EARLIER ON THE FIX Can unions save the white working-class vote for Democrats? The best candidate of 2012 The best of Stephen Colbert on election night and the conventions (video) Florida Rep. Allen West concedes The GOP's growing Libertarian problem WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) won't run for governor in 2013, he said in a Tuesday statement. "I've talked to a lot of Virginians I respect, and I've talked about it with my family," Warner said in a statement. "But when I asked Virginians to hire me as their Senator, I made a promise to come to Washington to try to be a problem solver. I have to admit, it's been tougher than I expected. But I've tried to keep at it." Warner's decision clears the way for former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe to be the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. McAuliffe has already informed supporters of his intention to run. On the GOP side, a competitive race is expected between state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Lt. Gov Bill Bolling. The Republican nominee will be selected at a convention. * Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) isn't denying interest in a potential 2016 presidential campaign. "I want to be part of the national debate," Paul said in an interview. "I'm not going to deny that I'm interested." * In an interview, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (Mich.) didn't do much to bat back speculation that he is under consideration to become the next director of the CIA. Rogers said he would not be able to confirm nor deny any discussions about the process, but added that he has every expectation that he will be the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee in January. * The last yet-to-be-determined House race of 2012 between a Republican and a Democrat will go on a bit longer, following state Sen. David Rouzer's (R) request for a recount in North Carolina's 7th District. Rep. Mike McIntyre (D) defeated Rouzer by 655 votes, according to the state's tally. But the margin is close enough for a candidate to request a recount in the state. * Three organized labor groups launched a new set of ads aimed at pressing members of Congress to freeze middle class tax rates and protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid during the "fiscal cliff" negotiations. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Service Employees International Union, and the National Education Association released TV ads targeting Democratic senators in Colorado, Virginia and Missouri and radio ads targeting members of both parties in Pennsylvania, Alaska and Missouri. WHAT YOU SHOULDN'T MISS * The Obama administration has dispatched Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the Middle East for talks with Arab and Israeli leaders, as Israel continues its military campaign in Gaza. * President Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina said the biggest mistake Mitt Romney's campaign made was running an a that suggested Jeep was moving production to China. "They ended up spending the last 14 days of the election in the Midwest on the defense," he said. Messina also said one of the Obama campaign's best decisions was to hire non-political tech staff. And as to Messina's own future? "I think my future is probably outside the White House," helping advocate for Obama's agenda, he said. * Jeb Bush Jr., the son of former Florida governor Jeb Bush (R), said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) gave "kind of a head-scratching type of answer" to a question about the Earth's age in a recent interview. "Whether the Earth was created in seven days, or seven actual eras, I'm not sure we'll ever be able to answer that. It's one of the great mysteries," Rubio said in the interview. Jeb Bush Jr. reacted by saying, "We've got to be a kind of pro-science and pro-technology party. And I think Marco Rubio is just that." He added: "On the Earth question, I guess I have to read more closely in terms of getting a better understanding, but, yeah, kind of a strange response, I guess." * Some campaign staffers who worked for Connecticut Senate nominee Linda McMahon (R) complained to a local news station about not getting paid, and later said they were given checks that bounced. One staffer who said the campaign was upset that he went to the media said another campaign worker gave him a check "with a condom in it, told me I was screwed." THE FIX MIX Watch out, Messi. With Aaron Blake |
Comments
Post a Comment