Pennsylvania: Court Rules Altmire Stays on Ballot

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

A Pennsylvania court ruled today that Rep. Jason Altmire had enough valid signatures to stay on the Democratic primary ballot with fellow Rep. Mark Critz.

Critz will likely appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court. After the ruling, Critz campaign adviser Mike Mikus said they disagree with the judge’s decision and “are currently exploring our legal options.”

Several weeks ago, Critz challenged Altmire’s ballot access after he turned in only 1,651 nominating signatures. Pennsylvania election law requires 1,000 signatures to get on the ballot for Congress, but campaigns typically file twice as many to ward off these kinds of challenges. Full story

Illinois: Nancy Pelosi Backs Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in Primary

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi endorsed Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s re-election bid during a stop at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s Saturday Morning Forum in Chicago.

“Jesse Jackson Jr. comes from a proud tradition but came to the Congress and is making his own mark there,” Pelosi said. “He deserves re-election and we all want to do everything possible to make sure that happens.”

The Congressman’s father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., is the founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Jackson faces a primary challenge from former Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.) in the 2nd district south of Chicago. The Congressman is favored to win re-election, but Halvorson is on track to provide one of the toughest political challenges he’s faced in his federal career. The primary is March 20.

Here’s the full Pelosi endorsement video, courtesy of NBC Chicago.

Ohio: Members Send Late Money to Marcy Kaptur

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Just days before Ohio Democratic Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Dennis Kucinich square off in a primary, two fellow Democrats, including Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), picked sides.

Earlier this week, Rep. David Price’s (D-N.C.) re-election committee and Durbin’s Prairie political action committee each donated $1,000 to Kaptur. The Congresswoman also received a $1,000 check from Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s (D-Conn.) campaign at the start of this year, according to online fundraising records. Both Price and DeLauro serve with Kaptur on the Appropriations Committee. Durbin, also an appropriator, was first elected to the House in 1982, the same year as Kaptur.

Kucinich’s fundraising reports from this year did not show any transfers from his Congressional colleagues. However, the late Rep. Tom Lantos’ (D-Calif.) campaign committee donated $2,000 to Kucinich in early February. Full story

Texas: San Antonio Court Orders May 29 Primary

The federal court in San Antonio issued an order today setting a new primary schedule. The ruling comes a couple of days after the same federal court ordered a new interim Congressional map for the Lone Star State.

You can check out the court’s full order, sent over by the Texas Democratic Party, below. But here are the key dates:

• March 2: The filing period reopens
• March 9: The filing period closes at 6 p.m.
• May 29: Primary election
• June 10: Deadline for primary runoff candidates to withdraw from the ballot
• July 31: Primary runoff election Full story

New York: Redistricting Drama Rises Toward Crescendo

The disjointed, perpetually deadlocked, rumor-filled, agita-inducing drama of New York Congressional redistricting moves into its final act today, with the Legislature expected to submit proposed lines to a judge by midnight and a final map approved within less than a month.

Magistrate Judge Roanne L. Mann has ordered all the parties involved in a redistricting lawsuit, which include state Assembly and Senate Democrats and Republicans, to submit their proposed Congressional plans to the court by today, if they are submitting plans at all. With control of the Legislature split, the main plans are expected to be submitted by Democrats from the Assembly and Republicans in the Senate. The opposing sides reportedly remained deadlocked this morning. Full story

California: David Dreier Retiring After 16 Terms

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

California Rep. David Dreier announced his long-expected retirement on the House floor this morning.

The Rules Committee chairman, a 16-term Republican from San Dimas, was essentially a man without a home after the state’s new independent redistricting process that left him with no good options for re-election. Full story

San Antonio Federal Court Releases New Interim Texas Map

A federal three-judge panel in San Antonio released a new interim Texas Congressional map today after both parties failed to produce a compromise following weeks of wrangling in court.

The court-ordered map resembles a February proposal from state Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) that gave Democrats a new district in the Fort Worth area, effectively giving Republicans a 25-to-11 advantage in the Congressional delegation.

The fate of the Texas 2012 map remained uncertain for weeks after the Supreme Court ruled in January that the San Antonio court overstepped its boundaries with its original proposal for an interim map. There are several seats at stake on the new Texas map, which increased by four House districts due to explosive population growth, mostly in the Hispanic community.

Texas officials were forced to delay their primary twice while maps worked their way through two separate court systems. The San Antonio court released a revised interim map just in time for both parties to hold their primary on May 29.

Full story

Virginia: John Douglass to Switch Districts and Challenge Hurt

Ret. Air Force General John Douglass is expected to announce next week that he will run in Virginia’s 5th district instead of in the 10th.

The Democrat’s campaign said today that Douglass will travel through each county in the expansive 5th district, currently held by freshman Rep. Robert Hurt (R), before his March 6 announcement. Douglass had originally filed to run against Rep. Frank Wolf (R) in Northern Virginia, but Douglass’ home was drawn into the 5th under the redistricting plan signed into law last month.

Full story

Between the Lines: Virginia Court Dismisses Challenge to Map

Virginia is one step away from completing redistricting after the Richmond Circuit Court on Monday dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Legislature-drawn Congressional map.

The lawsuit argued that the state Legislature, which Republicans won complete control of in November’s state elections, was constitutionally mandated to complete redistricting in 2011. A similar lawsuit filed in federal court was dismissed Feb. 10. Full story

North Carolina: Mike McIntyre Running for Re-Election After All

(Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), who had flirted with a gubernatorial run earlier this year and who was drawn into Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell’s district by the GOP-controlled Legislature, filed to run in the 7th district Monday. Full story

Pennsylvania: Jason Altmire Fires Back at Mark Critz Over Petition Charges

Rep. Jason Altmire is facing a Member-vs.-Member race against fellow Democrat Rep. Mark Critz. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Rep. Jason Altmire is punching back at fellow Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. Mark Critz after Critz tried to get Altmire off the ballot earlier this week.

The Critz campaign charged the Altmire campaign with submitting a nominating petition with ineligible voter signatures.

“After reviewing the baseless challenge to my campaign’s nominating petitions, the facts are as clear today as they were when the petitions were filed — we have met the required threshold of 1,000 valid signatures to appear on the primary ballot,” Altmire said in a statement.

Full story

Michele Bachmann Leaves No Doubt About Re-Election

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Let there be no doubt, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) staked her claim today on the newly drawn 6th district of Minnesota.

A special court panel drew the Congresswoman’s home into Rep. Betty McCollum’s (D) 4th district, but she forcefully told Roll Call that the 6th district was where she planned to continue her legislative career.

“I wanted to be very clear, unmistakable, unequivocal today out of the gate, I will be running in the 6th district,” she said. “So there was no question so people would be able to make their decisions accordingly as well.”

Full story

Boxer Ends Neutral Stance, Backs Berman Over Sherman

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Rep. Howard Berman has already won more than two-thirds of the California Congressional delegation’s endorsements and picked up another big one today: Sen. Barbara Boxer.

In a letter to Berman today, the California Democrat said she could no longer stay out of Berman’s high-profile race with fellow Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman for the redrawn 30th district in the San Fernando Valley. Her decision to finally enter the fray came in reaction to a recent Sherman direct-mail piece that attempted to use a contribution from the PG&E utility company to a Berman-supporting super PAC as a way to tie Berman to the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion. Full story

Minnesota: Lines Set, Michele Bachmann Will Run in 6th District

Although the newly released Minnesota Congressional reapportionment map has drawn Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) into Rep. Betty McCollum’s (D) 4th district, a Twin Cities Member-vs.-Member race is not in the cards.

Bachmann will continue to run in the 6th district, even though her residence does not fall within the new lines, according to a source in her camp. At first glance, Minnesota Republicans say, the new 6th district actually improves a Republican’s chances of winning.

Full story

Massachusetts: Keating Dodges Serious Three-Way Primary in New District

Freshman Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.) is a political survivor.

He squeaked out a victory in the 2010 primary for his seat, winning against ex-state Sen. Robert O’Leary by only 1,297 votes. And he won his seat in Congress with 47 percent of the vote after a brutal battle with a Republican and a few independent candidates. In redistricting, his 10th district was eliminated and replaced with a new 9th district that didn’t include his home in Quincy.

But Keating managed to land on his feet, changing his primary residence to a summer house on Cape Cod and entering the race with all the benefits of incumbency.

On Wednesday, Keating caught a break. O’Leary won’t run against him in the primary, giving Keating a clearer shot to another term. There are no serious GOP contenders for the district currently in the race, which Roll Call rates as Safe Democratic. Full story