Jefferson fails to receive the Democratic Party's endorsement, while Weldon is being probed; President Clinton says focus on the midterms, not '08

From CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. William Jefferson failed to win his party's endorsement Saturday, the latest setback for the Louisiana Democrat who is being investigated for allegedly taking bribes. Instead, Crescent City Democrats chose to endorse state Rep. Karen Carter.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press and McClatchy Newspapers are both reporting that Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pennsylvania, is being investigated by the FBI to see if he used his influence to help his daughter acquire lobbying contracts.

And with less than one month before the midterm elections, former President Clinton is calling on Democrats to remain focused on November, not the 2008 presidential contest. The plea to Iowa Democrats last night comes as his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York, just reported that she has $15.7 million in her campaign war chest to seed a presidential campaign if she chooses to make a run for the White House.

Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean appear on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer. And CNN's Candy Crowley, political analyst Stuart Rothenberg and L.A. Times Ron Brownstein will discuss the midterm elections with Wolf. Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer airs from 11 am to 1 pm ET.

On Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz looks at how the media has been covering the Foley page scandal; the influence of the media on politics and the Air America bankruptcy. Reliable Sources airs from 10 am to 11 am ET.

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For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day on the CNN Political Ticker http://www.cnn.com/ticker All politics, all the time.

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The Washington Post: Allen and Webb in Virtual Tie, Post Poll Says
Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) and Democratic challenger James Webb are virtually tied in a race that could shift the balance of power in Washington and which reinforces the differences between Northern Virginia and the rest of the commonwealth, according to a new Washington Post poll. Allen gets 49 percent, compared with 47 percent for Webb, within the 3 percentage point margin of error for the poll conducted over three days last week. With few respondents saying they are undecided and most seemingly locked in for their candidate, the poll indicates that the candidates' strategies for turning out supporters will be vital and that changes in the national political climate could tilt the outcome.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/14/AR2006101401128.html

The Boston Globe: Group to rally opposition to gay marriage
In an attempt to motivate religious conservatives to go to the polls next month, a national organization of family values activists will join Governor Mitt Romney and more than 1,000 local churchgoers today to argue to evangelicals that the legalization of same-sex marriage here is threatening religious liberty throughout the country. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/10/15/group_to_rally_opposition_to_gay_marriage/

The Times-Picayune: Democrats back Jefferson challenger
BATON ROUGE -- In an extraordinary vote against an incumbent congressman, Louisiana Democratic Party leaders on Saturday endorsed state Rep. Karen Carter of New Orleans for the 2nd District House seat held since 1991 by Rep. William Jefferson, whose campaign for re-election has been hampered by a federal bribery investigation. In a meeting at the Old State Capitol, the party's state Central Committee voted 69-53 to endorse Carter in the Nov. 7 election after hearing appeals from Carter and Jefferson, the only two candidates who received nominations for the endorsement.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/capital/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1160896296206690.xml&coll=1

AP: Weldon Faces Probe on Daughter's Deals
WASHINGTON -- The FBI is investigating whether Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., used his influence to secure lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, two people familiar with the inquiry said Saturday. The inquiry focuses on lobbying contracts worth $1 million that Weldon's daughter, Karen Weldon, obtained from foreign clients and whether they were assisted by the congressman, they said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidentiality of the criminal investigation. http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/10/15/D8KP16KO0.html

The Des Moines Register: Clinton fires up Iowa Democrats: Forget about '08 and focus on Nov. 7, ex-president says
Former President Bill Clinton rallied Iowa Democrats Saturday with a blistering attack on the Republican leadership in Washington and a cautionary note about the early start of the 2008 presidential campaign in their state. "All the stories tomorrow are going to be about 2008," Clinton told 3,500 Democratic activists and leaders at the party's annual fall banquet. "For just three and a half weeks, forget about it."
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061015/NEWS09/610150350

The New York Times: Two Views of Spitzer: Populist Warrior or Reckless Business Foe
If there was a moment when Eliot Spitzer's ride to fame as New York attorney general was nearly derailed, it came on April 8, 2002. That was the day Mr. Spitzer stunned Wall Street by using a little-known state law to win a court order requiring Merrill Lynch to disclose potential business conflicts involving its stock analysts. The maneuver brought a secret, long-running investigation into the open, and forced Merrill Lynch -- and, later, other big firms -- to make concessions they had resisted and helped turn Mr. Spitzer into a political
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/nyregion/15spitzer.html?hp&ex=1160971200&en=07a5bb37f2785559&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Baltimore Sun: Two rivals clash with two styles
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and Mayor Martin O'Malley met twice yesterday for an unusual pair of television debates, testy encounters that revealed the markedly different styles they bring to the governor's race. Republican Ehrlich and O'Malley, a Democrat, displayed agreement on the most important goals for the state - better schools, safer streets and a cleaner Chesapeake Bay - but each said the other's track record proved him incapable of accomplishing them. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.debate15oct15,0,6028480.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

The New York Times: Tacit Silence on Stem Cell Research in Missouri Race
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. -- Over cocktails one recent Monday night at a Democratic fund-raiser in New York, Claire McCaskill, the Democratic Senate candidate in Missouri played up her support for stem cell research. But at a campaign appearance here in rural and largely conservative Kirksville, Ms. McCaskill never mentioned the subject. Similarly, her Republican opponent, Senator Jim Talent, came out against a statewide ballot measure on stem cell research at the strong urging of conservative Christians. But when Mr. Talent recently addressed an electricians’ trade group at a resort on the Lake of the Ozarks, he did not speak of his opposition. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/us/politics/15stem.html

Los Angeles Times: It's Back to Politics as Usual, More or Less
Compared to the recall and last year's special election, this choice is more traditional, except for Schwarzenegger's enduring celebrity. SACRAMENTO -- If the historic recall election three years ago upended California politics, the race between Democrat Phil Angelides and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 has returned the political system to its regularly scheduled programming. Between state Treasurer Angelides and the incumbent Gov. Schwarzenegger, there is little talk about sweeping away special interests or transforming the political system as we know it. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-guidegovernor15oct15,1,2678158.story?coll=la-headlines-politics&ctrack=1&cset=true

The Washington Post: With Eye on 2008, Kerry Goes After Bush
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) barely said hello to the New Hampshire Democrats who filled a banquet room here Friday night before unloading on President Bush.
"This war in Iraq is a disgrace," he said in the second sentence of his speech at a party fundraising dinner.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/14/AR2006101400554.html

The Washington Post: A Conversation With John Kerry; Interview by Bob Woodward
In the months before the 2004 presidential election, The Washington Post's Bob Woodward sought to interview Sen. John F. Kerry, the Democratic nominee, about how he might have conducted foreign policy in the 18 months between Sept. 11, 2001, and the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. For his book "Plan of Attack," Woodward had interviewed President Bush on how and why he made decisions during that same period. Woodward gave the Kerry campaign a list of 22 questions based on Bush's actions, asking how Kerry would have responded at each key decision point if he had been president. Kerry declined the interview at the time. More than a year later, on March 7, Kerry agreed to be interviewed by Woodward and answer the 22 questions. Below is an edited version of their two-hour conversation. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/13/AR2006101301393.html

The Washington Post: Low-Key Democrat Leads High-Stakes Senate Race
READING, Pa. -- For Bob Casey Jr., it was one of the good days in his campaign to send Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) into political obscurity. Morning brought word of a new poll showing him with a 12-point lead over Santorum, who is the third most powerful Republican in the Senate, and evening brought an adoring audience to a fundraiser here in a private home, where Casey said with growing confidence, "I really believe this race is about America." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/14/AR2006101401045.html

St. Petersburg Times: Democrats' suit: No Foley notices at polling sites
TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Democratic Party doesn't want signs in polling places stating that a vote for the disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley is really a vote for his replacement, state Sen. Joe Negron of Stuart. Foley resigned two weeks ago after it was learned he conversed in a sexual manner with congressional pages. The Republican Party of Florida named Negron to run in Foley's place against Democrat Tim Mahoney. http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/14/State/Democrats__suit__No_F.shtml

The Columbus Dispatch: 12th District race not a foregone conclusion now
If history is any indication in the Republican leaning 12 th Congressional District, three-term GOP incumbent Pat Tiberi should be a slam dunk for re-election. But this is no typical election year. A series of Republican scandals in Ohio and at the national level have created a hostile environment for the GOP, throwing so-called safe districts into play. "It's bad," Tiberi acknowledged last week before appearing on a radio call-in program. "No question there is frustration out there."
http://www.ohioelects.com/?story=dispatch/2006/10/15/20061015-B1-05.html

The Boston Globe: His 'leadership changed Mass. forever'; Ex-congressman Gerry Studds dies.
Gerry E. Studds, who championed environmental, maritime, and fisheries issues during 24 years in the US House of Representatives and lent an eloquent voice to health and human rights matters, died early yesterday. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/10/15/his_leadership_changed_mass_forever/

AP: Burns Struggling to Retain Mont. Voters
CONRAD, Mont. -- In this small farm town on the prairie, rebuilding a highway span that passes over a busy railroad track costs millions of dollars. Getting the money for that project and others is a big reason Sen. Conrad Burns remains popular with many voters. "Conrad Burns is like a neighbor," said Cynthia Johnson, a Republican county commissioner who credits the three-term GOP senator with securing millions for the state. http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/10/15/D8KOVMO81.html

AP: Rep. Murtha Blasts GOP for Name-Calling
Rep. John Murtha, a decorated Marine veteran who favors withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, wrote an essay for Sunday's Washington Post blasting Republicans for referring to him and other Iraq war opponents as "Defeatocrats." In his opinion piece, first published on the Post's Web site Saturday night, Murtha, D-Pa., said Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and others in the White House have called Iraq war opponents appeasers and pessimists and labeled Democrats the "cut and run" party.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/10/14/D8KOR22O0.html

The Washington Post: Confessions of a 'Defeatocrat'
The Republicans are running scared. In the White House, on Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail, they're worried about losing control of Congress. And so the administration and the GOP have launched a desperate assault on Democrats and our position on the war in Iraq. Defeatists, they call us, and appeasers and -- oh so cleverly -- "Defeatocrats." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/13/AR2006101301425.html

CNN: The latest race ratings heading into November
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/

The Rothenberg Political Report: The latest race ratings heading into November
http://www.rothenbergpoliticalreport.blogspot.com/