New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) tops Hillary Clinton (D) 45%-40% in Iowa in a hypothetical 2016 matchup, according to a Quinnipiac poll.
But there’s a long time until 2016. Maggie Haberman looks at the political cost of Chris Christie’s bridge story.
Stu Rothenberg looks at the 2014 calendar and what it could mean for the rest of the year: “The first Senate primary contest will be March 4 in Texas. Rep. Steve Stockman’s last-minute challenge to GOP Sen. John Cornyn got plenty of media attention. But unless Stockman can find a pot of gold (worth at least $10 million or so) at the end of a rainbow, Cornyn will cruise to victory. … The next incumbent senator facing a primary is Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky on May 20. Gauging Matt Bevin’s credibility and McConnell’s vulnerability in a primary is not easy. But up to this point, most observers believe McConnell will survive. … So right out of the gate, it’s very possible that two of the highest ranking Republicans in the Senate — McConnell and Cornyn — win their primaries and hand the antiestablishment crowd two high-profile losses.”
“The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching a web campaign featuring Americans outlining the ‘costs’ of repealing ObamaCare,” The Hill notes. “The committee is running an online ad campaign in 44 competitive districts highlighting Americans who benefitted from the Affordable Care Act, which the DCCC characterizes as ‘stories about the cost of Republicans’ health care agenda’ in a site launched with the campaign.”
Mike Huckabee is launching the “Huckabee Post.” And they’re hiring…
IOWA: Gov. Terry Branstad gets a 58% approval rating in the Des Moines Register poll, as 55% see the state heading in the right direction. Branstad also gets a 58% approval in a new Quinnipiac poll.
“Mark Jacobs, a wealthy businessman in a crowded Republican field for an open Iowa Senate seat, will air his first television ad in the race on Tuesday. Sources tracking the air war tell Politico that Jacobs’s campaign has reserved more than $100,000 in airtime.”
KENTUCKY: “A conservative outside group plans to launch a heavy-duty ad campaign defending Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s credentials as a foe of the Affordable Care Act and telling voters that he and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul are ‘working together to stop Obamacare,’ Politico has learned. The nonprofit Kentucky Opportunity Coalition will spend $382,000 over the next week on TV ads across the Bluegrass State, tying McConnell to his conservative junior colleague and blasting the national health care overhaul backed by Democrats.”
NEW HAMPSHIRE: “Urging Scott Brown into the New Hampshire Senate race, a conservative super PAC is going up Tuesday with an Obamacare-focused attack ad against Sen. Jeanne Shaheen,” Politico writes. “Ending Spending Inc., a 501(c)(4) backed heavily by Chicago Cubs patriarch Joe Ricketts, will spend more than $100,000 airing the commercial against the incumbent Democrat and running online ads promoting a Draft Scott Brown petition.”
VIRGINIA: Politico: “The recount in Virginia’s attorney general race began Monday and will likely conclude toward the end of this week.”