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Failed California GOP Senate candidate Carly Fiorina was named on Tuesday as the vice chair of the Republicans' effort to retake the Senate in 2012. ... "I'm pleased to welcome my friend Carly Fiorina to the NRSC team, where her many business and civic achievements will make her an invaluable leader and fundraiser during this critical election cycle," said the committee chair, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, in a statement. "I look forward to working with Carly to elect strong Republican Senators who will finally put a stop to President Obama’s failed tax-and-spend agenda, and instead promote the economic growth...

A series of messages forwarded to The Daily Caller show a top aide to former Alaska Gov. and possible presidential candidate Sarah Palin mocking top political figures and even her boss’s own daughter, Bristol Palin. RedState.com founder and CNN contributor Erick Erickson is “a total douchebag,” wrote Palin speechwriter and domestic policy adviser Rebecca Mansour in a May 22, 2010, message. “Greasy dumb ass with a talent for self-promotion. He threw himself in at the Gov’s SC rally. Self-promotion.” (Erickson said South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley invited him to the rally). Mitt Romney supporters are “wacky as hell,” Mansour wrote,...

Former staffers for defeated California candidates Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina have an urgent message for fellow Republicans: Their political future depends on Latino voters, and the Obama administration may be providing an opening. (snip) Mr. Wilson, managing partner at Wilson-Miller Communications Inc. in Sacramento, said that if the topic of immigration arises, Republicans should avoid anti-immigration rhetoric meant to stir up the conservative base. "We're on safe ground when we say, 'We have to secure our borders and get a guest-worker program, then work on a pathway for citizenship for people who are already here'—and then quickly pivot off...

19% in and FIORINA is AHEAD OF BOXER!!!

Saying "the outcome is clear," GOP Senate candidate Carly Fiorina conceded defeat this morning to Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer. Addressing reporters, Fiorina said she had called Boxer to express her congratulations. And she said it was time for Democrats and Republicans to set aside partisanship. "I hope all will come together," she said, adding that members of Congress should "redouble their efforts to make sure that all people have a chance to live the American Dream.

Real Clear Politics just moved the California senate race from 'leans Democrat' to 'toss up.' Please help GOTV for Carly Fiorina. We can win this!!

If early voting is an indication of how Tuesday's midterm elections will go--and it's debatable whether, and how, it can--early vote-by mail turnout in California predicts close races for Senate and governor. Here's a breakdown of who has voted already through the state's vote-by-mail program, provided to The Atlantic by a source close to the California Republican Party. By party registration, here's a who has mailed a ballot so far: Total Returns:   2,456,455 Dem: 1,056,498 (43.0%) Rep: 959,617 (39.1%) Decline to State: 350,337 (14.3%) The California Secretary of State's office could not be reached for comment to confirm or deny...

Carly Fiorina, who said she feels "fantastic" now, resumed her campaign to unseat Senator Barbara Boxer after being hospitalized for an infection related to her treatment for breast cancer. She said that she remains cancer-free and has no ongoing health issues, pointing out that infections of the type she was treated for are common for women who have had breast cancer and reconstructive surgery.

In a close election race against former Hewlett-Packard executive Carly Fiorina, California Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer is facing new ethics complaints over asking teachers to send their students to work for her campaign. In an Oct. 27 letter to California education authorities, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA), a non-profit group urging lower taxes, said, “In abject ignorance of California state law, the political campaign of Senator Barbara Boxer has openly solicited teachers employed by [Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)] to urge their students to volunteer for her campaign.” The HJTA letter refers to a letter obtained by the...

Believing a huge upset win in California is now within reach, the Republican Party is pouring $3 million into GOP Senate challenger Carly Fiorina's battle against incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer, forcing Democrats scrambling to respond just one week before Election Day. The $3 million from the National Republican Senatorial Committee comes on top of the $4.8 million it has already spent in the race. Pundits see that massive influx of dollars as a clear indication that incumbent Democratic Boxer is in serious jeopardy, because the GOP usually does not spend heavily in Golden State races. This year, however, all bets...

California GOP Senate challenger Carly Fiorina is in the hospital to be treated for an infection associated with her reconstructive surgery after breast cancer. Deborah Bowker, the campaign's chief of staff, says in a statement issued Tuesday that Fiorina was admitted to a hospital and is being treated with antibiotics. The campaign will not say when or where she was admitted.

Republican Carly Fiorina's Senate campaign in California released this statement today: "Carly learned more than a year and a half ago that she, like millions of women, had breast cancer. After successfully battling cancer, she had reconstructive surgery this summer and remains cancer free today. However, this morning Carly came down with an infection associated with the reconstructive surgery and, as a result, she was admitted to the hospital to receive antibiotics to treat this infection. While this will impact her campaign schedule today, Carly is upbeat and her doctors expect her to make a quick and full recovery and...

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is dropping a massive $3 million TV ad buy in California this week, a sure sign that Republicans believe they have a good shot at knocking off Sen. Barbara Boxer (D). The new spending brings the NRSC’s Golden State commitment to nearly $8 million, all in support of former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina's (R) campaign. The ad buy comes a day after a public poll shows Boxer inching ahead. A Los Angeles Times/USC poll showed Boxer opening up an 8-point lead -- 50 percent to 42 percent. That number tracks with private Democratic surveys that...

For California Republicans and right-leaning independents, casting a vote in a statewide or presidential election is generally a quixotic act, a meaningless protest in a state that has voted for the Democratic presidential and senatorial candidates every year since 1992. Statewide offices as well tend to be dominated by Democrats. And while there are about 7.5 million registered Republicans, there are nearly 17 million registered Democrats. But this year, there is a sense that the improbable might happen. Several recent polls show that Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina is tied with, or trailing only a few points behind, Democratic incumbent...

Barbara Boxer: I worked so hard for that... LOL!

California’s U.S. Senate race between Democratic incumbent Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Carly Fiorina remains a virtual tie with less than two weeks to go until Election Day. The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Boxer picking up 48% of the vote, while Fiorina draws support from 46%. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) The race remains a Toss-Up in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Senate Balance of Power rankings.

California’s U.S. Senate race between Democratic incumbent Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Carly Fiorina remains a virtual tie with less than two weeks to go until Election Day. The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Boxer picking up 48% of the vote, while Fiorina draws support from 46%. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) The race remains a Toss-Up in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Senate Balance of Power rankings. Last week, Boxer led Fiorina 49% to 46%. Boxer was reeelected with...

The California Senate race will be decided in Los Angeles County and not in my more liberal neck of the woods, but as someone who has a sort-of-front-seat view, I can try to answer the question of whether the Golden State is in play. Short answer: yes. For openers, check the most recent PPIC poll. It has Boxer ahead by five (43–38 percent). That’s striking distance, folks. Moreover, 43 percent is a particularly anemic number for a three-term incumbent who (a) had only token primary opposition (sorry, Mickey Kaus); (b) is running both positive and negative ads day and night;...

Funny and creative video just released by the Fiorina campaign. Wonder how many voters will be turned off by Obama's big visit for Boxer tomorrow? Hope Camp Carly can somehow take advantage of this. I know a lot of people who were impacted for hours by Obama's last visit to L.A. Watch the video.

Here is what pollster the Tarrance Group is telling the Carly Fiorina campaign: The race for the US Senate in California is an actual dead heat, with both Fiorina and Boxer standing right at forty-four percent (44%) of the vote. Six percent (6%) of voters are voting for one of the other candidates, and 5% are undecided . . . It is also important to note that Boxer’s negatives are fully institutionalized to the point where she has never once broken the 45% level in terms of her ballot strength, and there are a “hard” fifty-three percent (53%) of voters...

Early today, I expressed reservations about a new Wilson Research Strategies poll showing Carly Fiorina leading Barbara Boxer by three points and Meg Whitman leading Jerry Brown by one. The methodology seemed unusual, and without crosstabs to analyze, the poll looked more like an outlier. After I posted that this morning, Wilson contacted me, providing me with the raw poll data (which they have also posted at their site), and asked me to take a second look.Just to refresh everyone’s memory, these are the toplines of the survey: Carly Fiorina currently leads by three points against Barbara Boxer in the...

State of the Race in California The poll reveals narrow Republican advantages in both top statewide races. Key Findings Carly Fiorina currently leads by three points against Barbara Boxer in the race for United States Senate from California. U.S. Senate Ballot Total Fiorina 46% Total Boxer 43% Total Other Candidates 5% Undecided 6% Meg Whitman leads by one point in the race for Governor of California. Governor’s Ballot Total Whitman 45% Total Brown 44% Total Other Candidates 4% Undecided 7%

Two unions formed the group BASTA, the Bell Association To Stop Abuse, but it looks like BASTA wants to abuse the rest of the nation. BASTA, the group formed by the Bell Police Officer’s Association Union and the Union American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) want you to fork over your $$$$ for another Federal BAILOUT!!!! "BASTA leadership is calling on Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard to craft emergency federal legislation to create a Federal Relief Fund for the City of Bell. The Relief Fund will seek to forgive and modify Bell’s current bond obligations [$71 million] and provide...

John Kerry fires at GOP Senate nominees By: Carol E. Lee October 16, 2010 03:49 PM EDT BOSTON – Sen. John Kerry took shots Saturday at Republican candidates up and down the November ballot, including a dig at Delaware Senate hopeful Christine O’Donnell’s admitted dabbling in witchcraft. “You’ve got what’s her name, Christine O’Donnell, in Delaware,” Kerry said, speaking at a rally for Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. O’Donnell, he said, “wants to take away health care." “I think she thinks she’s going to wave her wand and it will all disappear,” Kerry quipped, “but this is real folks.” Kerry’s efforts...

If conservatives had to name just one Senate race they’d most want to win, the election in California would have to come at the top of the list. Barbara Boxer remains in the lead, albeit within the margin of error, according to the latest Rasmussen poll — and still below the 50% line incumbents need to cross. The race has changed little over the last few weeks: Incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer continues to hold the slightest of leads over Republican challenger Carly Fiorina in California’s U.S. Senate race. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in California shows...

Running as a flat-out conservative, is Carly crazy, or crazy like a fox? ...Whether stunningly stupid or daringly smart, the Republican challenger is operating an unorthodox campaign by running in California as a true-blue conservative who embraces, and wants to keep energized, right-leaning voters who equate Boxer supporters to a bunch of capitalism-hating communists. From opposing abortion and gay marriage to supporting offshore drilling and a big oil–funded ballot measure that would suspend California's global climate-change law, Fiorina is the real deal for conservatives. She even backs Arizona's controversial immigration law. But in California, where Democrats make up 44 percent...

No, I'm not suggesting that Rep. Nancy Pelosi might inherit the office. That could only happen if President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were to die at about the same time before the Republicans take control of the House of Representatives in January. The Republican candidates in California for governor (Meg Whitman) and U.S. Senate (Carly Fiorina) are potential presidential candidates. Obviously, it is too late for either to run for the 2012 nomination, but they could seek the nomination in 2016 or 2020 if they can successfully make the transition for corporate CEO to the political arena....

LOS ANGELES – Sen. Barbara Boxer returned on Thursday to a tried and tested campaign strategy by painting her opponent as an extreme anti-abortion conservative who is out of touch with California voters. The three-term Democrat used a rally at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to claim that GOP nominee Carly Fiorina would become a sure Senate vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. "Make no mistake about it," Boxer said alongside actresses Maria Bello, Amy Brenneman and Alfre Woodard and Reps. Jane Harman, Diane Watson and Laura Richardson. "A woman's right to choose is on the ballot here in California this...

Endorsements from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Political Action Committee have so enraged many VFW members that its elected leaders have asked the PAC to immediately rescind all endorsements for next month's election. Hundreds of VFW members have been calling the national headquarters in recent days to complain about some of the endorsements, particularly about two races — both featuring Democratic incumbents. In one race, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California got the PAC's endorsement over Republican Carly Fiorina. In the other, Rep. Ron Klein of Florida got the endorsement over Republican and Iraq war veteran Allen West.

The nasty VFW/VFW PAC political endorsement spat is boiling over into open political warfare between the two groups. When Ed posted on this story yesterday, VFW leaders were already expressing dismay over their political action committee’s “seriously flawed� candidate endorsement methodology–going so far as to raise the prospect of scrapping the PAC altogether. This posture evidently didn’t stem the hailstorm of criticism from rank-and-file VFW members, prompting leadership to release another statement, this time insisting that VFW PAC rescind its recent controversial string of endorsements: The angry tone and tenor of the telephone calls and messages being received at national...

When is it OK for a politician to slam a shot to show she's a regular gal? Easy: when she's a Dem. If she's a Republican? Well, that's a shot of entirely different sort. She's a wasted drunk. Just ask Ed Schultz. On his show this evening, the MSNBCer took Carly Fiorina to task for taking a shot of tequila on the campaign trail. Schultz slammed the California Republican senatorial candidate as "drunken" and "wasted." View video here.

Given that the observation has been forthcoming from such sources as the editorial pages of the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times, it is not a partisan potshot to note that Democrat Barbara Boxer has been ineffective as a California senator. After 18 years in the Senate, Boxer deserves the thanks of Californians for her service, but not re-election. As the Chronicle observed, “There is no reason to believe that another six-year term would bring anything but more of the same uninspired representation.” Meanwhile, much more so than with past Boxer Senate opponents, Republican Carly Fiorina offers promise. The...

SAN FRANCISCO—After Carly Fiorina won California's GOP primary in June, conventional wisdom held she would go after incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer as many Republicans have before: by tacking toward the center to lure voters beyond the conservative base. Instead, Ms. Fiorina has made a bold and possibly risky bet that pivotal undecided swing voters care more about the economy than social issues and are disenchanted with Washington. So, she is hewing to conservative stands on immigration and social issues, such as abortion and gay marriage, while working to shift the debate to fixing the state's economy. "We are going to...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina is criticizing Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer over a fundraiser sponsored by lobbyists who help local governments and agencies obtain federal earmarks. Fiorina has pledged not to seek earmarks, which pay for specific projects such as road improvements or university research. Her campaign says the fundraiser scheduled for Thursday demonstrates Boxer’s efforts to seek federal money for those who donate to her re-election campaign. Fiorina’s campaign points to earmarks totaling $6.7 million that Boxer has requested over the past three years for California agencies and communities represented by the Washington lobbying firm, Alcade...

With $2 million boost from GOP, Carly Fiorina launches new TV ad WASHINGTON -- Trailing Sen. Barbara Boxer in fundraising and in polls, Carly Fiorina's Senate campaign has received a $2 million boost from the national Republican Party and is using the money for a statewide TV ad blaming Boxer for the country's economic woes. The financial help comes at a critical time for Fiorina, the Republican former CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Recent polls show her trailing the Democratic senator by six to eight percentage points, after the two were locked in a dead heat for most of the summer. Boxer...

SurveyUSA is out with new numbers on the California Senate and gubernatorial races and both Democratic nominees are maintaining their recent polling leads. In the Senate race, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer is leading Republican former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina 46%-43%, while Democratic state Attorney General Jerry Brown is up on Republican former eBay CEO Meg Whitman in the state's gubernatorial race, 47%-43%.

In statewide elections in California today 10/04/10, as early voting begins, 3 high-profile contests are fiercely fought, separated by 5 or fewer points, according to this latest exclusive SurveyUSA polling for KABC-TV Los Angeles, KPIX-TV San Francisco, KGTV-TV San Diego, and KFSN-TV Fresno. In the race for US Senator, incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer clings today to a narrow 46% to 43% advantage. Compared to an identical SurveyUSA poll released 12 days ago, Boxer is down 3 points; Republican Carly Fiorina is flat. Seniors are moving toward Boxer; voters under age 50 are giving Fiorina another look. In the race for...

DESPITE its place as the most populous state in the union (by a wide margin), California gets the same number of Senate representatives as the tiniest U.S. state. That means in order for California to have the influence, respect and resources it deserves from Washington, D.C., it needs senators with the ability and presence to fully represent the most dynamic state in the union. Of the candidates running for one of California's two Senate seats in November, only Carly Fiorina meets that description. Fiorina, the famous former Hewlett-Packard CEO, is running against incumbent Barbara Boxer, a longtime pol who, in...

Republican Party senate and gubernatorial candidates in California and Delaware are too conservative to win and, therefore, must rethink their electoral strategy. No, I donÂ’t mean theyÂ’re politically or philosophically too conservative; thatÂ’s not the problem. Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman in California, and Christine OÂ’Donnell in Delaware, are all perfectly fine, mainstream conservative candidates with broad electoral appeal. But theyÂ’re running stale, boring and conventional political campaigns in heavily Democratic states. And theyÂ’re expecting to be carried into office come November on the strength of the impending GOP wave. That wave is shaping up to be mighty strong. However,...

One of Sen. Barbara Boxer’s sharpest charges against challenger Carly Fiorina is that, as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, she allowed thousands of jobs to be outsourced overseas — depriving U.S. workers of income while piling up profits for executive grandees like herself. Outsourcing of both manufacturing and service jobs has become a wedge issue. It stings especially when times are tough. By Election Day, outsourcing will be portrayed as equivalent to child-molesting in its depravity. But the charge of greed and lack of economic patriotism is disingenuous for a variety of reasons. Remember that outsourcing can be insidious — it knows...

I’ve poked around the California Senate race for the last several days, in preparation for a piece in the forthcoming National Review. And I discovered, or relearned, something I thought was kind of interesting. You know how many of our band blasted Palin for anointing Christine O’Donnell in the Delaware Senate race, disregarding viability (or so it appeared)? Well, you recall that the GOP Senate primary in California featured three contestants: Carly Fiorina (the ex-CEO and eventual winner), Tom Campbell (the former congressman who is a moderate, basically), and Chuck DeVore (the assemblyman who is a true-blue, four-square conservative). Palin...

Which is not their endorsement of her - then again, an endorsement of the Republican candidate for Senate by the San Francisco Chronicle would be about as likely as my being able to get to the Moon by jumping up and down on the ground hard enough. What they did instead was to give as strong a statement about Carly’s technical campaign skills as possible… In past elections, Boxer has had the good fortune of having Republican opponents who were inept, underfunded, on the fringe right - or combinations thereof. Her opponent this time, Fiorina, is proving to be articulate,...

Californians are left with a deeply unsatisfying choice for the U.S. Senate this year. The incumbent, Democrat Barbara Boxer, has failed to distinguish herself during her 18 years in office. There is no reason to believe that another six-year term would bring anything but more of the same uninspired representation. The challenger, Republican Carly Fiorina, has campaigned with a vigor and directness that suggests she could be effective in Washington - but for an agenda that would undermine this nation's need to move forward on serious issues such as climate change, health care and immigration. It is extremely rare that...

Here is a great new ad by Carly Fiorina that hammers Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer for her “arrogance.” It opens with Boxer’s famous demand to be called “Senator” instead of “Maam,” in an exchange she had with U.S. Army Brigadier General Michael Walsh. Fiorina then appears and pledges to “end the arrogance in Washington” if elected to the U.S. Senate by California voters.

The U.S. Senate race in California remains a battle of inches. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the state, including leaners, finds incumbent Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer earning 47% of the vote, while her Republican challenger Carly Fiorina gets 43% support. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, and six percent (6%) are undecided. But the race moves from a Toss-Up to Leans Democrat in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Senate Balance of Power rankings. Earlier this month, the two candidates were virtually tied when leaners were included in the totals, with Fiorina earning 48% support...

Nancy Reagan endorses Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina The Associated Press Wednesday, September 15, 2010; 8:51 PM SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Former First Lady Nancy Reagan is endorsing California Republican candidates Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina. Whitman and Fiorina announced separately Wednesday that each had received Reagan's endorsement. Reagan issued a statement through Fiorina's campaign saying the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co. "knows what needs to be done to move our country forward."

Senator Barbara Boxer's most ardent supporter lends his suppport to the beleaguered senator.

Welcome to California … the Red State. At least that’s what Survey USA finds in its latest poll of likely voters in the gubernatorial and Senate races, where Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina still lead. Fiorina barely edges Barbara Boxer in what is really a dead heat, but Whitman still beats Jerry Brown outside the margin of error — and the former two-term Governor still remains stuck at 40%: Incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer remains locked in a tight fight with Republican challenger Carly Fiorina, according to this latest SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for KABC-TV Los Angeles, KPIX-TV San Francisco, KGTV-TV...

At this point in a re-election race, secure Democratic senators in Democratic-leaning states generally poll at a comfortable 55 percent or better in the matchup against a Republican opponent (Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland are examples). But that’s not the case in California, where three-term Sen. Barbara Boxer will square off against GOP challenger Carly Fiorina in the pair's first debate Wednesday night. An average of the five most recent public polls shows Boxer getting 45 percent to Fiorina’s 41 percent. About 12 percent of respondents remain undecided. President Barack Obama has trekked to...

WASHINGTON (AP)—Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina is getting a boost in her fundraising efforts from a couple of GOP lawmakers—Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Scott Brown of Massachusetts. McCain held a fundraiser for Fiorina on Monday, but campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul declined to provide any details about the location or the amount raised. Meanwhile, The Sacramento Bee reported that Brown will appear with Fiorina for a fundraiser Thursday in Newport Beach.