TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE.

VIRGINIA GOP ALREADY HAS '09 GOV NOMINEE; UPDATES ON CA-4 AND OH-15 RACES.

VIRGINIA. Attorney General Bob McDonnell became the 2009 GOP nominee for Governor on Friday. That was the state party's deadline to file paperwork to seek the nomination at next year's convention. Nobody filed to oppose McDonnell. Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling (R) is unopposed for renomination. Three Republicans filed for McDonnell's open AG spot. The Dem deadline to run is not until next year. Incumbent Governor Tim Kaine (D) is term-limited. Former Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe, State Senator Creigh Deeds and State House Democratic Caucus Chair Brian Moran are all actively seeking the Dem gubernatorial nomination.

CALIFORNIA - CD-4. State Senator Tom McClintock (R) saw his lead grow to 622 votes on Monday. With the race still undecided and thousands of ballots yet to be counted, both McClintock and retired USAF veteran Charlie Brown (D) are both attending the new member congressional orientation in DC this week.

OHIO - CD-15. The federal judge will rule by Thursday on whether to count over roughly 1,600 questionable absentee ballots. The judge said on Monday he needs more time to consider and research the issues before making a ruling.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.18.08 | Permalink |

MONDAY NEWS UPDATE.

LUNGREN CHALLENGES BOEHNER; SENATE DEMS TO CAST SECRET BALLOTS ON LIEBERMAN; SENATE GOP CAUCUS LIKELY TO DEFER ACTION ON STEVENS.

US HOUSE. In an unexpected move, Congressman Dan Lungren (R-CA) announced Friday he will run against House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) in this week's House Republican Caucus meeting. Some conservatives are upset that the party lost a significant number of House seats since Boehner assumed the leadership in 2006. Lungren said he is afraid the GOP will become a permanent minority party in the House under they can "rediscover conservative principles." He also explained that "we must not revert to business-as-usual in the selection of our House Republican leadership. The selection of our leadership will reflect the initial reaction of House Republicans to the recent verdict of the American people." Congressman Jeff Flake (R-AZ) said he supports ousting Boehner, but told the Los Angeles Times that Lungren's candidacy is "a longshot." Responded Boehner: "I'm equally committed to building a lasting majority on the reform principles that define us and inspire our citizens."

US SENATE: Senate Democrats will decide the fate of US Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) on a secret ballot vote behind closed doors. The Dem Senators will be asked to vote on whether to strip Lieberman of his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. Party members want to punish Lieberman for his aggressive support on the Presidential campaign trail for GOP nominee John McCain. Lieberman has asked to speak to the Dem Caucus before the vote. Senators will write their verdicts on slips, and then Lieberman will be told the outcome of the vote. Another option may be to strip Lieberman of his two subcommittee chairmanships. However, US Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) made clear on Fox News Sunday that there will be no move to expel Lieberman from the Democratic Caucus. In the Senate Republican Caucus meeting --- also behind closed doors -- Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) will press forward with his motion to expel Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) from the caucus. The move appears likely to fail, as several GOP Senators said don't want to expel him until they know the outcome of his re-election race. Right now, it appears Stevens will lose his bid for another term. If that outcome holds, a majority of the GOP Caucus appears likely to simply let Stevens' term run out in January without taking action to expel him.

OHIO - CD-15. The federal judge on the case will hear additional arguments and issue a ruling on Monday as to whether he will keep the case or send it back to state court. See Saturday's update for more details.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.17.08 | Permalink |

WEEKEND NEWS UPDATE.

BEGICH WIDENS LEAD TO 1,022; OHIO CD-15 RACE HEADS TO COURT; CALIFORNIA CD-4 MARGIN NARROWS.

ALASKA. The vote counting continues to widen Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich's (D) lead over incumbent US Senator Ted Stevens (R). With 90% of the vote tallied, Begich widened his lead to 1,022 votes on Friday. There are about 24,000 ballots left to be counted, with the bulk of them from Begich's base in the Anchorage area. State officials plan to complete the counting on Tuesday. Stevens was convicted last month in federal court on felony political corruption charges. Stevens and his allies are working the phones to ensure he survives Senator Jim DeMint's (R-SC) motion next week to expel Stevens from the Senate Republican Caucus. Some Senators plan to oppose the expulsion if Stevens is defeated, allowing him to finish his current term on January 4 -- but they say they would vote to expel him from office if he is re-election. "First of all, I hope Senator Stevens is successful in being re-elected. And assuming that he is, I intend to support any motion to remove him," said US Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) to Roll Call.

OHIO - CD-15: The close race State Senator Steve Stivers (R) and Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D) is now in the hands of federal court judge and Secretary of State Jennifer Bruner (D). Stivers leads Kilroy by only 149 votes -- but 1,667 Franklin County voters still have an opportunity to have their uncounted ballots become valid. According to the Columbus Dispatch, the fight is whether 1,667 voters submitted timely absentee ballots but forgot to either sign their ballot envelopes or supply a driver's license or Social Security number are allowed to cure the defect. These same issues also apparently apply to 27,000 provisional ballots from Franklin County that have yet to be tallied. The lawsuit -- brought on behalf of Stivers' campaign -- argues that the defect is fatal and incurable, and thus all 1,667 ballots at issue should be invalidated. The Franklin County Board of Elections split 2-2 down party lines on the issue. An emergency hearing in federal court is set for Saturday morning. Bruner removed the action from state court to federal court on Friday, and Stivers' campaign is trying to convince the federal judge to send it back to state court. If the courts -- federal or state -- ultimately decline to decide the issue by deferring to state election officials, then Bruner will get to cast the tie-breaking vote on Tuesday. Bruner has already stated she believes the ballot defects may be cured by the individual voters.

CALIFORNIA - CD-4. According to the Sacramento Bee, State Senator Tom McClintock (R) saw his margin drop by a third on Friday. He now leads retired USAF veteran Charlie Brown (D) by just 569 votes. Thousands of ballots still remain to be counted.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.15.08 | Permalink |

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE.

OBAMA RESIGNS SENATE SEAT; HILLARY ON SEC OF STATE SHORT-LIST; MN RECOUNT BOARD NAMED.

OBAMA TRANSITION. Barack Obama announced Thursday he will resign his Senate seat effective Sunday. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) is in no rush to fill the vacancy. The New York Times reported Blagojevich plans to name a new Senator "around Christmas." The move means Obama will not return to the Senate for next week's lame duck session. It also means Obama will not play an official role in the Democratic Caucus' decision on how to punish Joe Lieberman for his prominent role in the McCain campaign and at last summer's Republican National Convention. News reports indicate Obama's surrogates are trying to forge a deal that would preserve Lieberman's committee chairmanship and keep him aligned with the Senate Dems. They believe they can work with Lieberman, who agrees with Obama on most issues -- excluding the Iraq War. The Caucus may symbolically punish Lieberman by stripping him of one of his subcommittee chairmanships. In other news, NBC said Hillary Clinton is being seriously considered for Secretary of State in the Obama Cabinet. NBC reported Clinton quietly traveled to Chicago on Thursday for what she claimed was "personal business." Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack (D) is believed to be the strong frontrunner for Agriculture Secretary.

MINNESOTA. County election officials have secured all ballots and voting machines under lock and key until the start next Wednesday of the statewide hand recount of ballots. Secretary of State Mark Ritchie (D) on Thursday named the four others who will serve with him on the state canvas board. He selected two Minnesota Supreme Court Justices appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty (R), a county court judge who was elected as a non-partisan candidate, and a county court judge appointed by former Governor Jesse Ventura (Independence). Ritche said the composition of the five person board will ensure the recount is "extraordinarily nonpartisan." A spokesman for US Senator Norm Coleman (R) praised the board: "The people of this state should feel good about who's on the panel." Challenger Al Franken's (D) campaign also praised the choices, saying it proved the recount process was going to be fair. Ritchie set December 5 as the target date for counties to complete the recount.

CALIFORNIA - CD-4. Roughly 36,000 ballots remain to be counted -- and State Senator Tom McClintock (R) saw his margin drop yet again. He now leads retired USAF veteran Charlie Brown (D) by 815 votes as of the end of counting on Thursday.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.14.08 | Permalink |

THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE.

ABSENTEES GIVE BEGICH 814 VOTE LEAD; MN & CA RACES ALSO NARROW; HARDBALL SENATE RACE PREVIEW; ... AND SOME GOOD NEWS FOR POLITICS1 FANS.

ALASKA. The Wednesday counting of absentee, provisional and military ballots entirely wiped out US Senator Ted Steven's (R) Election Day lead of 3,257 votes. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) now leads Stevens by 814 votes -- out of a total of roughly 265,000 votes counted. Neither man was willing to yet make any statement claiming victory. The state still needs to count at least 15,000 questioned ballots and an estimated 25,000 absentees, according to the Anchorage Daily News. GOP pollster David Dittman -- who polled for Stevens' campaign -- told the newspaper he expected "Begich's lead would widen, but not drastically, as the remaining votes are counted." Absentee ballots mailed from within the US and postmarked by election day will count if the state receives them by this Friday. Ballots timely postmarked and mailed from overseas and military bases must be received by November 19 to be counted. (FYI: No change in the re-election results for Congressman Don Young (R), who scored a 50% to 44% victory.)
MINNESOTA. US Senator Norm Coleman's (R) lead dwindled further. He now leads humorist Al Franken (D) by 205 votes. The statewide hand recount will take a 2-3 weeks to complete.
OHIO - CD-15. Nothing new today on this undecided race.
CALIFORNIA - CD-4. As officials tabulate the remaining 40,000 ballots, this race is also slightly narrowing. State Senator Tom McClintock (R) held a 928 vote advantage over retired USAF veteran Charlie Brown (D) as of the end of counting on Wednesday.

PENNSYLVANIA - 2010. Lots of undecideds to fight over if the new PPP-D poll is any indication. US Senator Arlen Specter (R) leads TV talk show host Chris Matthews (D) by a vote of 40% to 27%. Keystone State political insiders tell Politics1 that they now believe Matthews is likely to run.

A MESSAGE FROM RON. I listened to your emails and comments about my upcoming hiatus from writing these daily news updates. Several of you asked if it would be possible to have someone else post the daily news updates during my break ... and I think I found someone. At least, I'm willing to give it a try (which is pretty amazing, considering what a control freak I've been about many aspects of this site). When I take my break, Vin Gopal will take a shot at writing the daily updates. Vin is a former press aide to Senator Ted Kennedy, and was also the national campaign manager for Dennis Kucinich's 2008 Presidential campaign. So yes, Vin is another political leftist like me. But he thinks he can keep to the same (generally) neutral tone in reporting news while segregating his opinion into items labeled as editorials. Once these final '08 congressional races are resolved, I'll hand the front page helm over to Vin for a while. So, does that work for you?
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.13.08 | Permalink |

WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE.

UPDATES ON THE STILL-UNDECIDED ALASKA, CALIFORNIA, MINNESOTA AND OHIO RACES.

MINNESOTA: A pre-recount "audit" in Ramsey County conducted this week -- which was merely a random review of 7,700 ballots -- reduced US Senator Norm Coleman's (R) lead over humorist Al Franken (D) by 2 votes, dropping the difference to just 219 votes. This statewide recount will take a few weeks to complete.
ALASKA: State officials plan to count most of the roughly 90,000 absentee, provisional and military ballots today in the unresolved US Senate between convicted felon/incumbent Ted Stevens (R) and Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D). Stevens led by 3,257 votes in Election Day votes, but there has not yet been any count of these 90,000 other ballots. Absentee ballots mailed from within the US and postmarked by election day will count if the state receives them by November 14. Ballots timely postmarked and mailed from overseas and military bases must be received by November 19.
OHIO - CD-15: State Senator Steve Stivers (R) leads Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D) by only 149 votes -- but 1,667 Franklin County voters still have an opportunity to have their uncounted ballots become valid. According to the Columbus Dispatch, the 1,667 voters submitted timely absentee ballots but forgot to either sign their ballot envelopes or supply a driver's license or Social Security number. These voters have until Friday to appear at the county election office and sign their ballots or provide the missing ID number to have their absentee envelopes opened and counted. Election officials will also start counting the 27,306 provisional votes on Saturday but won't release the final results until it certifies the election sometime around Thanksgiving.
CALIFORNIA - CD-4: With more than 40,000 ballots still to be counted in the district's largest three counties, State Senator Tom McClintock (R) has an 1,092 vote lead over retired USAF veteran Charlie Brown (D). El Dorado, Nevada and Placer counties had the bulk of the uncounted ballots, but there were also additional uncounted ballots from the portions of the district in Butte and Sacramento counties.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.12.08 | Permalink |

TUESDAY OPEN THREAD.

VETERANS DAY OPEN THREAD: Nothing new on "the undecided races" front ... As expected, Howard Dean announces he will not seek a second term in January as DNC Chair ... and Clintonista former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe filed a campaign committee to run for Virginia Governor next year ... and, to editorialize (actually, to repeat a message I've written here lots of times), on this Veterans Day, it's time to support our troops by bringing them home from Iraq. Now.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.11.08 | Permalink |

MONDAY NEWS UPDATE.

REICHERT WINS; ALASKA, MINNESOTA & GEORGIA US SENATE RACES, CALIFORNIA CD-4 & OHIO CD-15 STILL UNDECIDED.

WASHINGTON - CD-8: Congressman Dave Reichert (R) was declared the winner in this race on Saturday. With roughly 80% of the vote now counted, his 8,000 vote lead is seen as insurmountable.
MINNESOTA: US Senator Norm Coleman's (R) lead over humorist Al Franken (D) dropped to just 221 votes on Sunday. A hand recount will begin on Monday, and may run to near the end of the month.
GEORGIA: It is now confirmed that US Senator Saxby Chambliss (R) will face former State Representative Jim Martin (D) in a December 2 run-off. Chambliss is favored in the two-man rematch. The question now is whether President-elect Obama will stake his popularity on the contest by campaigning for Martin.
ALASKA: US Senate race still unresolved. Initial count is continuing. US Senator Ted Stevens (R) leads by 3,257 votes after the last of the election day ballots were counted -- but state election officials reported that as of Friday they had received 81,224 uncounted absentee ballots. Absentee ballots mailed from within the US and postmarked by election day will count if the state receives them by November 14. Ballots timely postmarked and mailed from overseas and military bases must be received by November 19.
OHIO - CD-15: State Senator Steve Stivers (R) saw his lead dwindle further. Stivers now leads Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D) by only 146 votes. Vote counting continues.
CALIFORNIA - CD-4: State Senator Tom McClintock (D) has an 889 vote lead over retired USAF veteran Charlie Brown (D). Both campaigns have "lawyered up" for the mandatory recount under state law. However, McClintock has a margin which appears likely to survive the recount -- barring unexpected surprises.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.10.08 | Permalink |

WEEKEND UPDATE.

CHANGE IS COMING TO POLITICS1.

MINNESOTA: US Senator Norm Coleman's (R) lead over humorist Al Franken (D) dropped to just 238 votes on Friday. A hand recount is expected to take 2-3 weeks.
MARYLAND - CD-1: The AP declared Queen Anne County District Attorney Frank Kratovil (D) to winner of this open seat race on Fruday. He leads State Senator Andy Harris (R) by over 2,000 votes. Less than 4,300 provisional ballots remain to be counted, which is why the AP said it was mathematically impossible based upon the voting trend for Harris to catch Kratovil. Another Dem pickup.
OHIO - CD-15: State Senator Steve Stivers (R) now leads Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D) by 390 votes. Vote counting continues.
WASHINGTON - CD-8: Congressman Dave Reichert (R) is seeing his advantage grow. Reichert now leads businesswoman Darcy Burner (D) by 6,400 votes. Thousands of votes remain uncounted.

POLITICS1: What’s next for Politics1.com? To editorialize for a moment, I feel better about where our nation is now heading politically. Perhaps this incoming administration and Congress is not as progressive as I’d prefer -- despite the campaign rhetoric, they’re centrists in my book -- but they’re still a major improvement. I’m very disappointed in the setbacks this year for gay civil rights/equality -- but we can still have our marriages and civil unions recognized in New England (and likely soon in New York). So, what about Politics1? Hmmm ... It’s time for a change. After 11 years of daily publishing news and site updates, I am soon going to take an extended break from the daily news writing. I need it, as I feel drained. I’ll wait until after we have winners from the still undecided US Senate and House races -- but then I’m going to take a vacation from the writing.
THE GOOD NEWS! I will keep regularly updating the site’s internal state pages with potential and announced candidates for the 2009 gubernatorial races and the 2010 federal elections -- but maybe only post those updates once every week or two.
THE UNKNOWN: How long will my extended break last? Likely answer: at least several months.
IMPORTANT: My primary email inbox for publisher@politics1.com gets so clogged with hundreds of junk emails daily that it takes too long to go through most of them. If you want to reach me, please "friend me" on Facebook and you'll see the new email address I'm using to avoid the spam clutter.
I’ve enjoyed the last 11 years. My fun avocation has become a second full-time job. That’s why it is time to kick back, swim, skate, ski, spend more time with friends and family, read, travel, drink, relax ... and enjoy my free time. I know I’ll be back. I just don’t know when -- but I’ll use my official Politics1 Facebook group to let you know when I’m going to start up the daily postings again. Be sure to join the group and you'll be the first to know when I'm ready to start up again.
A FINAL QUESTION: Is your preference for me to simply post a new open thread over few days or so (with no news postings) ... or have me work a partnering deal with a site like PoliticalWire, CQ, etc., to carry their political news automated on the homepage during my break? Let me know your thoughts.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.08.08 | Permalink |

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE.

MERKLEY DEFEATS SMITH; CHAMBLISS-MARTIN HEADS TO DECEMBER RUN-OFF; DON YOUNG RE-ELECTED; BLUNT QUITS AS HOUSE GOP WHIP.

US SENATE:
OREGON: State House Speaker Jeff Merkley (D) moved ahead of US Senator Gordon Smith (R) as more votes were counted -- enough so that AP and Oregon media declared Merkley the winner. So, that's Senate pickup #6 for the Democrats.
GEORGIA: It now appears that US Senator Saxby Chambliss (R) placed first in the race but failed to win a majority of the vote on Tuesday. He will face former State Representative Jim Martin (D) in a December run-off.
ALASKA: Still unresolved, with convicted felon US Senator Ted Stevens (R) leading by around 3,000 votes -- but as many as 50,000 absentee votes remain to be counted. GOP fissures are becoming public in the Senate Republican Caucus about the future of Stevens, presuming he is reelected. While Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) previously said there was "zero chance" Stevens wouldn’t be expelled from the Senate if he didn’t resign, McConnell now indicates he is willing to wait until Stevens exhausts his appeals. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) demanded Thursday that the Senate GOP Caucus expel Stevens from the Senate during this month's lame duck session. Expulsion from the Senate requires a two-thirds majority vote (67 votes) to pass. If McConnell doesn’t seek Stevens’ expulsion during the November special session, The Politico reported that DeMint will introduce a motion to expel in January. DeMint is apparently seeking to test McConnell's leadership and help improve the GOP brand name by showing a zero tolerance policy for corruption.
MINNESOTA: Race still unresolved. Incumbent Norm Coleman (R) leads by around 600 votes. The hand recount will start next week and will not likely be completed for at least another two weeks.

US HOUSE:
ALASKA: Yeah, there are tens of thousands of absentee and provisions ballots to count ... but Congressman Don Young (R) holds a wide enough lead that we're ready to declare him the winner over former State House Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz (D). The current count: Young - 51%, Berkowitz - 44%.
MARYLAND - CD-1: Queen Anne County District Attorney Frank Kratovil (D) apparently defeated State Senator Andy Harris (R) by 915 votes, but this race is heading to a recount.
CALIFORNIA - CD-4: State Senator Tom McClintock (D) seems to have defeated retired USAF veteran Charlie Brown (D) by 709 votes with all precincts counted. Thousands of provisional and absentee ballots remain to be counted.
VIRGINIA - CD-5: International non-profit group founder Tom Perriello (D) jumped to an 600 vote advantage over Congressman Virgil Goode (R) with nearly all votes counted. No word yet as to whether Goode will seek a recount. Perriello has not yet declared victory, saying he will wait until an initial winner is certified.
OHIO - CD-15: State Senator Steve Stivers (R) now leads Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D) by 390 votes. More absentee and provisional ballots must be counted before we have a winner.
WASHINGTON - CD-8: Congressman Dave Reichert (R) now leads by 1,900 votes, but only 60% of the votes are counted. Thousands of absentee ballots -- from both D and R areas -- remain to be counted. We won't know a winner here for at least a week.

CONGRESS. House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) announced Thursday he will not seek re-election to the post for the coming Congress. "Ten years of asking people to do things they don't want to do is a long time," explained Blunt. His departure clears the way for Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) to move to Whip -- likely unopposed. The move also likely heads off Cantor's looming challenge to House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) for the top job.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.07.08 | Permalink |

THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE.

ALASKA, OREGON, GEORGIA & MINNESOTA SENATE RACES STILL TOO CLOSE TO CALL, RECOUNTS LIKELY; FIVE HOUSE RACES UNDECIDED; CONGRESSMAN EMANUEL TO BE OBAMA WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF.

ELECTION 2008 (CONTINUED):
US SENATE - Four US Senate races remain unresolved as of Wednesday evening. In Alaska, convicted felon US Senator Ted Stevens (R) was leading Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) by roughly 3,300 votes -- with 99.3% of precincts counted, plus thousands of absentee ballots also remain uncounted. In Georgia, it was still unclear if US Senator Saxby Chambliss (R) would win outright with a majority of the vote or be forced into a December run-off against former State Representative Jim Martin (D). With 99% of the votes counted, Chambliss was falling slightly short with 49.8% versus 46.8% for Martin. In Oregon, US Senator Gordon Smith (R) was leading State House Speaker Jeff Merkley (D) by around 8,000 votes with 98% counted -- but the outstanding votes largely come from two heavily Democratic counties: Multnomah and Lane. The Portland Oregonian reported that Merkley is "expected" to win once everything is counted based upon the voting history of those two counties. In Minnesota, US Senator Norm Coleman (R) finished less than 500 votes ahead of liberal humorist Al Franken (D) with all of the nearly 3 million votes counted. The TV networks and AP have declined to declare Coleman the winner, although Coleman has twice declared himself the winner. Coleman's margin, however, was reduced several times on Wednesday as counties re-checked their mathematical calculations. The race is heading to an automatic recount, although Coleman unsuccessfully called on Franken to decline a recount. Under Minnesota law, county election auditors and their counterparts from larger cities will now go over each ballot to determine the voter's intent. Observers from all sides will be watching to recount to ensure fairness.
US HOUSE - In MD-1, Queen Anne County District Attorney Frank Kratovil (D) is leading State Senator Andy Harris (R) by 915 votes with nearly all votes counted. While Kratovil has not yet been declared the winner for this solidly GOP seat, the math seems to ensure a Dem pickup here once the recount is finalized. In AK-1, Congressman Don Young (R) appears to have won re-election with 99% of the vote counted -- despite being the target of a federal corruption probe. Governor Sarah Palin's role as VP nominee appears to have pumped-up GOP numbers in the state for incumbents Young and Stevens. Democrat Ethan Berkowitz appeared unlikely to call for a recount. In CA-4, State Senator Tom McClintock (D) led retired USAF veteran Charlie Brown (D) by 451 votes with all votes counted, but the race now heads to a recount. In VA-5, international non-profit group founder Tom Perriello (D) led Congressman Virgil Goode (R) by just 31 votes out of more than 310,000 cast with all precincts counted. However, provisional and absentee ballots remain uncounted. In OH-15, State Senator Steve Stivers (R) leads Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D) by 321 votes -- but thousands of absentee ballots from Kilroy's home county remain to be counted. In WA-8, Congressman Dave Reichert (R) led by under 1,200 votes, but less than half of all precincts had reported results by late Wednesday.

PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION. President-elect Barack Obama asked Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) to serve as his White House Chief of Staff. According to NBC News, Emanuel accepted and the news will be formally announced on Thursday. Emanuel previously worked in the White House as a senior advisor to President Clinton. He also served as DCCC Chair, but would be setting aside his ambition to someday be House Speaker by resigning his seat to serve in the Obama Administration. In other news, US Senator Dick Lugar (R) announced he would not accept any Cabinet position in the new administration. Colin Powell, John Kerry and Chuck Hagel all appeared to express some interest in serving in the next Cabinet. Powell is being mentioned as a candidate for Education Secretary. Kerry expressed an interest in serving as Secretary of State. Hagel's name is floating as a candidate for either Defense of VA Secretary.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 11.06.08 | Permalink |

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