Palin endorses candidate in Washington state Senate race, DC-favored candidate still not in

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Palin backs candidate in Washington Senate race

WASHINGTON — Sarah Palin on Thursday endorsed a Senate candidate backed by the tea party, a move that complicates national Republican efforts to recruit their favored choice in the Washington state race.

On her Twitter account, the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate described Clint Didier, a former Washington Redskins player, as a “patriot running for U.S. Senate to serve his state & our country for all the right reasons!” She didn’t mention Dino Rossi, a two-time candidate for governor who is widely anticipated to jump into the race challenging Democratic Sen. Patty Murray in November.

National Democrats have been aggressively criticizing Rossi, hoping to keep him out of the Senate race or rough him up by the time he’s officially in — similar to what they did to Indiana’s Dan Coats. But most of the Democrats’ attacks on Rossi are familiar from his two previous bids and Rossi has been in no rush to start campaigning ahead of the Aug. 17 primary.

The deadline to get on Washington’s ballot is June 11.

The head of the committee to elect Democrats to the House suggested Thursday that the midterms won’t be the blowout some have predicted after a win in a special election in Pennsylvania.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, cited Mark Critz’ election to succeed the late Rep. John Murtha on Tuesday. Democrats have won seven consecutive special House races this cycle.

“The hype … hit the brick wall of reality,” Van Hollen said.

The Republican National Committee is looking at about 130 House seats as potentially competitive, almost entirely all with Democratic incumbents. Top Republicans, including House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, have said as many as 100 seats are in play. The GOP needs to capture 40 seats to win control of the House.

Critz, a former Murtha aide, won a seat many Republicans had predicted they would win.

“It’s very clear Republicans did a test run of their strategy,” Van Hollen said. “It crashed and it failed.”

Van Hollen, however, acknowledged a tough environment for Democrats. But he added “Republicans in Congress are much worse” in polls.

“Yeah.”

That was Van Hollen’s blunt answer when asked if the DCCC was completely writing off Hawaii’s special election where Democratic infighting has all but guaranteed Republican Charles Djou will win Saturday’s contest.

House Democrats earlier this month quietly abandoned efforts in President Barack Obama’s native state, after spending $300,000 to help the bid of former Rep. Ed Case.

Rep. Neil Abercrombie left Congress to run for governor, setting up a messy fight between state Senate president Colleen Hanabusa and Case. Hanabusa is favored by the state’s two senators, Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka, as well as by labor. The DCCC blamed local Democrats for infighting.

The Democratic campaign committee spent much of its money on ads critical of Djou, before deciding it was for naught as Case and Hanabusa continued to split Democratic loyalties.

Republicans, however, point out a key piece of trivia: Hawaii has never voted an incumbent member of Congress out of office.

Van Hollen insisted Democrats would win in November.

Quick hits:

— The DCCC later Thursday reported it raised more than $5 million in April and has $27.3 million in the bank. Its Republican counterpart reported it raised more than $7 million in April and has $11.4 million in the bank.

— The National Republican Senatorial Committee on Thursday reported it raised $4.4 million in April and has $17 million in the bank. Democrats’ Senate committee reported raising $3.1 and has $17 million in the bank.

— Vets for Freedom Political Action Committee endorsed former Rep. Rob Simmons’ Republican Senate primary campaign in Connecticut. Pete Hegseth, executive director of the group, said Simmons — a retired colonel and intelligence officer — deserves to defeat Democratic attorney general Richard Blumenthaul, who earlier in the week admitted he misspoke when he said he served “in Vietnam.”

— Simmons, who is competing against former wrestling executive Linda McMahon, is among the few candidates touting an endorsement from the Bush political dynasty. Simmons’ campaign announced an endorsement from Jonathan Bush, the son of former Sen. Prescott Bush, the brother of President George H.W. Bush and the uncle of President George W. Bush. Bush’s letter in support of Simmons arrived to state party elders as they sat down at the state’s largest political dinner — named for Prescott Bush.

— The Senate candidate who won 13 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s Democratic primary and forced a runoff between Sen. Blanche Lincoln and Lt. Gov. Bill Halter says he’s not endorsing either one of them. That candidate, Little Rock businessman D.C. Morrison, said he wanted both to lose before the vote and nothing has changed.