EMILY’s List Adds Six to House GOP Target List

EMILY’s List will add six House GOP members to its “On Notice” status Tuesday, signaling the group will make each of them a priority target in 2014:

• Joe Heck in Nevada’s 3rd District
• John Kline in Minnesota’s 2nd District
• Tom Latham in Iowa’s 3rd District
• Tom Reed in New York’s 23rd District
• Scott Tipton in Colorado’s 3rd District
• David Valadao in California’s 21st District

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Iowa: Democrat Sherzan Drops Bid to Challenge Latham

Businessman Mike Sherzan, a Democrat, has dropped his campaign for Iowa’s 3rd District, citing “personal health reasons” in a statement released Monday.

His announcement clears the way for another Democrat, perhaps former state Sen. Staci Appel, to challenge GOP Rep. Tom Latham in this competitive district.

House Democrats have targeted the 3rd District since the start of the cycle. In January, they touted Sherzan as one of their first potential recruits during the presidential inauguration festivities. He announced his campaign a month later.

Sherzan’s decision to leave the race comes after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee met with Appel about the race on her recent trip to Washington, D.C. But in a statement, he insisted his decision was based “solely upon my individual circumstances.”

“Finally, I have made this decision based solely upon my individual circumstances and what I believe to be in my best interest and that of my family,” Sherzan said. “Ending my candidacy is very disappointing to me personally.”

Iowa: House Democrats Talk to Ex-State Senator About Latham Challenge

Democrats are talking up a new candidate to challenge Rep. Tom Latham (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Democrats hope former state Sen. Staci Appel will challenge GOP Rep. Tom Latham of Iowa this cycle, after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee met with her recently in Washington, D.C., to discuss the race, according to a Democratic operative with knowledge of the encounter.

Appel, a former stock broker and one-term state senator from rural Ackworth, Iowa, is the wife of Iowa Supreme Court Justice Brent Appel.

Democrats view the 3rd District as one of their best pick-up opportunities of 2014. Last year, President Barack Obama carried the Des Moines-based seat. At the same time, Latham defeated then-Rep. Leonard L. Boswell, D-Iowa, there by nearly 9 points.

If Appel runs — and the source stressed that her candidacy is not a done deal — she will have company in a Democratic primary. Businessman Mike Sherzan announced his campaign for the seat last month, after the DCCC feted him during the presidential inauguration in January. Full story

Iowa: Democrat Sherzan Announces Bid in 3rd District

Businessman Mike Sherzan, a Democrat, announced Monday that he will run for Iowa’s 3rd District in what could be an open-seat race next year.

“I look forward to meeting with people all across Iowa, working together to begin to break through the old Washington ways, and instead solving problems to move Iowa forward – together,” Sherzan said in a statement.

The seat is currently held by Republican Rep. Tom Latham, who has indicated interest in running for retiring Sen. Tom Harkin’s seat next year. Latham defeated Rep. Leonard L. Boswell, a Democrat, in a targeted member-vs.-member battle last year. Full story

DCCC Uses Inauguration to Tout Potential House Recruits

Former Colorado Speaker Andrew Romanoff was one of the potential 2014 House candidates who was in town for the inauguration. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Thinking about running for Congress? For hopeful Democrats, there was no better place to be this weekend than hobnobbing with the party elite and donors at inaugural festivities.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee leveraged the weekend to tout a trio of potential recruits for House races in 2014. A Democratic source said the following three recruitment prospects attended the committee’s inaugural luncheon at the Italian Embassy on Jan. 21:

• Former Colorado Speaker Andrew Romanoff. He’s already indicated that he’s interested in challenging Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., in the 6th District. Coffman tops the DCCC’s target list for 2014 after he won re-election by a 2-point margin in November.
• Democratic National Committeewoman Erin Bilbray-Kohn. She has said she’s “seriously thinking” about challenging Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., in the 3rd District. The daughter of a former Nevada congressman, Bilbray-Kohn served as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s, D-Nev., top finance aide in 2010. Democrats view Heck as vulnerable after he won re-election with 50 percent of the vote, and the president won the district. Full story

Iowa: Tom Latham Defeats Leonard Boswell in Member-Vs.-Member Race

Rep. Tom Latham won in the 3rd district's Member-vs.-Member race. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Rep. Tom Latham (R) defeated his colleague, Rep. Leonard Boswell (D), in their 3rd district matchup tonight.

Latham had an 8-point lead over his Democratic opponent with 93 percent of precincts reporting in the southwestern Iowa district, according to the Associated Press.

A top ally of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Latham raised considerably more money than Boswell did. But the Democrat had a geographical advantage in this Tossup race, with more of his old district included in the new one.

Boswell’s defeat marks the first Member to lose to a colleague tonight.

In Ohio, Rep. Jim Renacci (R) leads Rep. Betty Sutton (D) in the 16th district by a slim 4-point margin, but with only 57 percent of precincts reporting. The Associated Press has not called that race yet.

Crossroads GPS Launches House Blitz Across the Country

The juggernaut GOP-affiliated group Crossroads GPS will soon announce a massive $8.1 million television and radio effort for House Republicans slated to begin Saturday and run for three weeks.

The group will target races in 11 districts from the West Coast to the central plains to just north of New York City.

The targeted seats are:

• California’s new 21st district, where state Assemblyman David Valadao (R) faces Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce CEO John Hernandez (D)
• Illinois’ open 12th district, where retired businessman Jason Plummer (R) faces retired Maj. Gen. Bill Enyart (D)
• Illinois’ 17th district, where Rep. Bobby Schilling (R) faces former East Moline Alderwoman Cheri Bustos (D)
• Indiana’s open 2nd district, where former state Rep. Jackie Walorski (R) faces Iraq War veteran Brendan Mullen (D)
• Iowa’s 3rd district, where Rep. Leonard Boswell (D) faces Rep. Tom Latham (R)
• Iowa’s 4th district, where Rep. Steve King (R) faces former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack (D)
• Michigan’s 1st district, where Rep. Dan Benishek (D) faces former state Rep. Gary McDowell (D)
• Nevada’s new 4th district, where businessman Danny Tarkanian (R) faces state Sen. Steven Horsford (D)
• New York’s 1st district where Rep. Tim Bishop (D) faces businessman Randy Altschuler (R)
• New York’s 18th district, where Rep. Nan Hayworth (R) faces attorney Sean Patrick Maloney (D)
• New York’s 25th district, where Rep. Louise Slaughter (D) faces Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks (R)

Iowa: Leonard Boswell Files Lawsuit Against Former Primary Foe

Rep. Leonard Boswell is in a very competitive race against a fellow Member. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) will sue liberal activist Ed Fallon over his recent bribery accusation, the lawmaker’s aide confirmed today.

Earlier this week on his website, Fallon accused Boswell of “sending an aide to bribe me with the offer of an $80,000 a-year job to not run against him.”

Boswell spokesman Kevin McTigue confirmed to Roll Call in an email that the lawsuit was “being filed today” in response.

The timing is less than convenient for Boswell, who faces Rep. Tom Latham (R) in a highly competitive race for the 3rd district. Roll Call rates this race as a Tossup. Full story

Daily Ad Track

All over the country, biographical television spots are giving way to negative attack ads.

The Susan B. Anthony List announced Thursday the initiation of a $150,000 TV ad campaign against President Barack Obama in Ohio. It intends to include in that campaign an ad it previously aired in Missouri, which featured an abortion survivor.

But the ad that caught our attention was a negative spot from Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.).

Here are some of our other favorite ads from today:

Florida 18

The West spot sparked a frenzy on Twitter this morning. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Executive Director Guy Cecil tweeted, “FL Rep. Allen West attacks his opponent for fighting in a bar. Has he met #FLSencandidate Connie Mack??” Bar brawls have surfaced in a Florida Senate race ad as well.

Meanwhile, supporters of House Democrats are going negative on West. House Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC, announced it was increasing its investment in the district to more than $1.5 million. This comes after the news that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was canceling a week of airtime starting Oct. 9.

Full story

Race Ratings Changes: Indiana Senate Moves to Tossup; Mix of House Moves

Rep. Leonard Boswell has been helped by spending from outside groups in his Iowa race. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

This is arguably the most volatile period for the House battleground map, as partisan operatives are making their final ad spending decisions and beginning to move money away from some races to put more resources into other contests.

The Senate map is much less fluid, yet this is the time when some races begin to fade in terms of their competitiveness and others become more so. In recent weeks we’ve seen the New Mexico Senate contest move to the less competitive category, while Connecticut and Indiana are now fully in play. We are still monitoring developments in Connecticut (and could make another ratings change there soon), but new polling in Indiana confirmed for us that a ratings change was due. Full story

Iowa: New DCCC Poll Shows Leonard Boswell, Tom Latham Tied

A new poll out today showed Rep. Leonard Boswell (above) tied with Rep. Tom Latham in the race for Iowa's 3rd district. (Tom Williams CQ/Roll Call File Photo)

A new Democratic poll shows Reps. Leonard Boswell (D) and Tom Latham (R) tied in their race for Iowa’s redrawn 3rd district.

Both Members earned 45 percent in the survey paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and released today.

Earlier this cycle, local operatives wrote Boswell off because of Latham’s hefty cash advantage. But the race has become increasingly competitive in recent months, much like every other House race in the Hawkeye State.

The poll had the race as a dead heat, even though respondents viewed Latham in a more positive light. Thirty-nine percent viewed Latham favorably, while only 34 percent viewed Boswell favorably.

In the same poll, President Barack Obama leads GOP nominee Mitt Romney, 52 percent to 45 percent.

The Benenson Strategy Group poll interviewed 400 likely voters in the district from Sept. 18- 20. The margin of error was 4.9 percent.

Roll Call rates this race as Leans Republican.

Iowa: Leonard Boswell Has Best Quarter Yet — But It’s Still Not Enough to Top Tom Latham

During the second quarter, Rep. Tom Latham (R) built on his massive money advantage over his November opponent, Rep. Leonard Boswell (D).

Latham ended June with $2.14 million in cash on hand — more than four times the amount in Boswell’s campaign bank account.

Boswell and Latham are running for the 3rd district in southwestern Iowa, which includes Des Moines. Latham, one of Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) top allies, has eclipsed Boswell in fundraising throughout the campaign.

Boswell raised $300,000 in the most recent quarter, marking his best fundraising report since 2006. But Latham raised $500,000 during the same period.

Boswell will report $470,000 in the bank, according to his top campaign aide.

The Hawkeye State lost a House seat because of lagging population growth, effectively forcing the two Members to face off this November. An independent redistricting commission redrew the state’s Congressional lines last year.

Iowa: Tom Latham Introduces Himself On Air

Rep. Tom Latham (R) went up with a biographical spot this week in his race against fellow Rep. Leonard Boswell (D) in southwestern Iowa.

The advertisement buy is for “six figures” on television and radio, according to a Latham aide.

Full story

Iowa: Crossroads GPS Hits Leonard Boswell Again With New Ad

Crossroads GPS today will begin airing its third advertisement targeting Iowa Rep. Leonard Boswell (D), who is facing off against Rep. Tom Latham (R).

The new spot from the deep-pocketed conservative group ties Boswell to President Barack Obama through his votes for the stimulus bill and the health care overhaul law, according to a copy of the ad obtained exclusively by Roll Call.

Morning Roundup: Member-Vs.-Member Races

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

The front page of today’s Roll Call features Shira Toeplitz’s report from the ground in Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio, on the Democratic primary between Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Dennis Kucinich. Their March 6 contest will be the first of 12 Member-vs.-Member races decided this redistricting cycle.

The numbers in the redrawn 9th district, which stretches 120 miles along Lake Erie’s shoreline, favor Kaptur over Kucinich because it takes in more of her current territory. But, as Toeplitz points out, long odds have never stopped the two-time failed presidential candidate and one-time “boy mayor” of Cleveland from running before. Full story