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October 9, 2009, 12:01 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

Want to run for president? Write a book.

That has increasingly become the mantra for presidential hopefuls in recent presidential cycles and 2012 is shaping up to be no different. Of the potential Republican contenders for 2012, two have books set to be released soon and another has written more than a dozen.

October 8, 2009, 11:12 AM | Jeremy Jacobs

TiVo, the original digital video recording system, has changed the way we watch television. Only a decade into the DVR-era, we are all familiar with the "ba-bloop" sound TiVo makes and watching primetime in the morning. Now it appears TiVo may change the way campaigns advertise on TV as well.

TiVo announced this week that it has come up with a way to break down the viewership of a particular show by the viewer’s party affiliation as well as by other demographics. TiVo believes the service, called "True Targets," is a revolution in reaching specific voters via television.

October 7, 2009, 4:33 PM | James Klatell

This morning Politics magazine hosted a healthcare roundtable featuring elected officials, representatives from the medical professions and advocates from all side of the debate.

Click through to see some photos from the event.

October 7, 2009, 3:25 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

For all of the hand wringing currently going on in Washington over the future of healthcare reform, a panel of members of Congress—current and former, Republican and Democrat—said Tuesday that some version of a healthcare bill would pass this year.

At a healthcare forum hosted by Politics magazine, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) and former Rep. Martin Frost (D-Texas) all said they believed President Obama would sign some sort of a healthcare reform package. Another former member, Connecticut Republican Nancy Johnson (R-Conn.), was less optimistic, but put the odds at 50-50.

October 7, 2009, 1:39 PM | Shane D'Aprile

Amidst increasing criticism from members of Congress that the White House hasn’t won enough concessions from the pharmaceutical industry on healthcare reform, PhRMA’s Christopher Badgley fired back Wednesday at a healthcare forum hosted by Politics magazine. Badgley, the vice president of state government affairs at PhRMA, says his industry has brought more to the table than it ever wanted to, anchored by the industry’s promise to find $80 billion in savings on prescription drugs over the next decade.

“Our agreement is a good contribution from the industry,” Badgley told Politics. “$80 billion over ten years is the agreement the White House dragged us to. We didn’t go in and say, ‘Oh, by the way, we want to be regulated more and we want to give you $80 billion.’ We certainly didn’t want to go that high.”

October 7, 2009, 1:15 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

If Democrats want to hold on to their majorities in Congress, they have to pass healthcare reform legislation that would take effect and insure Americans by July 1 of 2010, former Vermont governor and Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said Wednesday.

Dean, a medical doctor and healthcare reform activist, said that if healthcare legislation is passed but isn’t implemented until after the election, Republicans would be able to capitalize.

October 6, 2009, 2:43 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

Two of the latest healthcare ads—one from the conservative Americans for Prosperity and one from the president's political arm, Organizing for America—are so remarkably similar that one has to wonder if both teams are using the same playbook. While reaching different conclusions, both spots are centered on testimonials from healthcare professionals on the merits of the Democrats' healthcare reform proposals.
 



The ads suggest that both sides agree on what makes an effective issue ad, or at least an ad that intended to cut through the recent clutter: Testimonials from real people.

October 5, 2009, 5:35 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

For years, celebrities have been attracted to the halls of Congress and governors' mansions. Bill Bradley used the stardom he gained as an NBA player to run for the Senate. Jack Kemp went from a pro football All Star to Congress and then to a vice presidential nomination. Former pro wrestler Jesse Ventura captured the Minnesota governorship.

With the ubiquity of pols on television and the entertainment qualities of cable news, the line between celebrity and politician is becoming less distinct. From Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.), to Hall of Fame pitcher-turned-Senator Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), to former NBA star and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson (D), to comedian Al Franken (D-Minn.), there are more than a few celebrities who have made the jump into politics recently.

October 30, 2009, 1:05 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

Love him or hate him, Rep. Alan Grayson has moxie. How many first term congressmen do you know, after all, who have graced the stage of "Real Time with Bill Maher' and held his own?

But by opening his mouth has the Florida Democrat bitten off more than he can chew?
 
Grayson, who represents central Florida, has become something of a cause celebre due to his controversial remarks on the healthcare debate. Now it looks like his critics are trying to band together against him with the launch of MyCongressmanIsNuts.com.

October 28, 2009, 4:06 PM | Jordan Lieberman

I am pleased to announce the judges for the 2010 Reed Awards, which honor excellence in political consulting and campaign management.

October 28, 2009, 10:40 AM | Allen Raymond

For the Republican Party to become significantly relevant in Washington, D.C. its candidates have to win. This means that any viable candidate should be supported, less those with extremist views that are aberrant.

In New Jersey and Virginia many moderate Republicans are supporting GOP gubernatorial candidates Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell with campaign contributions. While on many social issues these Republicans may not be in agreement with the candidate, they likely understand that winning a statewide election in the mid-year cycle is important for building momentum going into the mid-term elections in 2010.

October 26, 2009, 3:50 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

It looks like a contender in the Atlanta mayor's race is turning to Ludacris for some southern hospitality in hopes of turning his campaign around.

In another example of celebrities lending their star power to pols, the popular rapper/actor and his manager, Chaka Zulu, hosted a fundraiser over the weekend for State Sen. Kasim Reed, a candidate in the mayoral contest. According to Hip Hop Wired, NBA star Shaquille O'Neal also headlined the event.

October 26, 2009, 2:53 PM | Jonathan Scott

While many of us were taking the Summer off, myself included, and the GOP's beltway consultants were busy conducting straw polls about the 2012 elections, a couple of guys in Virginia have been pounding the pavement, the blogs, Twitter and anything else they can get their hands on this year to give Republican candidates a jump start into the world of social media.

Surveying the smoking aftermath of the 2008 elections, Ford O'Connell and Steve Pearson of ProjectVirginia realized that the 2009 Virginia elections would be an opportunity for Republicans to move beyond just playing catch-up with the Democrats online.

October 22, 2009, 11:16 AM | James Klatell

The sweet, sweet sounds you heard on H Street last night were coming from the inaugural Karaoke in the Capital. Throngs of Washington media and political types packed the Rock and Roll Hotel for the American Association of Political Consultants Mid-Atlantic Chapter’s event.

Click through to see photos of the action.

October 21, 2009, 3:44 PM | Shane D'Aprile

President Barack Obama is Creigh Deeds’ best chance in the race for Virginia governor—and it appears to be an increasingly slim one at that. The Democrat’s latest TV ad, which debuted Wednesday, puts the president front and center in an attempt to mobilize the base and bolster Democratic turnout...

October 21, 2009, 1:25 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

If this were Hollywood, the title would be: Schmidt v. Plouffe II: This Time It's About the Kids.

But, in this case, politics isn't quite that dramatic. Barack Obama’s and John McCain’s 2008 campaign managers, once bitter rivals, are teaming up.
 
Steve Schmidt and David Plouffe are developing a political communications center at the University of Delaware. The two veteran campaign hands both attended the school, but neither graduated.

October 20, 2009, 4:03 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

Sex and politics have always been—to put it gently—intertwined. Those notable in their political lives sometimes get caught up in sex stories. But occasionally, those known for their sex lives become the heart of political stories. November's odd-year elections are no different.

In New Jersey, Stepfanie Velez-Gentry is running in a down ballot General Assembly race that typically receives little or no media attention. That was the case until last week, when PolitickerNJ.com revealed that her small business background was hosting "Nookie Parties" where she sells sex toys to women and couples.

October 20, 2009, 1:47 PM | Shane D'Aprile

Independent candidate Chris Daggett is polling at 14 percent in the race for New Jersey governor. That’s according to Tuesday’s numbers from the Monmouth University/Gannett poll. It has the race in a dead heat, with incumbent Jon Corzine and Republican challenger Chris Christie both pulling 39 percent among likely voters.

Most think that Daggett is over-performing in those polls, but just how much lower his actual vote share will be on Election Day depends on who you ask. Realistically, Daggett’s “hard support” is closer to 7 percent, says Patrick Murray who heads the Monmouth/Gannett poll—those are the voters most committed to the independent candidate.

October 19, 2009, 1:20 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

You have got to watch the latest web ad out of the governor's race the Georgia. It features an ox, a rat, Barack Obama and the Eiffel Tower. Seriously.

Produced by state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine's (R) campaign in house, the animated video, which is entertaining at best and slightly disturbing at worst, portrays Oxendine’s likely Democratic opponent, former Gov. Roy Barnes as a power hungry rat. The theme hearkens back to a controversial - and effective - ad that Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) ran in 2002 against Barnes.

October 15, 2009, 4:48 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's latest online ad for his gubernatorial campaign sure does pull on the proverbial heartstrings ... or at least it tries to.

The one-minute long ad seeks to frame the Democratic primary between Newsom and former Gov. Jerry Brown as a contest between the candidate of the future and the candidate of the past. "Will we nominate a candidate who knows Sacramento?" an adamant Newsom says in the ad, "Or leaders who know how to change it?"

Set to inspirational music, the ad the lists a long series of "This is the race" lines that signify the importance of next year's gubernatorial contest and also underscore Californian's increasingly sour view of their state government.

October 15, 2009, 4:17 PM | Matt Lim

With all the national implications of the Virginia gubernatorial race, money is being pumped into both campaigns from both the Republican and Democratic national committees. The RNC has donated $8 million to Republican nominee Bob McDonnell. The DNC has given $5 million to Creigh Deeds as of a week ago and plans to throw in another $1 million soon. It appears that the DNC is trying to match the opposition.

National parties play a part in most elections, but the size of the donations to Virginia’s candidates proves the commonwealth’s ballooning importance as a swing state. “This is nothing new, but it is to Virginia,” says Jennifer Thompson, of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs for Virginia Commonwealth University. “Because of Obama’s win Virginia is now competitive.”

October 15, 2009, 3:11 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

October 14, 2009, 11:40 AM | Jeremy Jacobs

If there was any question that the GOP is worried that independent Christopher Daggett could be a spoiler in Republican Chris Christie's bid to unseat New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D), the Republican Governors Association confirmed it by running a radio ad targeting Daggett in New Jersey on Wednesday.

The ad seeks to sully Daggett by tying him to Corzine on taxes. "So what about Chris Daggett?" the narrator says. "The Daggett plan sounds like the Corzine plan, but worse. Toll increases, massive sales tax increases. Independent sources confirm, Daggett actually wants to tax you for getting your hair cut, your dry cleaning, you name it."

October 13, 2009, 9:50 AM | Allen Raymond

For Republican Chris Christie to defeat Democratic Governor Jon Corzine this November he must keep Corzine under 45 percent of the vote. Ordinarily this would signal a landslide, but the independent candidacy of Chris Daggett is the factor that makes plurality the goal line.

Surveys by Rasmussen and Fairleigh Dickinson University have Daggett performing at six percent or less. Quinnipiac has had Daggett trending at nine percent and up to 12 percent since August. Other less established surveys have shown Daggett at as much as 14 percent, but historically this seems unlikely and too high. The general assumption is that Daggett takes votes from Corzine because those looking for an alternative would normally vote for the incumbent but are dissatisfied with the performance yet unready to cast a ballot for the opposition party.

October 12, 2009, 5:27 PM | Jeremy Jacobs

When the New Jersey Star-Ledger endorsed independent Christopher Daggett for governor on Sunday, I think I heard the cheers from Democratic Gov. John Corzine's campaign headquarters all the way down here in D.C.

That's because Daggett, who is commanding a significant 10 to 15 percent in most polls, appears to be having an effect on how the New Jersey governor's race is shaping up and, most importantly, he appears to be taking votes away from Republican challenger Chris Christie. Christie and Corzine now appear to within the margin of error in most polls.