Monday, November 06, 2006
Early returns from eastern states could signal election outcome
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Early returns in Tuesday's midterm elections should offer hints of what's to come, the first whiff of whether Democrats can seize the House and possibly the Senate.
Most of the heavily contested, down-to-the-wire races are east of the Mississippi River, in states with relatively early poll closing times. If a Democratic rout is going to happen, it will be clear from the first votes. Showdown contests in Virginia, Rhode Island and New Jersey should be harbingers of trends in the Senate. House races in Indiana, Kentucky and Florida will provide election-watchers initial clues as to which party will control that chamber. Political parties spend $225 million on targeted races
WASHINGTON (AP) -- National committees for the Republicans and Democrats have spent about $225 million for or against candidates, concentrating their resources in 10 Senate races and 66 House contests that could determine who controls Congress.
The data is based on a review of independent spending reports filed with the Federal Election Commission as of Monday. Republicans spent about $81 million in 53 congressional districts, mostly on television advertising opposing Democratic challengers. Democrats spent $64 million in 56 congressional districts, most of them represented by a Republican. In Senate contests, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has trained its sights on seats currently held by Republicans in Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, Rhode Island, Montana and Arizona. Republicans are aiming for three Democratic-held seats in New Jersey, Maryland and Michigan. The parties have spent little or no money in Pennsylvania, where Republican Sen. Rick Santorum has trailed Democrat Bob Casey Jr., for months. Bush, Clinton rally on election's eve
WASHINGTON (AP) -- On the eve of midterm elections, Democrats criticized Republicans as stewards of a stale status quo while President Bush campaigned into the evening in a drive to preserve GOP control in Congress.
"They can't run anything right," said former President Clinton, taunting Republicans about the war in Iraq, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and even the scandal involving the House page program that complicated GOP efforts to win two more years in power. Bush campaigned on Monday from Florida to Arkansas and Texas. But the day brought one more reminder of his poor standing in the polls when Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist skipped the presidential rally in Pensacola, Fla., to make a speech of his own hundreds of miles away. For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 Barton interested in leadership post
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep Joe Barton, R-Texas, has signaled he is interested in running for a GOP leadership post, but made clear that he would not challenge House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois.
Barton made his intentions known in a statement released over the weekend where he touted his recent fundraising swing on behalf of GOP candidates. "If a position in the Republican leadership of the House opens, I'm interested," he said. "That said, the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is literally the best job in Washington, and I am in no hurry to either leave it or have it leave me." A congressional source close to Barton said he is interested in a "top leadership post." It is not clear what Hastert will do if Republicans lose the House majority. According to internal GOP Conference rules, chairmen are limited to three full terms, and Barton still has time left in his chairmanship because he took over the committee in 2004. -- CNN Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh Schumer: Battleground states 'winnable'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One day before the midterm elections, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said Monday if Democrats gain control in the House or Senate they would have more say on Capitol Hill, more clout in Washington, and 2007 would be a year of transitioning to a new Iraq policy.
At a press conference in Washington, Schumer, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said a Democratic Congress would focus on counterterrorism, force protection, logistics and training. "Every vote cast for a Democrat on Tuesday is for a new, smarter Iraq policy. Every vote cast for Republican is staying the course, whether the president wants to call it that or not," Schumer said. He said much of the battleground in this year's election lies in Missouri, Virginia and Tennessee, and he considers all three winnable for Democrats. For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 --From CNN's Emily McCulloch
Justice to monitor polls
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Justice Department announced Monday it is deploying more than 850 federal personnel to 69 jurisdictions in 22 states to watch for potential federal violations in tomorrow's midterm elections.
The contingent includes more than 500 trained federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management to areas mostly in the Deep South and Southwest, which have been certified by federal courts or the Attorney General under the Civil Rights Act of 1965. In addition more than 350 Civil Rights Division lawyers and other personnel from the Justice Department are being dispatched to locations throughout the country where authorities have reason to believe there is a potential for federal voting violations. -- CNN Justice Producer Terry Frieden Poll: Americans are angry, disapprove of war in Iraq
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A CNN poll released Monday finds Americans are angry as the 2006 midterm election arrives and may be ready to unleash their ire on the GOP in polling booths around the country.
Just 20 percent of respondents said they were content with how things are going in the country, versus 73 percent who described themselves as angry, according to the telephone poll of 1,008 adult Americans, which was carried out Friday through Sunday. The nation appears split over how things are going, with 51 percent saying well or very well and 48 percent saying badly or very badly. Full Poll Results Ahead on CNN
5 p.m. ET, The Situation Room
-Newsweek's Marcus Mabry will weigh in on which party has the edge heading into Election Day. 7-9 p.m. ET, Special Primetime Edition of The Situation Room -Former House GOP leader Dick Armey will weigh in on the midterm elections. -Democratic strategist Donna Brazile and conservative commentator Bill Bennett will square off on each party's chances heading into Election Day. 9 p.m. ET Larry King Live -Larry interviews several key candidates and political strategists on the eve of Election Day. Among his guests: Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Rick Santorum Ohio GOP Sen. Mike DeWine Ohio Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown Tennessee Democratic Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean Former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie Former DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas Zuniga Former Bush speechwriter David Frum Political commentator David Gergen 10 p.m. ET, Anderson Cooper 360 -CNN's Wolf Blitzer joins Anderson to discuss newly released polls. Talent, McCaskill begin final push for votes
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Both of Missouri's Senate candidates spent their final full day of campaigning Monday making one last push and urging supporters to get out and vote.
Polls in the campaign's waning days have confirmed what they've said mostly all along -- the race between incumbent Republican Jim Talent and Democratic challenger Claire McCaskill is too close to call. Both candidates began their final full day of campaigning in the St. Louis area. Talent appeared with fellow Republican Sen. Kit Bond and state auditor candidate Sandra Thomas at a rally in Creve Coeur, before appearing at a similar event in Columbia. He also planned stops in Independence and Springfield. McCaskill greeted shoppers at a grocery store, then thanked volunteers at a St. Louis phone bank before traveling to Kansas City, where she planned to go door-to-door in the neighborhood where she first campaigned for state representative 24 years ago. CNN's Missouri Election Guide Santorum, Casey make final campaign stops
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Senator Rick Santorum toured small towns in a Republican stronghold today, trying to convince voters that electing a Pennsylvania Democrat to a full term in the Senate forthe first time in more than 40 years would hurt the country.
Democrat Bob Casey, the front-runner in polls, started the day with about 50 citizens gathered for a bingo game in Pittsburgh. Accompanied by his wife and four daughters, Casey told them he would make sure the people's interests are ahead of the special interests. That's a theme he frequently emphasized throughout the intense 18-month campaign. CNN's Pennsylvania Election Guide Israeli Prime Minister to visit White House
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet with President Bush at the White House on November 13, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said Monday in a statement. The meeting comes one day before the president departs for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation held in Ha Noi, Vietnam.
Bush stumps for Crist despite his absence
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush urged Florida voters to support the Sunshine State's GOP gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist Monday, despite Crist's conspicuous absence from the President's rallying stage.
"Tomorrow you get to vote for a new governor, and I strongly suggest you vote for Charlie Crist to be governor of the state of Florida," Bush told a large crowd in Pensacola. "He's experienced, he's compassionate, and he'll work hard on behalf of all the citizens of this important state." Crist ruffled some White House feathers when he decided to skip the President's rally and campaign in more moderate districts on the last day of his gubernatorial campaign. --CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Early voting replaces ballot-box photos
RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) -- Forget the obligatory Election Day photo-op. The trendy candidate in 2006 voted early. "You wait 'til Election Day, you don't know what will happen," said former NFL quarterback Heath Shuler, running for the House as a Democrat in North Carolina. "It might rain."
Shuler is one of the many political candidates forgoing the traditional Election Day media spectacle at the ballot box. In Tennessee's hotly contested Senate race, both Republican Bob Corker and Democrat Harold Ford Jr., voted early. So did Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, and popular independent candidates for Texas governor, Kinky Friedman and Carole Keeton Strayhorn. Shuler voted the day of the May primary, taking wife Nikol to the polls at the Saunook Volunteer Fire Department near his home in Waynesville. But for the general election, the couple's two children joined them last month for an early voting photo-op at the Haywood County Board of Elections. "In our campaign, we're trying to get people to early vote," Shuler said. "If I'm going to tell someone to early vote, I'm going to live by what I preach." White House says Bush targeting Dem voters
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House said Monday President Bush is targeting Democrats and undecided voters -- not just the GOP faithful -- on his final campaign swing on the eve of Election Day.
"This is not simply an effort to talk to Republican voters, but also Democrats and undecideds who might be inclined to agree with the president, especially on the war on terror, but also on the economy," White House Press Secretary Tony Snow told reporters on Air Force One. Snow also said recent polls indicating the GOP is gaining momentum mirror what he has seen on the ground as the president barnstorms across the country. "One of the thing's we've seen, there are a lot of people who have been leaning Democrat going into the undecided camp, and people in the undecided camp moving into the Republican camp." Snow said. President Bush spends the final day before the midterm elections in Florida, Arkansas, and Texas. For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 --CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Ad of the day
Today, we look at an ad paid for by the Republican Governors Association on behalf of Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos that plays off of the Detroit Tigers' World Series run this year.
View ad Lieberman won't be beholden to GOP if he wins
MERIDEN, Conn. (AP) -- Though Sen. Joe Lieberman expects to win a lot of Republican votes Tuesday, the Connecticut lawmaker said he won't feel especially beholden to the GOP if he is elected to a fourth term.
"I'll owe everybody and that's the point," Lieberman said Monday as he pressed for final votes at a senior center in Meriden. Lieberman, whose Senate career was at risk just three months ago after he lost to anti-war challenger Ned Lamont in the democratic primary, led Lamont by 12 percentage points in a statewide poll released Monday. For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 Democratic payback brewing in Ohio
CINCINNATI (AP) -- There's a whiff of payback in the air as Democrats swarm Ohio.
The state that put President Bush over the top in the 2004 election is poised to elect a Democratic governor, replace a two-term Senate Republican and give Democrats at least one and possibly more House seats. Emboldened Democrats have focused on a few fresh targets in recent weeks, hoping to capitalize on an electorate unhappy with Republican Gov. Bob Taft, general malaise with the GOP and a batch of corruption scandals. In eastern Cincinnati, Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha recently campaigned for Democrat Victoria Wulsin, a political newcomer running against first-term Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt. It was Schmidt who famously derided Murtha -- a decorated Marine veteran of Vietnam -- in a House floor speech a year ago: "Cowards cut and run. Marines never do." Schmidt later apologized. Former President Clinton campaigned with Democratic Reps. Ted Strickland, the gubernatorial candidate, and Sherrod Brown, the Senate nominee, and then came to Cincinnati to help raise $300,000 for John Cranley. The city councilman is in a tight race with six-term GOP Rep. Steve Chabot -- one of the House managers for the impeachment proceedings against Clinton. CNN's Ohio Election Guide Rove expresses frustration over Crist's no-show
CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove expressed frustration Monday over Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist's decision not to appear with President Bush at a rally in Pensacola.
"Let's see how many people show up in Palm Beach on 24 hrs notice versus 8 or 9,000 people in Pensacola," Rove told CNN referring to a Crist rally quickly organized by the campaign after the GOP gubernatorial candidate canceled his appearance with the President. Roves comments came even as even as other Senior White House administration officials tried to downplay the cancellation, noting Crist is campaigning in more moderate regions of the state as he tries to pick up independent voters on the final day of his campaign. "We were invited by Crist and had been working with them on this, but his campaign made a late decision that they had opportunities in more contested areas of the state," a Senior White House official told CNN Monday." But Crist isn't canceling appearances with all national Republicans. He was joined by Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain, the maverick senator who often finds himself at odds with the White House, at a rally in Jacksonville Monday afternoon. --CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux Hussein verdict doesn't shake Dems' Iraq focus
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The conviction of Saddam Hussein by an Iraqi court over the weekend apparently did nothing to scare Democrats away from making the war the central focus of their national campaign in the final hours before Tuesday's pivotal midterm elections.
In a conference call with reporters Monday, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said he wanted to reiterate "we have an election here that's very clear about whether we can continue the course set by the president and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and the vice president in the war in Iraq, or whether we're going to have a new direction that Democrats have advocated." Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean carried the same message, telling CNN, "If you want to stay the course like the president suggests and do what we're doing, vote for the Republicans. If you want a new direction in the country, vote for the Democrats." For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 Mehlman: GOP gaining momentum
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman said Monday his party is gaining significant momentum heading into Election Day, in a memo circulated to GOP leaders and supporters across the country.
The RNC head noted three national polls released in recent days that indicate Republicans had made large gains in generic match-ups with Democrats. Mehlman cited polls from ABC News/Washington Post, Pew Research Center, and Gallup -- all of which indicate the Democrats' lead has dwindled to single digits from a much larger margin a couple weeks ago. Mehlman also said these recent polls indicate GOP enthusiasm is growing with less than 24 hours until voters head to the polls. A new CNN poll indicates Democrats maintain a 20% margin among likely voters in a generic match-up. For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 --CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
Ohio absentee ballots scanned early
(AP) -- Cuyahoga County elections officials began scanning absentee ballots Monday with a judge's permission, despite a request by state officials that counties hold off until Election Day.
About 70,000 ballots needed to be scanned in the county, the state's most populous, Cuyahoga elections director Michael Vu said. His office was determined to get through all of them Monday, even if it took until midnight. Franklin County, which includes Columbus, also started scanning absentee ballots Monday, officials said. Counties wanted to begin tabulating the ballots early because of the large volume turned in under a new state law liberalizing absentee voting. Klobuchar has double digit lead over Kennedy
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Democrat Amy Klobuchar has 20-point lead over Republican Rep. Mark Kennedy in Minnesota's senate race. The poll was conducted by the Star Tribune Minnesota Poll.
Polling Dates: October 31 – November 10, 2006 Sample Size: 1027 Likely Voters Margin of Error: 3.2% --CNN Political Researcher Xuan Thai
Clinton heads to tight Rhode Island Senate race
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Former President Bill Clinton will campaign in Rhode Island tonight for Democratic Senate hopeful Sheldon Whitehouse in his extremely close race against Republican incumbent Lincoln Chafee.
Clinton will attend a rally in Warwick. He also campaigned for Whitehouse last month. Democrats hope the former president's star power can help swing a race that recent polls show is tight. With hours to go, Chafee began his day by greeting workers in West Greenwich. He plans to visit senior centers in South Kingstown and Middletown, then catch shoppers at grocery stores across the state. For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 CNN's Rhode Island Election Guide Allen greeted by Sheehan, anti-war protesters
(AP) -- Candidates in some tight Senate races were up early. But Senator George Allen might wish he'd slept in.
The Republican went to a northern Virginia subway station and found a group of protesters including anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan. As commuters tried to get to their trains, the shouting and shoving drowned Allen out. His Democratic challenger, Jim Webb, was in Roanoke, Virginia, joined by popular former governor Mark Warner. For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006
Bradley leads Shea-Porter in NH-01
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Republican Rep. Jeb Bradley has a double-digit lead over Democratic challenger Carol Shea-Porter in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District.
Polling Dates: November 1-4, 2006 Sample Size: 337 Likely Voters Margin of Error: +/-5.3% --CNN Political Researcher Xuan Thai Hodes has the edge over Bass in NH-02
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Democratic challenger Paul Hodes has a five-point edge over Republican Rep. Charlie Bass in New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District race. The poll was conducted by the University of New Hampshire and WMUR.
Polling Dates: November 1-4, 2006 Sample size: 308 Likely Voters Margin of Error: +/-5.6% --CNN Political Researcher Xuan Thai
Vice president to hunt on Election Day
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Vice President Dick Cheney will spend Election Day hunting in South Dakota, his press secretary said Sunday.
Cheney, who voted early in Wyoming, will work Monday morning at the White House, and then depart Washington for South Dakota, said Lea Anne McBride, his press secretary. It will be Cheney's first hunting trip since February, when he accidentally shot a hunting companion while attempting to fire at a covey of quail on a private ranch in Texas. Tuesday's trip, to a private hunting lodge near Pierre, is an annual outing, said McBride. Four years ago, Cheney spent Election Day at the same lodge, McBride said. --CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux Menendez has the edge over Kean
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Sen. Bob Menendez (D) has a five-point advantage over Republican challenger Tom Kean, Jr. in New Jersey's senate race. The poll was conducted by Quinnipiac University.
Polling Dates: October 30 – November 5, 2006 Sample Size: 917 Likely Voters Margin of Error: +/-3.2% --CNN Political Researcher Xuan Thai
Lieberman leads Lamont in Connecticut
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Democrat who is running an independent campaign, has a 12-point lead over Democratic nominee Ned Lamont in Connecticut's senate race. The poll was conducted by Quinnipiac University.
Polling Dates: October 31-Novermber 5, 2006 Sample Size: 676 likely voters Margin of Error: +/-3.8% --CNN Political Researcher Xuan Thai
Iraq helps election winds favor Democrats, analysts say
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democrats began the 2006 election cycle hoping to capitalize on Americans' discontent with the Iraq war. Heading into the closing hours before the midterm elections, the minority party continues to play on this dissatisfaction. Many analysts predict Democrats will take back control of the House for the first time since the GOP charged into office following the 1994 Republican revolution. Across the Capitol, the GOP has better odds this year of retaining a majority in the Senate. Full story -- CNN Political Editor Mark Preston On the campaign trail with potential 08er's
Romney campaigns in Massachusetts Monday
Who: Massachusetts GOP Gov. Mitt Romney What: Campaigns with Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, who is running to replace the retiring Romney Allen to deliver third primetime address on election's eve
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. George Allen, the embattled Virginia Republican fighting to retain his seat, will deliver a primetime address Monday night with senior Virginia GOP Sen. John Warner by his side.
The two minute address will air on six Virginia TV affiliates and is Allen's third primetime speech this campaign season as he makes a last-ditch effort to appeal to undecided Virginia voters before they determine his political fate Tuesday. The address will cap off Allen's final campaign push as he finds himself locked in a dead heat with Democratic challenger James Webb. For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 -- CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney Bush stumps for absent candidate as poll shows record low
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As President Bush campaigns Monday in Pensacola for Florida's Republican gubernatorial candidate, the candidate himself won't be there -- the latest sign of an election season marked largely by the president's unpopularity.
Charlie Crist, seeking to replace Bush's brother Jeb Bush as governor, will be off seeking votes from moderates and independents in areas where Bush is more unpopular. Crist has said his plans to miss the event are not a statement about the president, just an effort to reach more voters. Many Republican candidates have worked to distance themselves from the president this election season. Bush also has trips Monday to Arkansas and Texas to deliver stump speeches. While he is expected to tout the verdict against Saddam Hussein in Iraq as a success of his administration and its Republican supporters, the public sentiment against the war also makes any focus on events in Iraq a potential liability. Parties work to turn out voters
(AP) -- Republicans and Democrats sent thousands of volunteers to states with the most contested races to work phone banks and canvass neighborhoods as candidates in the midterm elections neared the finish line.
The greatest obstacle for both parties is the historical tendency for voter turnout to be mediocre--or even poor--in off-year elections. For those who do vote, both parties have put together legal teams for possible challenges. FULL STORY For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 Voters could toss out Gingrich disciples
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A half-dozen Republican congressmen ushered into office in the 1994 GOP tidal wave that tossed Democrats from power may be swept out on Tuesday, casualties of a Democratic surge fueled by voter anger over the Iraq war.
On the eve of the midterm elections, Republicans are hoping their acclaimed get-out-the-vote operation will ensure majority control. But some say privately they have a slim chance of retaining the House after a grueling campaign centered on turmoil in Iraq, President Bush's sagging approval numbers, political scandals and corruption investigations. "It all gets down to Republicans turning out the vote," said Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., chairman of the House GOP's election effort. For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 Obama Stumps for Ford in Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- Senate candidates Harold Ford Jr. and Bob Corker were enlisting prominent national politicians Sunday to rally voters as the race speeds toward Election Day.
The nation's only black senator, Barack Obama, D-Ill., asked voters at two black churches and at a Nashville rally to elect Ford, a Democrat who is trying to become the first black senator from the South in more than 100 years. "I know that all of you are going to work the next couple of days to make sure it happens, because I'm feeling lonely in Washington," Obama said at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church. "I need my dear friend to join me." Corker, meanwhile, held a Sunday night event in Nashville with Republican U.S. Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and John Thune of South Dakota. Corker attended church in east Tennessee with his family. For CNN's coverage of the midterm elections, check out America Votes 2006 CNN Political Ticker AM
For the latest, breaking political news, check for updates throughout the day on the CNN Political Ticker. All politics, all the time.
Compiled by Stephen Bach CNN Washington Bureau Making news today... POLL OF POLLS Likely Voters' Choice for Congress CNN Nov. 3-5 58% (D) 38% (R) Newsweek Nov. 2-3 54% (D) 38% (R) Time Nov. 1-3 55% (D) 40% (R) ABC/W.Post Nov. 1-4 51% (D) 45% (R) Pew Nov. 1-4 47% (D) 43% (R) AVERAGE = 53% (D) 41% (R) "It says to me the Senate is still very much in play and could go either way," says Stu Rothenberg in USA Today. President's Schedule: At 2:30 pm ET, Bush speaks at the Pensacola Civic Center. At 5:30 pm ET, Bush attends a rally at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Bentonville, home of Wal-Mart. POTUS wraps with a 8:05 pm ET speech at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, TX. ================================================================= Political Hot Topics (Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country) SADDAM VERDICT A "MILESTONE" FOR IRAQ, SAYS BUSH: President Bush on Sunday seized on the conviction of Saddam Hussein as a milestone in Iraq, seeking to rally Republican voters with the issue of national security as some polls suggested that his party might be making gains in the final hours of the campaign. The White House said the timing of the announcement, two days before Election Day, had nothing to do with American politics and had been dictated by the Iraqi court. But Mr. Bush moved quickly to put it to use in what has been his central strategic imperative over the past week, trying to rouse Republican voters to turn out. "Today we witnessed a landmark event in the history of Iraq: Saddam Hussein was convicted and sentenced to death by the Iraqi High Tribunal," Mr. Bush said to roars of approval in a hockey auditorium packed with supporters in Grand Island, Neb. New York Times: Bush Trumpets Iraq Verdict to Rally Support "ADDS A TWIST" TO MIDTERM RACES: The guilty verdict in Saddam Hussein's trial became the latest in a string of dramatic developments that could influence tomorrow's elections, as Democrats and Republicans launched a barrage of ads and get-out-the-vote efforts in a campaign dominated by views about the Iraq war... The decision that Hussein should be hanged for crimes against humanity was the latest development that could influence the midterm elections, from the congressional page scandal that led to the resignation of Representative Mark Foley , a Florida Republican, to Senator John F. Kerry's comment that suggested US troops are uneducated, to an editorial slated to appear today by the Military Times media group calling on Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld to resign. Boston Globe: Verdict latest chapter in '06 campaign story GETTING OUT THE "ONES AND TWOS": In the campaign's final weekend, candidates weren't trying to turn out voters who might not vote their way. They were chasing the "ones and twos," political-junkie shorthand for the most likely supporters on their computer-generated lists, and firing up their volunteers. President Bush stumped for red-state Republicans in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. Former president Bill Clinton rallied the Democratic base in New Jersey, Michigan, Florida and Maryland. Republicans warned that if House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) becomes speaker, Democrats will impose hippie values on the heartland. Democrats warned that if Bush gets another rubber-stamp Republican Congress, America will "stay the course." Washington Post: Campaigns Implore the Party Faithful To Bring Their Loyalty to the Polls INSIDE THE 72-HOUR PLAN: At a field office in Boca Raton, dozens of volunteers turned up to knock on doors and talk to voters. A staffer distributed clipboards with printed pages of names, addresses and detailed maps. The printouts came from the "Voter Vault," the GOP's national database, which tagged voters with labels showing why they were worth contacting: Some were dubbed "socos" (social conservatives) or "fiscos" (fiscal conservatives) or "soft Dems" (crossover voters). Each had already been identified as ready to favor Shaw. The goal was to persuade each one, using hints from the database, to make the effort to go to the polls. Party leaders have built a 72-hour plan for every significant GOP race in the nation. The effort was developed by Rove and Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman after the 2000 election, in which Democrats outpaced the GOP in grass-roots activism and nearly won the presidency. Los Angeles Times: Two parties far apart in turnout tactics too EVANGELICAL LEADER SAYS HE'S "GUILTY OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY": Banished from the pulpit that brought him to national prominence, the Rev. Ted Haggard confessed in a letter read Sunday at New Life Church to "sexual immorality," calling himself "a deceiver and a liar" who has long struggled against dark forces. But in baring his soul to an outside board investigating claims that he paid a gay male prostitute for sex, the 50-year-old Haggard denied being gay or engaging in homosexual behavior, the board chairman told reporters. Haggard's admission to the four- member panel that he solicited a massage from his accuser - former male escort Michael Forest Jones of Denver - was grounds enough to fire him Saturday for "sexually immoral conduct," said the Rev. Larry Stockstill. At the same time, Stockstill cautioned Sunday that the board found discrepancies in Haggard's account. He did not elaborate. Denver Post: Haggard: "I am a deceiver" HAGGARD'S LETTER (pdf via DenverPost.com) CHENEY WILL SPEND E-DAY HUNTING IN SD: Vice President Dick Cheney will spend Election Day hunting in South Dakota, his press secretary said Sunday. It will be Cheney's first hunting trip since February, when he accidentally shot a hunting companion while attempting to fire at a covey of quail on a private ranch in Texas. Cheney, who voted early in Wyoming, will work Monday morning at the White House, and then depart Washington for South Dakota, said Lea Anne McBride, his press secretary. Tuesday's trip, to a private hunting lodge near Pierre, is an annual outing, said McBride. She said he spent Election Day at the same lodge four years ago. Cheney will be accompanied by his daughter, Mary, and his political director, Mel Raines, who will help him keep track of the election returns, McBride said. CNN: Cheney hunting for victory on Election Day DISCONTENT WITH HASTERT'S "HANDS-OFF STYLE IS PALPABLE": House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's future is in doubt even if the Republicans retain control of the House because of unease among GOP lawmakers about his handling of the Foley page scandal and what a House ethics committee investigation might conclude about him, according to several Republican aides... [I]f Democrats seize control of the House in tomorrow's election, as many political analysts and pollsters are predicting, then Hastert is widely expected to exit the leadership stage and allow a new generation of Republican leaders to try to recapture the majority. Hastert, 64, the longest-serving Republican speaker, remains personally popular with House Republicans, but the discontent with his often lackadaisical, hands-off style is palpable. Washington Post: Hastert May Face Post-Election Unrest GOP CUTS DEM LEAD IN LATEST PEW POLL: A nationwide Pew Research Center survey finds voting intentions shifting in the direction of Republican congressional candidates in the final days of the 2006 midterm campaign. The new survey finds a growing percentage of likely voters saying they will vote for GOP candidates. However, the Democrats still hold a 48% to 40% lead among registered voters, and a modest lead of 47%-43% among likely voters. The narrowing of the Democratic lead raises questions about whether the party will win a large enough share of the popular vote to recapture control of the House of Representatives. Pew Research Center: Republicans Cut Democratic Lead in Campaign's Final Days FULL POLL RESULTS (pdf via people-press.org) NEW USA TODAY #S: Democrats, poised to score gains in the U.S. Senate, are struggling to pull ahead in the final seat they need to win control, USA TODAY/Gallup Polls in six key states find. KEY RESULTS (sampling error +/- 4%): MISSOURI McCaskill (D) 49% Talent (R) 45% MONTANA Tester (D) 50% Burns (R) 41% NEW JERSEY Menendez (D) 50% Kean (R) 40% RHODE ISLAND Whitehouse (D) 48% Chafee (R) 45% TENNESSEE Corker (R) 49% Ford (D) 46% VIRGINIA Allen (R) 49% Webb (D) 46% USA Today: Polls: Dems' lead shrinking, but still strong OBAMA AND FORD DROP IN ON TN CHURCH SERVICES: Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and Democratic congressional colleague Harold Ford Jr. testified to the power of God and the political process during a whirlwind tour of church services Sunday. Ford's senatorial campaign, with Obama in tow, dropped in for a morning service at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, a large, predominantly African-American house of worship nestled in a Nashville strip mall. There, Obama and Ford did a little teaching and a whole lot of preaching. "We appreciate our staffs that put in long hours, they work hard, they're sophisticated, they have polling. ... But the congressman said something pretty wise. We have another Manager," Obama said glancing upward briefly and smiling broadly at the gathering. Memphis Commercial Appeal: Putting on their Sunday best OBAMA ALSO STUMPS IN ST. LOUIS: Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic Party's hottest campaign commodity, wowed a crowd of more than 1,000 St. Louisans on Sunday with an election eve pitch for change in the Senate. "Two more days before we vanquish the politics of fear and favor the politics of hope," Obama, D-Ill., said at a campaign rally for U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill, the Democrat trying to unseat Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo. Talent spent the day campaigning in Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff and Rolla. Obama said Republicans have used the politics of fear to divide voters. But "it's not working so good this election, that whole strategy of divide and conquer," Obama said, warming up a crowd at the World's Fair Pavilion in Forest Park. St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Obama lends a hand during campaign's final moments ...AND IA, WHERE HE SAYS HE'S GIVING WH BID "SERIOUS CONSIDERATION": Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday he would give a presidential campaign "serious consideration" after midterm elections are complete. For now, the Democrat said he was focused on helping his party's candidates get elected Tuesday. "Keep in mind that we're two days out from an incredibly important election," Obama told The Associated Press while traveling to a rally here for Iowa gubernatorial candidate Chet Culver. "I think the message is that this country is in a mood for a new direction... I think that's why some of the typical attacks aren't working." Obama was making his third swing this year through Iowa, where precinct caucuses traditionally launch the presidential nominating season. AP via Quad City Times: Obama may get 'serious' about '08 A QUICK HANDSHAKE ON THE STREET FOR LAMONT, LIEBERMAN: Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman and his main challenger, Ned Lamont, briskly shook hands Sunday at a Veterans Day parade made more solemn by the mounting U.S. death toll in Iraq. Then they resumed their march toward Election Day and the end of a campaign that has focused on the war and each man's experience, priorities and loyalties... Lieberman, a petitioning candidate since losing the Democratic nomination to Lamont, marched in the Hartford parade Sunday with U.S. Rep. Nancy L. Johnson, R-5th District, and a conservative radio host, Brad Davis... Lamont, who marched in the parade with U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-1st District, and other Democrats, intends to deliver his own closing speech at noon today at a labor hall in Hartford. He welcomed the news that an Iraqi court had found Saddam Hussein guilty of crimes against humanity, but said his opposition to the war is unchanged. Hartford Courant: Rivals Meet On The Street ALLENS GETS A BOOST FROM GIULIANI: Sen. George Allen talked terrorism and football yesterday as he made a late pitch for votes. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani made a quick trip from Florida to Virginia to talk up the Republican senator's record on combating terrorism. "This isn't a time for inexperience," Giuliani said, an indirect reference to Allen's Democratic opponent, Jim Webb. "This isn't a time for turning back the clock, which is, after all, what George's opponents want to do. They want to go back before Sept. 11, when we used to play just defense against terrorists." Giuliani spoke at a rally at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy in Ashburn. Richmond Times-Dispatch: Giuliani praises Allen FL'S CRIST TO SKIP BUSH EVENT: Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist decided Sunday to skip an appearance with President Bush in favor of crisscrossing the state in the final hours before Election Day. Crist, the state attorney general, is in a close race with Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Davis to replace the president's brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, who can't seek re-election because of term limits. Crist's chief of staff, George LeMieux, said the decision to skip the Monday rally with Bush in Pensacola wasn't a snub of the president, but a choice to appear in seven other cities where Crist has a chance of gaining ground. "It's a big state. We need to be in all the places we need to be," LeMieux said. "It's because of the time and it's because there are some opportunities." Davis seized on the news, saying the president is one of the Republican's biggest supporters. AP via Yahoo! News: Fla. governor hopeful skips Bush event |
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• Hagel to announce decision on presidential bid Monday• Does Tiger Woods have a political future? • AFL-CIO makes push to keep unions united behind one presidential candidate • Obama: "No place for politics" in voter intimidation • Muslim congressman talks up 'American values' in State Department outreach • Year of the 'smaller' Pig • Pataki joins law firm • Bush 'sad' about Libby's conviction • House Dems urge colleagues to fund a withdrawal from Iraq • Romney recruits from the Sunshine State ARCHIVE
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