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By: Rebecca Bonness

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4 year old surfing democrat point NY Natures Shapes - Video

Louisiana Democratic Rep. Cedric Richmond defended colleague Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) amid reports that Scalise spoke at a white supremacist convention in 2002.

I don't think Steve Scalise has a racist bone in his body," Richmond, who is black, told the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

"Steve and I have worked on issues that benefit poor people, black people, white people, Jewish people. I know his character."

While Richmond supports Scalise, the Louisiana Democratic Party bashed the GOP lawmaker and House majority whip in a statement. The party said the story is disturbing and accused allies of trying to sweep this incident under the rug by blaming Scalises staff and claiming the then-state representative didnt know the groups ideology.

If someone in Louisiana didn't know about David Duke's beliefs in 2002, they must have been hiding under a very large rock somewhere, Executive Director Stephen Handwerk said in an emailed statement.

This is a serious stain on Scalise's record as a public servant, that he spoke to a hate group and now lacks the courage to face the voters and make amends for such an egregious lapse in judgment."

In a statement to The Hill, Scalise spokeswoman Moria Bagley did not deny that that Scalise spoke with the group but said that hes never supported its white supremacist message.

Throughout his career in public service, Mr. Scalise has spoken to hundreds of different groups with a broad range of viewpoints. In every case, he was building support for his policies, not the other way around, she said in an email.

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Democrat: Scalise doesn't have 'racist bone in his body'

An historic change in Pennsylvania's governor's office and the campaigning leading up to Democrat Tom Wolf's victory was the focus of a political year in which a pair of Lehigh Valley legislators also saw their congressional roles rise.

Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's defeat came at the end of a campaign with no real shifts in momentum. A February poll from Quinnipiac University showed Wolf thumping Corbett with a 19-point lead, an advantage that barely fluctuated until the contest's final days.

The most significant tussling came in the Democratic primary, or at least until Wolf began airing his now well-known television ads showing his Jeep and his daughters. Among those seeking the party's nomination was Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, who attempted to end a streak of Lehigh Valley politicians vying unsuccessfully for statewide office.

But the streak remains. Pawlowski was the first Democrat to pull out, ending his bid in February after he had trouble raising enough money to field a competitive campaign.

"Every time I sat down to make fundraising calls, another issue would come up that would require my attention," Pawlowski said at the time. "I found out the hard way that gubernatorial campaigns are all about raising that money and concentrating on it."

Wolf, a York County businessman with substantial personal funds available to jump-start his campaign, didn't have that challenge. He was able to hit the airwaves early, giving him a lead in public opinion polls that other Democrats weren't able to overcome.

Corbett, struggling to reframe how Pennsylvanians viewed cuts to education spending and with few major legislative achievements to tout, attacked Wolf's tax proposals as vague plans that would take more money out of taxpayers' pockets. He regained some ground, but not enough to prevent him from becoming the first governor in 40 years to fail to win re-election.

In his election-night concession speech, Corbett said he promised during his first gubernatorial run to do what is right for the state and that he knew some might not like his decisions. "I said I may be a one-term governor and I am, but I am proud of what we did," Corbett said.

Corbett's departure leaves U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey as the state's top Republican office-holder. The Lehigh Valley politician also can expect a clearer path for his priorities in Washington, where he'll return in January as part of the new Republican Senate majority.

Toomey was stymied in his effort to pass tougher background check rules for school employees, a proposal that he said would better protect students from sexual predators. The bill stalled in a Senate committee, but Toomey says he'll keep pushing next year when power flips to the GOP.

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Political winds shift in Harrisburg, Lehigh Valley's power in D.C. rises in 2014

Top Congressional Democrat Asks Sony for Hack Details
The top Democrat on the powerful U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has asked Sony Pictures Entertainment to hand over details of what he d...

By: WochitGeneralNews

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Top Congressional Democrat Asks Sony for Hack Details - Video

Santas cross the street while marching through Midtown Manhattan during the Volunteers of Americas 110th Annual Sidewalk Santa Parade in New York on Nov. 23, 2012. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

My Post colleagues Philip Bump and Chris Cillizza recently asked a group of politicos whether Santa was a Democrat or Republican. They gave predictably partisan answers, with tongue firmly in cheek (I hope).

We can add to that by considering some public opinion data that my co-blogger Joshua Tucker and political scientist Will Jennings highlighted in 2012. Three polls have asked some version of a question about Santas partisanship. Here are the results.

The graph suggests that a smaller number of people are saying that Santa is an independent or something else (usually people just say they dont know or arent sure), and a larger number of people saying that Santa is either a Democrat or Republican.

The main caveat, however, is that in 2012, the survey question did not explicitly give independent as an option, listing only Democrat, Republican or something else. So it is possible that the 2012 poll may exaggerate any politicization. And, of course, there is the usual caveat of trying to extract a meaningful trend across only threepolls.

Nevertheless, the potential for a trend is intriguing and in line with other research that shows a growing salience of partisanship, even in non-political contexts.

Meanwhile, across the pond, Jennings reports on a 2013 poll in England about the partisan preference of Father Christmas, who appears to lean left:

John Sides is an Associate Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. He specializes in public opinion, voting, and American elections.

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Monkey Cage: The growing politicization of Santa Claus