Week of August 24, 2003
Senate Candidates Coming Out of the Woodwork...
...In Florida
Former education commissioner Betty Castor tops early polls to replace Democratic Sen. Bob Graham, who is seeking the presidential nomination. In a non-partisan poll taken last month, Castor's name recognition and favorability rating were higher than any of her Democratic opponents (conducted 7/29-31; 625 likely voters; margin of error 4). In a separate poll taken for one of the Republican challengers, former Rep. Bill McCollum, Castor beat or tied all three of the Republicans tested in head-to-head matchups (6/11; 500 likely voters; margin of error 4.5).
...In Missouri
Treasurer Nancy Farmer is stepping up to take on GOP Sen. Kit Bond. In a DSCC poll, Farmer garnered 38 percent to Bond's 51 percent, a competitive showing in a race that is just taking shape. When polling voters familiar with both candidates, Farmer led Bond, 46 to 45 percent (7/10-14; 800 registered voters; margin of error 3.5). President Bush has already been to Missouri campaigning for Bond in a single event that raised $1 million for the senator.
...In South Carolina
Inez Tenenbaum, the state's education superintendent, is preparing to seek retiring Democratic Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings' seat. In a poll conducted for the DSCC, Tenenbaum beats three of the top Republican challengers in head-to-head matchups (7/28-8/3; 628 likely general election voters; margin of error 3.9).
More Republican Dirty Work (as if there wasn't enough)...
According to fundraising documents from 1999-2001, at least six GOP attorneys general solicited potential plaintiffs -- including big tobacco, pharmaceutical, firearm, and oil companies -- for hundreds of thousands of dollars in political contributions. The AGs are all members of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a group founded by Alabama AG William Pryor, Jr., and the Republican National Committee explicitly to raise money from industries facing state lawsuits. President Bush recently nominated Pryor to sit on the 11th circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. Pryor opposes the separation of church and state, called Roe v. Wade an "abomination," and opposed repeal of the Texas sodomy law recently struck down by the Supreme Court. Another Republican AG caught up in this fundraising flap is Delaware's Jane Brady, who is mentioned as a possible challenger to Democratic Gov. Ruth Ann Minner.
Republican Party: Recruiting Diversity
The Grand Ol' Party seems to have a problem making their inclusive, "big tent" rhetoric match reality. The White House sent a message to state Republican parties urging them to choose more minority delegates to "provide a television convention backdrop of mixed ethnicity and race from which Bush can formally launch his re-election campaign." "It's not a prop," said an Illinois Republican committeeman and Bush campaigner. "It's so that the delegation reflects the diversity in the Republican Party." In 2000, only slightly more than eight percent of Republican delegates were minorities.
IN-Gov: Simpson Engineers a Labor Endorsement
EMILY's List candidate Vi Simpson picked up the endorsement of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 841 in her bid for Indiana governor. While Simpson's top primary opponent has been flaunting his union support, the Engineers' executive board voted unanimously to endorse Simpson. "Senator Simpson has built a pro-labor record that working Hoosiers can trust," said Blaine Davidson, the union's business manager. "She's done some pretty heavy lifting for us. Now, the Operating Engineers are going to do some heavy lifting for her to ensure she's our next governor." Simpson has also received the endorsements of two other unions: Laborers Local #741 and AFSCME Local 832.