Remainders: Georgia on the Mind

Polls close at 7 p.m. EDT today for South Carolina’s 1st District special election between former Gov. Mark Sanford and Democratic nominee Elizabeth Colbert Busch. Keep an eye on Roll Call tonight to see if Sanford pulled off his comeback bid.

But in the mean time, here’s what you may have missed “At the Races” on Tuesday …

• #GASEN: Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., will not run for the state’s open Senate seat, and now Democrats must continue their search for a Peach State recruit. All eyes are on Democrat Michelle Nunn, daughter of former Sen. Sam Nunn and the CEO of Points of Light, a volunteer organization.
• #HISEN: EMILY’s List endorsed Hawaii Rep. Colleen Hanabusa in the Aloha State’s Democratic primary for Senate in 2014. Hanabusa will face Sen. Brian Schatz, who was appointed to fill the vacancy after Sen. Daniel K. Inouye died last year.
• #IASEN: Former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker became the first Republican to announce that he will run for Iowa’s open Senate seat on Tuesday.
• #FL18: Republican Juno Beach Vice Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Andel announced she is challenging freshman Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy in 2014.

What we’re mulling on Tuesday … Full story

Democrats Markey, Lynch Resume Campaigns #MAsen

Markey has led in all polls of the Massachusetts Senate special election so far. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Reps. Edward J. Markey and Stephen F. Lynch resumed their Senate special-election campaigns on Monday. It’s been one week since the two Bay State Democrats suspended political activities after the Boston Marathon bombing.

Though we are still saddened by last week's events, we must move forward.Today we will be respectfully restarting the campaign. #masen

— Stephen F. Lynch (@lynchforsenate) April 22, 2013

Markey’s spokesman confirmed via email that he will start campaigning again, although neither candidate is running television ads yet:

Full story

South Carolina: Sanford Makes TV Buy Amid Trespassing Accusations

Updated 12:05 p.m. | Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is set to appear in court this week, facing accusations that he trespassed on his ex-wife’s property in early February, according to The Associated Press.

The news comes as he enters the final weeks as the GOP nominee in a special election against Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch. Continued drama in one of the messiest divorces in modern politics will add another layer of complication in his attempt at a political comeback.

But Sanford will have an outlet to make his case — television.

Democratic sources who track media buying tell CQ Roll Call that the Sanford campaign and the South Carolina Republican Party have 1,000 points (a major television buy worth $90,000 to $100,000) reserved in the Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S.C., media markets. It is set to begin Wednesday and last through April 22. Full story

South Carolina: Pat Boone Endorses Bostic Over Sanford

Republican attorney Curtis Bostic has picked up two high-profile conservative endorsements in as many days, with less than a week to go in South Carolina’s special election GOP runoff.

In the last 24 hours or so, ex-Sen. Rick Santorum and 1950s pop singer Pat Boone announced their support for Bostic in the runoff against former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.

“Today I’m singing the praises of Curtis Bostic,” Boone wrote in a press release from the 60 Plus Association. “As a former U.S. Marine, Curtis Bostic can always be counted on to be faithful to his office. And Curtis Bostic can always be counted on to be faithful to those who place him in office.”

Boone’s use of the word “faithful” is a fairly overt allusion to Sanford’s highly publicized marital infidelity.

Meanwhile, Santorum’s endorsement of Bostic on Monday is yet another example of a possible 2016 presidential contender poking around South Carolina in recent days. Full story

South Carolina: Sanford Still the Front-Runner Heading Into Runoff

(Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)

After a first-place primary finish on Tuesday, former Gov. Mark Sanford remains the front-runner to win South Carolina’s 1st District as he heads to a Republican runoff with attorney Curtis Bostic on April 2.

Bostic is less familiar to the electorate than Sanford, a former congressman from that area. The personal-injury lawyer has a smaller fundraising base, plans to eschew negative advertising during the runoff and is seen by operatives as too focused on his social conservatism in a district where fiscal conservatism is paramount.

“It looks pretty good for Sanford. He drew the ideal opponent,” said Will Folks, an influential political blogger in the state who is neutral in the race.

Sanford took 37 percent in Tuesday’s 16-person GOP primary, while Bostic took 13 percent. Because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers head to a runoff.

Full story

South Carolina: Sanford Heads to Runoff, but GOP Opponent Unknown

(Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)

Updated 10:52 p.m. | Former Gov. Mark Sanford will advance, as expected, to the Republican primary runoff on April 2.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Sanford took 37 percent, according to The Associated Press. That was enough to send him to a head-to-head matchup with another Republican, but not over the 50 percent threshold needed to win the nomination outright.

Full story

South Carolina: Elizabeth Colbert Busch Wins Democratic Primary

Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, won the Democratic nomination for South Carolina’s open 1st District on Tuesday, easily beating frequent candidate Ben Frasier in a special-election primary.

Colbert has, so far, run a solid campaign, with significant fundraising and slick television ads. In her first spot, she shared her résumé — director of sales and marketing at a shipping company, director of business development at a former naval shipyard in North Charleston — and hammered home the message that she knew how to create jobs.

What went unmentioned was her political affiliation, which will be her biggest hurdle to coming to Congress. The comfortably Republican district voted 62 percent for then-Rep. Tim Scott in November 2012. After his appointment to the Senate, the seat became vacant, setting up this special election.

One Colbert Busch aide told CQ Roll Call that the general election campaign would be, more or less, “a nonpartisan attack on business as usual in Washington.”

Colbert Busch will face the winner of a Republican runoff on April 2.

The general election is May 7. CQ Roll Call rates the race as Likely Republican.

Massachusetts: LCV Launches Six-Figure Field Program for Markey

Markey is running for Senate (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

The League of Conservation Voters announced on Monday a new, six-figure field campaign to boost Rep. Edward J. Markey’s bid for the Democratic nod in the Massachusetts special election for Senate.

Meanwhile, a source tells CQ Roll Call that Markey will begin a television ad campaign on Tuesday, ramping up his election effort seven weeks before primary voters decide between him and Rep. Stephen F. Lynch.

LCV, a well-funded environmental group, said the organization would spend at least $650,000 on the field campaign by the April 30 primary.

The size of Markey’s TV buy was not immediately available.

Markey led Lynch by significant margins in a series of recent polls. Markey has the backing of the LCV, along with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, among others.

Full story

South Carolina: Sanford, Colbert Busch Raise More Than $300,000

The large field of congressional hopefuls in South Carolina’s 1st District filed pre-primary fundraising reports this week — providing the first glimpse into the financial jockeying in the special election to replace Tim Scott, now a Republican senator.

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, the front-runner in the contest, raised $334,000 between Jan. 1 and Feb. 27. He ended the period with $365,000 in the bank. Sanford faces 15 other Republicans, some of whom also posted relatively strong fundraising periods, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

The filings come two weeks ahead of the March 19 primary. No candidate is expected to get more than 50 percent of the vote, setting up an April 2 runoff  — presumably between Sanford and another candidate. Fundraising for the other Republicans in the race was as follows:

• Teddy Turner, the son of TV mogul Ted Turner, took in $376,000 in receipts during the period, including a $245,000 contribution from himself.

• State Rep. Chip Limehouse took in $540,000, including a $400,000 personal loan. Full story

South Carolina: Colbert Busch Launches First TV Ad (VIDEO)

Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, launched her first television advertisement Thursday as she seeks the Democratic nomination in South Carolina’s 1st District special election.

In the slickly-made spot, she shares her résumé — director of sales and marketing at a shipping company, director of business development at a former naval shipyard in North Charleston — and emphasizes her experience creating jobs.

“I’ve spent 20 years using our ports to create jobs: selling American products made by American workers,” she says. “I know what it takes to create new jobs.”

Massachusetts: New Poll Finds Markey Senate Special Election Frontrunner

Markey leads a new poll of the Senate special election in Massachusetts (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Democratic Rep. Edward J. Markey remains the strong favorite to win the special election for Senate in Massachusetts, according to a new poll of registered voters released late Wednesday.

Markey led Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, his Democratic primary opponent, 50 percent to 21 percent, among polled potential Democratic voters, according to a UMass Lowell-Boston Herald survey. Twenty-three percent said they were were unsure about the primary.

Markey, a House veteran first elected in 1976, also led his all three potential GOP challengers by a comfortable margin in horserace matchups. His closest GOP competitor was former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan, who took 30 percent to Markey’s 48 percent. Sullivan is seen as the frontrunner in his race for the Republican nomination with state Rep. Dan Winslow and Gabriel Gomez, a private equity investor and former Navy SEAL.

Lynch also led all Republicans in horserace matchups.

Full story

Illinois: Kelly Plans to Follow Obama’s Lead on Gun Control

Kelly won the Democratic nomination in Illinois' 2nd District. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call)

Democrat Robin Kelly made gun control a central issue in her successful House primary last month, and now she says she will follow the president’s lead on that very issue in Congress.

“I see myself as standing with the president in helping him pass what he wants to pass,” Kelly said about gun control in an interview during her first trip to Washington, D.C., since her victory.

Kelly added that background checks and closing gun show loopholes are realistic policy points that could positively effect the 2nd District. She won the Feb. 26 primary in the south side Chicago district, an area that has been plagued by massive gun violence in recent years.

The 2nd District is a safe Democratic seat, and Kelly is all but certain to come to Congress after the April 9 special election to succeed former Democratic Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. Her Republican rival, Paul McKinley, is a convicted felon, according to The Chicago Tribune.

But Kelly’s primary garnered national attention when New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s super PAC spent $2.5 million to boost her campaign. Her race served as the first test case for the super PAC, which supports candidates who back gun control, after the school shootings in Newtown, Conn.

Kelly noted that she has never spoken with Bloomberg, even after her victory.

“Never talked to him before, never talked to him after [the primary],” she said. “We don’t know each other. He got involved on behalf of the families [affected by gun violence]. That’s how I look at it.”

Full story

Massachusetts: Republican Sullivan Files FEC Paperwork for Senate Run

Former U.S. Attorney Michael J. Sullivan, a Republican, filed federal paperwork Monday to run in the Senate special election in Massachusetts, becoming the third GOP candidate to officially enter the race.

“Yes, Washington is broken. Yes, it’s dysfunctional. That much is clear,” Sullivan said in a statement. “What we need now is someone who will stand up and say what’s broken and address how we can start to change it. The voters are looking for substance and real alternatives for reform.”

The Massachusetts Senate race represents a long shot for Republicans, and CQ Roll Call rates it as Likely Democratic.

Sullivan joins a GOP field that already includes state Rep. Dan Winslow and Gabriel Gomez, a private equity investor and former Navy SEAL. All three campaigns said they have collected enough certified signatures to appear on April 30 primary ballot.

The winner of the Republican primary will face off against Rep. Edward J. Markey — who is backed by many national Democrats in Washington, D.C., and influential Democrats in the Bay State — or Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, who has significant organized labor support. Markey is the frontrunner.

The general election will be held June 25.

South Carolina: Turner Launches New TV Ad as Special Election Heats Up (VIDEO)

Congressional candidate Teddy Turner launched a potent new ad Tuesday, looking to differentiate himself from a crowded field of Republicans with South Carolina’s 1st District special election primary just weeks away.

“We’ve come a long way. I know I’ve spent too much, but what’s a few trillion? It was all for you,” a Lothario-looking politician in a candle-lit room says in the spot. “But I’ve changed. I’ll keep my promises this time. It’ll be different. I’m sorry for all the mistakes I’ve made. Sugar, just give me one more chance.”

A female narrator then chimes in as video of framed photos of a number of the other GOP candidates, including former Gov. Mark Sanford, comes on the screen. “Break up with career politicians!” she says. “The right guy: Teddy Turner. Conservative Republican. Economics teacher. Not a politician.”

South Carolina: Duncan, Mulvaney Endorse Grooms in 1st District

Mulvaney has endorsed in a South Carolina House race. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Palmetto State Republican Reps. Jeff Duncan and Mick Mulvaney backed state Sen. Larry Grooms on Thursday for the GOP nomination in the 1st District special election.

Grooms, who faces 15 opponents including former Gov. Mark Sanford in a March 19 primary, will likely receive a major boost from their endorsements.

GOP insiders see Grooms as ideologically similar to Sanford — very conservative — but without the former governor’s political baggage. While governor in 2009, Sanford infamously disappeared from the state for days and then admitted to an extramarital affair with a woman from Argentina.

Full story