The betting in Georgia now is that Rep. Tom Price will not enter the Republican primary for the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss after all.
Price, former GOP Policy Committee chairman and a favorite of national conservatives, may instead bid for the chairmanship of the House Budget Committee after the 2014 midterm elections, when current GOP Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin is expected to step down and possibly become chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Former Secretary of State Karen Handel, long favored to succeed Price in the House if he ran for the Senate, may now consider a Senate bid of her own.
Hot Mayor’s Race in Boston
With the announcement of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino last week that he was stepping down after 20 years, Beantown is expected to have its first heated and competitive race for City Hall since 1993, when Menino succeeded then-Mayor Ray Flynn, who resigned to become U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.
The early favorites are Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley — characterized as a fiscal conservative and a social liberal — and City Councilor John Connolly, who began as a conservative on the council but has moved sharply to the left on all major issues.
The race is non-partisan but all major candidates are, like Menino, Democrats.
Florida’s Grahams: The Next Generation
It was major news throughout Florida last week when lawyer and school administrator Gwen Graham declared for the Democratic nomination against two-term Republican Rep. Steve Southerland.
The 50-year-old Graham is the daughter of Bob Graham, both a former governor and senator from Florida, and the grand-daughter of former state Sen. Ernest Graham, once a Democratic gubernatorial candidate.
The saga is even more intriguing when one considers Gwen is also the niece of the late Phil and Katherine Graham, longtime publishers of the Washington Post. With conservative favorite Southerland a narrow winner in both 2010 and 2012, the contest is sure to draw national attention.
Gay Marriage Issue Has Illinois GOP On Edge
The surprise decision of Republican Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois to endorse gay marriage came at a time his fellow Illinois Republicans are bitterly divided on the issues.
A meeting of party leaders to discuss the ouster of state GOP Chairman Pat Brady on the grounds of his pro-gay marriage statements was postponed, reportedly at Kirk’s suggestion.
And multimillionaire businessman and GOP gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Rauner was repeatedly questioned on his position on this issue by the Chicago Tribune but would not take a firm stand.
John Gizzi is the former political editor for Human Events, working for the conservative weekly from 1979 to 2013. Gizzi is a recipient of the William A. Rusher Award for Journalistic Excellence, was named Journalist of the Year by the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2002, and has appeared on hundreds of radio and TV talk shows.
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