In this edition of The Daily Caller’s Political Roundup, we take a look at intra-party strife in Maine, attack-by-campaign-sign in Montana, an unfortunate endorsement in a New York House race, an unwanted candidate in Tennessee, the impending Republican Senate primary in Utah and a Republican debate in Texas’ never-ending Senate race.
1) Maine Senate race
In the Maine Senate race, both major parties have managed to field candidates seriously at odds with important members of their base, making it even more likely that independent Angus King — the wildly popular former governor who has been the front-runner since the beginning — will pull off the race.
As The Daily Caller reported Thursday, State Sen. Cynthia Dill is on the attack against her own party, going after the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) in a fundraising email sent Thursday.
“Don’t let the DSCC and other beltway insiders decide who Maine’s next United States Senator will be,” she wrote. “We know these groups don’t share our ideals and will not fight for working families, small businesses and Maine values.”
The DSCC has not indicated any plans to get involved in the race on Dill’s behalf. In fact, King is seen as Democrats’ best hope to control the seat, as he is widely expected to caucus with Democrats if elected. King, who supported President George W. Bush in 2000, Sen. John Kerry in 2004, and President Barack Obama in 2008, has refused to say who he would caucus with, and said he would not say so before being elected.
On the Republican side, a rift between the nominee, Secretary of State Charlie Summers, and Sen. Olympia Snowe has finally been publicly reported, though insiders have long been aware of the feud.
The Portland Press Herald reported on the feud last week.
Summers is a former Snowe staffer, but last year he opted “not to endorse Snowe in her race against tea party-backed Scott D’Amboise.”
“Snowe had been targeted by the tea party, and as she ramped up her campaign against D’Amboise she approached Republican leaders in Maine for endorsements that could blunt a tea party surge against her,” the Portland Press Herald reported.
John Richter, Sen. Snowe’s chief of staff, confirmed the story, but told the paper that Snowe would back Summers as “the duly chosen Republican nominee.” However, he indicated that Snowe might not back Summers financially, as has been her habit with Maine Republican candidates.
2) Montana Senate race
In Montana, things turned violent after a debate when a Democratic activist started hitting Republican candidate Denny Rehberg’s wife with a rolled up sign. Rehberg is running for Senate against Democratic incumbent John Tester.
TheDC’s Caroline May reported that the woman was in her late thirties, and that, “After exchanging words with Jan Rehberg, she began hitting the candidate’s wife with a rolled up Tester sign.”
The owner of the venue ultimately threw the woman, along with two companions, out of the event.
