Campaigns & Elections articles from June 2006

Campaigns & Elections archives from June 2006

Editor's note.(political consultants)(Editorial)
June 1, 2006... Each year around this time, famous people address graduates across the country. Both political and nonpolitical, the speakers have one thing in common: an uncommon level of achievement. And universities honor their success by asking them to be...

Correction.(Correction notice)
June 1, 2006... In the May 2006 issue of Campaigns & Elections the Web sites for three college organizations were incorrect. The George Washington University College Republicans Web site is: http://www.gwrepublicans.org/. And the Madison College Dernocrats...

Active or apathetic.(voting)
June 1, 2006... Areas that generate large donations do not necessarily supply big turnout. Take the 2004 presidential election, as an example. The ZIP codes that donated the most money to campaigns were concentrated in wealthy enclaves such as New York...

Best statehouse eats.(restaurants)
June 1, 2006... South Dakota, Mississippi and Alabama have primaries this month. Mississippi voters decide on Senatorial candidates, while those in the two other states select who will run for governor. So it seemed like an appropriate time to learn about the...

The top Democratic chiefs of staff in the House.(INSIDE POLITICS)
June 1, 2006... Most powerful Democratic chiefs of staff in the U.S. House of Representatives. According to politicos on and off the Hill. Stay tuned next month for the top Republican chiefs of staff. Phil Schiliro, U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif. ...

Steven A. Cash is the new principle at PRTM Management Consultants.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Steven A. Cash is the new principle at PRTM Management Consultants. Cash's most recent position was staff director for the Senate Judiciary Homeland Security Subcommittee on the minority side under U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.,

Joe Slade White and Co.(Selena Shilad appointed)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Selena Shilad has been named the new communications director of Joe Slade White and Co., a media consulting firm with headquarters in East Aurora, New York. Before joining, Shilad was deputy communications director at the Democratic Senatorial...

Stakeholder Strategies.(Tad Segal appointed)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Tad Segal is the new executive vice president of Stakeholder Strategies, a subsidiary of the lobbying group Venn Strategies. Segal previously served as press secretary to former U.S. Rep. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., and as communications director for...

Lori Neal will join Segal as an assistant vice president.(NEW JOBS)
June 1, 2006... Lori Neal will join Segal as an assistant vice president. She was an aide to U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.

Alpine Group.(Bob Brooks appointed)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Bob Brooks has joined the Alpine Group, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm. He'll server as the agency's point man for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. Brooks is the former chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La.

Loeffler Group.(William L. Ball III appointed)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... William L. Ball III joined the Loeffler Group as managing director of the lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. He is a former executive of the American Beverage Association and served as secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration.

Van Scoyoc Associates.(Dawn Sears Callaghan joins Porterfield and Lowenthal)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Dawn Sears Callaghan is the new vice president of Porterfield and Lowenthal, a new lobbying group in Washington, D.C. Callaghan most recently worked at Van Scoyoc Associates. She also has served on the Senate Judiciary Committee for former...

Metropolitan Dallas.(Kris Thibault joins United Way of Metropolitan Dallas)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Kris Thibault, a voter contact strategist, is leaving the Tyson Organization to take a position with the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas where he will work as assistant director of public sector campaigns.

Heather Creek is replacing Thibault.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Heather Creek is replacing Thibault. Heather has been an intern with the Fort Worth, Tex.-based telephone consulting firm for Democratic candidatesfor two years and graduated in May from Texas Christian University with a B.A. in political...

National Association.(Bruce Harvie joins National Association of Republican Campaign Professionals)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Bruce Harvie is the new executive director at the National Association of Republican Campaign Professionals, a networking group for Republican campaign consultants. He has worked on several congressional campaigns and for consulting firms...

New York-based Sheinkopf Communications Ltd.(NEW JOBS)
June 1, 2006... David Vermillion is leaving New York-based Sheinkopf Communications Ltd., a political consulting firm to work for Edelman Public Relations.

New York City Public Advocate Besty Gotbaum (D).(NEW JOBS)
June 1, 2006... Scott Gastel, who most recently worked with New York City Public Advocate Besty Gotbaum (D), is the latest employee of Sheinkopf.

Artemis Strategies.(Jim Dornan apppointed)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Jim Dornan has joined the staff of Artemis Strategies in Washington, D.C. Dornan leaves U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris', R-Fla., campaign for U.S. Senate. Dornan has also worked at the Russ Reid Co., another lobbying firm.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.(Joseph Lanier appointed)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Joseph Lanier will be joining the public policy practice at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. Lanier has also served as counsel to U.S. Sen. Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Heartland Values and Friends of John Thune PACs.(political action committees)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Lisa Spies is the new finance director for the Heartland Values and Friends of John Thune PACs. Spies is the former director of the Senatorial Trust at the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

House Republican Study Committee's PAC.(NEW JOBS)
June 1, 2006... Mike Bober is the new executive director for the House Conservative Fund, the House Republican Study Committee's PAC. Formerly he was with Hammond & Associates.

Akerman Senterfitt.(Jose Fuentes appointed)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Jose Fuentes is partner at Akerman Senterfitt in their government affairs practice. Fuentes leaves Reed Smith to work for Akerman Senterfitt. Prior to that job he was also an adviser to the Bush-Cheney campaign.

Mercury Public Affairs.(NEW JOBS)
June 1, 2006... Terry Nelson has joined Mercury Public Affairs, a communications firm which is owned by Fleischman-Hillard, as a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. Nelson was the Bush-Cheney '04 political director and former Straight Talk America...

Edmonds Associates.(Amy Turnbull Clymer appointed)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Amy Turnbull Clymer is the assistant creative director at Edmonds Associates, a Republican media firm. Clymer will work on the creative development for the agency's association clients, including the National Rifle Association and the Newspaper...

House Homeland Security and House Policy Committee.(Bailey Wood opened lobbying and communications firm)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Bailey Wood, has opened a lobbying and communications firm. He was the communications director for the House Homeland Security and House Policy Committee when U.S. Rep. Christopher Cox was chairman. The California Republican left the committee...

Joe Slade White and Company.(opens new office)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Joe Slade White and Company, a media-consulting firm with headquarters in East Aurora, N.Y., is expanding. They have opened a new office in downtown Washington, D.C.

Washington Street Communications.(closing down)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Washington Street Communications, a Democratic communications firm in New Hampshire, is closing shop. Colin Van Ostern, the principal, has accepted a job at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

Congressional Media Group.(media consulting firm)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Congressional Media Group, has opened in Washington, D.C. The firm will offer TV advertising, video news releases, script writing and press event services to corporate, nonprofit and political clients. Lee Johnson, a former chief of staff of...

Republican Party.(PARTY LINES)
June 1, 2006... The Republican Party of Arkansas opened a new office in Jonesboro, Ark. The office will serve as the Northeast Arkansas regional office.

New Hampshire Republican State committee.(Andy Leach appointed)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The New Hampshire Republican State committee has named Andy Leach as executive director. He replaces Jen Wrobleski, who has been in the job for three years. Leach currently works for U.S. Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H. He also worked on Gordon...

Washington State Democrats.(PARTY LINES)
June 1, 2006... Washington State Democrats have hired Kelly Steele as communications director. Steele also served as communications director for the Oregon Democratic Party.

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer Labor Party.(David Ruth joins University of Minnesota)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... David Ruth will be leaving his position as communications director for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer Labor Party to work as the associate director for national and strategic media relations at the University of Minnesota. Jess McIntosh,...

Nevada State Democratic Party.(Tom Collins appointed)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins is the new chairman of the Nevada State Democratic Party. Prior to his position in Clark County, Collins was a state Assemblyman from northern Las Vegas.

Campaign consultant sign-ups.(Directory)
June 1, 2006... Allan Crow & Associates/D -- media Joe Sulzer, OH, H18 '06 Anthem Media/R -- media Chuck Blasdel, OH, H06 '06 Basile Smikle Associates/D -- general Tom Suozzi, NY, Gov. '06 Baughman Company/D -- direct mail Joe...

Ten questions for Anne Gartlan: the secrets of voiceovers.(Interview)
June 1, 2006... An accomplished voiceover artist, Gartlan has done work for many Democratic candidates including Al Gore, Jon Corzine, Leonard Boswell and a number of New York state candidates. Gartlan's non-political work includes a commercial for a laxative...

Ten questions for Sheldon Smith: the secrets of voiceovers.(Interview)
June 1, 2006... Sheldon Smith is a voiceover artist who has done spots for Republican candidates in all 50 states and Guam. Smith has been doing voice-overs for about 40 years, his first political campaign was in 1974 for Michigan Gov. William G. Milliken....

The playmakers: inside the consultant versus consultant game.
June 1, 2006... At a breakfast briefing in Washington, D.C., shortly after Election Day 1993, GOP pollster and political consultant Ed Rollins told reporters that his candidate Christine Todd Whitman's win over Democratic incumbent Jim Florio in the New Jersey...

Rising Stars.(campaign managers)
June 1, 2006... Each year Compaigns & Elections' selects its Rising Stars, up-and-comers of the political world. Some have made their mark by turning losing campaigns into winners, or demonstrating excellence working on direct mail, polling,...

Where are they now? A look at past rising stars.(campaign managers)
June 1, 2006... Some of C & E's former rising stars have soared on to higher levels. Others have taken the become-a-partner-at-a-consulting-firm track. Others have fallen; some gracefully, opting out of the dog-eat-dog political scene for work in the private...

Good or bad? The debate over political consultants.
June 1, 2006... In December of 1987, Congressman Richard Gephardt had been campaigning in Iowa for nearly two years. He had moved his mother into an apartment in Des Moines. He had worked the state like a plowhorse, listening hard to the questions tossed at...

Alabama.(Mark Montiel is suing Troy King)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Mark Montiel is suing Troy King, his opponent in the race for the Republican primary for attorney general, claiming that King violated state campaign finance laws by setting up a PAC in Washington, D.C., through which he could funnel money back...

Alaska.(Frank Murkowski's plan for oil pipeline)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Gov. Frank Murkowski's opponents are blasting his latest proposal for an oil pipeline that would run from Alaska to Chicago. Under his plan, Alaska would get 20 percent ownership of the pipeline and oil tax rates for major investors such as...

Arizona.(hispanic groups sues state over voter identification law)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Hispanic groups, including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Chicanos Por La Causa, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and the Arizona Hispanic Community Forum, are suing the state over a law that requires...

Arkansas.(John Mark Clement sues Bill Halter )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... In a lawsuit filed this spring, John Mark Clement, an Alabama citizen and election follower, said that Bill Halter (D) is not eligible to run for lieutenant governor because he is not a state resident. Halter said that even though he lived out...

California.(universal preschool initiative)(American Federation of State)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are threatening a national boycott of all Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic stores in an attempt to cut back on corporate...

Colorado.(district elections)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Colorado's 7th District could be on its way to becoming blue for the first time. The district in Denver's suburbs was created after the 2000 census and has been held by Republican Bob Beauprez, who is running for governor. Republican Rick...

Connecticut.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman continues to worry about the primary threat from Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont. Lamont reported that he raised $712,611, $371,500 of which came from his own funds. While Lieberman has raised more than $940,000, he's...

Delaware.(Senate President Pro Tempore Thurman Adams)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Senate President Pro Tempore Thurman Adams (D) has proposed a plan that would give coastal Sussex County more representation in the County Council. Adams advocates adding two seats to the County Council by the 2012 elections, thus increasing...

District of Columbia.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... A bipartisan coalition headed by U.S. Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., and the District's non-voting delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), introduced a bill that would give residents a vote. Davis and Norton have been pushing this issue for years, but...

Florida.(Katherine Harris's political campaign)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris's beleaguered U.S. Senate campaign suffered more negative publicity as several top staffers quit. The Republican decided to bolster her campaign's finances by making a $3 million loan commitment from her personal...

Georgia.(ACROSS STATE LINES)(Sonny Perdue and Mary Taylor in tough political campaigning)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... After Gov. Sonny Perdue (R)and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor (D) launched significant buys during the most expensive possible time in the campaign season, they both appear to be benefiting from their respective rolls of the dice in the race for...

Hawaii.(Mike McCartney's run for chariman of the Hawaii Democratic Party)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The chief executive officer of PBS Hawaii, Mike McCartney, will be taking a leave of absence to run for chairman of the Hawaii Democratic Party. This is a return to politics for McCartney, as he served in the Hawaii state Senate for 10 years....

Idaho.(use and sale of marijuana)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... A blazing legal battle ensues in Sun Valley over a ballot initiative that would have allowed voters the opportunity to vote on a provision to legalize the use and sale of marijuana. Ryan Davidson of the Liberty Lobby of Idaho filed a...

Illinois.(campaign funds)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... A number of elected officials in Illinois accepted campaign contributions from International Profit Associates, a consulting firm that has since been disgraced by more than 460 complaints with the Better Business Bureau. Attorney General Lisa...

Indiana.(9th Congressional district elections)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... If the race for the 9th Congressional District seems like deja vu, that's because it is. This is the third time that Mike Sodrel and Baron Hill have faced each other for the seat. The first fight took place in 2002 when Sodrel, a Republican,...

Iowa.(Leonard Boswell's political activity)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Local campaign watchers rank U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell as one of the most vulnerable Democrats, because of a combination of rumors about his health and the fact that his opponent, GOP state Senate leader Jeff Lamberti, is considered very tough....

Kansas.(campaign disclosure)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... A new bill in Kansas would change campaign disclosure requirements, but loosen contribution limits. The bill would require candidates to report contributions that come in within the last 11 days before an election; currently they do not have...

Kentucky.(Ernie Fletcher's indictment)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Although Gov. Ernie Fletcher is not up for re-election until next year, his recent indictment could spell trouble for U.S. House races this year. Four out of Kentucky's five seats belong to Republicans, all of whom are up for re-election this...

Louisiana.(ACROSS STATE LINES)(election campaigning Mitch Landrieu)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... In the New Orleans mayoral runoff, Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu needs to worry about his opponent, Mayor Ray Nagin. If Nag in can keep the black vote and increase his percentage of white vote from 6 percent to 20 percent, he should win the...

Maine.(Olympia Snowe )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Fresh from being named one of the 10 most effective U.S. senators by Time magazine, Republican Olympia Snowe is showing herself to be an effective fund-raiser. In Federal Election Commission reports filed April 15, Snowe reported raising more...

Maryland.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... A vocal critic of Maryland's touch-screen voting machines has issued a warning about them. Avi Rubin, a professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University, warns that a security flaw leaves the machines vulnerable to a virus that could...

Massachusetts.(local elections)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Still aglow from its passage of landmark health care reform, Beacon Hill turns toward the summer months with a three-way Democratic primary for governor simmering. Chris Gabrieli an Investment Banker and '02 Lt. Gov Nominee, Deval Patrick...

Michigan.(tax reform)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The battle over how and when to eliminate Michigan's single business tax has leaders of both parties trying to define their party as the real champion of tax reform. A mostly Republican effort to get rid of the tax in 2007 prompted television...

Minnesota.(Martin Sabo )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Minnesota added another congressional seat worth watching when U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo (D) announced his retirement. DFL State Rep. Keith Ellison, a Muslim from Minneapolis, got that party's endorsement for the race. Other likely challengers...

Mississippi.(Billy McCoy )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Billy McCoy is in jeopardy of becoming a one-term Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives. The populist Democrat who Republicans love to hate and many Democrats call ineffective has battled debilitating health problems for most of...

Missouri.(fee-license offices)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The state's time-honored practice of awarding lucrative fee-license offices, which collect things such as drivers license fees and vehicle sales tax on behalf of the state, to political supporters of the governor has come under increased...

Montana.(ACROSS STATE LINES)(Conrad Burns)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The race U.S. Senate has focused on the ethics of incumbent U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns (R) and in the Democratic primary the candidate can't stray from ethics either. State Auditor John Morrison (D) has been embroiled in a minor scandal involving...

Nebraska.(state legislature)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... About 80 candidates are vying for 20 open seats in the state legislature, created by the first class of lawmakers to leave under Nebraska's 2000 term limits provision. It's a guaranteed turnover of 40 percent for the unique one-house...

Nevada.(renewable energy)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... With gas prices hovering above $3 a gallon nationwide, renewable energy sources are hot campaign topics in Nevada. At a recent congressional field hearing on renewable energy, U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons, the Republican candidate for governor, and...

New Hampshire.(illegal phone jamming)(James Tobin)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Illegal phone jamming by Republicans in New Hampshire during the 2002 elections still haunts the party nearly four years later. Recently released phone records show that James Tobin, Northeast chair for the National Republican Senatorial...

New Jersey.(Tom Kean Jr.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Republican Tom Kean Jr. is still running strong in the polls against Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez. Now, however, Kean faces a primary challenge from conservative John Ginty, a Bergen County businessman who seems intent on coloring Kean...

New Mexico.(Bill Richardson's campaign finance)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Campaign finance reports show incumbent Gov. Bill Richardson (D) to have nearly $7 million in his war chest, a massive advantage over his opponent, J.R. Damron. In an article in the Free New Mexican, Steve Terrell wrote, "Candidates love...

New York.(criticism of state government )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... "Will it translate at the polls" is the question incumbents are asking about the growing criticism of state government from citizen and business groups from every corner of New York State. New groups with names like FreeNYS and Unshackle...

North Carolina.(internal feuding )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... With appellate court seats the only statewide races on the ballot this year, political observers are focused on the internal feuding among Republican legislative factions as they head into the May primary. Former state House Co-Speaker Richard...

North Dakota.(beer tax)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Secretary of State Al Jaeger has approved a petition for a ballot initiative that, if passed, would raise North Dakota beer tax. In order for the initiative to appear on the ballot, 12,844 signatures must be collected by Aug. 8. The tax would...

Ohio.(Ted Strickland )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... In a further sign that at least some momentum is shifting the Democrats' way in what has been a GOP-dominated state for years, Democratic Rep. Ted Strickland topped statewide candidates with more than $1 million in contributions during the...

Oklahoma.(Dick Armey's Taxpayer Bill of Rights)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Dick Armey, former U.S. House Majority Leader, and chairman of FreedomWorks was in Oklahoma recently urging voters to support the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which would keep federal government from growing faster than the private sector. The...

Oregon.(electoral system )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Citizens voted for an open primary election, which would reshape the electoral system in Oregon. The new system would allow the top two finishers, even if both were from the same party, to succeed to the eventual race. Currently, like most...

Pennsylvania.(mayoral contest )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The Democratic primary for Philadelphia's mayoral contest in 2007 is sure to be a closely watched one since the incumbent, John Street, is not running again. So far the filed includes Councilman Michael Nutter, state Rep. Dwight Evans,...

Rhode Island.(Patrick Kennedy)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... In most states, repeated brushes with law enforcement--including the Coast Guard, TSA and now the Capitol Police--might land a lawmaker in hot water with his constituents. Thankfully for Patrick Kennedy, Rhode Island voters are a forgiving...

South Carolina.(primaries)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The candidate-filing period finished with a bang in South Carolina for Republicans, who will have six contested primaries this month. The biggest surprise was that developer Thomas Ravenel, rumored to be eyeing a primary challenge to U.S. Sen....

South Dakota.(ballot measures)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Seven petition measures that each require 16,728 signatures are aiming for getting on the November ballot. The tediousness of counting the signatures prompted Secretary of State Chris Nelson to hire more employees. The ballot measures are:...

Tennessee.(local elections)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... A large amount of unexpected money in state coffers should play a key role in this election cycle as both parties come up with plans to woo voters. One of the areas in which candidates and legislators are expected to spend money is on the...

Texas.(ACROSS STATE LINES)(Kinky Friedman)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Country musician and novelist Kinky Friedman was successful in gathering enough signatures to qualify as an independent candidate for governor. He raked in 169,574 signatures, almost four times more than the 45,540 necessary to make it onto the...