Free Republic

The only thing worse than losing in politics is quitting after a loss since the vast and great American sport of politics never stops, and increasingly doesn't even pause for the holidays. Which is why I am grateful for Kelly Ayotte, Ted Cruz, Jon Kyl and Shelley Moore Capito. In the weeks since the election, New Hampshire Senator Ayotte could have gone to ground as most of her colleagues have done, adopting a wait-and-see attitude that minimized political risk and profile. Instead she teamed with Senate veterans John McCain and Lindsey Graham to insist that Ambassador Susan Rice, presumptive nominee...

The National Republican Senatorial Committee had a rotten track record in 2012. But now they’re looking to get more deeply involved in picking candidates at the state level, hoping to foreclose Tea Party primary challengers like Richard Mourdock (R-IN). “There’s always going to be fundamental dislike of the national party coming to a local or a state race and saying, ‘This is who we want to pick,” Keli Carender of Tea Party Patriots told The Hill. The NRSC pulled out of several races this cycle, dooming several candidates to less-than-full financial support...

Yesterday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee announced in a statement that it might yet fund the candidacy of Representative Todd Akin as he tries to unseat Senator Claire McCaskill in Missouri. “As with every Republican Senate candidate, we hope Todd Akin wins in November and we will continue to monitor this race closely in the days ahead,” said NRSC executive director Rob Jesner. (In August, the NRSC claimed that “if [Akin] continues with this misguided campaign, it will be without the support and resources of the NRSC.”) Will the NRSC actually go through with this, and thus likely bring American...

The National Republican Senatorial Committee issued a statement Wednesday clarifying its support for Rep. Todd Akin in the Missouri Senate race and suggesting it might spend money to help elect him, after saying a month ago that it would not do so. “There is no question that for Missourians who believe we need to stop the reckless Washington spending, rein-in the role of government in people’s lives, and finally focus on growing jobs in this country, that Todd Akin is a far more preferable candidate than liberal Sen. Claire McCaskill,” NRSC executive director Rob Jesmer said. “As with every Republican...

Now that we ALL know Todd Akin is NOT dropping out of the U.S. Senate race, we have an opportunity to let the GOP know how we feel about them holding back funding for him. With your help, we can send a message from not only Missourians but all other states that will get the GOP's attention between now and the election. When you click on the below url, you will be directed to an official RNC email form asking for your inputs. Please fill this out and send it to them. I have already sent one and intend to...

In about 28 hours, the Republican Party will be, for all intents and purposes, stuck with Todd Akin. The Missouri Senate candidate has shown no signs of bowing to pressure from the national party to get out of the race after his controversial comment about “legitimate rape” turned the race on its head. And though the party initially held out hope that Akin would change his mind at some point over the past month, it now appears that ship has sailed. The technical deadline for being able to replace Akin on the ballot, if he dropped out, is Tuesday. But...

Current Republican Seat Current Democrat Seat Current Independent Seat No Senate election in 2012

Current Republican Seat Current Democrat Seat Current Independent Seat No Senate election in 2012

Missouri Republican Todd Akin has begun moving toward ending his candidacy after his remarks on rape and abortion provoked a firestorm, a top Republican said. "Akin is taking concrete steps to withdraw by tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.," a senior Republican told BuzzFeed, adding that Akin could still change his mind. But a Republican close to Akin said his position hasn't changed: He's still in the race. Tomorrow afternoon is an important deadline: If he files papers to end his candidacy in Jefferson City tomorrow he can end his candidacy unilaterally; after that, he would have to file an application in...

An NRSC source just confirmed to me what various outlets have been reporting: if Todd Akin remains the senate candidate, NRSC will invest no financial resources into the Missouri senate race. Previously, NRSC had planned to spend $5 million. And Crossroads has already taken some TV ads off the air, reports Politico. If Akin does remain in the race, he’s going to be relying, it appears, virtually exclusively on whatever his campaign raises, without any financial help from outside groups.

More than 30 Republican senators — including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) — will host a fundraiser in Washington on Monday for Josh Mandel, Ohio's state treasurer and the Republican nominee challenging Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). Ohio's other senator, Republican Rob Portman, will headline the reception, which is being held at the headquarters at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. NRSC Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) is also expected to attend, as are Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Jim DeMint (S.C.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Mike Lee (Utah). Tickets to attend start at $500 and go up to...

National Responder Support Camp (NRSC) Solicitation Number: HSFE70-12-R-0033

Fellow Conservatives: Many of you have contacted me to express your support for stronger voices within the Senate Republican leadership. You may be interested to know that Senate Republicans will vote tomorrow to elect a new Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) recently stepped down from leadership, setting off a mid-session shake up. As a result, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) -- a rock-solid conservative and SCF-endorsed candidate in 2010 -- has put his name forward as a candidate for Vice Chair. The Senate Conservatives Fund supported Ron Johnson last year and helped propel...

The National Republican Senatorial Committee gave $43,100 to Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch’s campaign, despite recent pleas from Tea Party activists that the organization wait until a Republican nominee is selected before supporting a candidate. New filings show that the NRSC also contributed the same amount to Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar, who is also facing a GOP primary challenge. That candidate, Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock, also enjoys the support of Tea Party activists. A spokesman for the NRSC said its standard practice for the organization to give money to incumbent senators. “The NRSC would not exist were it not...

Failed California GOP Senate candidate Carly Fiorina was named on Tuesday as the vice chair of the Republicans' effort to retake the Senate in 2012. ... "I'm pleased to welcome my friend Carly Fiorina to the NRSC team, where her many business and civic achievements will make her an invaluable leader and fundraiser during this critical election cycle," said the committee chair, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, in a statement. "I look forward to working with Carly to elect strong Republican Senators who will finally put a stop to President Obama’s failed tax-and-spend agenda, and instead promote the economic growth...

And you thought we were finished with political Twitter stories? C’mon, this is Washington we’re talking about! The National Republican Senatorial Committee’s getting blowback today from both the left and right for a series of fake re-tweets sent from the NRSC’s official @nrsc Twitter account. The bogus RTs each make reference to Democrats failing to produce a budget, and include a link to a webpage, www.demsplanforamerica.com, that is–wait for it–a blank page. The fake RT from @BarackObama reads “My budget failed 0-97 but wait till you see @SenateDems budget -BO.” Another, using the Twitter handle of Tim Kaine reads, “First...

Video @ the link..... http://www.youtube.com/user/TheNRSC

Republicans in Washington are trying to recruit Joe Scarborough to run against Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) next year. Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), told The Hill on Thursday that he has talked to Scarborough a couple times about a Senate bid. And he indicated he’s still working on persuading the MSNBC host to run for the upper chamber. “I’d be delighted to talk to him a third time,” Cornyn said. In 2005, Republican campaign operatives tried to get Scarborough to challenge Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) in the Senate GOP primary. Scarborough passed, and...

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is already building an aggressive campaign machine for the 2012 Senate elections, promising to push his party further to the right, despite angering many in the GOP establishment with his political activities last year. DeMint’s Senate Conservatives Fund wants to rake in a staggering $15 million, which is nearly $6 million more than in 2010 when his political action committee raised more money than any other politician’s PAC. DeMint is now renting a Capitol Hill townhouse for his political operation — just a few blocks from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the official campaign arm for...

Anticipating that Janet Napolitano may run for the Senate, Republican operatives are seeking a slew of political documents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to use as political ammunition. While Democrats in Arizona are in a holding pattern on the state's open Senate seat, Republicans are preparing for a possible run by Napolitano, Arizona's former governor and President Obama's Homeland Security secretary.The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to DHS Tuesday, formally requesting personal correspondence that may have occurred between Napolitano and Democratic political staffers since January of 2009. In a letter...

In case there was any doubt, Linda McMahon’s political career may not be over.   The former wrestling executive turned Connecticut GOP Senate candidate has scheduled a personal meeting with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) on Capitol Hill. The date and purpose of the meeting, however, is unclear.   “I don’t know what her message is going to be, but I sort of suspect she isn’t finished,” Cornyn said in a recent Roll Call interview when asked about McMahon, who garnered 43 percent of the vote in Connecticut’s recent Senate contest against Democratic Sen.-elect Richard Blumenthal.  ...

The upcoming election has disaster written all over it for Senate Democrats... 23 are up for reelection in 2012 and many sit where the Republican surge is hitting. Plus, most voted for the president's agenda that included healthcare reform and the bailouts of Wall Street and auto industry. ... the National Republican Senatorial Committee has a top 10 list of Senate Democrats to beat. 1. Nebraska's Ben Nelson. The NRSC will remind voters of Nelson's support for Majority Leader Harry Reid... 2. Montana's Jon Tester. While popular at home, Tester comes from a Republican state that the GOP is confident...

Delaware’s Republican Party both violated its own Bylaws and caused the Delaware Republican Party’s losses in the November 2, 2010, general election, a new analysis reveals. The Bylaws of Delaware’s Republican Party require in Article X, Section 1 that: “These rules of the Republican Party of the State of Delaware shall be in compliance and consistent with the Rules of the National Republican Party….” However, Rule No. 11 of the Rules of the National Republican Party states: “(a) The Republican National Committee shall not, without the prior written and filed approval of all members of the Republican National Committee from...

Roll Call: Sen. John Cornyn said during a closed-door meeting Tuesday that he expects colleagues to bring their concerns to him about candidates he recruits as National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman — and not to help mount challenges against them, Republicans familiar with the meeting said Thursday. Although not mentioned by name, the Republicans said the Texas lawmaker’s speech was clearly intended for the ears of Sen. Jim DeMint. [MORE]   Cornyn can save his breath. Challenges to Cornyn’s RINO picks are pretty much out of Jim DeMints hands. This is because the conservative base has become activists and is not going to...

As her once improbable reelection bid looks increasingly likely, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Tuesday that she doesn’t hold a grudge against Republican leaders who poured money into the campaign and legal efforts of GOP rival Joe Miller. Miller upset Murkowski in the Republican primary, but the senator launched a long-shot write-in campaign that may hand her another six years in office. ... “The expectation is that the party nominee will get the funds from [the National Republican Senatorial Committee], their coordinating funds, and they did that,” Murkowski told reporters at the Capitol. “I knew that by running as a...

John Cornyn took a lot of criticism for his handling of the NRSC, especially in the Florida race, in the 2010 cycle. Cornyn later admitted that he’d made a mistake in backing Charlie Crist over Marco Rubio in an open primary, and avoided picking winners in primaries through the rest of the midterm primary season. The end result was a pickup of six seats — enough, apparently, for his colleagues to unanimously confirm Cornyn as NRSC chair for another term:

(CNN) - Sen. John Cornyn is expected Tuesday to formally make a bid for another two years as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. GOP sources confirm to CNN that the Texas Republican will put his name up for nomination for re-election as NRSC chairman, as the Senate Republican Conference meets behind closed doors. According to the sources, the two-term senator is not expected to face any opposition in his bid to remain as NRSC chairman, and has already secured the support of a number of new Republican Senators, including Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Rob...

Whadda-deal for John Cornyn... what did the kid get us in return? That's right... the same John Cornyn that tried -and failed- to screw-over Rubio in Florida by putting-in the fix for Sunkist Crist is now running unopposed... and Marco Rubio reportedly supporting his bid to remain NRSC Chairman! Predictably, conservatives aren't taking the news too well... Other McCain: Sen. John Cornyn is expected Tuesday to formally make a bid for another two years as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.  GOP sources confirm to CNN that the Texas Republican will put his name up for nomination for re-election...

Sen. John Cornyn is likely to sign up for another election cycle as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, say GOP sources. Cornyn has won plaudits from colleagues for his fundraising and the gain of six Republican Senate seats on Election Day. NRSC spokesman said Cornyn won’t make a final decision for another few days, but Senate GOP aides widely expect him to take the helm in 2012. Aides say he wants to help Republicans win control of the Senate, a realistic prospect in an election cycle when 21 Democrats — and two independents allied with the Democrats —...

The National Republican Senatorial Committee spent $3 million in the week before the election on the ill-fated campaign of Carly Fiorina, despite polling that showed her trailing by 9 points to the tiny Marxist Barbara Boxer (Fiorina ended up losing by... 9.8%). In the mean time, Ken Buck lost by a tiny margin in Colorado; Nevada's Sharron Angle lost by a similar narrow vote total, Dino Rossi was edged by Patty Murray in Washington, 27,000 votes swung the election against Christine O'Donnell in Delaware and and Joe Miller is hanging by a thread in Alaska. In Alaska, the final results...

Christine O'Donnell and her victorious opponent in the Delaware senate race, Democrat Chris Coons, campaigned fiercely against each other during the midterms. But now they've buried the hatchet, quite literally. The Tea Party darling and the senator-elect buried a hatchet — actually, they put a small ax in a box of sand — in the southern Delaware hamlet of Georgetown on Thursday, the AP reported (via The Huffington Post) in line with a time-honored state tradition. As policies of Delaware state politics dictate, the senate race contenders took part in a ceremonial horse-drawn carriage and classic car parade, which preceded...

In the nation’s last undecided Senate race, national Republicans are coming to the aide of tea party favorite Joe Miller, and will ask supporters to help pay for his post-election legal fight against incumbent GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski appears to be leading Miller by a wide margin in her write-in bid, but National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn will e-mail supporters Friday and urge them to make donations to Miller’s campaign. “Joe Miller in Alaska is dedicated to the conservative principals we need in Washington DC. But he faces the potential of a lengthy recount. And in Alaska,...

Here’s a quick round up of the latest developments regarding Joe Miller’s take on the uncomfortable wait for a decisive winner in the race for Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat. The website Politicsdaily.com is reporting that Miller, in a conference call with bloggers Thursday morning, is imputing the loyalties of the state’s top elections official. It quotes Miller: There are a number of fights that are going to have to be undertaken, in part, due to the fact that the division of elections (is) headed up by the lieutenant governor. The lieutenant governor is effectively the same [as] what you might...

*snip* Compare this with the House campaign body, the NRCC. After getting clobbered over the NY-23 race and Dede Scozzafava, the NRCC took a hands off approach and let local voters choose their candidates. Not the NRSC. It doubled up around the country igniting a civil war with the grassroots — a civil war that would have never happened but their getting into Florida and doubling down. The NRSC’s argument amounts to telling the world that voters exercising their right to pick their candidates are stupid and Jim DeMint is stupid for siding with the voters. One final thought —...

In a piece earlier this morning An Insomniac's Recap of the Elections, I wrote a brief analysis of the Nov. 2010 elections. During the ensuing discussion, freeper LS came up with a *very* important point which has been lost in the Palin-Rove pissing match by proxy. The relevant quote is:Some good points. I think in DE, CA, AK, and possibly CA, the races were NOT sufficiently nationalized. The feeling was to take it local, so O'Donnell kept talking about DE. Well, the House races for the most part were nationalized. And it showed. So the first rule of successful waves...

Delaware Republican Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell complained Monday night that the National Republican Senatorial Committee did not give her the resources she needed to win. O’Donnell credited Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele for being supportive of her candidacy, but told Fox News’s Greta Van Susteren that the NRSC hasn’t provided enough help. “Michael Steele has come to Delaware and campaigned for us,” O’Donnell said. “The RNC has been very supportive. “I would have liked it if the NRSC had done something,” she added. “My opponent is horrible on so many issues. He stands to personally make millions from cap...

After trailing Democratic rival U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer for months in fund-raising and spending, California Republican Senate hopeful Carly Fiorina is closing the money gap, both parties said on Tuesday. A Washington-based Republican Party affiliate, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said it was sponsoring a $3 million TV ad campaign in support of Fiorina in the campaign's final week.The money would pay for an attack ad characterizing Boxer as "self serving" and "ineffective" ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections, the group said.

Did you know that the SEIU represents the voting machine technicians in Clark County (Las Vegas), Nevada? Is it any surprise, as we noted earlier today, that there was a voting glitch in Clark County, Nevada? The glitch caused Harry Reid’s name to be automatically checked on the ballot before voters had indicated who were they were supporting. According to Joyce Ferrara who was an eyewitness to this strange ballot ordeal, the problem was widespread, “One person that’s a fluke. Two, that’s strange. But several within a five minute period of time — that’s wrong.” It is particularly troubling that...

Believing a huge upset win in California is now within reach, the Republican Party is pouring $3 million into GOP Senate challenger Carly Fiorina's battle against incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer, forcing Democrats scrambling to respond just one week before Election Day. The $3 million from the National Republican Senatorial Committee comes on top of the $4.8 million it has already spent in the race. Pundits see that massive influx of dollars as a clear indication that incumbent Democratic Boxer is in serious jeopardy, because the GOP usually does not spend heavily in Golden State races. This year, however, all bets...

It has just been announced that the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, which has already spent the maximum allowed ($4.8 million) in coordinated expenditures on Carly's campaign, will be spending $3 million in independent expenditures on Carly's behalf during the last week of the campaign. It has also just been announced that Carly is loaning her campaign $1 million more of her personal funds.These significant commitments indicate to me that the California Senate seat is very much in play.If at this late stage you have any cash which remains available for candidates in the mid-term elections, please consider Carly's campaign.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is dropping a massive $3 million TV ad buy in California this week, a sure sign that Republicans believe they have a good shot at knocking off Sen. Barbara Boxer (D). The new spending brings the NRSC’s Golden State commitment to nearly $8 million, all in support of former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina's (R) campaign. The ad buy comes a day after a public poll shows Boxer inching ahead. A Los Angeles Times/USC poll showed Boxer opening up an 8-point lead -- 50 percent to 42 percent. That number tracks with private Democratic surveys that...

Sarah Palin has unquestionably made her voice heard in this election cycle - but if the GOP falls short of taking back the Senate as most prognosticators expect, the Pride of Wasilla will take a hit from party leaders who think she turns off independents. "If we don't win the Senate I have one thing to say: ‘Thank you, Sarah Palin,'" a household name and bigtime player in Republican circles tells The Mouth. This source and several other party elders believe Palin's endorsement of Christine O'Donnell has made a difficult Senate seat pickup in ideologically centrist Delaware hopeless. They also...

In primaries this year, Republican voters in Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Nevada, and Utah, have rejected—en masse—the candidates preferred by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which Rove is said to informally advise. The Conservative Party candidate Tom Tancredo—a known enemy of Rove—is trouncing the GOP-backed candidate in the race for governor of Colorado.

Here is what pollster the Tarrance Group is telling the Carly Fiorina campaign: The race for the US Senate in California is an actual dead heat, with both Fiorina and Boxer standing right at forty-four percent (44%) of the vote. Six percent (6%) of voters are voting for one of the other candidates, and 5% are undecided . . . It is also important to note that Boxer’s negatives are fully institutionalized to the point where she has never once broken the 45% level in terms of her ballot strength, and there are a “hard” fifty-three percent (53%) of voters...

For months, Senate Republicans have insisted that Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) can be beaten. Now, they have a poll that shows the race as a dead heat. Boxer and former Hewlett Packard executive Carly Fiorina (R) are knotted at 44 percent in a Tarrance Group poll conducted for the National Republican Senatorial Committee by Dave Sackett between Oct. 17 and 19. Among independents and those voters who decline to state a party preference -- a major target for both candidates --- Fiorina leads 47 percent to 34 percent. "[Fiorina] needs to improve upon this and get her ballot strength among...

As I write this, the $64 question is how to appraise the Senate race in Delaware. If the public polls are to be believed, then the race is pretty much over, although Christine O'Donnell in the two most recent polls has narrowed the gap to 11 points (Rasmussen) and to 8 points (The Conservative Journal) as of October 14, with 17 days to go. Apparently the NRSC believes the polls and is not expending any money or providing any significant help to O'Donnell. But ARE the polls to be believed? How accurate have they proven so far this cycle? Or...

With Delaware’s Democratic Senatorial candidate Chris Coons maintaining a commanding lead over his Republican counterpart Christine O’Donnell, the Tea Party favorite cannot help but turn to the National Republican Senatorial Committee for more help. What’s ironic, according to ABC News, however, is that O’Donnell’s message to the national GOP is “strangely mixed,” as she is both fighting them and asking for their help. ABC News reports, “At the debate at the Wilmington, Delaware Rotary Club, O’Donnell ended her closing statement not with a message of party unity, but with one of defiance: ‘If you want a senator who has had...

Republican Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell of Delaware is calling out the Republican establishment in Washington for not helping her underdog campaign. In an interview on ABC’s “This Week” that aired Sunday, the tea party favorite said she has asked the National Republican Senatorial Committee for help but that the group is standing on the sidelines even though her Democratic rival, Chris Coons, is getting a boost from his party. A spokesman for the Republican committee, Brian Walsh, has noted that the group gave O’Donnell the maximum direct contribution of $42,000 and is working with her campaign. The committee is not...

Presumptive answer: Because she’s down by 20 points and resources aren’t infinite? O’Donnell’s comments in her exclusive interview with Fox News followed an offhanded remark she had made in her ninety-minute exchange with Coons: “I’ve had to fight my party to be here on this stage to win the nomination, and to some extent I am still fighting my party.”…But when this reporter asked O’Donnell herself how she is fighting her own party, the Republican nominee was ready to cite chapter and verse. Tthe Democratic senatorial committee is running ads against me. The Democratic Party is running ads against me,”...

A brand new post-debate Rasmussen poll has Christine O'Donnell trailing Democrat Chris Coons by only 11-points, 51%-40%, picking up eight from the pre-debate Monmouth University poll that had her trailing by 19 points, 57%-38%.The Rasmussen poll is a startling development in a race that has taken an unusual twist in the last 48 hours. It puts Coons perilously close to sinking under the 50% margin. O'Donnell won 150,000 votes in a 2008 Senate bid against then-Senator Joe Biden when Biden was also running for vice president, which in today's climate could be enough to win.Appearing on Sean Hannity's radio show...