National Public Radio's Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg is reporting that Supreme Court Justice David Souter has told the White House that he plans to retire at the end of the court's current term, at the end of June. He is expected to remain on the bench until a successor is named.

Souter, 69, has long made it clear that he was looking to retire. The decision would give President Obama his first appointment to the high court and, Totenberg says, "most observers expect that he will appoint a woman."

The court currently has one female justice -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is recovering from cancer surgery.

But don't look for any ideological change on the court. Although Souter was appointed by the first President Bush, he "generally votes with the more liberal members of the court, a group of four that is in a rather consistent minority."

We've long been reporting the precarious political position Sen. Jim Bunning is in as the Kentucky Republican ponders a third term next year.

Bunning has been feuding with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and others in his party. His fundraising has been weak. He has been snapping at reporters and party officials, more than usual.

Continue reading "Will Sen. Bunning (R-KY) Retire? 'Roll Call' Reports A Hint" >

A Junkie blog post last night following President Obama's nationally televised news conference brought this comment from Joy Trenton:

I'd love to know how many households were tuned in to Lie to Me vs. Big O. Let us know if you get the numbers.

According to The Nielsen Co., which measures these things, Lie to Me -- one of my favorite shows, I should add -- was viewed by 7,754,000 people on Wednesday, which was the sixth-best showing on TV that evening, an evening that Fox won.

As for the president's news conference, Nielsen has these numbers:

Last night's primetime press conference to mark Barack Obama's 100th day in office was viewed by 28.8 million people in the U.S., according to The Nielsen Company. The event pulled an 18.8 household rating on 10 TV networks.

Viewership for the presser was 29% less than the President's last press conference on March 24, which was seen on 11 networks. President Obama's first primetime press conference was watched by 49.5 million U.S. viewers on eight networks. ...

Networks airing last night's press conference from 8pm to 9pm ET included ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, CNBC, and MUN2. Telemundo aired the press conference on a tape delay at 11:35pm ET.

Marchi made national news when he toppled Lindsay in the 1969 GOP primary.

It's a name that may not be immediately familiar to a national audience. But for one brief moment, in 1969, John Marchi was a hero to conservatives everywhere, especially those living in New York City. He accomplished what was thought to be impossible: He defeated John Lindsay, the liberal Republican mayor, in the GOP primary.

Marchi served 50 years as a state senator from Staten Island, the least populous borough of the city of New York, until he retired in 2006. He was immensely popular in his district, especially because of his long-standing efforts to win Staten Island's independence from the city. Last week, the 87-year-old Republican died of pneumonia.

Continue reading "John Marchi, Who Upset Mayor Lindsay In '69 NYC Primary, Dies" >

Joe Biden did it again.

Biden, notoriously known for saying things he probably wishes he hadn't, was on NBC's Today Show this morning. Hours after President Obama said in a nationally televised news conference that the administration was opposed to sealing the border with Mexico in the wake of the swine flu outbreak, Biden had this advice about travel:

I would tell members of my family -- and I have -- that I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now. ... It's not just going to Mexico, if you're in a confined aircraft and one person sneezes it goes all the way through the aircraft. That's me. I would not be at this point, if they had another way of transportation, suggesting they ride the subway.

That didn't sit well with Tim Smith, a spokesman for American Airlines:

To suggest that people not fly at this stage of things is a broad brush stroke bordering on fear mongering.

Biden's office later released a clarification.

No advice from the VP about taking Amtrak to Guadalajara.

April 30, 1956:

Sen. Alben Barkley, the Kentucky Democrat who was elected vice president under Harry Truman in 1948 and who briefly pursued his party's presidential nomination in '52 after Truman decided not to run again, dies of a heart attack at 78.

Barkley, the Senate minority (and former majority) leader, was the keynote speaker at the 1948 Democratic convention when he was selected to join the Truman ticket. Then 71 years of age, he was the oldest person ever to become VP.

He returned to the Senate in the 1954 elections.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

On his 100th day in office, President Obama held a prime-time news conference to tout his accomplishments and remind the American people that there is still much work still to be done. There wasn't much news, but here are some quick observations.

First of all, it should be reported that all the networks carried the news conference except for Fox, which instead showed an episode of its Lie to Me drama series. Just sayin', but for as long as there have been presidential press conferences, people have complained that the choice between said news conferences and Lie to Me would not have been much of a choice at all. But that's for another day.

Continue reading "Some Quick Thoughts On The President's News Conference" >

For those of you wondering who won our "correctly guess the Senate confirmation vote for Kathleen Sebelius for secretary of health and human services and win a personalized ScuttleButton puzzle" contest -- a very cleverly-titled name for a contest, if you ask me, especially in light of the fact that "U.S. News and World Report" was already taken -- the answer is ... no one.

No one arrived at the 65-31 tally. But here are the three people who came the closest:

Dennis Triglia of Portland, Ore., said 64-33.
David Poleykett of Charlottesville, Va., said 67-32.
Payton Bradford of Athens, Ga., said 68-31.

Congratulations to all. But, sadly, no button puzzle.

It may be a while before we truly grasp the meaning of Sen. Arlen Specter's switch to the Democratic Party.

In the meantime, we thought it might be the right moment to quickly review his electoral career.

The early, pre-Senate years.

 

Continue reading "Recapping Arlen Specter's Political Career" >

You've already heard the startling news: That Arlen Specter is going to switch parties, and become a Republican.

Now there's even more news: We have a winner to last week's ScuttleButton puzzle.

Continue reading "We Have A ScuttleButton Winner!" >

April 29, 1969:

A special congressional runoff election in California's 27th District, necessitated when Rep. Ed Reinecke (R) resigned to become lieutenant governor, is won by Barry Goldwater Jr.

Goldwater, a 30-year old Los Angeles stockbroker and the son of the 1964 Republican presidential nominee, easily defeated Democrat John Van de Kamp. Goldwater will serve in the House until 1982, when he will make an unsuccessful bid for the GOP Senate nomination.

That was then. In 2008, Goldwater was the Political Junkie guest on NPR's Talk of the Nation. We've uncovered this rare photo of Goldwater with, um, me, holding up a Goldwater for Congress poster from '69 (from the famed Rudin collection).

Ken Rudin and Barry Goldwater Jr. hold up a Goldwater poster from his (Barry's, not Ken's) 1969 election.Photo by John Dean (who along with Goldwater was our special Junkie guest in a April 2008 TOTN).

 

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

P.S. Thanks to host Kathleen Dunn and all the great folks at Wisconsin Public Radio for a fun program this morning.

A philosophical question of sorts from Gary Apter of Boise, Idaho:

So, with Arlen Specter being a chameleon again, what does this say about party affiliation?

That's the question of the moment, and that's what we'll be focusing on today during the Political Junkie segment on NPR's Talk of the Nation.

It's not just what the Specter move means to politics, the Obama admnistration or the dwindling Republican Senate minority. There's a bigger question: How important is party allegiance anymore?

Continue reading "Today On TOTN: The Specter Switch " >

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) has been confirmed as secretary of the Health and Human Services Department. The Senate vote was 65-31. Sixty votes were needed for approval.

The nomination took on a greater urgency in the wake of the swine flu outbreak. That apparently outweighed Republican objections to her record on abortion.

President Obama's first choice for the post, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, withdrew his name from consideration on Feb. 3 following tax payment problems.

Mark Parkinson, the former state Republican Party chairman who became a Democrat to run with Sebelius on the 2006 ticket, will become the next governor of Kansas. He has said he will not run to keep the post in 2010.

While we try to catch our breath over Arlen Specter's stunning switch to the Democratic Party, here's a list of the other Senate party switchers in the past 50 years:

Continue reading "Senate Party Switchers Of The Past Half-Century" >

Arlen Specter's departure from the GOP gives Pennsylvania two Democratic senators for the first time since 1946.

The news makes sense but was shocking all the same.

Sen. Arlen Specter, a liberal Republican from Pennsylvania facing a conservative primary challenge in 2010 that many think he will lose, today announced in a statement he is switching to the Democratic Party.

Sen. Arlen Specter, D-PA, sits on the Democratic side of the aisle during a subcommittee meeting on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 in Washington. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

 

Continue reading "PA Sen. Arlen Specter (R) Switches To Democratic Party" >

A clarification to our contest announced yesterday, in which the first person to correctly predict the Senate vote on the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be the next secretary of health and human services wins his or her own personal ScuttleButton puzzle.

The vote we are looking for is NOT the final confirmation vote. It's the initial vote -- it may even be a procedural vote -- in which Democrats are hoping to get more than the 60 votes needed to shut off a Republican filibuster. That's the vote everyone is watching, and that's the vote that matters. Especially when it comes to a personal ScuttleButton puzzle.

As we discussed yesterday, filling that Cabinet post has undertaken a new urgency in the wake of the spreading swine flu virus.

To help people understand more about the potential crisis -- 50 cases have now been reported in the U.S. -- NPR has launched a new blog, Flu Shots. The blog will track news about the virus from all around the world.

April 28, 1943:

Harold Stassen (R) resigns as governor of Minnesota to enter the Navy as a lieutenant commander.

Elected in 1938 to the first of his three two-year terms -- at the age of 31 -- Stassen was considered a boy wonder in Minnesota politics with a great future. But he would never win another race, a career that included nine bids for the GOP presidential nomination. He came closest in 1948, where he lost to eventual nominee Thomas Dewey, the governor of New York.

The end of his political influence came in 1956, when he publicly called on Vice President Richard Nixon to leave the ticket, a decision not shared by President Eisenhower.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

The last contest we held was to predict whom President Obama would select to head up the health and human services department. The first person who guessed Kathleen Sebelius received a genuine "Nixon's The One" campaign button from 1968.

Now it's time for another Sebelius contest. The Senate is likely to vote on her nomination next week. What will be the final vote?

Last week, Michael Steele, the chair of the Republican National Committee, called on Obama to withdraw Sebelius' nomination, citing the "significant questions" about the campaign contributions she received from a late-term Kansas abortion doctor.

Today, the administration's response to the swine flu outbreak has been complicated, to some extent, by the fact that there is no HHS secretary in place. It was Janet Napolitano, the homeland security chief, who was front and center on the administration's response. (Note: Napolitano refused to blame rightwingers or veterans for the outbreak.)

The early money is on Sebelius getting the 60 votes that would overcome a filibuster and win confirmation. But who knows? The first person to accurately predict the final Senate vote will get ... a ScuttleButton puzzle in his or her honor!

It doesn't get better than this.

Send your guesses to politicaljunkie@npr.org.

A new poll conducted by the Minneapolis Star Tribune shows that 64 percent of those responding say Norm Coleman should concede the Senate race he waged with Democrat Al Franken, who has been declared the winner by a three-judge panel.

Coleman, the one-term Republican senator whose term officially ended on Jan. 3, trails Franken by 312 votes. Following the panel's ruling, Coleman appealed to the state Supreme Court. The poll shows only 28 percent calling the appeal "appropriate."

Should Coleman win his appeal? Fifty-seven percent say Franken should then concede. And if the full court turns Coleman down? Seventy-three percent say he should give up.

Lt. Gov. Garamendi ends gubernatorial campaign to seek Tauscher House seat.

Sorry about the lisp in the header.

The race for governor of California next year, when Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger steps down because of term limits, will be certainly one of the more high-profile contests of 2010. By definition, any California gubernatorial race is nationally significant, but this one -- with no incumbent in the race -- has drawn a virtual who's who of Democratic pols into the race.

Continue reading "California Democrats Giveth & Taketh In 2010 Gov Race" >

April 27, 1959:

The Texas state legislature passes a bill that would permit a candidate to run for the U.S. Senate while simultaneously seeking the presidency or vice presidency. It just so happens that Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson (D) is up for re-election in 1960 and has been mentioned as a candidate for president or vice president as well.

The bill, which came to be known as the "LBJ Law," will enable Johnson to run for re-election to the Senate in '60 -- where he defeated Republican John Tower, a college professor -- and pursue the Democratic presidential nomination. When the latter goal failed, he was picked as the running mate to John Kennedy.

After Johnson resigned as senator, Tower won the special election to fill the seat, becoming the first Texas Republican senator since Reconstruction.

The same law will be utilized in 1988 by Lloyd Bentsen (D), who won re-election to the Senate but failed in his VP bid as the running mate of Michael Dukakis.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

It's over in NY 20: Murphy (D) wins.

They wanna stretch it out in Minnesota? Let 'em.

Not in New York 20.

Democrat Scott Murphy, a businessman making his first race, has won the special election (held March 31) in New York's 20th Congressional District to replace now-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D). All the votes are apparently in, and Murphy has defeated Jim Tedisco, the former state Senate minority leader, by 401 votes. Tedisco conceded the race this afternoon.

Continue reading "Democrat Scott Murphy Wins NY 20 Seat; Tedisco (R) Concedes" >

I don't know if last week's ScuttleButton puzzle can be fairly defined as "torture," but it certainly was the toughest one so far.

We'll see how this week's puzzle rates.

Don't forget the rules: Take one word (or concept) per button, add 'em up, and whaddaya get? Usually the answer to the rebus is a famous name or a common expression. And don't focus on a political answer. It doesn't necessarily have to be political, though it could be.

A correct answer chosen at random gets his or her name in this column. Personally, I can't imagine a greater honor.

You can't use the comments box at the bottom of the page for your answer. Send submission (plus your name and city/state -- you won't win without that) to politicaljunkie@npr.org.

This is a regular Friday feature on the Political Junkie blog. Here's the answer to last week's puzzle.

And, by adding your name to the Political Junkie mailing list, you will be the first on your block to receive notice when a new puzzle goes up on the blog. Sign up at politicaljunkie@npr.org. Or you can make sure to get an automatic RSS feed whenever a new Junkie post goes up by clicking here.

Good luck, have fun, and happy Friday!

The delay in Minnesota having two senators continues.

The state Supreme Court announced today that it will not take up the appeal of former Sen. Norm Coleman (R) until June 1. Coleman went to the court following the ruling of a three-judge panel that Democrat Al Franken was the winner of their hotly contested 2008 Senate race by a 312-vote margin.

Continue reading "Minn. Supreme Court Won't Take Senate Case Until June" >

The irony of Ron Elving and I putting together the latest edition of our "It's All Politics" podcast at a time Americans are outraged over torture has not been lost on many people. Or, as Ellen Bentley of Prosser, Wash., writes, "Well, there's torture and then there's torture."

Whatever, the decision by the White House to release memos detailing the interrogation techniques of the CIA under the Bush administration has opened up a firestorm of opinions, everything from the desire, by some, to prosecute those responsible for the policies, to the insistence, by others, that the tactics have helped keep the U.S. safe since 9/11.

Also in the podcast: preparing for the 100 Day mark of the Obama presidency, the Jane Harman controversy, the latest in Minnesota and NY 20, and a California gubernatorial update.

And you can hear it all here:

Credits --
Nonstop talkers: Ron Elving and Ken Rudin
Producer: Marisa Penaloza

Wanna subscribe to the podcast? You can do it through iTunes.

Wanna hear previous episodes? Click here.

Wanna be on my weekly mailing list? Sign up at politicaljunkie@npr.org.

Wanna follow my rantings on Twitter? Go to http://twitter.com/kenrudin.

Wanna send me campaign buttons to illustrate for future blog posts? Really, you should. I'll be your BFF.

April 24, 1971:

More than 175,000 people march in Washington, reaching the steps of the Capitol, to demand an end to the war in Vietnam. The crowd includes several members of Congress, but none of the prospective presidential candidates for 1972.

It is believed to be the largest rally ever held at the Capitol.

On the same day, in San Francisco, 150,000 march for the same cause. The rallies were sponsored by the National Peace Action Coalition.

Two days earlier, also at the Capitol, John Kerry of Vietnam Veterans Against the War testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Summoned to University Park, Pa., for the afternoon. No more Junkie posts today.

We are ... Penn State.

We're back ... Tomorrow.

(With a ScuttleButton puzzle that I particularly like.)

April 23, 1985:

Former Sen. Sam Ervin (D-NC), who chaired the Senate Watergate Committee in the spring of 1973 and became a national figure in the process, dies of respiratory failure. He was 88.

Ervin started off his career as a strong opponent of civil rights legislation, but his stewardship of the committee during the nationally televised hearings made him a folk hero among many Democrats. He was perhaps best known for his arching eyebrows and "aw shucks" country manner.

First elected to the Senate in 1954, he did not seek re-election in 1974.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

The genie -- interrogation methods used by the CIA against suspected terrorists, approved by the Bush administration in the aftermath of 9/11 -- is out of the bottle.

President Obama's decision to release secret memos detailing these tactics, which included waterboarding, has unleashed a firestorm of controversy and anger, mostly centered on what kind of punishment, if any, should be administered to those who formulated and approved the policies.

Once, the mantra of the Obama administration was to look forward, not to "dwell on the past." No longer. The graphic details of the harsh techniques that were released have resulted in a renewed call to punish those responsible. The president is now open to that.

Continue reading "Prosecute Bush Officials On Torture? Sen. Levin To NPR: Commission Good 1st Step" >

What's so amazing to me about San Francisco Mayor Newsom's (D) decision to announce his candidacy for governor on Twitter is, with a 140 cha

If it's Wednesday, it's time for the Political Junkie segment on Talk of the Nation.

The focus in Washington is on the interrogation policies of the Bush administration and whether officials behind that policy should be subject to prosecution. We've gotten mixed messages from the Obama administration on that one.

Plus: Dick Cheney rallies the opposition to President Obama (and to the delight of the DNC), Jane Harman under the microscope, Kathleen Sebelius gets closer to the Cabinet, Norm Coleman files his appeal, and Rod Blagojevich won't be allowed to be dropped into the jungle of Costa Rica -- as much as we'd like him to be.

Join host Neal Conan and me every Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET for the Junkie segment on TOTN, where you can often, but not always, find interesting conversation, useless trivia questions and sparkling jokes. And you can win a Political Junkie T-shirt!

By the way, TOTN's David Gura has put together a photo gallery of previous T-shirt winners that will constantly be updated ... though not if Tom Wieder of Ann Arbor, Mich., keeps winning. He was the first correct answer two weeks in a row! (We've got to get caller ID.)

Last week's segment can be heard here.

If your local NPR station doesn't carry TOTN, you can hear the program on the Web or on HD Radio. And if you are a subscriber to XM/Sirius radio, you can find the show there as well (siriusly).

April 22, 1975:

Sen. Stuart Symington, a Missouri Democrat, announces he will not seek a fifth term in 1976.

Symington, 73, was first elected in 1952 and was a candidate for his party's presidential nomination in 1960.

The Democratic nominee to replace Symington in '76, Rep. Jerry Litton, will die in a plane crash the night of his primary win. Disarray in the Democratic camp will lead to the victory in November by state Attorney General John Danforth, who narrowly lost to Symington in 1970, and who becomes the first Missouri Republican to win a Senate seat since 1946.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Yesterday, the story was about Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) and whether or not she told a suspected Israeli agent that she would lobby the Justice Department to go easy on two pro-Israeli lobbyists who were under investigation for espionage if the agent would use his influence with incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi to help Harman become the next chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Harman's alleged conversation, thought to have taken place in either 2005 or 2006, was apparently captured on an NSA wiretape. The story was broken by Jeff Stein of Congressional Quarterly; it later found itself all over the blogosphere (including here), and on the front page of today's New York Times.

The part of Stein's story that could not be confirmed was that then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told the DOJ to back off from any investigation of Harman in exchange for Harman's support for the warrantless wiretapping program. I'm told that Justice Department sources say such a scenario was highly unlikely.

But the headlines today were mostly about Harman and the potential of a quid pro quo regarding helping the two lobbyists, who worked for the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), in exchange for advancing her ambitions.

Continue reading "Harman On NPR: 'I'm Outraged Over Wiretaps.' Still, More Questions Than Answers." >

It's time to take you out of your misery.

Never before in the history of ScuttleButton puzzles on this site -- a history that goes all the way back to Dec. 5, 2008 -- have there been so few correct answers submitted.

Is everyone focusing on Susan Boyle at the expense of ScuttleButton? (We may have the same initials, but seriously.) Has it come to that?

Continue reading "We Have A ScuttleButton Winner!" >

And you thought the answer was George Washington.

A fun question from Debbie Lloyd of Rochester, Minn.:

Just found out that one of my fellow Obama campaign supporters is pregnant -- due in October. With a little math, it appears that they were doing a little celebrating of their own on inauguration night. Any stats about past inauguration babies or projections for the number of 2009 October babies?

I have never seen or read anything like this before. Does anyone have anecdotes to share? Past inaugural stories? For example, in January of 1965, did anyone go "all the way with LBJ," so to speak?

This could make for an entertaining Political Junkie segment on Talk of the Nation. Or, just an embarrassing blog post. It's up to you, America.

President Obama's nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) to be secretary of health and human services advanced to the full Senate this morning, following a vote of 15-8 by the Finance Committee.

Two Republicans, Olympia Snowe of Maine and Pat Roberts of Kansas, voted yes.

The nomination hit a speed bump regarding the issue of abortion. Senate Finance Republicans had asked her how much money George Tiller, a Wichita doctor who performs late-term abortions, had contributed to her political campaigns, and Sebelius, in a written response, said that the total between 1994 (when she was first elected state insurance commissioner) and 2001 was $12,450.

The Associated Press then revealed that Tiller had given her an additional $23,000 between 2000 and 2002 (when she was first elected governor). Sebelius called it an oversight. She also, prior to her confirmation hearing, corrected her tax returns and paid more than $7,000 in back taxes because of improper deductions.

President Obama's first nominee for HHS secretary, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, withdrew his name from consideration on Feb. 3 because of unpaid taxes.

No word yet on whether Republicans intend to filibuster the nomination. Anti-abortion groups have urged the Senate to reject her.

April 21, 1981:

Michigan state Rep. Mark Siljander (R), a Christian fundamentalist and strong anti-abortion conservative, wins a special election in the state's 4th Congressional District with nearly 73 percent of the vote. He succeeds David Stockman, who was named as President Reagan's budget director.

Stockman had tried to get a longtime ally to replace him but Siljander beat him in the Republican primary.

In fact, the Michigan GOP establishment battled with Siljander throughout his tenure in Congress over his tendency to link religion and politics. He was finally ousted in the 1986 primary by Fred Upton, a moderate, who still serves. Siljander made what many considered to be a major gaffe by inferring, in an appeal to fundamentalist ministers, that Upton was backed by the forces of Satan.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

The bombshell by Jeff Stein of Congressional Quarterly -- that an NSA wiretap picked up Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) telling a suspected Israeli agent that she would lobby the Justice Department to reduce espionage charges against two officials of American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in exchange for the agent's agreement to lobby Nancy Pelosi to name Harman chair of the House Intelligence Committee -- is spreading like wildfire on the Internets.

But is it true?

Continue reading "What To Make Of The Alleged Jane Harman/AIPAC Quid Pro Quo" >

On Friday, we put together a list of the five Senate seats that are most likely to be won by the opposite party in 2010.

We already have a list of those senators who aren't running to keep their seats next year: Ted Kaufman (D-DE), Mel Martinez (R-FL), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Kit Bond (R-MO), Judd Gregg (R-NH) and George Voinovich (R-OH).

And now people in Oklahoma are wondering whether Tom Coburn will join that latter list.

Continue reading "He's Raising Little Money; Will Sen. Tom Coburn Run Again?" >

April 20, 2005:

Jeffords was elected to the Senate 3 times, and to the House 7 times, as a Republican.

Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont, whose decision in 2001 to leave the Republican Party and become an independent handed the Democrats the majority in the Senate, announces he will not seek re-election next year.

Jeffords, a liberal, had been one of the last of the so-called "Rockefeller Republicans" from New England. But his unhappiness with President Bush and the conservative direction of the party led him to quit the GOP on May 24, 2001. That shifted the numbers in the Senate from 50-50 (a GOP majority thanks to the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Cheney) to 51-49 Democratic.

The Dems held the majority only until the 2002 elections.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Too much attention directed at the new White House dog? Maybe so, suggests Lea-Ann Germinder of Tenafly, N.J.:

Do you know of any other presidential cats other than Socks and India? I am doing research and it seems as if Abraham Lincoln also had cats. In fairness, I work with the CATalyst Council, www.catalystcouncil.org, which is all about raising the stature of cats. Bo is great news, but it seems another presidential cat would help the cause!

Continue reading "The Politics Of Fighting Like Cats And Dogs" >

It's a bit early to be predicting winners and losers for the 2010 elections -- remember how right on we were in casting Hillary Clinton as the Democratic "frontrunner" well in advance? But with lots of polls already out and fundraising figures being monitored daily, we thought it would be a good time to post our inaugural list of the top five Senate seats that are most vulnerable to switching parties in 2010.

And they are, in order:

Continue reading "Top 5 Vulnerable Senate Seats" >

If you truly hated taxes, then you would have joined other tax resisters this week, such as Ron Paul and Tim Geithner, and participate in the various "tea parties" around the country.

But if you love button puzzles, then you've come to the right place ... because the new ScuttleButton puzzle is up and ready to be solved!

And here's how to do it. Take one word (or concept) per button, add 'em up, and whaddaya get? Usually the answer to the rebus is a famous name or a common expression. And don't focus on a political answer. It doesn't necessarily have to be political, though it could be.

A correct answer chosen at random gets his or her name in this column. Personally, I can't imagine a greater honor.

You can't use the comments box at the bottom of the page for your answer. Send submission (plus your name and city/state -- you won't win without that) to politicaljunkie@npr.org.

This is a regular Friday feature on the Political Junkie blog. Here's the answer to last week's puzzle.

And, by adding your name to the Political Junkie mailing list, you will be the first on your block to receive notice when a new puzzle goes up on the blog. Sign up at politicaljunkie@npr.org. Or you can make sure to get an automatic RSS feed whenever a new Junkie post goes up by clicking here.

Good luck, have fun, and happy Friday!

Now that my co-host Ron Elving has been away a second consecutive week -- this time he has decided to join Rod Blagojevich and be dropped into the jungle of Costa Rica for the "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here" reality show (will someone please explain that to me?) -- filling in for our "It's All Politics" podcast is NPR White House correspondent Don Gonyea, making what is believed to be his second appearance -- and last, if he wants to advance his career.

And lots of White House stuff to talk about this week, everything from the president's upcoming trip south of the border, starting with Mexico, his foreign policy success with the Somali pirates, and the uncertainty regarding North Korea and Iran.

Also, President and Mrs. Obama have paid their taxes ... which, if nothing else, means they are not eligible to serve in the Obama Cabinet.

Plus: What to make of the tea parties around the country on tax day, new news (but no new winner) with Minnesota Senate and New York 20, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg renews his flirtation with the GOP.

And we end with, uncharacteriscally for a political podcast, a tribute to the late Detroit Tiger pitcher Mark Fidrych by Gonyea, a lifelong fan of the Tigers.

And you can hear it all here:

Credits --
Nonstop talkers: Don Gonyea and Ken Rudin
Producer: Evie Stone

Wanna subscribe to the podcast? You can do it through iTunes.

Wanna hear previous episodes? Click here.

Wanna be on my weekly mailing list? Sign up at politicaljunkie@npr.org.

Wanna follow my rantings on Twitter? Go to http://twitter.com/kenrudin.

April 17, 1961:

A force of about 1,500 Cuban refugees, trained by the CIA and tacitly supported by the Kennedy Administration, invades Cuba in the hope of toppling the government of Fidel Castro.

The invasion, commonly known as the "Bay of Pigs," is easily crushed by the Castro government, resulting in a serious humiliation for the White House.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Buttons courtesy of Tom Keefe, Albany, N.Y.

It's been 163 days since voters in Minnesota went to the polls expecting to determine a winner in the battle for a Senate seat.

It's been 16 days since voters in New York's 20th Congressional District went to the polls to name a successor to Kirsten Gillibrand (D), who was appointed to the Senate seat vacated by now-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Neither the Minnesota Senate seat nor the upstate New York House seat has been filled. Neither one is officially over. But both are clearly heading in the Democrats' direction. Both are likely to result in victory by the Democrat.

But before we get there, while the Senate race has long ago gone from voting booth to court chambers, there is a chance the New York contest could find itself before judges as well.

Continue reading "As Murphy (D) Pulls Ahead, Will NY 20 Become Another Minn.?" >

April 16, 1954:

Griswold is succeeded by a woman, Eva Bowring, who becomes the 8th female senator in history.

Two days after Sen. Dwight Griswold (R) of Nebraska dies, Gov. Robert Crosby appoints Eva Bowring, a fellow Republican, to replace him. She becomes the second woman in the current Senate -- alongside Maine's Margaret Chase Smith (R) -- and just the eighth in history.

Bowring is a former vice chair of the Nebraska GOP who worked for the election of President Eisenhower in 1952. She says she will not seek to hold the seat and will serve only until a successor is elected in November.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

If it's Wednesday, it's time for the Political Junkie segment on Talk of the Nation.

The President gets good news off the coast of Somalia. But other foreign policy hopes result in less than smooth sailing.

Plus: new developments in the Minnesota Senate race (though still no winner), awaiting a call in New York 20 (though still no winner), and NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg renews his flirtation with the GOP. For now.

Join host Neal Conan and me every Wednesday at 2 pm ET for the Junkie segment on TOTN, where you can often, but not always, find interesting conversation, useless trivia questions and sparkling jokes. And you can win a Political Junkie t-shirt!

Last week's segment, with special guest Rep.-elect Mike Quigley (D-IL), can be heard here.

If your local NPR station doesn't carry TOTN, you can hear the program on the Web or on HD Radio. And if you are a subscriber to XM/Sirius radio, you can find the show there as well (siriusly).

And as we do each Wednesday, immediately following the Junkie segment we pick up with our political Web chat. I'll be joined this week by Elizabeth Stawicki, a legal correspondent for Minnesota Public Radio, who will update us on the stalemated Senate race; and Joanne Bamberger, a contributing editor at BlogHer who blogs as "PunditMom."

If you want to submit questions in advance, you can leave them in the comments section.

April 15, 1947:

Martin Kennelly, a Democrat who was elected mayor of Chicago two weeks earlier, is inaugurated for the first of his two terms.

He will win re-election in 1951, but in 1955 he will be unseated in the primary by Cook County Democratic leader Richard J. Daley. Daley will go on to serve until his death in 1976 -- longer than any other mayor in the city's history.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

It's a day of giving.

Malia and Sasha have a dog.

And America has a new ScuttleButton winner.

Continue reading "We Have A ScuttleButton Winner!" >

In this handout image released by the White House, the Obamas' new puppy, Bo, a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog, sits in the White House in Washington, D.C. Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images

We had Bo Derek in 10, Bo Callaway as a congressman from Georgia, Bo Schembechler running the Michigan football team, Bo Belinsky playing with the Los Angeles Angels and Mamie Van Doren (simultaneously), Bo Diddley on the guitar. We even had Bo (Ms. Peep to you), the shepherdess who lost her sheep.

And now, we present to you ... Bo, the Portuguese water dog, who made his debut today as the new White House pet. A gift from Sen. Ted Kennedy, Bo becomes the latest campaign promise kept by President Obama, who told daughters Malia and Sasha that they would get a puppy when they moved to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Bo is only the latest dog to reach the White House. We all know of Checkers, the dog that saved Richard Nixon's spot on the 1952 Republican ticket. But how much do we know about the other presidential dogs?

Well, The Associated Press has put together an interactive "Presidential Pooches" game that is fun for the entire family.

Note: Some of the questions may be ruff. But no bitching allowed.

April 14, 1945:

Funeral services are held in the White House.for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the nation's 31st chief executive, who died two days earlier.

Roosevelt, 63, succumbed to a cerebral hemorrhage while at his retreat in Warm Springs, Ga. Some 500,000 people lined the streets of Washington as the president's body arrived in the nation's capital by train. The funeral procession then made the trip from Union Station to the White House.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

The three-judge panel that has been looking into the still-unresolved Minnesota Senate race ruled unanimously on Monday that Al Franken, the Democrat, has won more votes than Norm Coleman, the Republican and former occupant of the seat.

This was not entirely unexpected. Last week, after the judges allowed some 351 previously rejected absentee ballots to be counted -- far less than the Coleman camp's request of more than 1,000 -- Franken's lead of 225 votes increased to 312. That's where the margin stands now, and that's what led the panel to declare Franken with the most votes. (Click here for our last report on the race.)

There was no official response from the Coleman camp today, but Benjamin Ginsberg, his attorney, has said for a while now that with so many voters being "disenfranchised," they are likely to appeal to the state Supreme Court. They have 10 days to file their appeal.

Tuesday marks 23 weeks since the election.

A delightful piece of trivia today from Roll Call's "Heard on the Hill" column (subscription required).

Reporters Emily Heil and Elizabeth Brotherton note that in the 1993 movie The Fugitive, when U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) is chasing Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) through downtown Chicago during the St. Patrick's Day parade, whom do we see smiling in the parade but Roland Burris!

It just so happens that the scene was shot during the actual parade, and if you watch this film clip, you'll see Burris, then the Illinois attorney general, among those marching. It's about a minute in.

 

Jerome Waldie, a liberal Democrat from California who served on the House Judiciary Committee during the Nixon impeachment hearings in 1974, died earlier this month at 84.

Waldie, who represented the San Francisco Bay area, was the first member of the committee to call for the impeachment of President Richard Nixon. His resolution came just days after the so-called Saturday Night Massacre, in October 1973, when Nixon had Archibald Cox, the Watergate special prosecutor, fired.

Waldie, the state Assembly majority leader, was elected to Congress in a special 1966 election following the death of incumbent Republican John Baldwin. He had no trouble in four re-election contests, usually winning more than 70 percent of the vote. He was a strong critic of both Nixon and the Vietnam War.

Waldie gave up his seat to seek the Democratic nomination for governor in 1974. But the impeachment hearings were taking place during the primary campaign, and while he attracted some attention for his decision to walk the length of the state to meet voters, he never was a factor. He finished a weak fifth in the primary that was won by California Secretary of State Jerry Brown.

April 13, 1967:

First up for the new House ethics committee: What to do about Adam Clayton Powell.

The House, by a 400-0 vote, establishes the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. Known simply as the House ethics committee, the panel was created primarily to officially investigate the affairs and behavior of Rep. Adam Clayton Powell (D-NY), who has been barred from taking his seat in Congress because members found he had misappropriated public funds for his personal use.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

In a Junkie post back on March 16, the question, from a reader, was, had Madelyn Dunham lived to see his inauguration, would Barack Obama have been the first president with a living grandparent? I said yes.

I was wrong.

As Philip Leib of Westfield, N.J., writes:

I give you Mary Josephine Hannan Fitzgerald, wife of John Fitzgerald, mother of Rose Kennedy, grandmother of John F. Kennedy, born October 31, 1865, died August 8, 1964.

Also, in my "This Day in Campaign History" feature on March 20, I said that Lindy Boggs (D-LA) was the first woman ever elected to Congress from Louisiana. Well, kinda, writes Mart Martin of San Francisco, who has a fascinating tale to tell:

Boggs wasn't the first woman elected from Louisiana, but she was the first one seated. In 1933, Rep. Bolivar Kemp (D) died in office. The struggle to fill his seat turned into a free-for-all. Huey Long wanted Kemp's widow, Lallie Connor Kemp, to succeed her husband, but the district's leaders (anti-Long) had other plans. They boycotted the special election called to fill the seat, which Mrs. Kemp won with 99.8% of the vote. They also managed to have the results thrown out and the election voided, which necessitated another special election a few months later. Mrs. Kemp, disgusted by all the anti-Long and pro-Long shenanigans, chose not to run in that election.

And here's one, from Sarah Parsons of Virginia, I've been saving for a while -- since January of 2008, in fact:

You stated today on Talk of the Nation that on Super Tuesday, "8 million states will be holding primaries and caucuses at the same time." This is impossible, seeing as there are not 8 million states in the country.

I don't recall saying that at all. But if I did, Sarah is quite right. There are far fewer states. I was off by only 7,999,950.

Here's a question from Scott Porter of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.:

In all the coverage about [former] Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, I keep hearing that he was the longest serving Republican senator in history. What about Strom Thurmond? Stevens couldn't have been in the Senate longer than Thurmond?

Ted Stevens served in the Senate from Dec. 24, 1968, when he was appointed to fill the seat of the late Bob Bartlett (D), until he left office last Jan. 3, following his 2008 defeat at the hands of Democrat Mark Begich.

Strom Thurmond, as you correctly note, was in the Senate longer: He was first elected in 1954, as a write-in candidate (the only one in history), but he fulfilled a promise that he would resign his seat in 1956 and then run again, as a Democrat, which he was and which he did. He won that 1956 special election, and was re-elected in 1960.

It wasn't until Sept. 16, 1964 that Thurmond -- a fan of Barry Goldwater's (R) presidential campaign and opposed to President Lyndon Johnson (D) and his policies -- left the Democrats and switched to the GOP. Thurmond was re-elected as a Republican in 1966, 1972, 1978, 1984, 1990 and 1996. He retired from the Senate after 2002 and died on June 26, 2003.

Thurmond was the longest serving senator at his retirement, a record since broken by West Virginia's Robert Byrd (D). But he only served as a Republican from 1964 until 2002 -- 38 years and three-plus months. Stevens, a Republican his entire Senate career, served in that capacity a shade over 40 years ... and thus, more than any other Republican in Senate history.

Much of America is anguishing over the first outrageous action by pirates since Mazeroski's home run in 1960, but I have a solution:

You can solve this week's ScuttleButton puzzle!

And here's how to do it. Take one word (or concept) per button, add 'em up, and whaddaya get? Usually the answer to the rebus is a famous name or a common expression. And don't focus on a political answer. It doesn't necessarily have to be political, though it could be.

A correct answer chosen at random gets his or her name in this column. Personally, I can't imagine a greater honor.

You can't use the comments box at the bottom of the page for your answer. Send submission (plus your name and city/state -- you won't win without that) to politicaljunkie@npr.org.

This is a regular Friday feature on the Political Junkie blog. Here's the answer to the last puzzle.

And, by adding your name to the Political Junkie mailing list, you will be the first on your block to receive notice when a new puzzle goes up on the blog. Sign up at politicaljunkie@npr.org. Or you can make sure to get an automatic RSS feed whenever a new Junkie post goes up by clicking here.

Good luck, have fun, and happy Friday!

With my co-host Ron Elving somewhere off the coast of Somalia, we've corraled NPR White House correspondent Scott Horsley to make his "It's All Politics" podcast debut this week.

And it was a busy political week, with President Obama returning after a whirlwind European (and, briefly, Iraqi) trip, the Minnesota Senate race showing some light at the end of the tunnel, a new congressman elected in Illinois, a judge lashing out at the Justice Department prosecutors in the Ted Stevens case, and a victory for same-sex marriage in Vermont.

And you can hear it all here:

Credits --
Nonstop talkers: Scott Horsley and Ken Rudin
Producer: Evie Stone

Wanna subscribe to the podcast? You can do it through iTunes.

Wanna hear previous episodes? Click here.

Wanna be on my weekly mailing list? Sign up at politicaljunkie@npr.org.

Wanna follow my rantings on Twitter? Go to http://twitter.com/kenrudin.

April 10, 1986:

Rep. Joseph Addabbo, a New York Democrat who served in the House for a quarter-century, dies of cancer at the age of 61.

The chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Addabbo was a strong critic of Pentagon spending and led the effort to defeat a 1982 measure that would begin to build the MX missile, though that effort was later reversed.

His district, located in southern Queens, will later elect an African-American, state Assemblyman Alton Waldon, in a special June 10 election. But another black candidate, the Rev. Floyd Flake, would oust Waldon less than three months later in the September Democratic primary.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Mark Lane's mug shot, Jackson, Miss., 1961. Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Today's post about Mark Lane, the activist who was Dick Gregory's running mate on the Freedom and Peace Party ticket in 1968, elicited a note from Eric Etheridge, author of a new photo book about the Mississippi Freedom Riders called Breach of Peace.

The book features portraits of about 80 Riders and the mug shots of all of the 320-plus Riders arrested in Jackson, Miss., in 1961. Eric sent in the shot of Lane, which is featured above. (Does anyone know how to contact Mark Lane? Eric has located about 115 of the Riders but not him. Let me know.)

Continue reading "Updates: Mark Lane Mug Shot; I'll Have Chocola On Club?" >

Here's a question from Nancy Hoffman of Worcester, Mass.:

I thought of you today [March 14] when I read a profile about Dick Gregory in the New York Times. They had this wonderful replica of a dollar bill with Gregory's picture on it, a memento from his campaign for president in 1968. On the fake bill, it had one signature that read "Dick Gregory President," and another that read "Mark Lane Vice President." Who is/was Mark Lane?

Dick Gregory, the activist/comedian, made a half-serious bid for president in '68 as the candidate of the Freedom and Party -- not to be confused with the Peace and Freedom Party, which ran another black activist, Eldridge Cleaver, for president that year. On the ballot in eight states, Gregory received 47,133 votes.

When he was picked to run for VP, Mark Lane was (and is -- he's still alive) a white left-wing activist best known for his books dismissing the conclusion of the Warren Commission that a lone gunman assassinated President John Kennedy. Lane served one term in the New York state Legislature, where he worked to end the death penalty. He often demonstrated against segregation in the South and was arrested once, in 1961. He ran for Congress in 1962 from Manhattan but lost the Democratic primary. He also, at various times, represented Marguerita Oswald (the alleged assassin's mother) and the Peoples Temple of cult leader Jim Jones in Guyana, even in the wake of the 1978 murder of Rep. Leo Ryan (D-CA) and subsequent mass murder/suicide in Jonestown. Throughout the 1960s and '70s, he was a leading opponent of the war in Vietnam.

April 9, 1993:

Rep. Harold Ford Sr. (D) of Tennessee is acquitted on one count of conspiracy, three counts of bank fraud, and 14 counts of mail fraud. Ford had been under indictment since 1987; a 1990 trial ended in a hung jury. He had charged the government with pursuing a vendetta against him because he was African-American.

For all his time in the courtroom, Ford was untouchable at home. First elected in 1974, he stayed in office until 1996, when he retired and was succeeded by his son Harold Jr.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

I'm usually not one who feels the way to make a point is to bash the media ... though sometimes they/we certainly deserve it.

But the ongoing speculation that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would challenge Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the 2010 Republican primary seemed to be a media creation/fantasy from the start. Palin never even hinted she would mount a challenge, and I never saw anything from her people that it was even a possibility. Nonetheless, the rumors continued.

Until now.

Continue reading "Alaska Gov. Palin Won't Challenge Sen. Murkowski Next Year" >

The president is back home, members of Congress are back home, and Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons is having trouble at home.

That -- and more -- are likely to be part of another enchanting segment of the Political Junkie today on Talk of the Nation.

Plus: the latest on the Minnesota Senate race, the new congressman in Illinois, the stalemate in upstate New York, the botched prosecution in Alaska, the internal battles among Virginia Republicans, and a slew of new polls. Special guest: Rep.-elect Mike Quigley.

Remember, the Junkie segment airs every Wednesday on TOTN at 2 p.m. Eastern time, where you can often, but not always, find interesting conversation, useless trivia questions and sparkling jokes.

If your local NPR station doesn't carry TOTN, you can hear the program on the Web or on HD Radio. And if you are a subscriber to XM/Sirius radio, you can find the show there as well (siriusly).

And, immediately following the Junkie segment, we pick up with our political Web chat. I'll be joined by NPR White House correspondent Scott Horsley and Michael Tomasky, the Guardian's American editor-at-large. We will focus on President Obama's European trip (with a side visit to Iraq), and what it did or did not accomplish.

If you want to submit questions in advance, you can leave them in the comments section.

Quigley, a Cook County commissioner, will become the newest member of Congress.

In a special congressional election that had none of the drama or controversy that we saw in NY 20 -- the still-undecided battle between Scott Murphy (D) and Jim Tedisco (R) -- voters in Illinois' 5th CD made an unambiguous decision yesterday. They chose Democrat Mike Quigley, a Cook County commissioner, to replace now-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in Congress.

With 99 percent of the vote counted, Quigley received 69 percent of the vote (30,122), to 24 percent for Republican Rosanna Pulido (10,513) and 7 percent for Green Party candidate Matt Reichel (2,868).

Continue reading "New Congressman: Quigley Replaces Rahm In IL 05" >

April 8, 2008:

Former state Sen. Jackie Speier (D) wins a special election in California's 12th Congressional District to fill the seat of the late Rep. Tom Lantos, a fellow Democrat.

Lantos, who held the seat 27 years, died in February.

Back in 1978, Speier, then a congressional aide to Rep. Leo Ryan (D), was among those shot in Jonestown, Guyana, by supporters of cult leader Jim Jones. Ryan was killed in the attack.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Tom Braden died last week.

According to all the obituaries, the 92-year-old Braden was once the co-host of CNN's Crossfire. He was a CIA official in the 1950s. He owned a newspaper in California. And his 1975 memoir about being the father of eight children was turned into the ABC comedy-drama Eight is Enough.

But he also once ran for office: lieutenant governor of California, to be precise. In 1966. And for a while there, his race was seen as a surrogate battle between the forces led by President Lyndon Johnson and Vice President Hubert Humphrey and forces led by New York Sen. Robert Kennedy.

Continue reading "Once, Tom Braden Was The Political Story Of The Week" >

The hope all along for Norm Coleman in the still-unresolved Minnesota Senate race was that he would get enough of the votes counted today by that three-judge panel to erase Al Franken's 225-vote lead.

Not only did that not happen, but Franken's lead is now up to 312.

Continue reading "Minn. Count Increases Franken Lead Over Coleman To 312" >

Ron Paul is overcome with emotion as he easily captures our March Madness pool! Eric Thayer/Getty Images

Forget University of North Carolina and Michigan State.

The real drama, excitement, emotion and tension came in our first annual March Madness pool -- to determine (yeah right) the 2012 Republican presidential nominee.

And today, just hours after the NCAA tourney, we announce OUR winner, as voted by you. And it's Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.

Paul defeated Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina in the finals by 13 points, 56-43 percent, with 963,719 total votes cast.

Continue reading "Ron Paul Tops Jim DeMint, Wins March Madness Pool" >

I think everyone by now is aware that last week's ScuttleButton puzzle led off with a button from the new governor of North Carolina ... and then, last night, North Carolina won the NCAA tournament ... once again showing to the world the influence of this blog.

And while Ron Paul did not win the NCAA tournament -- it's that other contest, MY March Madness pool, that he's competing in -- we DO have a ScuttleButton winner.

Continue reading "We Have A ScuttleButton Winner!" >

April 7, 1988:

Sen. Paul Simon, an Illinois Democrat seeking his party's presidential nomination, announces he will suspend his campaign.

Hoping to capture the votes of liberals and academics, Simon finished second in Iowa and third in New Hampshire and, other than a victory in his home state, failed to make a difference. His withdrawal comes two days after a dismal showing in the Wisconsin primary, where he received just 5 percent of the vote.

Simon was first elected to the Senate in 1984, defeating incumbent Republican Charles Percy. He will retire after two terms and be succeeded by fellow Democrat Dick Durbin.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

While the counting of absentee ballots goes on in New York 20 -- the dead-even race to succeed now-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) -- less drama is expected tomorrow in Illinois' 5th District.

That's the one vacated by Rahm Emanuel (D), who became President Obama's chief of staff. Mike Quigley, the Democratic candidate and Cook County commissioner, is the odds-on favorite over Rosanna Pulido (R) and Green Party candidate Matt Reichel. Quigley won the all-important Democratic primary on March 3, when his record of battling corruption and old-school politics earned him the endorsement of both the Chicago Tribune and the Sun-Times.

The district last voted for a Republican in 1994, when Michael Patrick Flanagan unseated Dan Rostenkowski, who was chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and under indictment. He lasted one term, losing to some guy named Rod Blagojevich in 1996.

And prior to that, the last Republican? Peter Granata, elected in 1930, also for one term.

Tuesday's election should not be close.

In addition to NY 20, two other House seats, both in California, will be getting new incumbents soon. There's a special election on May 19 in the overwhelmingly Democratic 32nd CD, which Hilda Solis (D) left to become secretary of labor. There are six Democrats, one Republican, one Libertarian and one Peace and Freedom candidate on the ballot, but all eyes are on two Dems: state Sen. Gil Cedillo and state Board of Equalization Vice Chairwoman Judy Chu.

The other district, the 10th, will become vacant once Ellen Tauscher (D) is confirmed as undersecretary of state. Created in 1992, it went Republican in '92 and '94 before Tauscher narrowly won it in '96. But it has become far more Democratic in the last round of redistricting and Dems are likely to retain it.

April 6, 1943:

Chicago Mayor Edward Kelly, a Democrat, is re-elected by more than 115,000 votes over Republican George McKibbin, the Illinois finance director.

Kelly became mayor in 1933, following the assassination of incumbent Anton Cermak. When Kelly completes his term in 1947, he will have served longer than any previous mayor of Chicago. And he would want to run again. But amid charges of rampant corruption in his administration, Kelly bowed to pressure and retired.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Here's the good news for the Republican Party of Virginia and its effort to get their candidate, former Attorney General Bob McDonnell, elected governor this fall:

In the past 30 years -- as we wrote in breathtaking detail last Dec. 5 -- every winner has been the candidate from the party opposite of the person who was elected president the year before. And since the guy in the White House, Barack Obama, is a Democrat, that could portend good things for McDonnell.

But before Old Dominion Republicans are going to take back the governorship after an eight-year absence, they are going to have to get their act together.

Continue reading "Will The Virginia GOP Unite In Time For November?" >

People are having a hard time focusing lately. G-20 or NY 20? Chris Dodd or A-Rod?

What everyone seems to agree on, however, is that -- after a week's absence -- they are happy ScuttleButton has returned.

I may have taken a vacation in the interim, but there's no change in the rules. Take one word (or concept) per button, add 'em up, and whaddaya get? Usually the answer is a famous name or a common expression. And don't focus on a political answer. It doesn't necessarily have to be political, though it could be.

A correct answer chosen at random gets his or her name in this column; I can't imagine a greater honor. (Or, as Gary Crum of Junction City, Ore., wrote last week, "I'm 66 years old and this is the most important contest I've ever won. Is that pathetic or what?")

You can't use the comments box at the bottom of the page for your answer. Send submission (plus your name and city/state -- you won't win without that) to politicaljunkie@npr.org.

This is a regular Friday feature on the Political Junkie blog. Here's the answer to the last puzzle.

And, by adding your name to the Political Junkie mailing list, you will be the first on your block to receive notice when a new puzzle goes up on the blog. Sign up at politicaljunkie@npr.org. Or you can make sure to get an automatic RSS feed whenever a new Junkie post goes up by clicking here.

Good luck, and have fun!

We're now down to the championship round of our March Madness pool to "determine" -- and we mean that lightly -- the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

Round 4 is over, and of the 32 prospective GOP hopefuls who began this journey, voters have advanced Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina to the finals. Paul easily dispensed with South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, 78-21 percent (302,000 votes cast), while DeMint edged Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, 51-48 percent (229,000 votes).

My picks, of course, have gone a different route from the second round on. My final two: Mitt Romney vs. Mike Huckabee. I had Romney defeating, in order, George P. Bush, Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman and then, finally, Mark Sanford (who ousted Bobby Jindal). I had Huckabee defeating, in the same order, Chuck Hagel, Jim DeMint, Tim Pawlenty and then, finally, Paul Ryan (who ousted Sarah Palin). I explain why my picks differ from yours here.

The winner will be announced on April 7. Time to vote now!

Now that President Obama has given the Royal Family an iPod filled with our "It's All Politics" podcasts, we can expect diplomatic relations between the two countries to end any moment.

But let's not worry about the Brits just yet. Remember, had they won the war, we'd all be speaking English today. Instead, let's focus on the week's political news. And there's been plenty of it: The long count (and possible court case?) in New York 20. Attorney General Holder tells Ted Stevens all is forgiven. The latest in the travails of Sarah Palin and Chris Dodd. And you can hear it all here:

Wanna subscribe to the podcast? You can do it through iTunes.

Wanna hear previous episodes? Click here.

Wanna be on my weekly mailing list? Sign up at politicaljunkie@npr.org.

Wanna follow my rantings on Twitter? Go to http://twitter.com/kenrudin.

April 3, 1984:

Mondale won the vote and captured most of the delegates in NY.

Former Vice President Walter Mondale wins the big contest of the day, an easy victory in the New York Democratic presidential primary.

Mondale receives 45 percent of the vote, compared to 27 percent for Colorado Sen. Gary Hart and 25 percent for the Rev. Jesse Jackson. It cements his status as the clear leader for his party's nomination.

Hart's win in Wisconsin today is comparatively narrow. He got 46 percent of the vote, just four percentage points ahead of Mondale. Jackson trailed with 10 percent.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

Don't forget to send in your votes in Round 4 of my March Madness pool -- to help determine the 2012 Republican presidential nominee.

The Final Four: Rep. Mike Pence vs. Sen. Jim DeMint, and Rep. Ron Paul vs. Gov. Mark Sanford.

Also tomorrow: New podcast to be heard. And new ScuttleButton puzzle will be revealed.

Happy Friday!

Sometimes you can't even make this stuff up.

And actually, I thought I had.

Yesterday, in what I clearly labeled as an April Fool's joke, I wrote that the Department of Justice,

in the wake of its humiliating decision to drop the corruption conviction of former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), has agreed to throw out the results of the 2008 Senate race, in which Stevens was narrowly defeated by Democrat Mark Begich. ...

The decision to throw out the election results puts Alaska in the uncomfortable position of having only one senator -- a situation endured by Minnesota in the wake of its still-unresolved battle between Norm Coleman (R) and Al Franken (D). And it has outraged Democrats. ...

Begich is said to be "livid" about the decision but has yet to formally comment. Stevens' campaign manager said the ex-senator feels "vindicated," but there is no indication that he would consider running in a special election.

OK, yuk, yuk. Some fell for it, some knew it was bogus from the start. Anyway, just one of many pranks during the day.

Well, here's something that apparently is not a prank.

Continue reading "Alaska GOP Wants New Senate Election (This Time I'm Serious)" >

Finally, a question about my March Madness 2012 GOP presidential nomination pool that doesn't accuse me of bias, bigotry or fascism.

Eileen Taylor of Ann Arbor, Mich., writes:

I'm having fun with your March Madness pool, but I'm a little confused about something. When I look at "Ken Rudin's Picks," I see you are selecting candidates who are no longer in the running. Please explain.

The votes that have come in during the first three rounds -- and there has been an astounding degree of participation -- are all from people who are voting their personal choices. The "Ken Rudin Picks" is an indication of the way I think the results would turn out if Republican voters were given the choice. It is solely my opinion.

Continue reading "March Madness: Why My Picks Differ From Yours" >

A drizzly, dreary day in Washington. Perfect time to freshen things up with some readers' e-mails.

Lynda Rothschild of Gaithersburg, Md., asks a question that we're all asking:

Please settle a bet for me. Who won the Minnesota Senate race: Al Franken or Norm Coleman? I say it was Franken.

I say you can't collect your money just yet. But the odds are looking good that ultimately it will be Franken.

Continue reading "We May Not Be Close To Resolving The Minnesota Senate Race" >

April 2, 1985:

Republicans fumed over the Dems' refusal to seat Rick McIntyre in IN 08.

House Democrats defeat a motion, for the fourth time in three months, which would have seated Republican Richard McIntyre as the congressman from Indiana's 8th District.

A recount of the 1984 race between McIntyre and Rep. Frank McCloskey (D) in early February had McIntyre ahead by 418 votes. But Democrats insisted that seating McIntyre was still premature, and they prevailed on a 241-183 vote. Only five Democrats voted with the GOP to seat the Republican.

Later in the month, another recount, this one directed by a Democrat-dominated House Administration Committee, will have McCloskey ahead by four votes. With that result in hand, the House will vote to seat McCloskey on May 1, leading to a walk out by GOP members.

The incident will long be cited by Republicans as an example of what they called the "autocratic, tyrannical" rule of the Democratic majority.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

The Political Junkie segment returns (after a week's absence) to NPR's Talk of the Nation today at 2 p.m. ET, to be followed by our regular political Web chat.

Remember, the Junkie segment airs every Wednesday on TOTN at 2 p.m. Eastern time, where you can often, but not always, find interesting conversation, useless trivia questions and sparkling jokes.

If your local NPR station doesn't carry TOTN, you can hear the program on the Web or on HD Radio. And if you are a subscriber to XM/Sirius radio, you can find the show there as well (siriusly).

Round 3 of my March Madness contest -- the 2012 Republican presidential nomination -- has ended, and there's a lot to report.

Don't forget to vote in Round 4. But first, a look at the latest results.

Continue reading "March Madness: Paul Edges Huntsman; Pence, DeMint, Sanford Advance To Final Four" >

April 1, 1980:

After finishing a disappointing third in today's Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary, California Gov. Jerry Brown ends his candidacy.

Brown had campaigned long and hard in the Badger State, hoping its pockets of liberal enclaves would back his candidacy. But he wound up with just 12 percent of the vote, well behind President Jimmy Carter (56 percent) and Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy (30 percent).

Some felt that the candidacy on the GOP side of liberal Illinois congressman John Anderson pulled away votes that Brown may have been counting on.

Brown would again seek his party's nomination in 1992, with a similar result. Currently the state's attorney general, he is expected to once again seek the governorship in 2010, when Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is term-limited.

Today in Campaign History is a daily feature on Political Junkie.

The bragging rights are going to have to wait a bit longer. First, there are recriminations and warnings about stealing elections to deal with.

In the political world, where each new day's event becomes the subject of worldwide attention, Tuesday's special election in New York's 20th Congressional District became ground zero for political junkies.

Continue reading "Dead Even In NY 20, But Some Declare Winners/Losers" >

The Justice Department, in the wake of its humiliating decision to drop the corruption conviction of former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), has agreed to throw out the results of the 2008 Senate race, in which Stevens was narrowly defeated by Democrat Mark Begich.

Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, was thought to be favored to win re-election last year against Begich, the mayor of Anchorage, until the 85-year-old Stevens was indicted for lying on Senate financial disclosure forms about renovations done to his home by a contractor friend. He was later convicted of seven felony counts.

But the decision to throw out the election results puts Alaska in the uncomfortable position of having only one senator -- a situation endured by Minnesota in the wake of its still-unresolved battle between Norm Coleman (R) and Al Franken (D). And it has outraged Democrats.

Democrats charged that the Justice Department had no right to invalidate the results of an election just because it botched the corruption case. Begich is said to be "livid" about the decision but has yet to formally comment. Stevens' campaign manager said the ex-senator feels "vindicated," but there is no indication that he would consider running in a special election.

The opening may give rise to a Senate candidacy by Gov. Sarah Palin (R), who has been besieged by budget problems at home and who has been rumored to be eyeing Washington in preparation for a 2012 White House bid. Another possibility is her lieutenant governor, Sean Parnell.

And yes, in response to several inquiries, this is written totally with April 1 in mind.

The results of Tuesday's special election in New York's 20th congressional district will be talked about for years and years to come.

Well, at least it will on Wednesday.

The contest to replace now-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) -- which pitted first-time candidate Scott Murphy, a Democratic businessman, against Jim Tedisco, the Repubican leader in the state Assembly -- is too close to call. Sixty-five votes separate the two, with 154,000 cast, and 10,000 absentee ballots still to be counted. How to interpret the results?

That will be the main focus on our regular Wednesday web chat that begins at 2:45 p.m. ET, or immediately after the conclusion of the Political Junkie segment on NPR's Talk of the Nation.

Plus: The president's handling of the problems facing the auto industry, his agenda for the G-20 summit, an update on the Minnesota Senate race (haven't we heard that before!), and the latest on two embattled Pennsylvania pols -- Sen. Arlen Specter (R) and Rep. John Murtha (D).

I'll be joined by Liz Halloran, the Washington correspondent for NPR Digital News, who has been following the Coleman-Franken case, and Casey Seiler, the state editor and blogger for the Albany Times-Union, who has been all over the Tedisco-Murphy race. As always, the chat is hosted by NPR's David Gura, assistant editor at Talk of the Nation.

If you want to submit questions in advance, leave them in the comments section.