Iowa: Democrat Murphy Announces Bid for Braley’s Seat

Iowa state Rep. Pat Murphy announced Wednesday that he will seek the 1st District seat, becoming the first Democrat to jump in to what will likely to be a crowded and competitive open-seat race.

The House seat opened last week after Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley announced his intention to vie for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin. The Democratic-leaning district in northeastern Iowa is anchored by Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Waterloo. Full story

Iowa: Potential Candidates Named for Braley’s 1st District

Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley opened the floodgates of ambitious pols eyeing his Iowa district when he announced his Senate bid Thursday.

Hawkeye State operatives expect a deep and competitive field for the Democratic-leaning 1st District, which is anchored by Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Waterloo in eastern Iowa.

The dominoes tipped last month when Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin announced he would not seek a sixth term, creating the first open-seat Senate race in Iowa in four decades. Braley is the only announced candidate, but GOP Reps. Steve King and Tom Latham are considering bids.

Here’s a look at the early names Democrats floated for Braley’s House seat:

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John Boehner to Boost Candidates in Iowa, Illinois

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Speaker John Boehner will be in Iowa campaigning for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Wednesday, and he also plans to fundraise for two House challengers while he’s in the state.

Ben Lange and John Archer, who are running against Democratic incumbents in Iowa’s 1st and 2nd districts, respectively, will get a boost from the Speaker.

The Ohio Republican will start the day with a fundraising luncheon in Davenport for Archer, a lawyer who is running against Rep. Dave Loebsack (D). The event will be held at the Davenport Country Club, and donations range from $250 to $1,000 a person, according to the Quad-City Times. Full story

Liberal Super PACs Announce New House Race Advertising

Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle is among the Republicans being targeted by a new liberal super PAC. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

A super PAC led by Jonathan Soros, the son of liberal financier George Soros, today announced the eight lawmakers it will target via direct mail, phone contact and Internet advertising.

The New York Times has described the group, Friends of Democracy, as “The Super PAC That Aims to End Super PACs.” Earlier this year, the Times reported that the group was targeting “10 to 15 House lawmakers whose records and public statements have not been supportive of what Mr. Soros calls a system of ‘citizen-led’ elections.”

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Iowa: GOP Stops Airing Spots in Bruce Braley’s District

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

The National Republican Congressional Committee ceased its advertisements in the 1st district last week, according to two Democratic sources monitoring ad buys in the state.

The ads had targeted Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley.

“We believe Ben Lange is in a strong position, and we are watching this race very closely,” NRCC spokeswoman Andrea Bozek said. “Make no mistake, Braley is a gamble Iowans can’t afford.”

The GOP campaign committee has invested $400,000 in the race since it started airing spots there in September. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has not spent any funds there on Braley’s behalf.

The northeastern Iowa district is the most Democratic in the state. Roll Call rates the race as Likely Democratic.

Iowa: Ben Lange Plays Up Bruce Braley’s Statewide Ambition

Attorney Ben Lange (R) used Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley’s not-so-secret statewide ambitions in his uphill campaign against the three-term Congressman.

“Folks in Iowa are investing in our race because they know it’s a cost-effective investment for them because Bruce wants to run statewide for governor or Senator next cycle,” Lange said in a Monday interview.

House Republicans plan to target the northeastern Iowa district, but Braley is favored to win re-election. The 1st district is the state’s most Democratic House seat. Full story

NRCC Locks In Third Clip of Young Guns

Maine Senate President Kevin Raye, who is running in the state's 2nd district, was one of seven candidates announced in a new round of the NRCC's Young Guns today. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

The National Republican Congressional Committee today announced its third round of Young Guns — candidates who have reached the highest tier of the committee’s recruitment and candidate support program.

The seven new candidates are:

• Former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, running in Florida’s open 22nd district
• Attorney Ben Lange, running in Iowa’s 1st district against Rep. Bruce Braley (D)
• John Deere attorney John Archer, running in Iowa’s 2nd district against Rep. Dave Loebsack (D)
• State Senate President Kevin Raye, running in Maine’s 2nd district against Rep. Mike Michaud (D)
• State Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer, running in North Dakota’s open at-large seat
• Businessman Danny Tarkanian, running in Nevada’s open 4th district
• Former Erie County Executive Chris Collins, running New York’s 27th district against freshman Rep. Kathy Hochul (D)

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NRCC Announces New ‘Contender’ Candidates

The National Republican Congressional Committee announced today that eight GOP House candidates are one step closer to earning the committee’s top-tier Young Guns status.

Those eight candidates progressed to the Contender level, the third step in the four-step Young Guns program. The candidates must meet district-specific benchmarks to move through the program, which gives fundraising and infrastructure assistance.

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