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John Saxon, the rugged actor who kicked around with Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon and appeared in three Nightmare on Elm Street movies for director Wes Craven, died Saturday. He was 83. Saxon died of pneumonia in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, his wife, Gloria, told The Hollywood Reporter. An Italian-American from Brooklyn, Saxon played characters of various ethnicities during his long career. His portrayal of a brutal Mexican bandit opposite Marlon Brando in The Appaloosa (1966) earned him a Golden Globe, and he had a recurring role on ABC's Dynasty as Rashid Ahmed, a powerful Middle East tycoon who romanced Alexis...

Former Texas Rep. Sam Johnson, a military pilot who spent years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam before serving more than two decades in Congress, died Wednesday at age 89. The conservative Republican, who lived in the northern Dallas suburb of Plano, died at a Plano hospital of natural causes unrelated to the coronavirus outbreak, said his former spokesman, Ray Sullivan. Johnson flew nearly 100 combat missions in Korea and Vietnam. He was flying a bombing mission in 1966 when he was shot down and wounded. He was imprisoned in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" for nearly seven years, mostly...

The unwavering TV writer-producer, winner of 10 Emmys, butted heads with networks and almost always won. Steven Bochco, the strong-willed writer and producer who brought gritty realism and sprawling ensemble casts to the small screen with such iconic series as Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law and NYPD Blue, died Sunday morning, a family spokesman told The Hollywood Reporter. He was 74. Suffering with leukemia, Bochco received a stem cell transplant from an anonymous 23-year-old in late 2014. "Steven fought cancer with strength, courage, grace and his unsurpassed sense of humor," spokesman Phillip Arnold said. "He died peacefully in his sleep...

Poll available at link. To summarize the results among likely voters: KS Senate Race: Roberts (R) 49% Orman (I) 48% KS Governor Race: Brownback (R) 49% Davis (D) 49%

Democratic incumbent Mark Udall and Republican challenger Cory Gardner are locked in a statistical dead heat in the Colorado race for U.S. Senate, according to the latest Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll. The poll of likely voters in the general election shows Gardner backed by 43 percent and Udall by 42 percent, a difference that is well within the poll’s 4.4 percent margin of error. Another 10 percent of likely voters remain undecided, and four independent and third-party candidates were in low single digits. The Colorado race for governor also is neck-and-neck, with 43 percent of respondents supporting Democratic incumbent John...

Former 8th District Congressman Jim Oberstar of Chisholm died in his sleep this morning. Oberstar, Minnesota’s longest serving congressman, was 79. The Oberstar family released this statement this morning: “We are heartbroken to share the news that Jim Oberstar has passed way. Jim was a loving husband, father, grandfather, friend and brother. While we mourn the loss of a good man, we also celebrate his life and his service. We ask for your thoughts and prayers, and understanding, at this very difficult time.” Oberstar, a Democrat, went to work for his predecessor, John Blatnik, in 1963 and succeeded him in...

...At this point, the 2014 Colorado governor's race is too close to call, with 42 percent for Democratic Gov. Hickenlooper and 41 percent for former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, a possible Republican challenger. In other possible matchups, Hickenlooper gets 42 percent to 40 percent for Secretary of State Scott Gessler, and gets 43 percent to 37 percent for State Sen. Greg Brophy.

Pretty much all the results in, and Schmidt is behind Brad Wenstrup 43%-49%. Anyone see this coming?

(Via The Campaign Spot) And… it’s subtle. Executive summary: Ohio loses two districts, overall. Republicans Steve Austria and Mike Turner end up competing with each other in the same district. Democrats Marcy Kaptur & Dennis Kuchinich, ditto. Democrat Nancy Sutton loses her district and gets thrown into a district that heavily favors her new Republican opponent Jim Renacci – and she doesn’t get to bring her power base with her. Or she could compete with Democrat Tim Ryan in yet another district. Columbus (Democratic stronghold) metropolitan area gets a shiny-new, presumably Democratic-leading, district. Everybody else more or less stands pat,...

Rep. Dan Boren, the only Democrat in Oklahoma's seven-person congressional delegation, will not run for re-election in 2012, leaving open a seat that spans much of eastern Oklahoma. Boren, 37, plans to make an official announcement at 2 p.m. Tuesday in his hometown of Muskogee. He has served in the U.S. House since 2005. His predecessor in the 2nd District seat, Democrat Brad Carson, said Tuesday that he plans to run for the seat. Carson, 44, of Claremore, is now a business and law professor at the University of Tulsa. Carson gave up the House seat in 2004 to run...

After three weeks of wrangling, lawmakers in the final hours of a special redistricting special session finally agreed on a plan to shrink Louisiana's seven congressional districts to six and sent the measure to Gov. Bobby Jindal, who said he will sign it into law. The plan also needs the approval of the U.S. Justice Department to ensure that it does not dilute minority voting strength. Senators revised House Bill 6 by Rep. Erich Ponti, R-Baton Rouge, after three hours of debate and gave it 25-13 approval. The House went along with the Senate changes, 64-35. The vote on the...

UPDATE: The poll is revealed, so my source says to put it out there. Scott DesJarlais has a five-point lead over Lincoln Davis (D., Tenn.), but 21 points among the highest-interest voters. The Bottom Line Congressman Lincoln Davis’ negative attacks appear to be backfiring. Over the last two weeks, Davis’ image has taken a hit and his ballot support continues to dwindle, falling to 40% now. More importantly, Scott DesJarlais now leads on the ballot and has the clear momentum with just 18 days to go. Key Findings Scott DesJarlais has taken the lead over Congressman Lincoln Davis. After pulling...

U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12th Dist.) is in for a close re-election battle, according to a Monmouth University poll released today. Holt, who has held the seat for 12 years, leads Republican challenger Scott Sipprelle 51 percent to 46 percent in the survey of 630 likely voters. This is the toughest political climate Holt has faced in a decade. Although he upset a Republican incumbent to win the seat in 1998 and fended off a tough challenge in 2000, the district was changed to include more Democrats. Since 2002, he has won re-election by comfortable margins. “This year … he...

Just one month ago, Washington State Congressman Adam Smith was sitting comfortably, winning the August primary by 25 points. But a new KING 5 poll finds the race may be closer than the primary suggested, with Smith's Republican challenger just three points behind. Stretching from Renton to Tacoma to Olympia, the 9th district has been represented by Smith for 14 years. In the August primary, the Democrat got 51%. But in that election, Republicans split their vote between two candidates and now, it appears the Republican vote has united behind Dick Muri, a former Air Force officer and Pierce County...

State Representative Nikki Haley is now officially the Republican nominee for governor of South Carolina, and with the formal kickoff of the general election race, she holds a double-digit lead over Democrat Vincent Sheheen. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in South Carolina shows Haley, the winner of a GOP Primary runoff last Tuesday, with 52% support. Sheheen, a state senator, earns 40% of the vote. Three percent (3%) like some other candidate in the race, and five percent (5%) are still undecided. Earlier this month and prior to the runoff, Haley posted a 55% to 34%...

Louisiana’s race for the U.S. Senate looks largely the same way it has since the beginning of the year, with incumbent Republican David Vitter continuing to earn over 50% of the vote in a state with unusually high Tea Party membership. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Louisiana finds Vitter, who is seeking a second six-year term, with 53% support. His Democratic challenger, Congressman Charlie Melancon, picks up 35% of the vote. Three percent (3%) like some other candidate, and nine percent (9%) are undecided. In April, Vitter posted a similar lead over Melancon. Since January,...

A Victory Enterprises poll conducted on June 17, 2010 shows State Senator Brad Zaun (R-Urbandale) leading Congressman Leonard Boswell by 9 points. When asked, “If the general election were held today for whom would you vote?” 41% said Zaun, 31.8% said Boswell with 26.8% being undecided. Also only 28.6% of those surveyed said that Boswell deserves to be re-elected, with 52.3% saying it’s time to give somebody else a chance. While there is still a large percentage of people who are undecided, this polling doesn’t bode well for Boswell in a year where the Democrat brand has been damaged due...

Sharron Angle, following her come-from-behind Republican Primary win Tuesday, has bounced to an 11-point lead over Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada’s closely-watched U.S. Senate race. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Nevada, taken Wednesday night, shows Angle earning 50% support while Reid picks up 39% of the vote. Five percent (5%) like some other candidate, and six percent (6%) are undecided. A month ago, Angle led Reid 48% to 40% but ran poorest against the incumbent of the three GOP primary hopefuls as she has for months. Reid will try to portray Angle, a...

Rand Paul, riding the momentum of his big Republican Primary win on Tuesday, now posts a 25-point lead over Democrat Jack Conway in Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race, but there’s a lot of campaigning to go. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Kentucky, taken Wednesday night, shows Paul earning 59% of the vote, while Conway picks up 34% support. Four percent (4%) percent prefer some other candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided. Paul consistently led Conway prior to winning the Republican primary, but had never earned more than 50% support. Conway has been stuck in the...

There's still the better part of a year to go, but prospects for some GOP House seat pickups in New Hampshire look pretty healthy: According to a new poll by the University of New Hampshire only 35% of likely voters approve of the job [Rep. Carol] Shea-Porter is doing in Congress. 40% disapprove. 24% are neutral or don’t know for sure how they feel. Even worse, all potential Republican candidates for Congress — even the lesser-known candidates — would defeat her if the election were held today. Former Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta performs best against Shea-Porter, defeating her in a...