Conservatives Blast New Senate Group Designed to Navigate Primaries

The news Sunday that a Republican group was forming to recruit better Senate candidates and counter conservative organizations’ attempts to sway primaries was met with immediate antagonism by at least one conservative group.

The Senate Conservatives Fund, founded by former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, issued a statement calling the project “another example of the Republican establishment’s hostility toward its conservative base” and even criticizing the new group’s name, Conservative Victory Project. Full story

Shop Talk: NRSC Announces Senior Staff

Dayspring, left, the new National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director, formerly worked for Cantor. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

The National Republican Senatorial Committee announced its senior staff Tuesday, rounding out an overhaul of leadership for the new cycle as the party aims to win the majority in 2014.

Serving under NRSC Chairman Jerry Moran of Kansas and NRSC Executive Director Rob Collins, who was hired in December, are an array of operatives with both campaign and Capitol Hill experience.

Brad Dayspring, a former top aide to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., is taking over as communications director. Dayspring replaces Brian Walsh, who served at the NRSC during the past two cycles and has helped out during the transition. Walsh is in the process of opening his own consulting firm. Full story

Campaign Committee Scorecard: Outlook for 2014

From left, DCCC Chairman Israel, NRCC Chairman Walden, DSCC Chairman Bennet and NRSC Chairman Moran

Congressional campaign committees have seen their financial influence wane in the past two cycles with the advent of super PACs. But make no mistake, these entities remain a powerful force in determining the playing field for the midterm elections.

While outside groups have replicated pieces of the campaign committees’ role — from recruitment to opposition research to candidate development — the campaign committees remain the top political clearinghouses for each party. Their involvement can still make or break a race.

In Roll Call’s new scorecard, we rate the challenges ahead for each committee this cycle, as well as how well-equipped each is to handle them.

West Virginia: Democrats Begin Positioning to Run for Rockefeller’s Seat

Rahall is among the Democrats expected to consider running for Senate. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Updated 8:15 p.m. | Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s retirement announcement Friday formally kicked off a scramble among West Virginia Democrats, some of whom have been pining to run for an open Senate seat for decades.

Rockefeller thanked his staff and emphasized the progress that has been made on health care in his remarks in Charleston. But West Virginia politicos were absorbed with the future. At least some Democrats said they are relieved that Rockefeller is not running for a sixth term because of his alliance with President Barack Obama, who is very unpopular in the state. Full story

Report: Obama Campaign Restructure to Assist Policy Push in Second Term

A crowd celebrates in front of the White House to celebrate President Barack Obama's re-election on Election Night. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

President Barack Obama’s campaign is set to be reconfigured into an operation that will assist the White House’s policy goals in a second term, CNN reported on Thursday.

Citing a source familiar with the campaign, CNN reported that the operation could be converted to a 501(c)(4) or a super PAC. The restructured organization will be led by former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina and other top operatives from the campaign, including Stephanie Cutter and Jennifer O’Malley Dillon. Full story

NRSC Hires Rob Collins as Executive Director

Rob Collins will serve as the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s executive director for the 2014 cycle under incoming Chairman Jerry Moran of Kansas.

A former top aide for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., Collins currently works at Purple Strategies. He served as president of the American Action Network during during the 2010 cycle.

Collins was one of three finalists for the gig. His appointment marks the final executive director hire announced by a congressional campaign committee for the coming cycle.

Full story

South Carolina: Haley’s Senate Appointment of Scott Draws Wide Praise

Scott will succeed DeMint in the Senate in January. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

South Carolina Gov. Nikki R. Haley, flanked by the Palmetto State’s GOP congressional delegation, officially appointed Republican Rep. Tim Scott to succeed Sen. Jim DeMint on Monday.

“It is a great day in South Carolina,” Haley said at a news conference at the state capitol in Columbia. “It is a historic day in South Carolina.”

Scott is expected to be sworn into the Senate when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3. He will run in a November 2014 special election to fill out the remainder of DeMint’s current term, which runs through 2016. His appointment means that the chamber will once again have African-American representation. The last black senator was Illinois Democrat Roland Burris, an appointee who served from 2009 to 2010. Scott will be the first black GOP senator from the South since 1881.

“This man loves South Carolina and he is very aware that what he does and every vote he makes affects South Carolina and affects our country,” Haley added. “And so it was with that that I knew that he was the right person. I have no doubt that he will fly through 2014.”

Full story

NRSC Funneled Money to Missouri GOP That Supported Akin

Updated 11:55 a.m. | In the last days of the 2012 campaign, the National Republican Senatorial Committee sent $760,000 to the Missouri Republican Party, which appears to have used the money to run TV ads for Rep. Todd Akin’s ill-fated Senate campaign.

By not transferring the money until the first two days of November, people could only speculate as to the source of the cash infusion until after casting their ballots. Democrats would no doubt have targeted Republicans in other battleground states with ads and statements that the GOP was effectively backing Akin, despite indications to the contrary by the group’s chairman, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Democrats were quick to pounce on the news Friday morning after a report by the Springfield News-Leader outlining the apparent connection between the $760,000 transfer and an ad buy by the Missouri GOP for practically the same amount in support of Akin.

Full story

Shop Talk: Jesmer Joins Washington Public Affairs Firm

Jesmer has served as executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the past two election cycles. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

National Republican Senatorial Committee Executive Director Rob Jesmer is leaving the NRSC to join FP1 Strategies, a Washington-based public affairs firm.

For the past two cycles, Jesmer has been in that post under its outgoing chairman, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. It was widely expected that he would not sign up for another cycle at the committee. The new NRSC chairman, Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, has been actively searching for executive director candidates.

At FP1, Jesmer willl hold the title of partner. The firm’s other partners are Danny Diaz, Jon Downs and Terry Nelson.

Jesmer is originally from St. Paul, Minn. He has previously worked on the House side on the Hill; on the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; at the Republican National Committee and at the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Senate Republicans Pick Moran to Run NRSC

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Senate Republicans unanimously elected Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran to serve as chairman of their campaign arm for the 2014 cycle and also named Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio and Sen.-elect Ted Cruz of Texas to serve as vice chairmen of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Portman will be vice chairman of finance, and Cruz will be vice chairman for grass roots. Moran was unopposed for the job.

Democrats face a daunting cycle in 2014, when the party must defend 20 seats — many of which are in traditionally conservative states such as Alaska and South Dakota. But the NRSC was plagued by divisive primaries during the past two cycles, costing the party at least five seats. The Senate GOP must win six seats to retake the majority. Full story

Portman, Cruz to Serve as NRSC Vice Chairmen

Portman will be vice chairman of finance for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Updated 3:37 p.m.| Senate Republicans named Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio and Sen.-elect Ted Cruz of Texas to serve as vice chairmen of the National Republican Senatorial Committee on Wednesday.

The duo will support the NRSC’s newly elected chairman, Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, who ran unopposed for the gig. Portman will be vice chairman of finance, and Cruz will be vice chairman for grass roots.

Senate Republicans also voted this morning to elevate Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to be minority whip and re-elected Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as minority leader. This is the fourth leadership election in which McConnell has been unopposed for the post.

Sen. Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida both spoke on McConnell’s behalf in the meeting before the election was held, according to their respective staffs. “Mitch unifies all of us, regardless of philosophy or what part of the country we come from. He’s the smartest political mind around and a great listener,” Rubio said in his speech. “Above all else, what Mitch cares about is whether we succeed as a conference and as a country, and that’s why I’m proud to nominate him for another term as leader.”

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota was re-elected as Republican Conference chairman. Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri was re-elected as Republican Conference vice chairman and Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming was re-elected as Republican policy committee chairman. None of the leadership posts was contested. Full story

Portman Rules Out NRSC Bid

(Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio will not run for National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman in Wednesday’s leadership elections, according to a GOP aide familiar with his decision.

“He was honored to hear from so many asking him to consider running,” the aide said. “It was not something he had ever given much thought to, but he decided it’s best to keep his focus on some of these huge policy issues that we face as a nation.”

Portman’s decision means the post will likely go to Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, the only candidate to publicly express interest in the post. Moran told Roll Call last week that he’s been running for the seat for at least six months, lobbying his colleagues for support. He announced last week that he had enough votes to win the race — although he declined to give a specific figure.

Portman’s decision may come as a disappointment to Senate Republicans who praised his fundraising prowess, both in his southern Ohio base and in financial centers such as New York. In 2012, Portman was the top fundraiser for the NRSC in the freshman class.

Jerry Moran: I Have Enough Support to Win NRSC Chairmanship

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) announced today that he has acquired enough support to win the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman post in the upcoming leadership elections.

“I have a sufficient number of commitments that if the election is held, I would be successful in becoming the chair,” Moran told Roll Call in an afternoon phone interview.

Moran declined to give an exact number of Senators who support him, but his proclamation comes hours after Sen. Rob Portman’s (Ohio) allies reported he’s also mulling the gig. Portman is well-liked among his colleagues, who see him as a strong fundraiser and winner of a battleground state.

Full story

Rob Portman Mulling NRSC Chairmanship

(CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Sen. Rob Portman is considering a bid for National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, a post his colleagues have asked him to consider running for.

However, the Ohio Republican has made no decisions, a source close to Portman told Roll Call this afternoon. Politico first reported news of Portman’s interest in running the NRSC.

Full story

Senate Update: Democrats Retain Majority

(Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call)

Updated 12:37 a.m. | As Election Day folded into Nov. 7, the only question remaining in the fight for the Senate was the size of the Democratic majority.

Democrats were looking at a net gain of two seats, with just two Democratic-held seats and one Republican seat left to be called. That meant the Democratic majority could be no lower than 53-47, exactly where it was at the beginning of the cycle.

“When we started this campaign, no one, and I mean no one gave us a chance.  But we went out and built the best Senate campaigns in the history of the country,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (Wash.) said in a statement. “We recruited some of the highest quality candidates, including a record number of women. Democrats never let up, and now we will retain our majority in the United States Senate.”

The Associated Press called the Wisconsin Senate race after midnight, with Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D) topping former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) for the seat of retiring Sen. Herb Kohl (D). That left two Democratic-held seats yet to be called: in Montana, where Sen. Jon Tester (D) faced Rep. Denny Rehberg (R), and in North Dakota, where former state Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp (D) faced Rep. Rick Berg (R) for the seat of retiring Sen. Kent Conrad (D).

Nevada Sen. Dean Heller (R) was looking to hold on against Rep. Shelley Berkley (D), even as President Barack Obama carried the state.

Updated 11:25 p.m. | Democrats will retain control of the Senate.

Tim Kaine’s (D) victory in Virginia and Sen. Claire McCaskill’s (D-Mo.) re-election took two more pickup opportunities off the map for Republicans and left the GOP without enough states left to complete its quest for the majority.

With the presidential contest now called for President Barack Obama, Democrats would control the Senate even in the event of a 50-50 tie, as Vice President Joseph Biden would cast the deciding vote. Full story