State News Shot

FL: AG Candidates Have their Only Debate

Last Updated on Monday, 18 October 2010 01:59 Written by rslcpol Monday, 18 October 2010 01:59

From Bradenton.com:

Republican Pam Bondi and Democrat Dan Gelber clashed on a wide variety of issues Saturday in a spirited debate between the leading candidates for Florida attorney general.

The two lawyers met in a sometimes-tense hourlong debate at the Orlando studios of Central Florida News 13, which co-sponsored the forum with Bay News 9. It is the only TV debate in any of three open state Cabinet races on the Nov. 2 ballot and airs on both outlets Monday at 8 p.m.

As the state’s chief legal officer, the attorney general represents the state in most legal disputes, combats Medicaid fraud and protects consumers from rip-offs.

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SC AG Candidates Agree on Lawsuits but differ on Politics

Last Updated on Monday, 18 October 2010 01:56 Written by rslcpol Monday, 18 October 2010 01:56

From scnow.com:

Compelling the federal government to open a nuclear waste dump in Nevada. Stopping the Obama administration’s health care reform package. Suing North Carolina over the use of a river that has water needed farther south.

When it comes to the candidates hoping to serve as South Carolina’s next attorney general, voters will have a tough time finding glaring differences between the legal objectives and personal biographies of Democrat Matthew Richardson and Republican Alan Wilson.

Both attorneys are 37. Both belong to notable political families. And both say the headline-grabbing lawsuits in which current Attorney General Henry McMaster has involved the state are well reasoned.

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Mood of Florida electorate is Anxious

Last Updated on Monday, 18 October 2010 01:55 Written by rslcpol Monday, 18 October 2010 01:55

From tampabay.com:

Will riled conservatives and depressed Democrats send a message to President Barack Obama and usher in a Republican sweep up and down Florida’s beefy ballot in 2010? Or will the nation’s largest battleground state buck the national trend and rebuke GOP-controlled Tallahassee instead?

Is the tea party movement surging or boiling over?

As early voting gets under way today, these and other probing questions were put to two of Florida’s best political minds: Republican Brett Doster, who led George W. Bush’s successful re-election campaign in Florida in 2004, and Democrat Steve Schale, who was at the helm of Obama’s victory here in 2008.

Doster and Schale are currently facing off in one of five statewide races on the ballot, the contest for attorney general. Doster is advising Republican Pam Bondi, while Schale is the point man for Democrat Dan Gelber.

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CO: Another Endorsement for AG John Suthers

Last Updated on Monday, 18 October 2010 01:44 Written by rslcpol Monday, 18 October 2010 01:44

From the Durango Herald:

Attorney General John Suthers also should be retained. Suthers says his strengths are that he is both a good lawyer and a good manager. And there is scant evidence to the contrary.

That he signed on to a constitutional challenge to the health-care reform bill seems unnecessary and partisan, but his explanation – that he is charged with defending federalism – is plausible. In any case, filing such “amicus” briefs is common practice.

Charges that he is weak on consumer protection have gained little traction. Prosecutions of consumer and white-collar crimes are up under Suthers.

The best reason to re-elect him, however, is political. The next governor will need to make massive budget cuts, which likely include cuts to prison spending. Who better to ensure those do not threaten public safety than a law-and-order guy like Suthers?

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Maine Republicans have shot at State Senate

Last Updated on Monday, 18 October 2010 01:35 Written by rslcpol Monday, 18 October 2010 01:35

From Bangor Daily News:

Democrats have the numbers and history on their side to win legislative races. Republicans see voters’ discontent over taxes and state regulations as their secret weapon.

But neither side is predicting which party will win control of the House or Senate when voters have their say Nov. 2.

GOP state Chairman Charles Webster stopped short of making bold predictions, but said, “I’m optimistic we will do far better than anyone expects in the House and Senate.”

“We always take these races very seriously,” said Arden Manning, manager of the Democrats’ Coordinated Campaign.

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GA: Tight Race for Attorney General

Last Updated on Monday, 18 October 2010 01:34 Written by rslcpol Monday, 18 October 2010 01:34

From ajc.com:

For seven decades, Georgia governors have appointed a series of AGs who stood as incumbents and won re-election. This time, however, current Attorney General Thurbert Baker will step down at the end of the year because he chose not to seek re-election, instead running for governor and losing in the Democratic primary.

There are two well-financed campaigns vying to succeed Baker. Democrat Ken Hodges, who spent 12 years as a South Georgia district attorney, is facing Republican Sam Olens, the former Cobb County Commission chairman. Savannah lawyer Don Smart, the Libertarian candidate, hopes to be a spoiler and force a runoff.

The AG’s race may be one of the best chances for a Democrat to win a statewide race this year, said Kerwin Swint, a political science professor at Kennesaw State University.

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CT: Anti-Incumbent Mood could help Republicans in State Legislative Races

Last Updated on Monday, 18 October 2010 01:30 Written by rslcpol Monday, 18 October 2010 01:30

From Courant.com:

With a national anti-incumbent headwind at their back and history on their side, Republicans are hoping for a political spillover into Connecticut this year to regain the legislative seats they lost in the strong Democratic years of 2006 and 2008.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley predicts that the Republicans could win back as many as 15 to 20 seats in the House and three to four in the state Senate.

If Republicans achieve those gains, the current veto-proof margins in both chambers would be broken. If that happens, passing difficult legislation — such as abolishing the death penalty — would become more difficult.

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MA: Poll Shows Republican AG Candidate has Momentum

Last Updated on Monday, 18 October 2010 01:16 Written by rslcpol Monday, 18 October 2010 01:16

From JimforAG.com:

“These are impressive numbers for a guy who made it on the ballot at the last minute with a statewide write-in campaign.”

Poll question: “And, what if the candidates for Attorney General of Massachusetts were Republican James P. McKenna and Democrat Martha Coakley, for whom would you vote?

Martha Coakley 48%
Jim McKenna 39%
Don’t Know 13%”

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Iowa AG Candidates Offer Different Priorities

Last Updated on Monday, 18 October 2010 01:09 Written by rslcpol Monday, 18 October 2010 01:09

From Sioux City Journal:

‘DES MOINES – The Republican and Democratic candidates for Iowa attorney general offer contrasts in nearly every way, from their age and gender to stands on issues such as health care and gay marriage.

Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller was first elected in 1978, when he ran as a longshot candidate against incumbent Richard Turner. Now 66, Miller faces 34-year-old Republican Brenna Findley in the Nov. 2 election.

“I’m 34 years old, the same the current attorney general was back in 1978 when he ran for attorney general and beat the incumbent,” said Findley. “So you can see I’m following in his footsteps a little bit, as far as that’s concerned.”

The similarities seem to end there.

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A Look at Races for Attorney General

Last Updated on Monday, 18 October 2010 12:35 Written by rslcpol Monday, 18 October 2010 12:35

RSLC Political Director, Ben Cannatti, co-authors another piece in the series “RSLC State Race Spotlight” on Townhall.com:

The concept of Federalism and the relationship between citizens, the states and the federal government has moved from wonkish policy debates to a battle touching all Americans in the ongoing court cases over health care mandates, immigration enforcement, environmental restrictions, financial market regulation and other issues. As the chief legal officers in their respective states, Attorneys General, in the words of the National Association of Attorneys General, often “occupy the intersection of law and public policy, dealing” with a multitude of issues.

If the Attorneys General chose not to defend the embattled principles of Federalism, the citizens of America will stand naked against the power of the federal government. In two very different, but influential states, voters have a very clear opportunity to elect candidates who are ready to stand up and fight these battles for the rule of law and limited federal government. Florida and California represent opportunities, one a “hold” and one a “pick-up” for the GOP during a time when principled conservative leadership matters most.

In Florida, former Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi, a Republican, is running to continue the fight that current AG Bill McCollum has waged against the federal government’s over-reach. She draws a sharp contrast against the Democratic opponent, Dan Gelber: “Bondi has pledged to continue Attorney General Bill McCollum’s constitutional challenge of the new health-care laws while Gelber has vowed to pull the plug on the lawsuit,” reports the Sunshine State News.

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