Campaigns & Elections - August 2007 - (Page 31)

inside politics: across state lines to officially enter the race against Johnson, who is recovering after suffering a brain injury in December. Dykstra lacks a high statewide profile, while Johnson enjoys widespread home state support as he works from home, co-sponsoring legislation and entering committee votes by proxy. Johnson himself has yet to announce whether he will run for his third Senate term. However, his campaign committee raised more than $660,000 in the second quarter of this year, and has raised almost $2.9 million for the election cycle. state was not seeing any benefits from using a lobbyist. VERMONT The state won’t likely see a new campaign finance law before the 2008 elections. The state House came one vote short of overriding Gov. James Douglas’ (R) veto of a reform bill, which would have set new limits on campaign contributions. The Democratic Party is expected to try again next year on a global warming bill, after Douglas vetoed that legislation as well. VIRGINIA The U.S. Department of Labor has granted $4.9 million to the Virginia Employment Commission to help respond to the impact on the workforce caused by the 2005 Base and Realignment Closure in Northern Virginia. The grant will fund programs to help workers find job opportunities for high-demand occupations. Nineteen thousand military and civilian employees relocated to Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County as part of the 2005 BRAC process. WASHINGTON Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell has forgiven a personal loan to Ron Dotzauer, a former campaign advisor who runs the lobbying firm Strategies 360. The loan, reported as being between $15,001 and $50,000, was made before Cantwell began her run for Senate in 2000. Dotzauer managed that campaign. Neither Cantwell nor Dotzauer have disclosed the reason for the loan. It became an issue in her 2006 reelection campaign because some of Dotzauer’s clients secured federal funding for their projects. WEST VIRGINIA Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D), who went from his humble coal miner’s hometown to the U.S. Senate, recently passed a milestone when he cast his 18,000th vote in Congress. Byrd, 89, is the oldest U.S. senator and the longest serving in history, with 49-years of service. Byrd is the third person in the line of presidential succession, and is chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. He said that he intends to finish his current term. He was elected to a record ninth term last year. TENNESSEE Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey (R) feels that Fred Thompson could do more than just make a good presidential candidate. His run for the White House could also mean newfound support for the Tennessee GOP. Ramsey says a Thompson run would help the Tennessee GOP regain seats in the Statehouse. The state Senate now has 16 Republicans, 16 Democrats and one independent who often sides with Democrats. In the House, Democrats have a 53-46 edge over Republicans. TEXAS Out of $110 million dollars approved by lawmakers this year to protect the state border, $93 million will go toward state police and state-run operations, including the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Department of Emergency Management. The remaining $17 million will be spent on grants for the local law enforcement agencies for overtime and equipment. Bordercounty sheriffs and deputies have criticized the small budget for daily border patrolling and officers on the front lines. UTAH The state will soon be without a Washington, D.C. lobbyist for the first time in more than two decades. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. decided not to renew a $90,000-a-year contract signed two years ago. Two-thirds of the states and three territories have a Washington office or a representative in the city, according to the National Governors Association, but Huntsman said the West Virginia WISCONSIN Democratic activists voting in the annual WisPolitics.com Democratic State Convention Straw Poll this year favored former Sen. John Edwards for president. Of the 389 delegates, alternates and guests who voted, 153 backed Edwards, and 83 backed Sen. Hillary Clinton. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was third with 74. The other candidates to reach double digits were New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (39 votes), former Vice President Al Gore (13 write-in votes) and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich (12 votes). In the February 2004 Wisconsin presidential primary, Edwards finished a strong second to Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the eventual Democratic nominee. At last year’s state Democratic convention, Russ Feingold was the overwhelming favorite for president. This year, having officially declared he won’t be running for president in ’08, Feingold received one write-in vote. —WisPolitics.com WYOMING Dr. John Barrasso was sworn in last month to the U.S. Senate, replacing Sen. Craig Thomas, who died June 4 while being treated for leukemia. Barrasso is a conservative Republican who was selected by Gov. Dave Freudenthal out of a pool of three Republicans nominated by the state party. The newly appointed senator will serve until the beginning of 2009, when the winner of a special election, held in 2008, is sworn in. Barrasso has indicated he intends to run in that election. WWW.SETILEAGUE.ORG WWW.BOSTON.COM CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS 08.07 31 http://www.wispolitics.com http://www.wispolitics.com http://www.setileague.org http://www.boston.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Campaigns & Elections - August 2007

Cover Contents Editor’s Note Ames Straw Poll Cavalcade; Last Candidate Standing; The New Dollar-A-Year Guy; Web Videos That Can Change the Election Across State Lines: Campaign News from Around the Country People and Organizations Movers and Shakers: Ten Questions for Matthew Taylor and Philip de Vellis Campaign Consultant Sign-Ups Reel Time Cover Story: Building Blocks From Madison Avenue to K Street Money Can’t Buy Votes Dick Cheney: Roll Model for Millions Ames: Still Weird, Still Important How to Do Tougher, Quicker Crisis Management Online Cause-Based SocNets Lure Issue Voters The Great Exaggeration Why Primetime TV is Alive and Well, Politically Speaking Buyer’s Guide Tips for Toeing the Fine Line Between Employment, Friendship Managing Your Friend’s Campaign? Think ‘Consigliore’ Off The Record

Campaigns & Elections - August 2007

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