Remainders: And Then There Was Nunn

Here’s what you may have missed “At the Races” on Monday …

• #IRS – CQ Roll Call’s Eliza Newlin Carney examines what the IRS mess means for campaign finance laws.
• #GASEN – Michelle Nunn, daughter of former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., will soon announce her decision on a Senate bid.
• #NC12 – A Democratic fundraiser is mulling a bid for Rep. Melvin Watt’s seat. Watt was recently nominated to run the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
• #VASEN – The Virginia GOP changed how it will nominate Democratic Sen. Mark Warner’s 2014 challenger.
• #UT04 – Sarasota Springs Mayor Mia Love announced she will challenge Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson to a rematch in 2014.

What we’re mulling on Monday …

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Iowa: Democrat to Challenge Steve King

King will attract a Democratic challenger soon. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Jim Mowrer, a special assistant to the undersecretary of the Army, is all but certain to run for the seat held by GOP Rep. Steve King, according to a source close to his thinking.

Mowrer has met with staff at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and, per the source, will run regardless of whether King seeks the open Senate seat or re-election to the 4th District.

Democrats competed fiercely for the 4th District in 2012, but King won by a resounding 8 points. But an open-seat race would likely make it easier for Democrats to pick up the seat.

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Iowa: Christie Vilsack Announces New Federal Gig; Second House Bid Unlikely

Former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack, a Democrat, has taken a top post with an international government agency, a strong indication she will not run for Congress again anytime soon.

Last year, Vilsack unsuccessfully challenged Republican Rep. Steve King in Iowa’s GOP-leaning 4th District.

King is strongly considering a bid for retiring Sen. Tom Harkin’s seat in 2014, a campaign that would force an open-seat race in his current district in northwestern Iowa. Democrats had named Vilsack as a potential candidate for congress again, although she never publicly acknowledged her interest in a second race.

On Friday, Vilsack announced in an email that she’s taken a new gig in Washington, D.C.: Full story

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)

Daily Ad Track

Sen. Claire McCaskill’s Senate campaign went nuclear on Rep. Todd Akin (R) this morning, targeting his comments on “legitimate rape” that turned a sure loss for the Democrat into a likely win.

McCaskill’s strategy had been widely expected ever since Akin declined to drop his Senate bid in the wake of his politically damaging comments.

The McCaskill campaign released three new ads on their website along with contribution tabs involving testimonials from survivors of sexual assault. While the National Republican Senatorial Committee has not committed funds to this race, it did wade into Missouri waters on Tuesday.

Texas State Senate 

On Tuesday we highlighted a House ad that featured a rape survivor. There is some reluctance given the seriousness of the topic at hand to call this a trend, but it is even surfacing in some downballot races. Dallas affiliate WFAA flagged an ad being run in a Texas state Senate race by incumbent Sen. Wendy Davis (D).  Given the sensitivity of the subject matter, is there a point where such ads could backfire?

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Bill Clinton to Hit Stump for House, Senate Democrats

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

President Barack Obama isn’t the only Democrat running this year that’s benefiting from appearances by Bill Clinton.

For the past month, since his well-received speech at the Democratic National Convention, the former president has hit the campaign trail for Obama. He has said his top goal is returning Obama to the White House, but he’s also finding time in the final push before Election Day for some downballot Democrats who also find themselves in close races and could use the boost Clinton can provide. Full story

Daily Ad Track

Thanks to a slew of Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC ads, Ad Track has been fairly Democratic-heavy. But today, the National Republican Congressional Committee returned the favor with a burst of new spots.

Iowa’s 2nd

Add Rep. Dave Loebsack (D) to the category of victims of the idiot doppelganger.

A common theme over the last month or so has been to illustrate a criticism of one’s opponent with an actor portraying the candidate in an unflattering light. In a new NRCC ad, he is portrayed as sleeping on the job. Loebsack faces a challenge from Republican attorney John Archer.

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In attorney Ann McLane Kuster’s (D) case, it was running around maniacally. With Rep. Dan Benishek (R), it was dancing disruptively. And for Rep. Jon Runyan (R), it was tackling elderly people.

New Hampshire’s 2nd/Minnesota’s 8th

And a Republican operative explained a DCCC ad in New Hampshire’s 2nd district that was initially puzzling. That DCCC spot sought to tie Rep. Charles Bass (R) to various prominent Republicans. But one face in the parade of conservative notables was freshman Rep. Chip Cravaack (R). It is hard to believe that many New Hampshire voters would know who Cravaack is, let alone have a visceral distaste for him.

So why Cravaack? Like Bass, Cravaack is vulnerable, and the DCCC has hammered Cravaack over the last year over the fact that his wife and children relocated to New Hampshire.

Former Rep. Rick Nolan (D) is challenging Cravaack in Minnesota’s 8th, while Kuster is running against Bass. Roll Call rates both races as Tossup.

Illinois’ 8th 

Forget vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan and his budget, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) or President Barack Obama. The NRCC has a new spot that ties veteran Tammy Duckworth (D) to one of the lowest figures in American politics — incarcerated former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Duckworth is challenging Rep. Joe Walsh (R).

Utah’s 4th 

Another new NRCC ad does something rarely seen from Republicans — it rails on Rep. Jim Matheson (D) for at one time supporting the privatization of Social Security. Former President George W. Bush unsuccessfully pushed that policy in his second term. Republican Mia Love is challenging Matheson for this seat.

Dueling Internal Polls in Iowa and Pennsylvania House Races

A Democratic poll showed Rep. Steve King in a competitive race in Iowa. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call)

‘Tis the season for dueling internal polls.

In Iowa, former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack (D) released a survey today showing her trailing Rep. Steve King (R) by 2 points in the first public poll of this race in several weeks.

A few hours later, the conservative group American Future Fund put out a poll showing King ahead by several points, 48 percent to 41 percent. Roll Call rates this race as Leans Republican. Full story

Republicans Launch New Round of Ads in House Races

The National Republican Congressional Committee and other GOP-aligned outside groups launched a new round of television advertising over the weekend in a bevy of House races.

With seven weeks to go until Election Day, the NRCC on Sunday released 10 new TV ads — six in districts the group is working to hold and four in districts the GOP hopes to pick up. Democrats must score a net gain of 25 seats in November to wrestle back control of the House majority. Full story

Iowa: Chris Christie to Campaign for Steve King

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (above) will campaign in Iowa for Rep. Steve King. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) will campaign in the first-in-the-nation caucus state next week to boost Iowa Rep. Steve King (R).

King’s campaign announced today that Christie will “keynote” King’s Defenders of Freedom luncheon on Sept. 20 in Sioux City, Iowa.

King is seeking re-election in a competitive race against former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack (D). Both parties are targeting the northwestern Iowa district and Roll Call rates the race as Leans Republican. Full story

FreedomWorks PAC Endorses 10 Candidates

Conservative organization FreedomWorks PAC today released its “first slate” of House endorsements.

“Through extensive personal interviews, detailed research of their records, and feedback from activists in their districts, we are confident these candidates will expand the freedom caucus in the House and lead the fight for economic freedom and constitutionally limited government,” FreedomWorks PAC Executive Director Max Pappas said in a statement.

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