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Complete title: Judicial Watch Files Amicus Curiae Brief with Supreme Court Challenging U.S. Census Policy of Counting Illegal Aliens When Apportioning Seats in Congress Judicial Watch Brief Supports Lawsuit Filed by State of Louisiana which Lost a Seat in the House of Representatives due to Census Bureau’s Unlawful Policy (Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch, the organization that investigates and fights government corruption, announced today that it filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the State of Louisiana challenging a current federal policy in which “unlawfully present aliens” were counted in the 2010 Census (...

Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said that “There is nothing I love as much as a good fight.” If so, he would’ve hated where the House is headed for the next decade, because by and large it likely won’t have all that many good fights. Instead of looking at the House through the competitive races, consider instead the uncompetitive races — the large number of seats that should be safe for one party or the other for the foreseeable future. Based on the latest Crystal Ball ratings, less than one in four of the 435 House seats will be competitive next...

A collection of former high-ranking Republicans will launch a group that will raise and spend unlimited amounts of money in a bid to retain the party’s majority in the House, they announced Thursday. The formation of the Congressional Leadership Fund solidifies the movement of the new type of loosely regulated committee from outside operators to establishment tools. A former director of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), Brian O. Walsh, will head the group, which will be chaired by former Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota. It will be organized as an independent expenditure committee, or “super-PAC,” meaning it may run...

Let’s Talk About Redistricting By MICAH COHEN The following is an edited transcript of an interview with David Wasserman, the House Editor of The Cook Political Report. Mr. Wasserman is Cook’s resident redistricting expert and the author of “Better Know a District,” the The Cook Political Report’s 2012 redistricting outlook. (Readers might also want to check out Cook’s redistricting scorecard for background). We will post the conversation in two parts, this being Part 1, which focuses on the more general aspects of redistricting. Part 2 will focus on more granular details at the state and local level. The interview was...

House approves redistricting plans, Dems plan to sue (South Carolina) Plan going to Senate soon creates state’s seventh congressional district centered in Horry County By GINA SMITH June 15, 2011 The state House of Representatives signed off on a plan Tuesday to redraw its legislative lines and create a seventh congressional district, centered in Horry County and running along the North Carolina border. The plan requires one more perfunctory vote before heading to the Senate. But some are disappointed with the plan, including the state Democratic Party, whose chairman plans to sue. The plan House members approved: • Creates two...

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WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Texas will add four seats in the House of Representatives as the Census Department revealed Tuesday that the U.S. population grew at the slowest pace since the Great Depression. The population as of April 2010 was 308.7 million, up 9.7% over the last decade. The South and the West led the way in growth, with the West now more populous than the Midwest for the first time. Michigan actually lost population, down 0.6% as the automotive industry struggled. The population shift will affect 12 out of the 435 seats apportioned in the House. Florida gets two more...

On the Bubble: 10 States Await Tuesday Census Verdict on Congressional Gains, Losses The Cook Political Report's David Wasserman looks at what it might mean for House members and their constituents. By David Wasserman Friday, December 17, 2010 | 2:23 p.m. On Tuesday, U.S. Census Bureau officials will unveil numbers that will determine which states gain House seats and which states lose them in the once-a-decade reapportionment of congressional districts--and in the process launch a high-stakes political round of musical chairs. For the next year, powerful members of Congress will be nervously consulting computerized maps and wooing their political juniors...

Idaho’s Minnick Says He’s Done for Good By Kyle Trygstad Roll Call Staff Dec. 16, 2010, 11:56 p.m. Rep. Walt Minnick was defeated for re-election after serving just one term representing his state’s western Congressional district, and the Blue Dog tells Roll Call he’s gone for good. Looking ahead at redistricting in his deep-red state, it may be awhile before another Idaho Democrat makes it back. “I think I’m done with elective politics,” Minnick said in an interview with Roll Call. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but I think it’s time for somebody else.” The Idaho Democratic...

I'm just wondering.

Recount Update by RENEE on NOVEMBER 10, 2010 in CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENTS Dear Supporter, The Boards of Election in three counties have met and counted their ‘provisional’ ballots. Congressman Etheridge has gained 33 votes. Overall, I lead by 1,600 votes. What is a ‘provisional’ ballot? When a voter shows up at a precinct, but is not on the list of registered voters, then he or she is given a ‘provisional’ ballot. Then, later, the local Elections Board determines if he or she is entitled to vote. What happened Monday night in Franklin County – one of the ten counties in my...

CURRENT GOP 240 DEM 187 (GOP+61) 8 UNDECIDED based on reading 8 articles (one for each race)--see links below and full details in my comment PREDICTION GOP 243 DEM 192 GOP +64 vs last Congress WA-2 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013366051_apwahouse2nddistrict1stld.html VA-11 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/05/AR2010110506548.html CA-11 http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_16537059?nclick_check=1 NY-25 http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/how_the_west_was_won_by_ann_ma.html IL-8 http://dailyherald.com/article/20101106/news/711079971// NY-1 http://www.realclearpolitics.com/news/ap/politics/2010/Nov/06/error_in_tally_upends_ny_congressional_election.html

New York Gov. David Paterson, a Democrat, is conceding that Republicans "probably" have won control of the New York state Senate, which GOP leaders say has important implications for the long-term balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives. No official winner has been named in three senate races in the Empire State. Republicans lead in two of those outstanding contests. New York Republicans, including the current minority leader, Sen. Dean G. Skelos, have said they expect to take over the Legislative gavel in the next session. According to a Friday report in the New York Post, Paterson told...

Anyone know?

Murphy: GOP using 'Florida-style' tactics By: PETER HALL Bucks County Courier Times The Congressman charged Republicans with using unfair tactics to give their candidate for the 8th Congressional District an edge. Congressman Patrick Murphy blasted Bucks County Republicans for using "Florida-style" tactics to deny voters the right to participate in Tuesday's election, which includes the hotly contested race between Murphy and his Republican challenger Mike Fitzpatrick. Murphy's statement in a brief news conference Wednesday afternoon came shortly before Democratic Party lawyers filed a response to Republican claims that Murphy's campaign is behind an effort to mislead voters into applying for...

The Crystal Ball’s Final Calls Larry J. Sabato, Director, U.Va. Center for Politics October 28th, 2010 The time has finally come in this two-year election cycle to make the final calls. Thanks to everyone who has helped us by providing background info, tips, private polls, observations, and constructive criticism. We operate on the proverbial shoestring and we’re outside the Beltway (a plus and a minus), so we can always use the assistance. Our tradition is that we make a prediction in every contest. We’ve been studying these states, districts, and candidates for many years, and we feel entitled! We’re proud...

Residents cry foul over ballots By: PETER HALL Bucks County Courier Times A petition was filed with the Board of Elections over absentee ballots. A trio of Bucks County residents backed by the county Republican committee say they have evidence linking Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy's campaign to a scheme to flood the county voter registration office with fraudulent applications for absentee ballots. In a petition filed Tuesday, county Republicans say the name of Murphy's campaign manager appeared on a Bristol post office box where voters were urged in a series of letters paid for by the state Democratic Committee to...

House Race Changes Isaac Wood, House Race Editor October 14th, 2010 Polling, independent expenditures, and the general intensification of campaigns across the country provide us with new clues about the November outcome that is in store. Our overall view of the Republican wave remains the same, at a GOP net pick-up of 47 seats, but we now know more about which seats are truly endangered and where each side was just tilting at windmills. This week, we make 26 changes to our House ratings. Among our changes this week, there is a lone bright spot for Democrats. In OH-13, incumbent...

House Projection for October 11 October marches on, and so does the House generic ballot polling. Last week Republicans were on the rebound and this week every single generic is showing Republicans back on top, as has not been the case lately. So let’s see what the damage is. As usual, to run my projection I take the recent generic ballot polls from Real Clear Politics, subtract out the undecideds and third party votes to get a pure two party vote, then compare that with the two party vote of 2008. From there, I take a weighted average of the...

Statement on Congressman John Adler Planting a Fraud Tea Party Candidate in NJ-3 Race Friday, October 8th, 2010 The following was issued today to members of the press… Jon Runyan Statement on Congressman John Adler Planting a Fraud Tea Party Candidate in NJ-3 Race Mount Laurel, October 8, 2010 – The following is a statement from Republican congressional candidate Jon Runyan (NJ-3) that was delivered at his 2:00pm press conference. “Ever since our campaign established links between Congressman John Adler and the fraudulent candidacy of Peter DeStefano, I knew there was a possibility that something much more sinister was going...

Earlier this morning Doug Hoffman announced he was dropping out of the race and is supporting my candidacy for Congress to take back the 23rd. I am deeply appreciative of Doug’s support. Now, more than ever, Republicans, Conservatives and independents are united in our efforts to defeat Bill Owens in November. Thank you for all your support. Please read a copy of the article that appeared in this morning’s Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Hoffman out of Congress race SARANAC LAKE — Doug Hoffman has dropped out of the race to represent New York’s 23rd Congressional District. Hoffman’s name will still appear...

House Ratings Changes Isaac Wood, House Race Editor September 30th, 2010 As Election Day nears, more of the House election picture comes into focus. While our overall view of the level of Republican gains remains unchanged at +47 seats, we are changing the ratings of many key races as the list of endangered seats, and their relative degrees of vulnerability, becomes clear. This week we are changing the ratings of 21 House races, all in the direction of the GOP, including 10 seats formerly listed as Toss-Ups that are now leaning into the Republican column. Toss-Up to Leans Republican (10...

Congress is deadlocked over virtually every major issue still pending this year, including key economic matters such as a detailed federal spending plan and extending Bush-era tax cuts, yet lawmakers still hope to leave Washington by Friday and not return until mid-November. Chances are they'll approve a stopgap budget to keep the government running, maybe vote on extending the Bush administration tax cuts and call it a day. This desire to punt on the day's biggest issue could be one more reason for voters to turn against incumbents of both parties in November.

CQ POLITICS NEWS Sept. 20, 2010 – 11:24 p.m. True Size of GOP Wave Still Developing By CQ-Roll Call Staff With the primary period concluded and independent expenditure spending now fully under way, party strategists face the difficult task of figuring out which races to fund, which incumbents to cut lose and how much debt to incur to try to secure a majority in the House. It also means that it is time for CQ Politics to do a sweeping assessment of the current House playing field and update our race ratings to reflect a battleground that is still tilted...

Sean Duffy has won the Republican nomination in the 7th Congressional District of northern Wisconsin, and will face state Sen. Julie Lassa. The winner will succeed Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.). [...] Duffy, a former Ashland County district attorney, beat Daniel Mielke for the Republican nomination... (More)

Sarah Palin’s candidate in the Republican primary on Staten Island, Michael Grimm, beat his challenger, Michael Allegretti, according to New York 1 News and the Daily News. Grimm, who was also backed by Rudy Giuliani, was a former FBI agent and Marine veteran. He was criticized for raising a lot of money outside the district, and not having lived there as long as Allegretti, whose family ran a local business on the Brooklyn side of the district. [...] Grimm will take on freshman Rep. Michael McMahon, a moderate Democrat who has the backing of the Conservative Party and who voted...

William (B.J.) Lawson, MD, Republican challenger to Rep. David Price in North Carolina's Fourth District, announces a turning point in his campaign as a recent poll shows that 46.5 percent of likely voters would elect him, as opposed to 46.1 percent who would vote to re-elect 22-year incumbent Rep. Price. "This proves that voters know that Washington insiders aren't serving their best interests, especially not one who votes with Nancy Pelosi more than any other congressman," said Dr. Lawson. "Nearly half of these respondents are Democratic voters, so regardless of political affiliation, Americans know you can't spend yourself out of...

NRA chooses Edwards in Texas By: Kasie Hunt August 9, 2010 06:57 PM EDT Texas Rep. Chet Edwards is the latest endangered Democrat to win a critical conservative credential: an endorsement from the National Rifle Association. Edwards’s campaign announced he had received the pro-gun rights organization’s backing on Monday. "I cannot imagine any candidate in our district who would not want the endorsement of the NRA Victory Fund, which is by far the largest gun rights organization in the country,” Edwards spokesman Megan Jacobs said in a statement. Edwards is facing self-funded businessman Bill Flores, who has attacked him for...

NRCC Says Space In Trouble; Internal Poll Numbers Questioned By Steve Peoples | August 9, 2010 6:26 PM Rep. Zack Space (D) is "in an extremely vulnerable position" in Ohio's 18th district, according to internal polling released this afternoon by the National Republican Campaign Committee. The survey conducted by the Republican pollster On Message, Inc., shows Space in a statistical dead heat with his challenger, state Sen. Bob Gibbs. Each candidate earned the support of 43 percent of 400 voters polled from the 18th district Aug. 3 and 4. "Bob Gibbs is generating momentum across eastern Ohio. I think this...

Benishek Up As Counties Continue to Certify Primary Results By Tricia Miller | August 9, 2010 6:46 PM Surgeon Dan Benishek leads state Sen. Jason Allen in the county-level canvassing process sorting out last week's tight Republican primary results in Michigan's 1st district. With 16 of 31 counties certifying their results, Benishek is ahead by 18 votes, according to his campaign. After the initial unofficial vote count, Benishek was just one vote ahead of Allen in the northern Michigan district currently represented by retiring Rep. Bart Stupak (D). The count: 27,091 to 27,090. Once the counties certify the results, the...

CQ POLITICS NEWS Aug. 8, 2010 – 10:35 p.m. Rothenberg’s Dangerous Dozen Open House Seats By Stuart Rothenberg, Roll Call Contributing Writer Competitive open seats usually follow the direction of the overall cycle, so with House Republicans poised for large gains, it should be no surprise that most of the open seats that flip will be headed their way. The districts at the top of the list are more likely to flip, with at least the first half-dozen looking like no-brainers. Tennessee’s 6th. Democratic Rep. Bart Gordon ’s retirement hands this seat to state Sen. Diane Black, who won Thursday’s...

GOP deadlocked for Stupak seat By: Kasie Hunt August 4, 2010 03:55 PM EDT One vote: That's all that separates the two Republicans vying for the right to seek retiring Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak's House seat. The unofficial vote tally kept by the Michigan secretary of state's office showed physician Dan Benishek with 27,091 votes Wednesday, compared with 27,090 for state Sen. Jason Allen. (The Associated Press gave Benishek a slightly larger, 12-vote lead.) It's a margin so slim that the top two primary finishers could remain in limbo through weeks or even months of ballot-counting and litigation. And...

VA-05: Democrat Perriello in Peril, One More House Seat Poised for Republican Take-Away: In an election for US House of Representatives in Virginia's 5th Congressional District today, 07/20/10, Republican State Senator Robert Hurt defeats incumbent Democrat Tom Perriello 58% to 35%, according to this latest exclusive WDBJ-TV poll conducted by SurveyUSA. The seat is one of many Republicans hope to capture in November 2010. 39 "take-aways" are needed for Republicans to capture control of the US House of Representatives. Perriello, who defeated 6-term Republican Virgil Goode by 727 votes in 2008, today trails among most demographic groups. Among men, Hurt...

Facing GOP challengers, Dem fundraisers get spread thin Posted By Dan Hirschhorn On June 30, 2010 @ 3:00 pm Things seemed a lot simpler for Democrats last summer. The political climate had yet to turn violently against them. Viable Republicans had yet to come forward to challenge a host of potentially vulnerable Democratic incumbents. Money wasn’t needed everywhere, so there was plenty to go around. Fast forward a year. Kathy Dahlkemper has an opponent. So do Chris Carney and Tim Holden. Paul Kanjorski faces the same guy he’s had to knock off twice. Even Patrick Murphy, Democratic poster-child of the...

For House Democrats: More Favorable Terrain Than ‘94 Rhodes Cook, Senior Columnist June 24th, 2010 Editor’s Note: Following last week’s article by Prof. Alan Abramowitz comparing 1994 and 2010 on the basis of open seat races, noted political author and Wall Street Journal online columnist Rhodes Cook delves into the differences between the “political terrain” of 1994 and that facing Democrats today. His smart commentary and scholarly analysis serves as a call to look beneath the surface and he offers a much-needed glimpse at the partisan and regional factors which will make or break this year for both political parties....

GOP Faces Possible NY 23 Repeat June 21, 2010 3:09 PM By Reid Wilson GOPers stung by a divisive intra-party battle last fall face the prospect of a split party, once again, in the race for an upstate NY House seat that should favor the minority. Last Nov., Rep. Bill Owens (D) won Army Sec. John McHugh's seat with just 48.3% of the vote. Still, it was enough to win after Assemb. Dede Scozzafava (R) and accountant Doug Hoffman, running on the Conservative Party line, split the GOP vote. After Hoffman attacked Scozzafava's moderate -- GOPers backing Hoffman labeled her...

GOP Poll Shows Rodriguez In Trouble June 17, 2010 11:26 AM By Reid Wilson Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX) faces a tough re-election bid against an Hispanic GOPer the party is excited about, according to a new survey for attorney Quico Canseco's (R) campaign. Rodriguez leads Canseco by a narrow 48%-45% margin, according to the survey, and the Dem doesn't have a lot of backup. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Pres. Obama both have overwhelmingly negative images, and GOPers lead the generic ballot test by 5 points. Canseco is little-known, and he doesn't have a huge amount of cash to spend...

6.15.2010 NPR Survey of Swing Seats is Consistent with Generic Ballot Polling by Nate Silver @ 8:30 AM A new poll from Public Opinion Strategies and GQR for NPR, which shows Democrats performing badly in vulnerable House seats, is making a lot of waves this morning. It certainly contains bad news for Democrats -- however -- it is the same bad news that was already implied by generic ballot polling. The poll shows Democrats losing by an average of eight points -- 41 to 49 -- on average between the 70 districts that POS/GQR surveyed. However, ten of these districts...

The latest on South Dakota from Rasmussen: The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey, conducted two nights after the primary, finds Noem attracting 53% of the vote, while Herseth-Sandlin earns just 41%. Just five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate or are undecided. Prior to the primary, the incumbent held a three-point advantage over Noem. In April, Noem trailed by 15 points. It remains to be seen whether the bounce reflects a temporary aberration or signals a lasting change in the race. Incumbents who poll below 50% are considered potentially vulnerable, and Herseth-Sandlin has been below that mark all year....

Former Congressman Goode will endorse Republican nominee By BRIAN MCNEILL Published: June 9, 2010 Former GOP congressman Virgil H. Goode Jr. says he will endorse Republican nominee Robert Hurt in the race against U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Ivy. Goode, a lawyer from Rocky Mount who represented the 5th District in Congress for six terms, lost his seat to Perriello in 2008 by a margin of only 727 votes. “Yes, I plan to support the nominee,” Goode said today. “I think he has a very good chance of beating Tom Perriello.” Hurt, a state lawmaker from Chatham, beat out six other...

New poll shows Labrador leading Minnick By Dustin Hurst June 9th, 2010 A new month brings new polling figures in Idaho’s 1st Congressional District, and thing are looking up for Republican nominee Raul Labrador. Idaho’s only local political polling agency, Greg Smith and Associates, released its latest poll, taken Monday and Tuesday of this week, which found that Labrador is leading Democratic incumbent Walt Minnick by 12 percentage points, though about 30 percent of respondents remain undecided as to who they will support in November. The poll, released Wednesday, was taken among 400 people in Idaho’s 1st Congressional District, which...

For much of the evening Tuesday, any one of four candidates were in line to win the Republican nomination for the 199th Legislative District seat. North Middleton Township resident and local attorney Stephen Bloom appears to have emerged victorious in the seven-way Republican primary to earn the nomination. As of Wednesday morning, all absentee ballots have been included in the results. Bloom won the 199th race by 284 votes, unofficially, with 2,163 votes. Denny Lebo had 1,879. The county board of elections will meet at 9 a.m. May 25 to certify ballot results. They will then be sent to the...

New House Ratings Ride a Republican Tide By Bob Benenson, CQ-Roll Call Senior Elections Analyst For the Democrats who control Congress, the outlook for this year’s midterm elections is the evil twin of the one they enjoyed in each of the past two election cycles — as CQ Politics’ latest race rating revisions underscore. In 2006 and 2008, Democrats surged in response to the collapse of President George W. Bush ’s popularity, and Republicans had to walk away from many efforts to challenge for what could have been vulnerable Democratic seats. This year, the voter backlash is against President Barack...

Kos poll: Burns by six By: Josh Kraushaar April 30, 2010 12:59 PM EDT Weighed down in his district by low presidential favorability ratings and a health care law that's unpopular there, Pennsylvania Democrat Mark Critz now trails by six points in next month's special election for the seat of the late Rep. John Murtha, according to a Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll released Friday. Critz, who served on Murtha's staff before the congressman's death, takes 40 percent of the vote in the poll compared with 46 percent for Republican businessman Tim Burns. The poll shows President Barack Obama's favorability number...

Many of the defense contractors that benefited from the late Rep. John Murtha's power to dole out Pentagon contracts are lining up to help elect his top aide to the seat. Defense contractors, local business officers and lobbyists that relied on earmarked federal contracts from Murtha (D-Pa.) recently chipped in $142,400 to elect Mark Critz, an analysis by The Washington Post shows. Those donations made up more than 52 percent of the individual contributions that Critz raised in the first-quarter of 2010 as he seeks to replace his late boss, new campaign records reveal. Critz is a friendly face to...

Sunday, April 25, 2010 Rating change: GOP projected to win Murtha's seat With the Pennsylvania preview comes one more projected GOP takeover. On May 18th, a special election will be held to fill the seat vacated by John Murtha's unexpected passing. The pundits call it a toss-up, but polls give Republican Tim Burns an slight edge over Democrat Mark Critz. As a result, the race moves to a Weak GOP Gain. I'm looking forward to seeing if the momentum displayed in Massachusetts in January will still be going strong in May in southwestern Pennsylvania. This change brings the projected House...

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Republican leaders urged party loyalists on Saturday to concentrate on winning seats in November congressional elections and worry later about who to pick to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012. "Don't get distracted by 2012," Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour told the Southern Republican Conference, a four-day pep rally that is hearing from several potential 2012 candidates, Barbour included. "The election we've got to be focused on is 2010. We can't wait until 2012 to start taking our country back," he said. Republicans are energized in opposition to Obama's agenda and harbor hopes of wresting the U.S....

Glenn Nye, D-VA has announced a no vote on the health care bill. Was he an expected no? According to Lopez late last night, Stupak appeared to be holding firm.

Skelton to Introduce Legislation to Protect TRICARE Washington, D.C.—Today, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) released the statement below regarding his intent to introduce legislation to explicitly state in law that TRICARE and the DOD nonappropriated fund (NAF) health plans meet all of the health care requirements currently under consideration by Congress for individual health insurance. These programs provide health coverage to members of the military and their families, military retirees and their families, and employees of U.S. military post/base exchanges and other nonappropriated fund activities. “Our nation’s military provides us with first-class protection, and it is our...