier in the year endorsed Arlen...

Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced his candidacy for Mel Martinez’s Senate seat today, which should have been the big political news of the day. Instead, the NRSC overshadowed Crist by endorsing him as a primary candidate, even though state House Speaker Marco Rubio had already announced his bid for the job. Conservatives may well wonder why the NRSC has interfered in a GOP primary:..................

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge will not run for the U.S. Senate in 2010, he announced today. "After careful consideration and many conversations with friends and family and the leadership of my party, I have decided not to seek the Republican nomination for Senate," Ridge said in a statement.

I received some interesting feedback regarding the petition to "Draft" Sheriff Joe Arpaio to run against the RINO McCain. Most of it was positive and a few against. One that pops up is his age. I can see where that would be an issue under most circumstances but he seems to be quite lucis and I don't think we need career politicians anyway. One term in this critical time in history would be perfect. In fact, we'd probably do better if we drafted all of our candidates these days because the people who WANT the job seem to be ambitious...

So Arlen Specter saw the writing on the wall and defected to save face. People like these should be welcomed under our "big tent" with ASYLUM – if they want to support conservative candidates. They should never again be allowed positions of leadership. It is unacceptable to have leftists undermining our platform. No individual seat is worth preserving at the expense of our conscience. Allowing their nonsense to endure has cost us many more seats than the few we gained in tolerating them as they have disillusioned so many, causing them to defect to other parties with no chance to...

Rand Paul, son of former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, says he is poised to enter the race for U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning's seat. Paul, who has been stumping across Kentucky, told The Associated Press that "every bone in my body says there is going to be a race." But the Bowling Green physician said he won't run unless Bunning opts out. Paul is a fan of Bunning's conservative fiscal philosophy and said he simply wants to be ready to jump into the race quickly if the 77-year-old senator decides to retire instead of seeking re-election next year. Bunning has...

Kentucky Republican Secretary of State Trey Grayson is making preparations to seek the Senate seat of GOP incumbent Jim Bunning — a sign that Bunning will forgo what would be a very difficult re-election campaign. In a statement Thursday, Grayson said, “I have formed an exploratory committee to allow me to formally raise and spend funds as I seek support for a bid for U.S. Senate.” Yet Grayson added that he has “no plans to run against Sen. Bunning,” immediately raising speculation that the senator will not seek a third term next year amid poor approval ratings and weak fundraising....

The chattering in Harrisburg, Pa. and increasingly in Washington, D.C. is this: Pat Toomey will not be able to win the PA senate seat being held by Arlen Specter, now that the race will be held in a general election and not in the Pa. GOP primary. As such, the name of Pennsylvania's former governor Tom Ridge has popped to the surface as the one candidate that can beat Arlen Specter. Think again. Pat Toomey versus Arlen Specter would be the classic Conservative vs. Liberal type of campaign that the GOP, now in the minority, needs to take in order...

"Some in the Republican Party are happy about this. I am not," he said in a statement. "Let's be honest-Senator Specter didn't leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record. "Republicans look forward to beating Sen. Specter in 2010, assuming the Democrats don't do it first."

Via Greg Hengler, the chairman puts on a brave face for CNN. Don’t get your hopes up — even Michael Barone’s bearish about Toomey’s chances, calling his candidacy “folly” — but TNR asks a good question: How exactly do the Democrats benefit from having Specter switch? With Toomey sure to beat him in a GOP primary, they could have handpicked any centrist Pennsylvania Democrat they like for the general and stood an odds-on shot of winning the seat. Instead, they let Specter switch for the most cynical, opportunistic reasons, a fact that’ll weigh on some Democrats next year.

In a sign of voter discontent within Pennsylvania's Republican Party, a poll released today shows 30-year incumbent U.S. Senato r Arlen Specter trailing one of his primary challengers by 21 points. The senate primary election will be held in May, 2010. The Rasmussen Reports survey found that former Congressman Pat Toomey would win 51% of the GOP vote, while Mr. Specter garnered only 30%. Mr. Toomey's favorable ratings are 66% to Specter's 42%. The rivals' negatives are 19% and 55%, respectively. In 2004, Mr. Toomey almost knocked off the powerful incumbent, losing by just two points. A critical factor in...

Polls show bailout madness serious threat to GOP incumbents. BY DREW ZAHN Crowds have long protested Congress with rally cries of "Throw the bums out," and if recent polls tabulating tea party furor over government spending translate to votes in 2010, angry Americans may make good on their mantra. Polls released by Rasmussen Reports this week demonstrate that – at least within the Republican Party – sitting incumbents who vote for increased government, taxes and federal bailouts risk voter backlash in the next election. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., for example, is one of only three Republicans in Congress to vote...

The founder of the pro-border enforcement group, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, will announce Wednesday his plan to challenge Sen. John McCain in the Arizona Republican Senate primary in 2010. On Monday, Minuteman founder Chris Simcox announced he was resigning as head of the organization to seek the Republican nomination for the Senate seat held by McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate. McCain, a four-term senator, has faced criticism from border hawks over his support and sponsorship of legislation to establish a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens, allowing them to stay in the United States if they learn English...

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) may have called for Pennsylvania Republicans to unite behind Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) last week, but GOP members of the Keystone State delegation are choosing to sit on the sidelines in what is expected to be a blockbuster primary in 2010. The state’s Republican House Members indicated in separate interviews that they are not ready to endorse Specter, who faces a challenge next year from former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) in what is likely to be the toughest battle of his 30-year Senate career. Specter enjoyed the support of almost everyone in...

Arlen Specter is getting by with a little help from his Senate friends. The five-term Pennsylvania Republican, who faces a tough primary challenge from conservative former Rep. Patrick J. Toomey, received donations from 10 Republican senators in the first three months of this year. The pro-Specter senators, who donated from either their candidate committees or their leadership PACs, include Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky; John Cornyn of Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee; and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, the Senate GOP Conference chairman. Specter's campaign report also showed that he received funds from committees linked to...

Specter Faces Conservative Challenge From Familiar Foe Former Rep. Pat Toomey's decision to challenge Arlen Specter for his Senate seat sets up a rematch of the bitter war they waged against each other in 2004. By Trish Turner FOXNews.com Wednesday, April 15, 2009 Former Rep. Pat Toomey officially threw his hat into the 2010 Pennsylvania Senate race Wednesday in a bid to unseat five term incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter. "I am now a candidate for the U.S. Senate," the 47-year old Republican declared on a conservative radio show in his home town of Allentown. Specter has wasted no time in...

Pat Toomey, who as a little-known congressman nearly defeated Sen. Arlen Specter in the 2004 primary, announced Wednesday that he will mount another challenge when Specter seeks the Republican nomination for a sixth term next year. Toomey, who stepped down Monday as president of the Washington-based Club for Growth, appealed to his conservative base in a statement released just before 8 a.m., while he made a series of TV appearances in the Philadelphia area. "Pennsylvanians deserve a voice in the U.S. Senate that will honor our values and fight for limited government, individual freedom and fiscal responsibility. I will be...

Senator Specter has begun running ads against Pat Toomey more than one year prior to the Republican Senatorial Primary election in Pennsylvania. Benedict Arlen has repeatedly opposed the GOP. Let's throw him out before he gets to the primary. Sign the petition to expel him from the GOP. http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/expel-specter.com

It had been one of the many points of contention against CNBC by the left-wing attack machine - that "The Kudlow Report" host Larry Kudlow was using his show as a platform to make a run at the U.S. Senate in 2010 against Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd. Well, they're going to have to find another way to try to marginalize Kudlow, as they have with other CNBC personalities. Kudlow announced on his March 24 broadcast that he would not seek a seat in the U.S. Senate in 2010. The CNBC host explained he was approached by the Republican Party to...

PENNSYLVANIA. According to the Allentown Morning Call, former Congressman Pat Toomey (R) -- president of the fiscal conservative Club for Growth PAC -- has decided to seek a rematch next year against centrist US Senator Arlen Specter in the GOP primary. The newspaper said several close Toomey political allies -- who were named and confirmed the story -- said Toomey has directly informed them of his plans. Specter defeated Toomey by a 51-49 vote in the 2004 primary. Toomey is expected to make his official announcement within the next two weeks. Toomey was reportedly angered by Specter's recent vote in...

568 of 578 Precincts Reporting - 98% Name Party Votes Vote % Pulido, Rosanna GOP 975 25% Hanson, Tom GOP 842 22% Anderson, David GOP 702 18% Bedell, Gregory GOP 645 17% Kay, Daniel GOP 369 9% Stewart, Jon GOP 365 9% http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/elections/2009/by_state/IL_Page_0303.html?SITE=ILCHTELN&SECTION=POLITICS

RosannaPulido2009.com The polls will close in IL-5 at 7:00 pm Central time, and the results of the Republican congressional primary should come in almost immediately. So, when our AIP Electronic National Town Hall starts at 8:00 pm Central, we should know the result. We have asked Rosanna to join us for at least a few minutes, if she can possibly break away from her admirers and the adoring Chicago press. ;-) Be there if you can!

RNC chair Michael Steele says he is "open to that baby" when it comes to supporting primary challengers against the three GOP senators who voted in favor of the stimulus package. "Oh, yes, I'm always open to everything, baby, absolutely" Steele said yesterday on Fox News' 'Your World with Neil Cavuto'. Republican Sens. Arlen Specter (Pa.) and Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins (Maine) all gave the thumbs up to the Obama stimulus plan, making conservatives vent their wrath on the blogs, television and talk radio. Specter is the only one of the three up for re-elect in 2010. Steele said...

NNot so long ago, a job with Lehman Brothers opened doors. Now, it threatens to slam one on the leading Republican contender for governor in 2010. John R. Kasich, the former congressman from Westerville, left the storied investment banking firm shortly after it collapsed in September, severing a six-year relationship as a managing director of Lehman's investment banking division. As Kasich prepares to challenge Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, his association with a firm that has come to symbolize the avarice of Wall Street almost certainly will be used against him. "If he becomes a candidate for governor, I'm sure that...

Former eBay Inc. chief executive Meg Whitman plans to run for governor of California, a person with knowledge of her political aspirations said Monday. The 52-year-old Republican plans to run in 2010 for the seat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is leaving but is not ready to make a formal announcement, said the person, who was not authorized to talk publicly and spoke Monday on condition of anonymity. Whitman made the decision while spending time with family over the holidays and will make the announcement official in four to six weeks, he said.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The 111th Congress has just barely begun as Senate Republicans brace for more grueling elections in 2010 which threaten to further weaken the party's influence in Congress. The latest setback for the party came Monday, when Ohio Sen. George Voinovich -- the 72 year-old two-term GOP senator -- announced he will not seek reelection in 2010. That leaves Republicans with a highly vulnerable seat in a perennial swing state that has drifted Democratic in the last two elections. Voinovich's decision sent Ohio Republicans and Democrats scrambling ahead of what will likely be a competitive primary on both...

Jeb Bush considering run for US Senate.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Still popular in Florida, former Gov. Jeb Bush said Wednesday that he's interested in the seat Sen. Mel Martinez is giving up, and the field of possible candidates could quickly narrow to make way for the president's younger brother. Bush, 55, won praise from Democrats and Republicans alike for leading the state through eight hurricanes over a two-year period. He used standardized testing to overhaul the education system, was credited with making government more efficient and lowered taxes to make Florida more business-friendly. While his older brother, soon-to-be former President George W. Bush, has been so unpopular...

November 17, 2008 Categories: Huckabee Huck unloads on Mitt; Romney camp hits back Mike Huckabee is using his new book, out this week, to settle a few scores, not the least of which is with his fierce primary rival, Mitt Romney. Per Michael Scherer, Huckabee picks up where he left off earlier this year, tweaking Romney as a rich guy and firing what may be the first shots of the 2012 primary. Romney, Huckabee, writes, was "anything but conservative until he changed the light bulbs in his chandelier in time to run for president.” At another point, Huckabee portrays a...

McCain’s staff failed to recognize that Sarah Palin could — indeed, should — have been the GOP’s Obama. Her folksy, “hockey Mom” persona was the perfect foil to Obama’s claim that he was a relative Washington outsider, just as her from-the-hip speaking style was the mirror image of Obama’s soaring, lofty rhetoric. Where Obama sought to break the racial barrier as a harbinger of change and reform, Palin as the vice president would have broken the gender barrier, accomplishing the same goal. Yet despite the huge surge in the GOP’s favor after naming Palin to the ticket, the McCain campaign...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Let the 2012 presidential race begin — or at least the speculation about it. From their travel schedules to their public comments, several Republicans seem to be testing the waters for potential White House runs. At least two are on tap for visits this month to Iowa, which traditionally opens the nominating season with its presidential caucuses. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, considered a rising star in the GOP and thought to be on John McCain's short list of potential running mates, is slated to deliver the keynote address on Nov. 22 to the Iowa Family Policy Center,...

One of the major disadvantages the McCain campaign had vs. the Obama campaign was in the number of "field offices" in various swing (and, at the time, not so swing) states. I think Obama had something like 37 campaign offices in Colorado, versus McCain's 4. The reason was Obama's primary campaign with Hillary Clinton took much longer than McCain's against Romney/Huckabee. Thus, I propose, as a way to prevent this from happening again, a new primary campaign schedule: The old primary schedule involved a Caucus in Iowa, followed less than a week later by a Primary in New Hampshire, then...

Mitt Romney would have broken Barack Obama like a cheap toy. Despite the image problems facing the Republican Party, the former Massachusetts Governor would have conquered Obama without breaking a sweat. In a time of economic turmoil, voters would have turned to Romney to steer the country through choppy fiscal waters. Romney was the thinking man’s choice for the GOP nomination. A success in both the business and political worlds, Romney presented the best opportunity to revive the Reagan vision in years. Like Obama, Romney was a handsome, well-spoken, highly intelligent figure who held out hope for a positive future....

"Rep. Don Young, a 35-year veteran of the U.S. House and currently under federal investigation, narrowly won the Republican primary battle Wednesday to keep his seat, Alaska's only one in the House of Representatives," the AP says. "In a close race only decided with the final counting of about 350 outstanding absentee and questioned ballots, Young beat Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell by 304 votes. Young finished with 48,195 votes; Parnell had 47,891 votes....

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell has conceded the tight Republican House primary race to incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Young. Parnell said Thursday he would not ask for a recount in the race he lost by 304 votes. Parnell conceded in a statement e-mailed to reporters and confirmed by campaign spokeswoman Cathy Giessel.

U.S. Representative Don Young of Alaska still has a slim lead in a tight primary race against state Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell. Young was 172 votes ahead of Parnell this evening (Friday) with most of the absentee and questioned ballots counted. That's up slightly from 151 votes after the primary election a week and a half ago. Ballots from five House districts still remain to be counted tonight and the last overseas ballots won't be counted until Wednesday. But campaign spokesman Mike Anderson said Young was cautiously optimistic. Young, the subject of a federal investigation for his ties to oil...

U.S. Rep. Don Young and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will have to wait until Sept. 5 to find out which of them will face Democrat Ethan Berkowitz in November. With all but one of Alaska's 438 precincts reporting late Wednesday afternoon, less than two-tenths of a percentage point separated Young and Parnell in the Republican U.S. House primary. Young was in the lead with 42,539 votes, just 152 votes more than Parnell's 42,387. The state Division of Elections was still waiting for the Interior village of Hughes to turn in its ballot count.

A political newcomer knocked Phill Kline out of the race for Johnson County district attorney Tuesday, defeating the hopes of abortion opponents who had campaigned nationwide. With all of the vote counted, Steve Howe, a former Johnson County prosecutor, trounced Kline with 33,260 votes to Kline’s 22,188, a margin of 60 percent to 40 percent, according to final unofficial returns. Howe will face Democrat Rick Guinn in the Nov. 4 general election. In a gathering at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel with his wife and children at his side, Howe thanked his supporters and called on Republicans to come together...

Have we finally seen the last of Kline? We can only pray. "A political newcomer knocked Phill Kline out of the race for Johnson County district attorney Tuesday, defeating the hopes of abortion opponents who had campaigned nationwide. With all of the vote counted, Steve Howe, a former Johnson County prosecutor, trounced Kline with 33,260 votes to Kline’s 22,188, a margin of 60 percent to 40 percent, according to final unofficial returns. Howe will face Democrat Rick Guinn in the Nov. 4 general election."

KANSAS CITY - Congressman Kenny Hulshof defeated state Treasurer Sarah Steelman in Tuesday's Republican primary. Hulshof will take on Attorney General Jay Nixon in November's general election. Hulshof received 49.2 percent of the vote to Steelman's 44.7 percent - a margin of more than 17,000 votes.

You've probably heard the story about the tycoon who wanted to bring out a new kind of dog food. He spent lavishly. He hired the best marketing person, the top PR firm, the best ad agency, the No. 1 packaging expert, the most powerful distributor -- but the sales were flat after six months. He summoned his consultants to a meeting and asked why the food wasn't selling. "The dogs won't eat it," was the answer that came back. And so it is with Mitt Romney. Despite outspending his rivals by huge margins throughout the primaries, the dogs won't eat...

Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul have ramped up plans for a local counterweight to the GOP's national convention in September. Not content with a planned rally at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena on Sept. 2, the Paul forces now plan a three-day "Rally for the Republic" that will climax in a 10-hour extravaganza at Target Center in Minneapolis. "It's getting exciting," said Marianne Stebbins, a longtime GOP activist who ran the Texas congressman's campaign in Minnesota. "We realized [Williams Arena] wasn't big enough for everything we wanted to do." Although Paul was a long-shot candidate who came...

Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul have ramped up plans for a local counterweight to the GOP's national convention in September. Not content with a planned rally at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena on Sept. 2, the Paul forces now plan a three-day "Rally for the Republic" that will climax in a 10-hour extravaganza at Target Center in Minneapolis. "It's getting exciting," said Marianne Stebbins, a longtime GOP activist who ran the Texas congressman's campaign in Minnesota. "We realized [Williams Arena] wasn't big enough for everything we wanted to do." Although Paul was a long-shot candidate who came...

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 If they expected us to retire quietly from the scene, the political elite are in for a surprise. Today I am making some very big announcements. First, from August 31 to September 2 in Minneapolis, we will host a handful of events that will shake the political establishment. Everything will culminate on Tuesday with the official launch of the Campaign for Liberty at the Rally for the Republic. The Campaign for Liberty will be the largest organization for peace, freedom, the Constitution, and sound money in American history. It will launch in grand fashion with lots...

The King of Amnesty is dead. On tuesday, Team America candidate Jason Chaffetz defeated La Raza Republican Chris Cannon by over twenty points! Team America raised over $25,000 for Jason who used the money to make it clear to the voters of Utah that he stood for securing the borders and enforcing our laws, while Cannon stood for amnesty. Chris Cannon has long been one of our top targets. He’s sponsored over half a dozen amnesty bills, and has won awards from MALDEF and La Raza for his pro-amnestyrecord. We supported his challengers in 2004 and 2006, but they...

Rep. Chris Cannon -- who lost in a 60%-40% Primary election landslide yesterday -- had survived several previous Primary challenges by fooling enough people into believing that he was not really an amnesty champion. The seven-term incumbent lost to Jason Chaffetz, 41, a former chief of staff for Utah's governor who was running for public office for the first time and who was outspent 7-1. Chaffetz ran as a True Immigration Reformer, favoring deep cuts in legal immigration and vigorous Attrition Through Enforcement measures.