Afternoon Fix: Newt Gingrich took money from ethanol lobby
A top Iowa conservative activist is up for grabs, Rep. Lujan is not running for Senate, Rand Paul likely not running for president, and Newt Gingrich took money from the ethanol industry.
Make sure to sign up to get "Afternoon Fix" in your e-mail inbox every day by 5 (ish) p.m.!
EARLIER ON THE FIX:
First thoughts on Barbour’s exit
Haley Barbour not running for president
How the shape of the 2012 field affects each GOP presidential candidate
The GOP’s debt limit strategy (or lack thereof)
WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
* Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has tangled with conservatives over his support for ethanol subsidies, got $300,000 from the ethanol lobbying group Growth Energy in 2009. He was described by the group as someone who would offer advice on “strategy and communication issues” and “speak positively on ethanol-related topics to media.” He did not get any money from the organization in 2010. A spokesperson for Gingrich responded to National Review about the story, saying the likely presidential candidate “supports an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy.
* Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) is not running for Senate next year, meaning the primary will likely be a race between Rep. Martin Heinrich and state Auditor Hector Balderas. Lujan might have split the Hispanic vote with Balderas; he’s the vice-chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. But there’s speculation that Lujan will endorse Heinrich and give him a boost with Hispanic voters.
* Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is not likely to run for president, his father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) told “The View” this morning. The younger Paul has said repeatedly that he would not run against his dad. “There is a little bit of discipline in the family," Rep. Paul joked. Meanwhile, Robert Paul, another son, says he’s probably not running for Senate in Texas. Rep. Paul is making an announcement in Iowa tomorrow, which could be the launch of his 2012 campaign.
* Iowans for Tax Relief’s Ed Failor Jr. is leaving the influential conservative group he has led for the past 16 years. The group held forums for aspiring presidential candidates in the past three cycles, and Failor was a well-known player in the Iowa caucuses. Minnpost.com’s Derek Wallbank reports that both former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) have courted him for their campaigns.
WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T MISS:
* Debbie Smith (D), speaker pro tempore of the Nevada state Assembly, will not run for Rep. Dean Heller’s (R) House seat should the Republican lawmaker be appointed to the Senate. That means state Treasurer Kate Marshall is the most likely Democratic candidate in the expected special election.
* Former Wisconsin state senator Pat Kreitlow is running against Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) next year. The former “Real World” star is in a Democratic-leaning district, but Republicans will do their best to shore him up in redistricting. Kreitlow, a former local news anchor, lost his state legislative seat in 2010 to Republican Terry Moulton (as Republicans are pointing out today).
* Former Senate candidate Ovide Lamontagne’s Granite Oath PAC is hosting a house party with Hermain Cain on Wednesday night, part of a presidential series organized by the New Hampshire Republican. The first event was held with former senator Rick Santorum in January, and the second with Pawlenty in March.
* Famed George W. Bush strategist Karl Rove will be on the University of Wiconsin-Milwaukee campus tonight for a speech to the College Republicans. Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch (R) will introduce him. The event is sold out.
THE FIX MIX:
Finally, D.C. is a disgusting, sweaty swamp again!
With Aaron Blake
- Spam
- Obscene
- Duplicate
Blog Contributors
Chris Cillizza
Chris Cillizza is founder and editor of The Fix, a leading blog on state and national politics. He is the author of The Gospel According to the Fix: An Insider’s Guide to a Less than Holy World of Politics and an MSNBC contributor and political analyst. He also regularly appears on NBC and NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show. He joined The Post in 2005 and was named one of the top 50 journalists by Washingtonian in 2009.
Juliet Eilperin
Juliet Eilperin covers the White House for the Washington Post. She served as the Post's House of Representatives reporter from 1998-2004, covering the impeachment of Bill Clinton, lobbying, legislation, and five national congressional campaigns. Since 2004 she has been one of the country’s leading reporters covering the environment, reporting on science, policy and politics in areas including climate change, oceans, and air quality. She is the author of two books, "Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives," and "Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks." Follow her on Twitter.
Ed O’Keefe
Ed O’Keefe covers Congress and politics for the Washington Post. He previously covered the 2008 and 2012 campaigns and reported on federal agencies and federal employees as author of The Federal Eye blog. Follow Ed on Twitter.
Aaron Blake
Aaron Blake covers national politics at the Washington Post, where he writes regularly for “The Fix,” the Post’s top political blog. A Minnesota native and summa cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota, Aaron has also written about politics for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and The Hill newspaper. Aaron and his wife, Danielle, live in Annandale, Va. Follow him on Twitter.
Sean Sullivan
Sean Sullivan covers national politics for “The Fix.” Prior to joining the Washington Post in the summer of 2012, Sean was the editor of Hotline On Call, National Journal Hotline’s politics blog. He has also worked for NHK Japan Public Broadcasting and ABC News. Sean is a graduate of Hamilton College, where he received a degree in Philosophy. He lives in Washington, D.C. Follow Sean on Twitter.
Scott Clement
Scott Clement is a survey research analyst for Capital Insight, the independent polling group of Washington Post Media. Scott specializes in public opinion about politics, election campaigns and public policy. He helps design and analyze all Washington Post polls, including the Washington Post-ABC News poll. Follow Scott on Twitter.
Rachel Weiner
Rachel Weiner covers national politics for Post Politics and The Fix. She came to the Washington Post in 2010 as a political web editor and anchored the Post's 2012 election blog. She was previously a web editor at The Huffington Post. Follow her on Twitter.
Latest Tweets
"The speech was a mix of defensiveness and contrition over the choices [Obama] has made." -- @postscottwilson. http://t.co/bIpMGhAKjc
"Close associates and City Hall insiders (say) Villaraigosa, the highest-paid mayor in the country ... is broke" http://t.co/XXCw2lwKqc
How the IRS scandal is like ‘The Simpsons’ http://t.co/SM0QG3Duyj
Loading...
Comments