Pennsylvania: Redistricting Claims Another Victim as Holden Falls to Cartwright

Rep. Tim Holden (above) will not return for an 11th term after losing to Matt Cartwright in a primary tonight. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Updated 11:26 p.m. | A decade after Rep. Tim Holden (Pa.) beat the odds in a redistricting cycle by defeating a GOP colleague, the Blue Dog lost a Democratic primary tonight as a result of the decennial redrawing process.

Attorney Matt Cartwright easily defeated Holden in the redrawn 17th district, making him the second incumbent to lose re-election this cycle without being defeated by another Member. With 80 percent of the vote counted, Cartwright led 59 percent to 41 percent. Full story

Maryland: Martin O’Malley Discusses Redistricting

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) addressed his state’s redistricting process and the subsequent fallout from it at a breakfast briefing with reporters today.

“There were, of course, bumps and bruises and divisions. No one likes redistricting. There are no real winners,” he said at an event hosted by Third Way, a centrist think tank in Washington, D.C. He added a caveat that at times there are “coincidental or incidental” winners in redistricting.

The Democratic Member who most vigorously opposed the map that O’Malley eventually signed into law was Rep. Donna Edwards.

Full story

Pennsylvania: New Poll Shows Altmire-Critz Race Close

Reps. Jason Altmire (left) and Mark Critz prepare to shake hands before a debate at the WPXI studio in Pittsburgh. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Rep. Jason Altmire led Rep. Mark Critz by a mere 4 points in a test of Tuesday’s Democratic primary matchup, according to a poll released today.

The Tribune-Review/WPXI-TV poll showed Altmire ahead of Critz 43 percent to 39 percent in the finals days of their increasingly competitive contest.

The two Democrats are facing off in southwestern Pennsylvania’s 12 district after GOP-led redistricting combined their current territory. Full story

Arizona: GOP Nominates Jesse Kelly in Race to Succeed Gabrielle Giffords

(Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call)

As expected, Jesse Kelly won the GOP nomination Tuesday in the special election to finish out former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ (D) term. The Associated Press called the race a little before 1 a.m. today with about 55 percent of precincts reporting.

The win sets up a rematch by proxy between Kelly and Giffords. The two faced off in a rough 2010 campaign, and now Kelly will face former Giffords aide Ron Barber in the June 12 special election. Barber, who was unchallenged in the Democratic primary, has the support of the former Congresswoman, her husband and her inner circle.

The special election in the swing seat is expected to be highly competitive, and both parties wasted little time in ratcheting up their rhetoric. Full story

Pennsylvania: LCV Drops $230K to Defeat Tim Holden

The pile-on for Rep. Tim Holden (D-Pa.) continued today when the League of Conservation Voters announced a $230,000 television advertisement buy aimed at the Blue Dog Democrat in his upcoming primary and MoveOn.org endorsed Holden’s opponent, attorney Matt Cartwright.

Holden is now the underdog in the April 24 primary against Cartwright, Roll Call reported from the ground in the 17th district last week.

About 80 percent of the redrawn district includes new turf for Holden, who’s also losing the spending war in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Cartwright infused almost $400,000 of his own cash into his campaign, plus the Campaign for Primary Accountability vowed to spend $200,000 against Holden.

Now the environmental group joins the spending spree against Holden with its own buy. This spot will run on broadcast and cable stations in the Scranton media market, according to LCV.

Pennsylvania: Members Rally to Fund Embattled Holden

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Rep. Tim Holden (D-Pa.) was burning up the phone lines to his Congressional colleagues in March, just a few weeks ahead of his competitive primary.

Dozens of Democratic House Members anted up more than $70,000 for Holden’s campaign, the Congressman estimated in an interview with Roll Call today.

“Absolutely, it’s a competitive race,” Holden said minutes before a county Democratic Party fundraiser. “We’re being outspent, there’s no question about it. We’re working like we’re 20 points behind, and we’re working every day at it.”

In Holden’s most competitive race in a decade, the Congressman faces attorney Matt Cartwright in the Democratic primary on April 24. Republicans overhauled Holden’s 17th district last year, adding vast amounts of new territory for the 10-term incumbent, including the Democratic strongholds of Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. Full story

Pennsylvania: Mark Critz, Jason Altmire Battle in Round 2

Reps. Jason Altmire (left) and Mark Critz shake hands before the debate at the WPXI studio in Pittsburgh. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

PITTSBURGH — Reps. Mark Critz and Jason Altmire debated for the second time in as many days this evening, striving to define their differences ahead of the April 24 Democratic primary.

In an otherwise tepid exchange, Critz emphasized his support from local labor unions, and Altmire underscored his Congressional voting record as reason to keep him in office.

“Every major union that has endorsed, has endorsed me,” Critz, serving his first full term in Congress, declared. “What that tells people is there are groups that know both of us, and they know they can trust me.”

Altmire, meantime, cited the more than 4,600 votes he’s cast in Congress since his 2006 election.

“Most importantly, I work hard. I show up for work. I travel the district. I’ve never missed a vote,” he said.

But for the most part, the tone was congenial between two House Democrats, who were moved into the same southwestern Pennsylvania district when Republicans redrew the Congressional map last year.

Full story

Arizona: Redistricting Plan Pre-Cleared

Arizona’s Congressional redistricting plan has been pre-cleared by the Department of Justice.

In a letter dated today, Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez wrote that the department has no objection under the Voting Rights Act to the proposed boundaries.

The plan was drawn up by the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission, a bipartisan group made up of two Republicans, two Democrats and a registered Independent named Colleen Mathis.

The plan was approved by Mathis and the Democrats, but state and national Republicans were angered. Gov. Jan Brewer (R) and the GOP-controlled state Senate removed Mathis from the commission, but they were overruled by the state Supreme Court.

Illinois: More Timothy Johnson Retirement Fallout

(Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Rep. Timothy Johnson’s preferred candidate in the race to replace him will announce his campaign Monday, much to the chagrin of many Illinois Republicans — including Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) — who remain irked about the way the six-term Congressman’s post-primary retirement went down this week.

Jerry Clarke, Johnson’s former chief of staff, will announce his campaign Monday for the 13th district seat. An Iraq War veteran, Clarke currently serves as chief of staff for freshman Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.).

Several Illinois Republicans, including Rep. John Shimkus, have encouraged former Shimkus aide Rodney Davis to enter the race. Davis is still talking over a potential bid with his family, according to Shimkus’ chief of staff, Craig Roberts, who added that Davis is “leaning toward doing it, and if he does, he’ll have our full support.” Full story

Pennsylvania: Jason Altmire Raises More Than Mark Critz in Past Three Months

Rep. Jason Altmire (above) faces fellow Democratic Rep. Mark Critz in a primary forced by redistricting later this month. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Rep. Jason Altmire raised slightly more than Rep. Mark Critz in the final months before their April 24 Democratic primary in a southwestern Pennsylvania House district.

Altmire’s campaign announced he raised about $330,000 from Jan. 1 through April 4, which is the pre-primary reporting period.

Critz raised about $285,000 during the same period, his top campaign aide confirmed to Roll Call. Full story

Illinois’ Timothy Johnson to Retire

Rep. Timothy Johnson is regularly seen around Capitol Hill talking to constituents on his cellphone. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Updated 9:37 p.m. | Rep. Timothy Johnson (R-Ill.) will not seek re-election after all, according to a House Republican leadership aide.

His eleventh-hour retirement stunned many of his House Republican colleagues. Johnson made every indication he’d seek re-election in the mostly new territory, including securing the GOP nomination in the March 20 primary.

What’s more, Johnson’s decision puts his downstate Illinois seat in play. Democrats redrew Johnson’s district to be more competitive during redistricting last year.

The Illinois politics tip sheet, Capitol Fax, first reported Johnson’s retirement. According to the report, Johnson feels he can step aside now because he believes the seat is not competitive with emergency room doctor David Gill as the Democratic nominee. Full story

Maryland: John Delaney, Roscoe Bartlett Win Primaries

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

It would have shocked the Maryland political world six months ago, but businessman John Delaney beat out the state establishment favorite, state Senate Majority Leader Rob Garagiola, in the Maryland 6th district Democratic primary today, according to the Associated Press.

The seat’s current occupant, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, eased past the GOP primary as well. His closest challenger, state Sen. David Brinkley, came in second place. The tone between the two turned especially nasty in recent days.

The wins are not yet official, but Garagiola already conceded to Delaney.

The Democratic primary was a race between a candidate favored by mapmakers versus a candidate with a massive capacity to self-fund.

Full story

Washington: 1st District Special Election Set

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) called for a special election to fill the seat of former Rep. Jay Inslee (D), setting up a confusing situation as a result of redistricting.

The special election will be held concurrently with the regular election schedule, with the primary on Aug. 7 and the general on Nov. 6. Voters will have representation for the last two months of the year, but that means candidates running for both a full term and in the special will be running under two different sets of lines at the same time. Full story

New Hampshire: Politicians Move Closer to Redistricting Map

Updated 6:23 p.m. | New Hampshire might finally be moving toward a redistricting map, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

State lawmakers had delegated the map drawing to the state’s two Members, Reps. Charles Bass and Frank Guinta. Both men are Republicans and had been at odds over the state’s single Congressional line.

“This plan, we’re told, helps Bass somewhat while preserving Guinta’s slight lean-GOP district,” the Union Leader reported. “It gives the 1st District swing towns that slightly lean GOP in exchange for swing towns that generally lean a little more heavily to the GOP.”

Full story

Anti-Incumbent Super PAC Adds Jones, Moran to Target List

Rep. Walter Jones Jr. is one of two Members that an anti-incumbent super PAC has decided to target. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Updated 7:39 p.m. | The Campaign for Primary Accountability plans to launch spending crusades against Reps. Walter Jones Jr. (R-N.C.) and Jim Moran (D-Va.) as part of the super PAC’s growing list of targeted races.

The deep-pocketed super PAC also announced a “Watch List” of more than two dozen veteran Members whom it plans to evaluate and potentially target during the height of primary season during the next three months. Full story