Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof



Kerry Statement on First Day as Secretary of State - John Kerry began his tenure as secretary of State on Monday with an impassioned defense of Hillary Clinton and her handling of the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi, Libya.
 
Kerry joked that he had “big heels” to fill as he reached out to Clinton's former team in public remarks at State Department headquarters in Washington.

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Who Will GOP Run for Massacusetts Senate Seat? - Former Massachusetts Republican Gov. Bill Weld announced Monday that he will not run for Senate in the June special election.

Republicans are striking out so far finding a well-known candidate in the Bay State: After former Sen. Scott Brown took a pass on Friday, former state Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei said Saturday that he too would sit it out.
Tagg Romney, the eldest son of former governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney, is the latest rumor as he already has statewide name recognition and could quickly ramp up the campaign infrastructure for a short, five-month race.

Romney is weighing joining the fray against remaining with his successful venture capital firm, Solamere. Many Democrats also have noted Mitt Romney’s dismal Bay State returns in the most recent presidential election, losing the state by 23 points. The Boston Herald has more here.

Massachusetts state Rep. Dan Winslow (R) on Tuesday will make an announcement on his plans for the state's special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Secretary of State John Kerry.

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Obama Travels To Minnesota To Continue Push for Gun Viloence Legislation - President Barack Obama on Monday will travel to Minneapolis where he will meet with local leaders and law enforcement personnel and deliver remarks on his gun policy proposals, the White House announced.
 
Obama is expected to deliver his remarks at the Minneapolis Police Department Special Operations Center at 1:30 p.m. CST. He will return to Washington in the evening.  TPM.com has more here.

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65% Support NY Gun Control Legislation - Most New Yorkers support a stringent new state law that tackles gun control, a poll out Monday showed.
 
According to a survey from Siena Research Institute, 65 percent of those polled back the measure, which was passed last month in the wake of the December shooting massacre in Newtown, Conn. Thirty percent are opposed.  Politico.com has more here.

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Rove Starts "Conservative Victory Project" To Compete with Tea Party - Karl Rove-backed American Crossroads organization is creating an offshoot, called the Conservative Victory Project, to counter the influence of groups like Club for Growth and the Senate Conservatives Fund.

Its mission: to spend money in GOP primaries to make sure that candidates like Todd Akin, Richard Mourdock, Sharron Angle, and Christine O’Donnell don’t become the nominees for key Senate contests.

“In effect, the establishment is taking steps to fight back against Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations that have wielded significant influence in backing candidates who ultimately lost seats to Democrats in the general election.”

The Conservative Victory Project’s first effort could be in Iowa, where conservative Rep. Steve King is mulling a Senate bid.  The NY Times has more here.

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