Stephanie Cutter declares that if Hillary Clinton runs, she’ll be the nominee: “If Secretary Clinton runs, she’ll be the nominee — the first female nominee of either party,” Cutter tells Maggie Haberman. “That breaks through the ‘old’ tagline that the Republican geniuses are cooking up because, if handled correctly, women of all ages will absolutely be inspired by that. I don’t recommend that be the totality of her message or platform, but there’s no way to hide that fact and it certainly shouldn’t be discounted. “
Beth Reinhard on how Obama has insulated Christie from criticism while the Jersey Shore still struggles to recover.
IOWA: Roll Call:“An uphill climb for Senate Republicans in Iowa may be further complicated by a convention process that local Republicans fear will nominate an unpalatable candidate for a statewide race. Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin’s retirement created a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans in Iowa, a perennial swing state. But after several top-tier Republicans declined to run, a cast of lesser-known GOP candidates announced their interest.” State precinct caucuses begin in January with a astate convention on June 14, 2014.
MASSACHUSETTS: Ed Markey may be sworn in Wednesday.
NEW YORK: The New York Daily News on Eliot Spitzer’s attempted return, running for comptroller of New York City: “Lust for Power.”
The New York Post on Spitzer: “Here we ho again!”
The Daily News: “The last time William Thompson ran for mayor, he promised to donate thousands of dollars from his campaign war chest to charity after the Daily News discovered that of his biggest longtime donors was linked to Bernie Madoff. But four years later, Thompson not only hasn’t donated the money — he’s also pocketed even more campaign contributions from the Madoff-tainted financier Seymour Zises. Zises — who was sued by victims of the Ponzi schemer for secretly investing the majority of their money with Madoff — has given more than $21,000 to Thompson’s various campaigns over the years. When The News uncovered Zises’ link to Madoff four years ago, Thompson promised to give $4,950 from his campaign coffers to charity.”
The New York Daily News: “After years of tension, Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg are ready to settle the score mano a mano — on the water. Cuomo and Bloomberg will face off July 22 in a whitewater rafting race on Indian Lake in upstate Hamilton County as part of the governor’s push to boost tourism in the Adirondack Mountains, the Daily News has learned.”
Here’s Bill de Blasio with a mullet.
TENNESSEE:Roll Call: “Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., placed a six-figure television buy more than a year ahead of Tennessee’s primary, enlisting Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul as a guest star,” saying, “Nobody wants to say no to Lamar Alexander.” The ad focuses on Alexander’s pushing of the “Freedom to Fish Act.” “The reservation will run statewide from July 8-21 and cost about $180,000. It includes broadcast and cable reservations and $24,000 in radio advertising.” Here’s the ad.
TEXAS:USA Today: “Texas Gov. Rick Perry is scheduled to announce Monday plans for his political future, leaving open the question of whether he'll seek an unprecedented fourth term next year or try again to seek the White House. Perry, 63, is already the longest-serving governor in Texas history and has been the Lone Star state's chief executive since December 2000 when George W. Bush left to become president. Perry's departure would set up the biggest political shuffle in Texas since he took office. The Republican was coy during an appearance on Fox News Sunday about his future, saying only that another presidential bid was ‘an option out there.’ He also said his attention is more focused now on a special session of the Texas Legislature, as lawmakers consider a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy that would also close most of the state's abortion clinics.”
Dallas Morning News: “Rick Perry coy about political future as event to announce plans set for today.”
The Austin American-Statesman: “Gov. Rick Perry will unveil his political plans Monday afternoon in San Antonio, raising the curtain on what has the makings of a tumultuous 2014 election cycle. Perry did not tip his hand about his announcement in a nearly 12-minute appearance on Fox News Sunday.”
VIRGINIA: The Cuccinelli campaign was out Saturday at facilities in Southside, Va., that a company once run by Terry McAuliffe, GreenTech Automotive, looked at for production – before the company’s production moved to Mississippi.
The Martinsville Bulletin: “Virginia Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli said Democratic opponent Terry McAuliffe ‘had a personal opportunity to make a difference for the folks in Martinsville and Southside Virginia, and he turned his back.’”
The Richmond Times-Dispatch nearly labels McAuliffe “Tricky Terry”: “It is customary for political campaigns to remain on constant attack, using even the most anodyne statements by a candidate as an excuse to denounce his or her policies, character and honesty. If one candidate says he loves puppies, then the opposing team will accuse him of hating kittens. So it’s no surprise that GOP gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli has been crying foul over Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s claims about his own business record. Yet Cuccinelli has gotten some big help from a surprising source: McAuliffe himself. The Democrat has a pattern of making expansive claims that don’t hold up under scrutiny. Republicans recently have drawn attention to several of them – including McAuliffe’s claim that he used a construction company to build 6,000 homes and create more than 100,000 jobs, and that his Franklin Pellets enterprise is shipping ‘wood pellets over to Europe.’ The first two claims appear to be highly overstated, and the second appears to be false.”
Meanwhile, The Washington Post on Thursday published a timeline of Cuccinelli’s involvement with Star Scientific, a pharmaceutical and dietary supplement manufacturer, including this year: “Cuccinelli files his statement of economic interest for 2012, including his stock holdings in Star Scientific. However, he does not include his June vacation at Williams's home, another oversight, he says. In March, Star Scientific informs investors that it had received subpoenas in January and February as part of a government securities investigation. The company’s stock begins to slide. In April, Cuccinelli announces he has asked outside counsel to handle the Star tax suit in place of the Office of the Attorney General. He maintains his office has no conflict of interest. He sells his remaining Star stock and announces he is amending his disclosure forms for 2012 and 2011 to reflect an additional $5,100 in gifts from Williams. He says the omissions were inadvertent but asks the Richmond Commonwealth Attorney to conduct an independent review of his disclosures. In May, a judge appoints a special prosecutor totake over the chef case from Cuccinelli. Outside counsel now defending the state against Star’s tax suit announce the two sides have agreed to a December trial date to settle the matter, the first movement in the case in more than 18 months.”
Politifact Virginia gives Cuccinelli a “False” for saying that McAuliffe opposes Virginia’s right-to-work laws.