Ensign fears peril in Democratic gains

Giuliani says Palin speech fired up GOP base
By MOLLY BALL
REVIEW-JOURNAL
September 5, 2008
 
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Nevada Sen. John Ensign, speaking Thursday at the Republican convention, warned that America’s freedom is in peril if Democrats make gains in the November election.
“If the Democrats win a stronger majority in the United States Senate, our nation will move […]

Fantasy Land: Democrats’ ‘Solutions’ to Our Energy Crisis

by Sen. John Ensign
August 4, 2008
HumanEvents.com
My son recently passed his driver’s test and could not be more excited. Unfortunately for him, gas prices are at record highs and Democrats continue to obstruct Republican attempts to solve our energy crisis in the short and long term. As Americans demand relief from the energy burden they bare, […]

2008 Election Forecast: Kentucky Still (Very) Republican Territory

August 4, 2008
By Greg Giroux, CQ Staff
CQ Politics Presidential Race Rating: Safe Republican
John McCain would have been favored to win Kentucky, a conservative-leaning state on the northern fringe of the South, even if Barack Obama had done better in the May 20 Democratic primary that he lost overwhelmingly to Hillary Rodham Clinton . Although politically […]

Sen. Collins Votes To Stay In Session, Deal With Nation’s Energy Crisis

By Mark J. Ellis
August 4, 2008
Politickerme.com
Tom Allen votes to go home
PORTLAND, Maine– Late Thursday evening, the U.S. Senate voted 48-40 in favor of a motion to adjourn so lawmakers could leave Washington for a month-long August recess. U.S. Senator Susan Collins was among those who voted to remain at work in order to address high […]

Collins’ numbers are good with 3 months to go

Fosters.com
July 31, 2008
Elections are more than three months away, but Susan Collins is positioned well to win a third term in the U.S. Senate.
Collins, first elected to the Senate by Maine voters in 1996, has showed up 14 percentage points ahead of Democrat Tom Allen, currently a U.S. Representative from the state’s First Congressional District. […]

Sen. Inhofe sweeps into November re-election race

Associated Press
By RON JENKINS
July 30, 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe looks strong in his bid for a third term. The Democratic nominee, on the other hand, has a lot of work to do if he wants to pull off an election upset in November.
Inhofe, 73, already was a heavy favorite in Tuesday’s […]

Schaffer blasts Udall for missing vote on summer break

By Ed Sealover
Rocky Mountain News
July 30, 2008
Rep. Mark Udall learned Wednesday there are some political promises he shouldn’t make.
Like pledging to oppose sending Congress on its summer break - and then missing the vote altogether.
Wednesday, the House voted 213-212 to adjourn this week.
The vote came two days after Udall vowed, in a televised debate, to […]

Udall’s missing vote lets lawmakers off hook

By Mike Riley
The Denver Post
July 30, 2008
Democratic Senate candidate Mark Udall missed a critical vote today that might have kept Congress from going into summer recess until it passed an energy bill, breaking a vow he made in a recent debate.
Udall spokeswoman Taylor West said the Boulder County lawmaker was on his way back to […]

Ensign promises to match Senate Democrats

UPI.com
July 30, 2008
Senate Republicans will match dollar-for-dollar what the Democrats plan to spend this campaign cycle, U.S. Sen. John Ensign said Wednesday.
The Nevada Republican, who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said the GOP would match Democrats’ spending despite a nearly 2-to-1 disadvantage in cash on hand, The Hill reported.
Ensign noted that Sen. Chuck Schumer, […]

We need real energy solutions that address supply and demand

July. 29, 2008
Las Vegas Review-Journal
By JOHN ENSIGN
SPECIAL TO THE REVIEW-JOURNAL
Two months ago, I made the point that a steak-and-eggs breakfast in Las Vegas was cheaper than the price of a gallon of gas. With soaring energy costs fueling increases in the price of food and other consumer goods, it seems that any kind of bargain […]

Coleman takes big lead in Minnesota

Tue, July 29, 2008
by Austin Cassidy
ConservativePulse.com
Campaign 2008, Poll Results
A new Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters in the Minnesota Senate race has a little bit of good news for Republicans. Senator Norm Coleman has pulled out to a somewhat comfortable lead over comedian Al Franken, a darling of the DailyKos crowd.
Coleman was holding at 52% […]

Ensign says offshore oil drilling issue helping Schaffer

PolitickerCO.com
July 29, 2008
By Alex Isenstadt
Category: US SenateTags: Mark Udall, Bob Schaffer
National Republican Senatorial Committee chair John Ensign (R-Nev.) argued today that Republicans were on the right side of the issue on offshore oil drilling and said the issue was helping the party gain traction in Colorado’s competitive Senate race.
In a conference call with reporters today, […]

Cornyn Donating $250K to NRSC

July 29, 2008
By David M. Drucker
Roll Call Staff
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) informed his Senate GOP colleagues Tuesday that he plans to donate $250,000 out of his re-election account to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Cornyn, who has been rumored to be interested in succeeding Sen. John Ensign (Nev.) as NRSC chairman, is delivering to the committee […]

Collins numbers are good with 3 months to go

Senator’s independence reflects that of Maine
Fosters.com
Monday, July 28, 2008
Elections are more than three months away, but Susan Collins is positioned well to win a third term in the U.S. Senate.
Collins, first elected to the Senate by Maine voters in 1996, has showed up 14 percentage points ahead of Democrat Tom Allen, currently a U.S. Representative […]

First lady to attend Kennedy fundraiser

Shreveport Times.com
By Mike Hasten
July 26, 2008
BATON ROUGE — First lady Laura Bush is scheduled to attend a fundraiser in Lafayette next month to boost the campaign of Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Kennedy.
Lafayette businessman William P. Mills confirmed Friday he and his wife, Sandra, will host the event Aug. 14 at their Robley Drive home.
Mills […]

Minnesota: New Coleman Spot Hits Franken Hard

July 24, 2008
By Shira Toeplitz
Roll Call Staff
Sen. Norm Coleman (R) officially went negative on the airwaves against comedian Al Franken (D) in his fifth television advertisement of the cycle, attacking the Democrat for his satire that some have considered demeaning to women.
In the 30-second spot, “Why not?,” a man in a bowling uniform talks about […]

Franken Stumbling in Minnesota Senate Race

CQ Today Online News
July 20, 2008
By Marie Horrigan, CQ Staff
Just a few months ago, Al Franken had plenty of reasons to smile about his chances of unseating Minnesota’s Republican Sen. Norm Coleman .
Minnesotans oppose the war — and the president — that Coleman supported. Franken was doing his homework: he had entered the race early […]

Cornyn still far ahead of Noriega in campaign cash

Democratic challenger down 10-to-1 in dollars
By W. Gardner Selby
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is still ahead of Democratic challenger Rick Noriega in campaign cash on hand, though Noriega narrowed the gap in the past four months.
At a federal deadline today, Cornyn, a Republican, plans to report that he ended June […]

Wicker packs in $3 million

Wednesday, July. 16, 2008
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON — U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker’s campaign finance records show he’s raised $1 million in three months.
The documents released by Wicker on Tuesday also show he has nearly $3 million in cash as he heads into the final three months of campaigning before voters go to the polls to choose […]

Wicker tops Musgrove in second quarter

By Michael O’Brien
TheHill.com
July 16, 2008
Sen. Roger Wicker (R) outraised his opponent, former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove (D), by about $200,000 in the second quarter in his race to hold onto his Senate seat this fall.
Wicker brought in roughly $1 million last quarter, and Musgrove raised over $810,000 between April and June this year. The gap is […]

Sununu reports $5M in bank

July 15, 2008
By Brian Lawson
Category: US Senate
Tags: Paul Collins, NH-U.S. Sen., John Sununu, fundraising record, fundraising
U.S. Sen. John Sununu’s (R-Waterville Valley) campaign has announced that the campaign has $5.1 million cash-on-hand. According to the campaign that is a record for a federal office candidate in New Hampshire.
The campaign also said that it raised $1.1 million […]

Collins leads Allen in money race

Sunjournal.com
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
PORTLAND (AP) - Republican Sen. Susan Collins has kept her fundraising advantage as both she and Democratic opponent Tom Allen raked in a little more than $1 million apiece in the latest quarter as overall contributions soared to new highs.
Altogether, the two candidates have raised more than $11 million, easily topping Maine’s […]

Hitting rock: Dems oblivious on oil

UnionLeader.com
Sunday, Jul. 13, 2008
MAYBE THE quickest way to lower oil and gas prices would be this: Immediately enroll every Democratic member of Congress in an entry-level economics class.
The lack of even a basic grasp of economic concepts has led Democrats to oppose sensible policies that would begin to lower oil and gas prices. Instead, they […]

Mike Johanns speaks at Nebraska State Republican Convention

July 12, 2008
BY RICK RUGGLES
WOLRD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Mike Johanns said Saturday that if Republicans govern as Ronald Reagan governed, they can change the direction of the nation.
Johanns, the former Nebraska governor who is running against Scott Kleeb for U.S. Senate, spoke to the Nebraska State Republican Convention Saturday in La Vista.
He encouraged Nebraska Republicans to “give […]

McConnell Raises $3 Million in Re-election Bid

July 10, 2008
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s re-election campaign says he raised more than $3 million in campaign contributions in the second-quarter of 2008.
McConnell’s campaign manager Justin Brasell said it is a record amount for quarterly fundraising in Kentucky and will be filed with the Federal Election Commission on July 15.
McConnell is the Senate’s top Republican […]

Party gave Merkley plenty of crash

6/26/2008
Examiner.com
The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A new disclosure report shows just how much Democratic officials in Washington, D.C. wanted Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley to beat Steve Novick in last month’s Senate primary.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee covered almost all of Merkley’s nonadvertising expenses in the final weeks of the campaign, spending more than […]

Hatch Named No. 2 at NRSC

By Erin P. Billings
Roll Call Staff
June 25, 2008
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Ensign (Nev.) on Wednesday named his most prolific fundraising lieutenant, Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah), as his No. 2 at the political committee.
Hatch’s vice chairmanship at the NRSC comes just a week after he helped the committee exceed its fundraising goals for the […]

GOP exceeds fundraising goals on President’s Dinner

By Jackie Kucinich
TheHill.com
18 June 2008
The Republican campaign committees raised a total of $21.5 million at the annual President’s Dinner on Wednesday night, despite the absence of the presumptive presidential nominee and a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in an internal accounting scandal at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was […]

Poll: Coleman has strong lead with or without Ventura candidacy

Startribune.com Minneapolis-St.Paul Minnesota
June 16, 2008
KEVIN DUCHSCHERE
Former Gov. Jesse Ventura would trim support from both Sen. Norm Coleman and Coleman’s DFL challenger, Al Franken, if he were to enter the U.S. Senate race, a Survey USA poll has found.
The poll of 700 Minnesota adults, taken last week, showed Coleman winning a three-way match over Franken and […]

Republicans have “answers” to rising gas prices

Staff
June 12,2008
Talk Radio News Service
In a press conference regarding gas prices, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY.) said that the Republican Party is committed to creating more American energy in order to lower gas prices. He criticized Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama and his stance on gas prices. He said that apparently Senator Obama […]

Minnesota Dems leery of Franken’s past

Politico
By JOSH KRAUSHAAR
Date 6/10/08
Al Franken is finding he’s good enough to win the Democratic nomination for the Senate in Minnesota, smart enough to apologize for sexually explicit writings from his past — but he’s soon going to find out whether the voters of Minnesota really like him.
Doubts have been raised about the latter after a […]

National GOP outraised Dems by $13 million

Politics on the Hudson
June 9, 2008
By Brian Tumulty
The three major national committees of the Republican Party raised $13 million more than their three counterparts run by the Democrats during the first 16 months of this election cycle, the Federal Election Commission reported today.
The reporting period covers Jan. 1 of last year through April 30 of […]

Comic Franken’s Senate Bid Sidetracked by Sex Robots, Taxes

Bloomberg.com
By Laura Litvan
June 9, 2008
Enlarge Image/Details
June 9 (Bloomberg) — Democrats see nothing standing in the way of big gains in November by picking up Republican-held U.S. Senate seats in states from New Mexico to North Carolina. Nothing, that is, except bawdy sexual humor and unpaid taxes.
With bright electoral prospects across the U.S., a dark cloud […]

Labor Officials Denounce Union Attack Ads

Scott Sassone
Topix.com
6/6/2008
(NEWS CENTER) — An organization called The Center For Union Facts has launched a nationwide television ad campaign attacking labor unions and supporting workers rights. Those ads recently ran on stations here in Maine, including NEWS CENTER.
The ads depict workers talking about how unions take away their rights and bully people into joining unions.
J. […]

Warren Rudman: Sen. Sununu has a long record of fiscal responsibility in Washington

UnionLeader.com
By WARREN RUDMAN
June 6th 2008
SEN. JOHN SUNUNU has stood up for New Hampshire values and fiscal responsibility in Washington. He has been an independent voice for New Hampshire when it comes to reining in wasteful Washington spending.
John is a true fiscal conservative who understands that we have a budget deficit because of overspending, whereas some […]

Franken fallout continues

June 05, 2008
Politico
The backlash from key Democratic leaders against comedian Al Franken’s Senate campaign is not subsiding, with the latest criticism coming from the abortion-rights group Planned Parenthood, a normally reliable supporter of Democratic candidates.
According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Planned Parenthood’s senior legislative director Connie Perpich sent an e-mail to state Democratic legislators raising concerns […]

Road to DFL nomination gets bumpier for Franken

StarTribune.com Minneapolis-St.Paul,Minnesota
By PATRICIA LOPEZ, KEVIN DIAZ and KEVIN DUCHSCHERE
June 5, 2008
Just as DFL activists begin streaming into Rochester for a state convention that starts today, their top U.S. Senate candidate, Al Franken, is fending off still more slings on his troubled road to the nomination.
On Thursday, an e-mail surfaced from one of the state’s leading […]

GOP criticize Franken over rape joke in 1995 article

TwinCities.com
By Rachel E. Stassen-Berger
06/05/2008
The Republican Party’s latest release from the archives of Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken’s past is a 13-year-old New York Magazine description of a Saturday Night Live writers’ meeting.
During the meeting, writers are brainstorming about how to develop a sketch in which one of the actors plays “60 Minutes” commentator Andy Rooney, […]

Planned Parenthood email blasts ‘degrading’ Franken essay

StarTribune.com
By PATRICIA LOPEZ
June 5, 2008
DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken took another blow on Thursday with news that Planned Parenthood has gone on the offensive against the comedian for a comic soft-porn piece he once wrote for Playboy magazine.
In an unusual move, a top official with Planned Parenthood sent an email to DFL legislators saying […]

Franken Fallout Continues

Thursday, June 05, 2008
Josh Kraushaar
Politico’s The Crypt Blog
The backlash from key Democratic leaders against comedian Al Franken’s Senate campaign is not subsiding, with the latest criticism coming from the abortion-rights group Planned Parenthood, a normally reliable supporter of Democratic candidates.
According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Planned Parenthood’s senior legislative director Connie Perpich sent an e-mail to […]

Boulder Liberal Mark Udall

Thursday, June 05, 2008
NRSC Press Office
Candidate tries to walk away from home base
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Boulder liberal Mark Udall continues his run away from his “touchstone” and “home base” Boulder, Colorado.
Today, the NRSC announced the release of “Boulder Liberal, Mark Udall,” a Web ad chronicling Udall’s embarrassing attempts to run away from his “touchstone,” and […]

Franken’s “Implode-O-Rama”

Townhall.com
June 05, 2008
By Scott Bensing
The United States Senate is known as the “World’s Greatest Deliberative Body.” A group of men and women charged with writing laws and debating foreign and domestic policy. Conspicuously absent from Article One of the Constitution; authoring pornography.
Al Franken has made a career of insulting and belittling people who disagree with […]

NRSC Chairman Sen. John Ensign Statement On Rep. Steve Pearce’s Win In New Mexico Senate Primary

Wednesday, June 04, 2008
NRSC Press Office
WASHINGTON, D.C. — National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) made the following statement today in regards to Rep. Steve Pearce winning the Republican nomination for Senate in New Mexico:
“I congratulate Steve Pearce on winning the Republican nomination for Senate in New Mexico. Rep. Heather Wilson ran a […]

New GOP Survey Has Cornyn With Big Lead

Tuesday, June 03, 2008
David Drucker
Roll Call
Sen. John Cornyn (R) led his challenger, state Rep. Rick Noriega (D), by 16 points in a poll of registered voters conducted late last month by a GOP pollster unaffiliated with the incumbent’s campaign.
The survey, conducted May 20-25 by Austin-based Mike Baselice of Baselice & Associates Inc., showed Cornyn ahead […]

New Reports Show Collins With $2 Million Cash Advantage

Monday, June 02, 2008
Associated Press
Sen. Susan Collins has extended her cash-on-hand advantage over Rep. Tom Allen to more than $2 million in Maine’s U.S. Senate race, according to newly filed campaign finance reports.The latest figures are contained in “pre-primary” reports filed with the Federal Election Commission that include fundraising and disbursements from April 1 to […]

Schaffer Nominated For Colorado’s U.S. Senate Seat

NRSC Press Release
May 31, 2008
He kept his term-limits pledge.
He’s a proven leader.
Bob Schaffer is who should be Colorado’s next U.S. senator.
That was the message from the 12 Republicans who nominated Schaffer for the Senate at the state party convention today in Broomfield.
Schaffer accepted the the nomination in a speech where some of the loudest applause […]

Coleman gets GOP Senate endorsement

TwinCities.com
By Rachel E. Stassen-Berger
05/30/2008
After hours of divisions over rules and presidential candidates, the Minnesota Republican Party this afternoon united behind U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman’s re-election bid.
Coleman, who is vying for his second term, was the only candidate the Republicans considered for endorsement at the state convention.
In the presidential race, a loud minority of state delegates […]

Cornyn Comfortably Leads Noriega

Friday, May 30, 2008
NRSC Press Office
Senator up by 16 over State Rep.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — New polling reinforces the fact that Democrat Texas State Rep. Rick Noriega faces an uphill battle in his race against Sen. John Cornyn for the U.S. Senate.
In a […]

McCollum Criticizes Franken Over Playboy Article

Thursday, May 29, 2008
Associated Press
Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum said that a Playboy column written by Senate candidate Al Franken eight years ago was offensive and presents a serious political problem for Democratic candidates this year.
McCollum, who had supported Franken rival Mike Ciresi until he dropped out of the race, told The Associated Press on Thursday […]

Dole TV Ad Plays To Her Strength

Thursday, May 29, 2008
Rob Christensen
The News & Observer
Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole began her general election TV advertising campaign Wednesday, stressing an issue she thinks will be a strength — a crackdown on illegal immigrants — and addressing a potential weakness — her image as a creature of Washington.
The Dole ad campaign comes more than five […]

McConnell’s Double-Digit Lead

Wednesday, May 28, 2008
NRSC Press Office
Senator up big over twice failed gubernatorial candidate
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Twice-failed gubernatorial candidate Bruce Lunsford is running statewide a third time. While he may believe the third time’s the charm, a new poll out yesterday shows Sen. […]

McConnell Up 11 Points In Internal Polling

Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Josh Kraushaar
Politico’s The Crypt Blog
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) holds an 11-percentage point lead over his Democratic opponent, businessman Bruce Lunsford, according to the McConnell campaign’s internal polling released today.
The poll shows McConnell leading Lunsford 50 percent to 39 percent in a head-to-head matchup. The numbers are unchanged in McConnell’s internal […]

Happy Birthday, Al Franken

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

NRSC Press Office

Is the comedian turned candidate reminiscing today?
WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s comedian-turned Senate candidate Al Franken’s birthday today. And we all know birthdays are a time for […]

Coleman Opens Up Lead In New Star-Tribune Poll

Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Shira Toeplitz
Roll Call
Sen. Norm Coleman (R) is sitting pretty this week after a Minneapolis Star-Tribune poll showed him leading all of his Democratic opponents.
In the survey, Coleman topped the likely Democratic nominee, comedian Al Franken, 51 percent to 44 percent, with 5 percent undecided. Coleman also led the less well-known Democratic candidate, […]

Dole Says She’s Ready To Fight

Monday, May 19, 2008
Barbara Barrett, Benjamin Niolet, Michael Biesecker and Lynn Bonner
The News & Observer
Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole must have been watching the polls in recent days, because she predicts a hard-fought race to keep her seat next fall.
In her first blog post on her new election site, Dole says she expects to have […]

Coleman Polling Ahead

Monday, May 19, 2008

NRSC Press Office

Senator up over comedian with credibility issues
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The trouble for Al Franken just keeps getting worse. In a new poll out yesterday, it’s apparent […]

Poll: Good News For Coleman, Bad For Franken

Sunday, May 18, 2008
Kevin Diaz
Star Tribune
Republican Sen. Norm Coleman holds a seven-point lead over his DFL challenger Al Franken, who appears to have been weakened by his recent tax problems.
A new Star Tribune Minnesota Poll also shows that Mike Ciresi, the DFL trial lawyer who dropped out of the race in March for lack of […]

Ensign Looks Past NRCC In Mapping Strategy

By Erin McPike and Ben Schneider
May 15, 2008
While months offhand-wringing have marked GOP campaign efforts in the House, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Ensign of Nevada and his team remain unfazed by the National Republican Congressional Committee’s woes.
But Republican Greg Davis’ loss to Democrat Travis Childers in a special House race in the […]

Johanns Wastes No Time On Next Step

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Diane Wetzel
North Platte Telegraph
Fresh off his decisive victory in Tuesday’s primary election, U.S. Senatorial candidate Mike Johanns wasn’t spending any time resting on his victory laurels. The former governor and Secretary of Agriculture was in North Platte Wednesday morning with Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman on a campaign swing throughout the state.
“I have […]

Senate Republicans Go On The Offensive

Thursday, May 08, 2008
John Stanton
Roll Call
By forcing a vote on the GOP energy package, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) finally made good on his party’s vow to use the chamber as a platform to highlight their “proactive” agenda rather than simply play defense.
McConnell’s decision Wednesday to offer the energy package as an amendment to […]

Accountability? Does Franken Think The Accountant Handles That Too?

Monday, May 05, 2008

NRSC Press Office

Al Franken demands accountability - but again, the rules don’t apply to him
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Comedian turned tax scofflaw Senate candidate Al Franken has a record […]

Democrats lose footing for gains in November

The Washington Times
May 5, 2008
By S.A. Miller and Sean Lengell
“Saturday Night Live” veteran Al Franken should have had an easier run for U.S. Senate in Minnesota against an embattled Republican incumbent but is being dogged by $70,000 in unpaid taxes and is slipping in the polls — just one of the topsy-turvy races clouding Democrats’ […]

POLL: Voters Notice Franken’s Tax Troubles

Sunday, May 04, 2008
KSTP-TV, ABC 5, St. Paul, Minn.
Election day is exactly six months from Sunday and Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race will be one of the most closely watched in the nation.
DFL candidate Al Franken jumpstarted his campaign with a rally the day before Republican Norm Coleman officially announced his reelection bid. Since then, headlines […]

Keep An Eye On Franken

Friday, May 02, 2008
Editorial
The Mesabi Daily News
Al Franken is an engaging and personable in person. The former “Saturday Night Live” performer and writer has a gift of quick wit and funny-man charm.
But as a U.S. Senate candidate he is quickly becoming a bust for the Minnesota DFL Party, even though he has piled up voluminous […]

U.S. Chamber Endorses Johanns

Thursday, May 01, 2008
Lincoln Journal Star
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Thursday endorsed Mike Johanns for election to the Senate.
“As secretary of agriculture and as governor of Nebraska, Mike Johanns has been a forceful advocate for policies that promote economic prosperity and job growth,” said Bill Miller, Chamber senior vice president and political director.
“He has […]

Ensign pleased about voter ID ruling

Las Vegas Sun
By Stephanie Kishi
April 28, 2008
U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., a longtime proponent of reducing election fraud, says he is pleased with today’s U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling backing Indiana’s right to require voters to present a valid photo ID at the voting booths.
“Presenting a valid photo identification card at the polls, prior to […]

The Union Agenda

The Wall Street Journal
April 4, 2008
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama visited the House of Labor this week, and Labor can’t wait to invite one back. Which one? Who cares.
To read the press coverage, unions are as split as the rest of the country over a Democratic nominee. The giant AFL-CIO has yet to endorse, its […]

Solar energy has bright future — if Senate acts

By Sen. John Ensign
Mar 4, 2008
POLITICO
If you’ve ever traveled to my home state of Nevada, you know that the only thing brighter than the neon lights on the Las Vegas Strip is our hot desert sun. We have some of the best solar energy resources in the world, and I am excited about the large-scale […]

Ensign finds Iraq safer than on two other trips

By Steve Tetreault
Feb. 10, 2008
WASHINGTON — Portions of Iraq once controlled by insurgents now appear safe and thriving, but it still is not possible to say how long U.S. troops should stay, Sen. John Ensign said Saturday from Baghdad.
Ensign said he was “much more optimistic about what is happening in Iraq” after hearing reports firsthand […]

EDITORIAL: Ensign leads on immigration

The U.S. Senate finally appears to understand that American citizens do not want illegal immigrants rewarded for breaking the law, and Nevada Sen. John Ensign is a big reason why.
The economic stimulus bill approved by the Senate Finance Committee last week included a measure that requires tax rebate recipients and dependent children to have valid […]

Ensign: Let’s make it perfectly clear

WASHINGTON
So much for towing the party line.
Washington was scrambling this afternoon to assure anti-illegal immigration folks that House-passed economic stimulus plan blessed by the White House would not allow undocumented workers to collect a rebate check.
House Republican Leader John Boehner’s office sent out a point-by-point missive that the House-passed bill would do no such thing. […]

Ensign: NRSC Regains Footing

January 31, 2008
By Erin P. Billings and David M. Drucker,
Roll Call Staff
While acknowledging that he will fall short of his $119 million fundraising goal this cycle, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Ensign (Nev.) said Wednesday that the committee is on its strongest footing in at least two cycles with cash in the bank to […]

Ensign Surveys a Bleak Landscape

January 25, 2008
By Reid Wilson and Kyle Trygstad
RealClearPolitics.com
Senate Republican campaign chief John Ensign faces a deck stacked decidedly against him. With twenty three Republican seats to defend, compared with just twelve Democratic seats he might pick off, Ensign is unlikely to get public credit for saving his party. Add to that an unpopular war in […]

Ensign pitches tax break proposal

Senator seeks overseas earnings for stimulus
Jan. 25, 2008
By Steve Tetreault
Las Vegas Review-Journal
WASHINGTON — Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said Thursday he plans to offer an amendment to the economic stimulus bill that would grant corporations a tax break if profits they earn overseas are reinvested in the United States.
“That could be as stimulative to the economy […]

EDITORIAL: They want an extra $50 billion

Dec. 04, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
By the first week of December 2006, an extension of a sales tax deduction and a “patch” for the dreaded alternative minimum tax had been passed by a “do-nothing” Republican Congress and sent to President Bush’s desk.
But now that Democrats run the show on Capitol Hill, they’re disinclined to […]

Wilson Pledges to Participate in Campaign Debates

KOB.com
By The Associated Press
October 12, 2007
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - Congresswoman Heather Wilson says she’ll participate in debates during her upcoming race for the Senate and estimates her campaign could cost from $8 million to $10 million.
Wilson made her debate pledge during an interview Friday with The Associated Press. The Albuquerque Republican is seeking the GOP nomination […]

Candidate For U.S. Senate Visits Delta

By Marissa Brunner
Montrose Daily Press
October 15, 2007
Delta residents had the opportunity to informally meet and chat with a candidate running for U.S. senator on Friday afternoon.
Bob Schaffer visited the Bill Heddles Recreation Center to share his views and ambitions for the future of Colorado, and answer questions revolving mostly around immigration control and education reform.
“I […]

Ensign Gains Finance Seat

Ensign gains finance seat
The Hill
Elana Schor
7/11/07
Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) won a coveted seat on the Finance Committee yesterday, reaping the rewards for steering the National Republican Senatorial Committee through a challenging 2008 cycle.
Ensign faced strong competition for the seat left vacant by the late Sen. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.), vaulting over Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), […]

Nothing Fair About Fairness Doctrine

House backs away from effort to reimpose foolish, counterproductive effort to balance broadcast speech.
Orange County Register
7/4/07
We chose the Fourth of July to celebrate free speech; namely, the House of Representatives’ 309-115 vote last week to prohibit funds from being spent by the Federal Communications Commission to re-impose the so-called Fairness Doctrine on broadcasters.
Whenever the government […]

Rep. Brad Miller will not run against Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2008

By MIKE BAKER
Associated Press Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. | Rep. Brad Miller, a Raleigh Democrat who won a third term in the House last fall, said Monday he will not challenge incumbent GOP Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2008.
Miller, a 54-year-old attorney, had set a July 1 deadline to decide whether to take on Dole, a famous name […]

Poll: Americans Give Democratic Congress All-Time Low Rating

Thursday , June 21, 2007
Fox News
WASHINGTON —
Democrats pledged to take Congress in a new direction when it won control in November 2006, but less than six months after taking the reins, Americans aren’t pleased with the results, giving lawmakers an all-time low public confidence rating.
In a Gallup poll released Thursday, only 14 percent of […]

Employees’ Rights to the Secret Ballot

OP-ED / SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL
By Mitch McConnell
Special to The Courier-Journal
Every election day, Americans go to their local polls to vote. They line up with friends and neighbors. And when their turn comes, they go into a booth or behind a curtain — a place of privacy — to cast a secret ballot.
Now imagine if, instead […]

Democratic Congress Shows Cracks

Republican campaign strategists and independent election analysts say that after five months of contentious House Democratic rule, the Republican Party’s once-bleak congressional prospects for 2008 have markedly improved.
The Democratic Congress’ job approval score is now worse than President Bush’s, plummeting to 23 percent, a drop of eight points since April. House Democrats have been forced […]

Sparks Says He Won’t Seek U.S. Senate Seat

Sparks, the state agriculture commissioner, said he decided not to run after talking with state Sen. Vivian Figures of Mobile, who is running.
“I believe that the best chance Democrats have to win that seat is if we are unified and avoid a primary battle,” Sparks said in a released statement.
Sparks is the second Democrat to […]