Partial Returns: Political observers expect that the Democratic National Committee's

Hillary Clinton

rules committee will likely restore some of Florida's and Michigan's convention voting delegates when they meet this weekend but are unlike to approve full voting strength as advocated by U.S. Senator Hillary R. Clinton (D-NY). The Democratic nominating battle has only three primaries left in Puerto Rico on Sunday and in Montana and South Dakota on Tuesday. Clinton's strategy for overtaking Barack Obama's (D-IL) lead depends of reviving the full voting strength of the two states, whose were stripped of their convention delegates as punishment for holding nominating contests in violation of party rules.

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     Stepping into the Backroom: (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (D-CA) says that she will step in if necessary to make sure that the Democratic Presidential contest is over before the national convention.

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     Drumbeat: Presumptive Republican Presidential nominee John S. McCain, III (R-AZ) continued his criticism of Barack H. Obama (D-IL) on three fronts: the likely Democratic nominee's willingness to meet with America's enemies, his single trip to Iraq, and the fact that he has not met with General Petraeus outside of congressional hearings.

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     Alternative Candidate News - Convincing Voters and the Press: Libertarian Party Presidential nominee Bob Barr's (L-GA) biggest obstacle during the general election is persuading voters to choose an alternative party candidate and persuading the media to cover his campaign.

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     Alternative Candidate News - No Alternative Energy Source: Independent Presidential candidate Ralph Nader (I-DC) held a press conference to remind voters that he is opposed to nuclear power.

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     Children's Crusade: Democratic gubernatorial candidates John C. Carney, Jr. (D-DE) and Jack Markell (D-DE) both promised to work hard to make life better for Delaware's children.

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     Winning by Default: Community activist Christina Anderson (D-MO) and Daniel Carroll (D-MO) had theirs names removed the Democratic gubernatorial primary ballot leaving Missouri's Attorney General Jeremiah W. "Jay" Nixon (D-MO) as the only candidate on the ballot.

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     V A C A T I O N, In the Summer Sun: An audit of Missouri's Treasure office concluded that Deputy Treasurer Doug Gaston (R-MO) improperly recording vacation time to work on Treasurer Sarah Steelman's (R-MO) gubernatorial campaign.

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     Alternative Party News - Lost Luster: Much of the enthusiasm for Progressive Party member Anthony Pollina's (PR-VT) gubernatorial candidacy has been lost by the announcement that Democratic state House Speaker Gaye Symington (D-VT) would also be running. There had been speculation that he might bow out of the race and run for Lieutenant Governor instead, since the Democrats recently recruited a candidate for Governor.

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     Back for More of a Beating: Former state Representative Dave Cuddy (R-AK), who spent $1.5 million in his 1996 primary challenge to U.S. Senator Theodore F. "Ted" Stevens (R-AK), officially filed to the Senate seat again. Cuddy says he expects to be no less of a challenge than twelve years ago when he was able to capture 27% of the vote.

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     Distance Connection: Democrats claim that U.S. Senator Norm Coleman's (R-MN) re-election campaign and political action committee have paid nearly $1.5 million to a political telemarketing firm that shares ties with a company that lobbied for the Myanmar military junta and contributed to Coleman's campaign.

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     Debate's Subtext: U.S. Representative Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ) finally got the debate against U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) he been asking for. Andrews and Lautenberg met yesterday in their first candidates' debate and will have second debate tonight. Throughout the defeat, which also included Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello (D-NJ), Lautenberg's advanced age was a subtext.

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     On the Air: U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) has begun airing her first re-election campaign with the goal of addressing her image as "a creature of Washington" and calling for a crackdown on illegal immigrants.

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     Alternative Candidate News - Handicapping: U.S. Senator Gordon H. Smith (R-OR) began his re-election campaign by accusing Democratic nominee Jeff Merkley (D-OR) of failing to expand health care for children because he couldn't work across party lines. The presences of a third viable Senate candidate, former National Endowment for the Arts chair John Frohnmayer (Ind-OR), makes handicapping the race difficult.

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     Romp in Richmond: Virginia Republicans will gather in Richmond this weekend to chose a Senate nominee to face former Governor Mark R. Warner (D-VA) in the fall. Former Governor James S. "Jim" Gilmore, III (R-VA), who preceded Warner, is expected to win the nomination over state Delegate Robert G. "Bob" Marshall (R-VA).

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     Rinse and Repeat: Democrats are hoping to repeat in Alabama's 2nd Congressional District what they have accomplished in special election in two other Southern districts, pick up a seat held by a retiring Republicans. The likely Democratic nominee is popular Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright (D-AL) who considered running as Republican before opting to campaign as a Democrat. Republicans are facing a more competitive primary featuring state Representative Jay Love (R-AL), state Senator Harri Anne Smith (R-AL), state Representative David Grimes (R-AL), businessman David Woods (R-AL), oral surgeon Craig D. Schmidtke (R-AL) and retired Air Force officer John W. Martin (R-AL). Love has emerged as a slight favorite based only on his willingness to spend more money than his competitors.

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     Strong Recruitment: For many years, Republicans waited for U.S. Representative Robert E. "Bud" Cramer (D-AL) to retire, believing that his conservative district would be an easy pick-up without the power of incumbency. But the circumstances do not look as favorable as they once hoped. Cramer waited until three weeks before the filing deadline before surprising colleagues which his decision to retire. Nonetheless, Democrats were able to recruit a strong candidate in state Senator Parker Griffith (D-AL), whose center-right profile is similar to that of Cramer and who shares the congressman’s base in Huntsville, the district’s largest city. Republicans saw several prominent politicians decide not to run, leaving them with a field of second-tier candidates.

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     Alternative Candidates News - No Alternative, No Debate: Republican congressional candidate Tom McClintock (R-CA) withdrew from a planned debate against his primary rival Doug Ose (R-CA) after the sponsor refused to allow the other two candidates in the race, Suzanne Jones (R-CA) and Theodore Terbolizard (R-CA) to participate.

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     Late Payments Becomes Last Issue: The disclosure that U.S. Representative Laura Richardson (D-CA) left a home in Sacramento in foreclosure that recently was sold at auction and defaulted on her two other homes in Long Beach and San Pedro has created an opportunity for the two Democrats, Peter Mathews (D-CA) and Lee Davis (D-CA), who are running against her in the Democratic primary.

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     Too Close to Home: The independent organization Independent Voters says that congressional candidate Ed Fallon (D-IA), who is challenging incumbent U.S. Representative Leonard L. Boswell (D-IA) in the primary, is "so soft on criminals he even thinks it's OK for sex offenders to live near schools." The assertion is made in a flier pointing out that Fallon cast the only "no" vote as an Iowa House Member when the Legislature passed a law banning convicted sex offenders from living within 2000 feet of schools.

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     Sound of Silence: Democratic congressional candidates Kevin Miskell (D-IA) and Kurt Meyer (D-IA) feel that it was irresponsible for U.S. Representative Tom Latham (R-IA) not to comment on the recent immigration raid in Postville Iowa. Said Miskell, "I have a sneaking suspicion if you look into Latham's campaign funding you might find why he's keeping his mouth shut. That's just a speculation on my part."

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     Beating the Bush for Money: President George W. Bush (R-TX) attended a fundraiser for state Senator Nick Jordan (R-KS) who is hoping to defeat U.S. Representative Dennis Moore (D-KS) in the November election.

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     Day on the Campaign: State Senator Dick Day (R-MN), who skipped the Republican convention and decided to mount a primary challenge against physician Brian J. Davis (R-MN), officially kicked off his campaign on Wednesday.

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     Politicians Do the Strangest Things - Run to Resign: It's hard to tell whether or not Democratic congressional candidate Camille S. Andrews (D-NJ) really wants the job. Although she that she is in the race to win, she has also expressed a willingness to step aside after the primary if Democratic leaders express a preference to pick a nominee with more political experience. Under New Jersey law, the party may replace a nominee if the winner of the primary drops out of the race no later than 51 days prior to the general election. Her refusal to rule out this possibility has created the perception that she is nothing more than a placeholder for another candidate. Those mentioned include state Representative John J. Burzichelli (D-NJ), state Representative Louis D. Greenwald (D-NJ), state Senate Democratic Leader Steve Sweeney (D-NJ) or even the incumbent Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ) who is giving up the seat in a bid for the Democratic Senate nomination.

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     Benefits of the Primary: The competitive Presidential primary in February resulted in an increase in the number of registered Democrats in New Jersey's 2nd and 3rd Congressional District. Both districts have moved from having a Republican registration advantage to a Democratic majority. Democrats hope that these newly registered Democrats come out in November and help elect state Senator John H. Adler (D-NJ) and Cape May Councilman David Kurkowski (D-NJ).

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     Alternative Party News - Fusion: A day after being interviewed by the New York Conservative Party as part of their endorsement process, Democratic congressional candidate Michael E. McMahon (D-NY) won the endorsement of Staten Island Democrats. McMahon has run for the New York City Council with the party's support in the past. Despite losing the party's endorsement, Stephen A. Harrison (D-NY) plans to continue his campaign for the Democratic nomination

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     If I Must: Radio talk show host Curtis Sliwa (R-NY), who founded the Guardian Angels, said that he would be willing to run for Congress from New York's 13th Congressional District, but only if no one else steps forward.

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     Promises Kept: U.S. Representative Michael A. Arcuri (D-NY) says that he has fulfilled in 2006 campaign promise to represent New York's 24th Congressional District with "an independent voice in Washington" and now is promising "to continue representing our values, improving our local economy and quality of life, and bringing focus back to the real family values that have been neglected for too long." But his likely Republican opponent Richard L. Hanna (R-NY) disputes Arcuri's assessment. "The idea that he is busy trying to position himself as someone who reaches across the aisle and represents the entire district is not reality," Hanna said, noting that the freshman Congressman has voted the Democratic line 98 percent of the time.

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     Combining the Government and the Private Sector: Erie County Legislator Kathy Konst (D-NY) will announce next week that she is joining Jack R. Davis, Jr. (D-NY), Jonathan Powers (D-NY) and Alice J. Kryzan (D-NY) in seeking the Democratic nomination in New York's 26th Congressional District. Konst, the president of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, believes that his independent reputation combined with government and business experience will be a winning combination.

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     One More Factor: The Iraqi War and the unpopularity of President George W. Bush (R-TX) almost cost U.S. Representative Steve Chabot's (R-OH) re-election in 2006. Those two factors will still be an obstacle for him in 2008. And in addition, Chabot will be seeking re-election in a congressional district with 25% African-American voters and the first national ticket headed by a black man. Some are predicting that black turnout could constitute one third of the total ballots cast in 2008.

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     In Debt and his Reputation Ruined: Republican congressional nominee Mike Erickson (R-OR) not only emerged from a bitter primary battle with his reputation in tatters following accusation that he paid for a former girlfriend's abortion, but also more than $2 million in debt.

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     Corporate Endorsement: Fairfax County Board of Supervisor Chair Gerald E. "Gerry" Connolly (D-VA) is a part-time employee of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a military contracting company. While Connolly has been able to avoid any conflict of interest while running the county government, the relationship is causing headaches for his congressional campaign. SAIC has received several no-bid contracts to provide services to American military serving in Iraq. The latest problem occurred when SAIC's general manager Robert Rosenberg sent an email to the company's executives, administrators, stockholders and their families urging them to make a donation to Connolly's campaign. Primary rival Leslie L. Byrne (D-VA) says she intends to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that the act amounted to an illegal corporate contribution.

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     Greenest Republican: U.S. Representative Dave Reichert (R-WA) has been named the "Greenest Republican in Congress by Republicans for Environmental Protection. Reichert has a rating of 85 from the League of Conservative Voters.

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     For the Good of the Party: Although he says he is still interest in running for Congress some day, Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz (R-WI) announced that he would not challenge U.S. Representative Thomas E. "Tom" Petri (R-WI) in the Republican primary. "I've consistently stated that I would never do anything to jeopardize the position of the Republican Party," said Kratz. With Petri running again, "I am willing to delay any political plans until a change becomes necessary."

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     Joint Pronouncement: Presidential candidates Hillary R. Clinton (D-NY), John S. McCain, III (R-AZ) and Barack H. Obama (D-IL) issued a joint statement accusing the Sudanese government of atrocities against civilians in Darfur and warning it not to try to "run out the clock" on the current administration. "Today, we wish to make clear to the Sudanese government that on this moral issue of tremendous importance, there is no divide between us. If peace and security for the people of Sudan are not in place when one of us is inaugurated as president on Jan. 20, 2009, we pledge that the next administration will pursue these goals with unstinting resolve," the major party candidates declared.

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     Minor Break: U.S. Senator John S. McCain's (R-AZ) latest attempted to distance himself from the Bush administration is not fooling many people. McCain's campaign characterized his recent speech on nuclear security policy as a "significant departure" from President George W. Bush's policies. However, although McCain has accepted several initiatives rejected by the White House, experts claim McCain's proposal is a much less dramatic break from the current administration than his campaign suggested.

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     Alternative Party News - The Natural State for Alternative Candidates: The Party for Socialism and Liberation has submitted enough signatures to place their presidential nominee Gloria E. LaRiva (PSL-CA) on the ballot in Arkansas. LaRiva joins three other alternative party candidates on the November ballot: Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr (L-GA), Constitution Party nominee Chuck Baldwin (C-FL), and presumptive Green Party nominee Cynthia A. McKinney (G-GA).

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     Shadow over Land of the Midnight Sun: Alaskan Republicans Senator Theodore F. "Ted" Stevens (R-AK) and Representative Donald E. "Don" Young (R-AK) are campaigning for reelection under the shadow of an ongoing federal corruption investigation with no knowledge when, or if, either will be indicted.

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     Are There Even 10,000 Republicans Left in Massachusetts: When the deadline for certification passed on Wednesday, Senate candidate James "Jim" Ogonowski (R-MA) was 82 signatures short of qualifying for the Republican primary ballot. Ogonowski's aides insist that the 82 signatures will be found in the local election clerks documents which were sent by mail and not received by the deadline. Even Ogonowski reaches the 10,000 threshold, he will not have the extra signatures needed to withstand the expected legal challenge from his primary opponent Jeff Beatty (R-MA).

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     To Summarize: Meeting at a joint session of editorial boards of Gannett's New Jersey newspapers, Democratic Senate candidate Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ) and Donald Cresitello (D-NJ) summarized their campaign themes. The incumbent Lautenberg says that all Andrews can do is attack his age. Andrews thinks Lautenberg has no plans for the future and Cresitello thinks neither of his opponents brings anything to the campaign.

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     Too Right Wing to Win: In a televised debate, U.S. Representative Heather A. Wilson (R-NM) accused her rival for the Republican Senate nomination, U.S. Representative Steve Pearce (R-NM), of being too right wing to win the general election against likely Democratic nominee U.S. Representative Thomas "Tom" Udall (D-NM).

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     Dole Attacks: Sensing the election beginning to slip away from her, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) went on the offensive against her Democratic rival Kay R. Hagan (D-NC). Dole accused the state Senator of being soft on criminals and supporting amnesty for illegal immigrants. Hagan says she favors securing the borders and deporting criminals but acknowledges the need for foreign workers.

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     Bipartisanship Divides Voice: Republican Senate candidate Joel D. Dykstra (R-SD) says that South Dakota's voice is being divided in Washington because it has one Democratic and one Republican Senator.

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     Gee, I . . .: Democratic Senate candidate Nick Carter (D-WY) criticized appointed U.S. Senator John A. Barrasso (R-WY) for voting against a Democratic sponsored veterans education bill. Barrasso says he supports a competing measure instead and objected to numerous other provisions in the spending measure to which the new GI Bill was attached.

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     Onto the Primary: Republican congressional candidate Will Armstrong (R-CO) submitted ballot petitions with six times the number of signatures needed to get on the Republican primary ballot. Armstrong will likely face Secretary of State Mike Coffman (R-CO) who also petitioned his way onto the ballot as well as state Senators Steve Ward (R-CO) and Ted Harvey (R-CO) who won spots on the ballot at the GOP congressional convention.

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     Who Won?: U.S. Representative Leonard L. Boswell (D-IA) said that his schedule in Washington, D.C. prevented him from appearing at a debate. His primary opponent, Ed Fallon (D-IA) went ahead and debated "an empty podium."

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     Motion Denied: A U.S. District Court judge has denied a request from U.S. Representative William J. Jefferson (D-LA) to dismiss 14 of the 16 federal charges against him based on the legal definition of bribery by a member of Congress. Judge T. S. Ellis III said that bribery charges can be brought even if the acts don't fit into the "responsibilities explicitly assigned by law."

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     As Goes Oakland County, So Goes the Country: Democratic congressional candidate Gary C. Peters (D-MI) says that no Democrat can win the White House without winning Michigan. And further, no Democrat can win Michigan without winning Oakland County in Michigan's 9th Congressional District.

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     Don't Tell Me How to Vote: Republican congressional candidate Joseph J. Carraro (R-NM) criticized the Republican National Committee and primary opponent Darren White (R-NM) for bringing President George W. Bush (R-TX) to the district "to tell us who to vote for in this primary race."

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     An Attorney, an Artist and an Activist: With most of the high profile candidates deciding to skip the race, Republicans in New York's 13th Congressional District are lest with third tier candidates: attorney Glenn Yost (R-NY), artist Scott LoBaido (R-NY) and activist Dennis McKeon (R-NY). There is still hope among Republicans that acting New York Supreme Court Judge Joseph Maltese (R-NY) may agree to be the standard bearer.

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     Damn the Endorsement! Full Speed Ahead!: Westchester County legislator George Oros (R-NY) says he is still planning to run in the Republican congressional primary despite losing the Republican Party endorsement to Kieran Michael Lalor (R-NY) at the May 22, 2008 convention. Lalor received 347 votes to Oros's 311 votes. Former U.S. Representative Joseph J. DioGuardi (R-NY) received 107 votes.

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     Encouraging Carpetbagging: Republicans hope to convince author David Bellavia (R-NY) to move his congressional campaign from New York's 26th District to the 28th District. Republicans have lined up behind businessman Christopher J. Lee (R-NY) to replace retiring U.S. Representative Thomas M. Reynolds (R-NY) and would like to see Bellavia challenge incumbent U.S. Representative Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY) instead.

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     Increasing His Profile: Democrats asked state Senator John Boccieri (D-OH), a USAF Reserve Major, to give the national party's Memorial Day address. The move was intended to increase his profile as runs for Congress.

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     Politicians Do the Strangest Things: Republican congressional candidate Delia Lopez (R-OR) lives 160 miles south of Oregon's 3rd Congressional District but decided to run for Congress from there instead of where she lives, the 4th Congressional District, because she says the policies of U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) are worst than those of her own Representative Peter A. "Pete" DeFazio (D-OR).

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     Evolving Opinion: Republican congressional candidate Louis J. "Lou" Barletta (R-PA) announced that he has changed his position on Social Security since his run in 2002. He no longer supports privatization of the system, but also blames U.S. Representative Paul E. Kanjorski (D-PA) and the Democratic controlled Congress of damaging the plan's future.

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     Alternative Candidate News: Let's hear it for the 734 Idahoans who cast their vote for Keith Russell Judd (D-TX) in Tuesday's non-binding Democratic Presidential primary. It means one thing to vote for "None of the Names Shown," an option on the ballot. It means another to prefer a convicted felon over the party's standard bearers Barack H. Obama (D-IL) and Hillary R. Clinton (D-NY).

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     Too Honest: U.S. Representative Paul E. Kanjorski (D-PA) is learning a lesson on why honesty is not always the best policy. Speaking at town hall meeting last summer, Kanjorski admitted that in 2006 the Democratic Party implied that if the party took over control of Congress, it could end the war. "Now anybody who is a good student of government would know that wasn't true. But you know the temptation to want to win back Congress -- we sort of stretched the facts, and people ate it up," says Kanjorski.
     The conversation was caught on tape and now Republican congressional nominee Louis J. "Lou" Barletta (R-PA) is accusing Kanjorski and the Democrats of "deceiving the people to get elected." The National Republican Congressional Committee is joining in the candidate bash saying "Paul Kanjorski should be ashamed of himself for using our troops in harm's way as political pawns for his own partisan agenda."

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     Best Alternative Candidate News - None of the Above: The Philadelphia Inquirer is recommending that Democratic voters in New Jersey's 1st Congressional District write-in the name of a candidate rather than vote for any of the three people on the ballot. Saying that Democrats "have decided they prefer backroom politics" to select a candidate to replace U.S. Representative Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ), the paper calls Camille S. Andrews (D-NJ) nothing more than the party's designated placeholder. "That's atrocious, and voters ought to signal their unwillingness to go along with the scheme by refusing to vote for the party's designated placeholder, Camille S. Andrews (D-NJ), the congressman's wife."
     They then call the other two candidates, John Caramanna (D-NJ) and A.S. Mahdi Ibn-Ziyad (D-NJ), men of "shaky qualifications." Therefore the "best alternative" is to write-in another name.

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     And the Nominees are . . . : Sorry folks! I just don't see the need to stay up late to comment on the results from Idaho. Unless there is some big surprise, McCain will win the Presidential primary, U.S. Representative William T. "Bill" Sali (R-ID) will survive a primary challenge from Iraqi War veteran Matthew "Matt" Salisbury (R-ID) and the Senate nominees will be former U.S. Representative Larry LaRocco (D-ID) and former Governor James E. "Jim" Risch (R-ID). Risch and LaRocco faced each other two years ago in the Lieutenant Governor contest. Risch won that match-up with 58% of the vote.

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Hillary Clinton

     Be Prepared: Even as she continues to campaign for the Democratic Presidential nomination, U.S. Senator Hillary R. Clinton (D-NY) is quietly preparing for the customary post-nomination unity event. Aides to Barack Obama's (D-IL) say that he is just 49 delegates away from clinching the nomination.

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     You Need to See It First Hand: Presumptive Republican Presidential nominee John S. McCain (R-AZ) tried to keep the camera exposure to a minimal as he campaigns with President George W. Bush (R-TX) at a Phoenix fundraiser. All the while, the Arizona Senator reaffirmed his commitment to Bush's policy in Iraq and criticized Barack H. Obama (D-IL) for not having been to the war zone since 2006.

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     Military Respect: Likely Democratic Presidential nominee Barack H. Obama (D-IL) was careful not to offend veterans during a Memorial Day appearance. The Illinois Senator mentioned his family's services while acknowledging his lack of military training. "I speak to you today with deep humility. My grandfather marched in Patton's Army, but I cannot know what it is to walk into battle like so many of you. My grandmother worked on a bomber assembly line, but I cannot know what it is for a family to sacrifice like so many of yours have. I am the father of two young girls, and I cannot imagine what it is to lose a child. My heart breaks for the families who've lost a loved one. These things I cannot know. But there are some things I do know."

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     Product Placement: Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi (R-WA) has been promoting his environmental credentials, but Democrats claim that "Rossi's green streak may be a mile wide, but it's not deep enough to splash the wheel wells of his recently purchased Ford Escape."

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     Degree from the University of West Virginia: Without a strong issue to confront the popular incumbent, Republican gubernatorial nominee Russ Weeks (R-WV) is trying to make an issue out of the University of West Virginia's decision to improper award a degree upon Governor Joe Manchin's (D-WV) daughter. Heather Bresch was awarded an MBA she did not earn. Weeks admits, "I reckon the governor does have some plausible deniability. But a lot of stuff in politics is done by a wink and a nod."

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     Don't You Have Anything Better to Do: South Carolina Governor Marshall C. "Mark" Sanford, Jr. (R-SC) has signed legislation making indigo blue the Palmetto State's official color.

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     Get a Map: U.S. Representative Mark Udall (D-CO) moved to Eldorado Springs five years ago, but Republicans still insist on calling the Democratic Senate candidate a "Boulder Liberal."

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     Best Conservative: Republican Senate candidates George S. Eichhorn (R-IA), Steve Rathje (R-IA) and Christopher Reed (R-IA) each claim to be the best conservative to challenge U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA).

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     Disgruntled Republicans: Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in Kentucky. Therefore, U.S. Senator A. Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell (R-KY) has had to rely on Democrats to win election. Democratic Senate nominee Bruce Lunsford (D-KY) is trying to win back those Democrats and pick up the support of disgruntled Republicans.

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     Stupid Decision: Republican Senate candidate U.S. Representative Heather A. Wilson (R-NM) says that her primary rival U.S. Representative Steve Pearce (R-NM) takes fiscal conservatism too far. Wilson insists that Pearce has voted against the interest of New Mexico on a number of important spending bills.

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     Obama Substitutes for Kennedy Again: Republican congressional candidate Jay Love (R-AL) has reshot his commercial criticizing the liberal agenda of Washington, D.C., and replaced the image of U.S. Senator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy (D-MA), who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, with likely Democratic presidential nominee Barack H. Obama (D-IL).

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     Sleep Well: In his latest commercial, former U.S. Representative Doug Ose (R-CA) questions how his primary rival state Senator Tom McClintock (R-CA) can sleep at night after voting against benefits for widows of soldiers killed in Iraq.

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     In Denial: Democratic congressional candidate Debbie Cook (D-CA) thinks the political climate is right to defeat twenty-year-incumbent U.S. Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and she thinks she has the issue to do it: The Environment. "He's a climate change denier," declares Cook. But Rohrabacher is not taking the challenge lightly. Rohrabacher thinks that Cook is just too liberal. "I think that she's a radical environmentalist. I'm a responsible environmentalist," says Rohrabacher.

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     Not Again: Freshman Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL) has been named in a lawsuit by a former employee. Joe Kezer says that he was fired from his job as finance director at Sarasota Ford after he confronted store managers who "hid true interest rates customers were being charged, cheated them out of warranty protections, and altered credit applications" so that customers could qualify for loans. Sarasota Ford is one of the sixteen car dealership Buchanan owns.

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     Can't Win Without a Candidate: Because of this drunk driving arrest and admission to father a child out of wedlock, Republicans thought that their chances of holding onto New York's 13th Congressional District would be improved if U.S. Representative Vito J. Fossella (R-NY) stepped aside. But now they are finding it hard just to find a worthy candidate willing to run as a Republican in New York City. Several prominent Republicans have taken a pass at the race. Over the weekend, the only announced GOP candidate, businessman Jamshad Wyne (R-NY), decided to withdrawal.

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     Principled Donation: Republican congressional candidate Mark Gordon (R-WY) is defending himself against an anonymous flier which criticizes the GOP candidate for his past donation to Democrats. Writing in the Casper Star Tribune, Gordon says that he made those donation at a time when "our government was out of control and under and under Republican leadership." Gordon insists that he has never been a Democrat but did see the Republican party straying from its principles.

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     Praying for Victory: U.S. Senator Hillary R. Clinton (D-NY) spent part of her Memorial Day weekend in Puerto Rico where she offered a spiritual defense for continuing her presidential campaign.

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     Alternative Candidate News - Most of Us Thought Your Political Career Ended in 1981: After losing his second political party presidential nomination contest in a year,

Mike Gravel

former U.S. Senator Maurice "Mike" Gravel (D-AK) is calling it quit. Gravel, who came in fourth place at the Libertarian Party Convention, announced that his political career was over. "From 15 years old to now, my political career is