Sen. Al Franken and Republican Mike McFadden Face Off
Senator Al Franken and Republican Mike McFadden faced off in a debate Wednesday morning.
By: KSTP
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Sen. Al Franken and Republican Mike McFadden Face Off - Video
Almost two years after his Election Day drubbing, Mitt Romney is the Republican man in demand.
The twice-defeated White House contender is campaigning across seven states this week, covering nearly 6,000 miles in five days to raise money and energy for Republican midterm candidates from Georgia to Colorado.
Romney has repeatedly insisted he's not running for president again, and his closest aides laugh off a possible 2016 bid. But top GOP strategists and donors suggest his continued high profile in Republican politics highlights the party's murky future and a crowded 2016 field that is both flawed and without a clear front-runner
"There's a vacuum," said John Jordan, a major Republican donor based in California. "When there's 10 people in a possible presidential field, it's difficult for anyone to look presidential. None of these figures is overly compelling."
Just a month before the unofficial beginning of the next presidential primary season, Democrats have already begun to rally behind prospective candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. The race for the Republican nomination, however, is as wide open as most political veterans can remember.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had begun to assume a party leadership role before a traffic scandal tainted his brand. Major questions persist about former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's commitment to the 2016 contest. And the rest of the potential field features conservatives, such as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who have yet to demonstrate widespread appeal.
That leaves Romney as this season's strongest draw for Republican midterm candidates battling for control of Congress.
He earned a rock star's reception on Wednesday at The Varsity, a landmark Atlanta restaurant, where he campaigned alongside Attorney General Sam Olens after headlining a closed-door fundraiser for Senate candidate David Perdue.
Romney shook hands and autographed paper plates at The Varsity before ordering a hot dog and onion rings as diners snapped pictures.
In thanking Romney for making the trip, Olen said, "I wish you were on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave."
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Romney's in demand as Republicans' future unclear
Republican congressional candidate Elise Stefanik, 30, says her generation "can't just complain about the problems we have to help solve them as well, because we're ultimately inheriting them." Mike Groll/AP hide caption
Republican congressional candidate Elise Stefanik, 30, says her generation "can't just complain about the problems we have to help solve them as well, because we're ultimately inheriting them."
If the Republican Party were to hang up a wanted sign for the new face of the party, the kind of person they need to help them connect with voters they've had a hard time reaching, Elise Stefanik may just be the person they'd find. She describes herself as a "big tent Republican," and House Speaker John Boehner recently held a fundraiser for her.
She's young, single and a candidate for Congress in an area of New York known as the North Country. If she wins, Stefanik would be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. She recently turned 30, and rather than hide from her youth, she embraces it.
She recently gave a short speech at the Saratoga County Republican Committee rally, where party faithful gathered at the fairgrounds for barbecued chicken and a chance to chat up the candidates. "Who is ready for a new generation of leadership in Washington?" she asked.
Stefanik was a Republican operative in her late 20s a little more than a year ago when she decided to run. No one asked her to. She expected to take on a popular Democratic incumbent. Then he announced his retirement, and she was in the right place at the right time. She says she has traveled more than 100,000 miles in this massive rural district in the Adirondack Mountains.
Along the way, she won a difficult primary and won over local GOP leaders like John Herrick, chairman of the Saratoga County Republican Committee. "I felt early on that we needed somebody who was young. We needed a female on the ticket. Good diversity for us, and she fit the bill. She's a great candidate," he says.
Nationwide, the Republican Party has struggled to get support from people in Stefanik's very demographic. It has also had a hard time getting women past primaries and into office. Republican Rep. Ann Wagner from Missouri has taken a leadership role in trying to get more Republican women elected to the House.
"One of my biggest surprises and frankly disappointments was the fact that there were only 19 Republican women in a conference of 234. And that's not representative of our country's demographic," Wagner says.
But it's not just about demographics. Wagner has been advising Stefanik and wants to work alongside her in Congress. "This is one I want really, really badly," she says.
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In New York's North Country, The Republican Party's New Poster Candidate
In a further setback to Republican incumbent Pat Roberts, a District Court in Kansas declined Wednesday to force Democrats to place a candidate on the ballot in the states too-close-to-call U.S. Senate race.
The decision appeared to cement a two-way contest between the embattled Roberts and businessman Greg Orman, who is running as an independent.
The Democratic candidate, Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor, abruptly quit the race last month in the absence of support from his party establishment.
Republicans fought Taylors decision all the way to the state Supreme Court, which rejected an attempt by Secretary of State Kris Kobach a Republican who is backing Roberts to keep Taylors name on the ballot even if he refused to campaign.
A registered Democrat, David Orel, filed suit after the Supreme Court ruled, seeking to force Democrats to name a replacement for Taylor. Orel did not, however, show up for a scheduled court hearing on Monday, a fact the court noted in Wednesdays decision, saying he failed "to provide evidence to sustain" his argument.
The court in Topeka also held that political parties have the discretion to name their candidates and thus legal intervention would not be appropriate.
Kobach could appeal the decision. But with less than five weeks to the election, some ballots have already been printed and mailed to members of the military and other residents living overseas.
Political strategists on both sides believe that Roberts stands a better chance of winning reelection if Orman and Taylor split the opposition vote. (A Libertarian Party candidate, Randall Batson, is also on the ballot.)
Kansas Republicans have won every U.S. Senate race since 1932, the longest such streak in the country. Still, Roberts is seen as highly vulnerable because of a rough GOP primary and a perception that he has lost touch with the state after more than 30 years in Washington.
Polls suggest the race with Orman is neck and neck, a break for Democrats who are otherwise on the defensive in most of the U.S. as they struggle to hang on to control of the Senate.
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In blow to GOP, Kansas judges refuse to force Democrat onto Senate ballot
A Republican congressman and three law professors from Georgia have joined the fray over revamping the nations immigration system.
U.S. Rep. Doug Collins of Gainesville last week united with several other Republican congressmen in pressing President Barack Obama for details about what he will do concerning the hot button issue.
Obama has pledged to act independently now that immigration overhaul legislation is stalled in Congress. He is expected to announce after the Nov. 4 congressional elections protections for immigrants living without legal status in the U.S.
One possibility is an expansion of an Obama administration program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. That program grants deportation deferrals and work permits to immigrants who were brought here as children, who graduated from high school here and who have not been convicted of any felonies.
Supporters say that program is a humane way to treat young immigrants who did not choose to come here and who would struggle if they were deported to their native countries. Republican lawmakers say the program is an illegal end run around Congress.
Regarding actions you are planning that you believe would comply with the Constitution, the least the administration can do is give Americans the opportunity to see the recommendations that you are considering before you take any actions, says the letter from Collins and fellow Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee.
Rather than attempt to hide these actions from the American people until after the midterm elections, Americans should be given the chance to come to their own conclusions as to the merits of these recommendations. They can then exercise their constitutional right to petition the federal government and let you know their opinions.
A White House spokeswoman said the Obama administration would review the letter and respond.
Also this month, three Georgians were among 136 law professors who signed a separate letter to Obama this month, making the case that he has the power to shield certain immigrants from deportation. They cited U.S. Supreme Court case law and actions taken by Congress and Republican presidential administrations. Among those who signed the letter are Jason Cade of the University of Georgia, Charles Kuck of Emory University, and Joseph Rosen of Atlantas John Marshall Law School.
We believe the administration has the legal authority to use prosecutorial discretion as a tool for managing resources and protecting individuals residing in and contributing to the United States in meaningful ways, their letter says.
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Georgia congressman, law professors join debate over immigration