The story of Florida gubernatorial hopeful Rick Scott (R) surely is one of the weirder stories in what is already an unusual political year. Scott began his bid for the state’s top office as a political unknown who had run a company, Columbia/HCA, which was accused of defrauding Medicare and settled the case by paying fines and restitution…
The Omaha World Herald has reported that Gov. Dave Heinemann (R) may run unopposed in November following the exit from the race earlier this month of Democrat Mark Lakers. While that would be an interesting development given the rarity of incumbent governors running unopposed, it wouldn’t change Democrats’ chances of winning the office in November. Even with a…
The gubernatorial race in New Jersey has not changed fundamentally recently, no matter what you may read in poorly produced Associated Press stories distributed by the Democratic Governors Association, the Democratic National Committee or Gov. Jon Corzine’s (D) campaign. I’ve become accustomed to crazy rumors and assertions at the end of campaigns, and most of them are baseless.…
The raid last week in New Jersey that resulted in the arrest of 44 people, including a number of officeholders, probably is the straw that breaks Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine’s back in November. When I asked one longtime Democratic insider about the race, it took him all of two words to assess Corzine’s prospects: “It’s over.” Another Garden…
The last time I saw Roy Barnes was the day before Election Day in 2002. The Democrat was hobnobbing with CNN executives, reporters and producers in a hip Atlanta condo. I’m not certain that Barnes, who was then governor of Georgia, knew that he was less than 24 hours from suffering a stunning re-election defeat. I know I…
The Virginia gubernatorial race just got a whole lot tougher for Republican nominee Bob McDonnell. Instead of nominating a liberal from Northern Virginia (former state Del. Brian Moran) or an upstate New Yorker normally identified with the national Democratic Party (Terry McAuliffe), Old Dominion Democrats opted for a rural state Senator, Creigh Deeds, thereby giving the party a…
The May 15, 2009 print edition of the Rothenberg Political Report is on its way to subscribers. The print edition of the Report comes out every two weeks. Subscribers get in-depth analysis of the most competitive races in the country, as well as quarterly House and Senate ratings, and coverage of the gubernatorial races nationwide. To subscribe, simply…
Former Congressman J.C. Watts is getting close to making a decision about whether to enter the Oklahoma Republican gubernatorial race, and usually reliable sources say that he is now much more likely than not to jump into the contest. Watts, who served four terms in the U.S. House before deciding not to seek reelection in 2002, immediately would…
The March 6, 2009 print edition of the Rothenberg Political Report is on its way to subscribers. The print edition of the Report comes out every two weeks. Subscribers get in-depth analysis of the most competitive races in the country, as well as quarterly House and Senate ratings, and coverage of the gubernatorial races nationwide. To subscribe, simply…