Tom Cole

National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Ok.) told PolitickerKY.com that Kentucky may play well on Nov. 4 for Congressional Republicans in part because of the effect Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) may have down the ballot, even as speculation abounds about the negative electoral climate for Republicans.

Cole is in Kentucky today for an event benefitting the campaign of state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green), who is seeking the open 2nd Congressional District seat. The NRCC chair particularly said Obama could negatively impact state Sen. David Boswell's (D-Owensboro) effort against Guthrie, though Boswell's campaign charged associations with the current administration were damaging to Guthrie in response.

"We certainly don't think that Senator Obama is going to run very well in the state and I think it's going to give an extra advantage to most of our congressional candidates," said Cole in a phone interview today.

"It really does vary state by state," Cole added of Obama's impact. "He just doesn't sell very well in conservative areas. There is a band of states that Obama is unlikely to do well in and is actually harmful down ballot to Democratic candidates. I think Kentucky is one of those states."

Cole speculated that Obama and other Democrats could be particularly cumbersome to Boswell's (D-Owensboro) bid to win the open 2nd District seat against state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green). That seat is open given the forthcoming retirement of U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis (R-Cecilia).

In 2004, the 2nd district gave President Bush his largest margin of victory of any of the Commonwealth's 6 congressional districts and Obama polls significantly behind in the western Kentucky region of which much of the 2nd is comprised.

Boswell has parried inquiries about Obama in the past, and his recent commercials do not tout his party affiliation, instead referencing his anti-abortion and pro-gun positions.

"We have a lot of Democrats who are busy in conservative areas trying to run away from both their nominee and their party, and I think Boswell is in that position," said Cole.

WASHINGTON – National Republican Congressional Committee chair Tom Cole is set to launch a three-week national tour of house races, including a stop in Ohio.

While the schedule is still tentative, according to an NRCC source familiar with the plans, the trip will bring Cole to Ohio’s 16th Congressional district, where Republican Kirk Schuring is running against Democrat John Boccieri. The trip is scheduled for Oct. 22.

Cole, a third term congressman from Oklahoma who is in his first stint as the GOP House campaign chief, is a top fundraising draw for House candidates across the country.

WASHINGTON – National Republican Congressional Committee chair Tom Cole is set to launch a three-week national tour of house races, including a stop in Colorado.

While the schedule is still tentative, according to an NRCC source familiar with the plans, the trip will bring Cole to Colorado’s 6th Congressional district, where Republican Mike Coffman is running against Democrat Hank Eng. The trip is scheduled for Oct. 20.

Cole, a third term congressman from Oklahoma who is in his first stint as the GOP House campaign chief, is a top fundraising draw for House candidates across the country.

WASHINGTON – National Republican Congressional Committee chair Tom Cole is set to launch a three-week national tour of competitive house races, beginning with stops in two hotly contested districts in California.

While the schedule is still tentative, according to an NRCC source familiar with the plans, the trip will bring Cole to California’s 11th and 4th Congressional Districts on Oct. 2 and Oct. 3, respectively. The 11th district matchup features Republican Dean Andal challenging U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Stockton), while Republican Tom McClintock is battling Democrat Charlie Brown in the 4th district.

Cole, a third term congressman from Oklahoma who is in his first stint as the GOP House campaign chief, is a top fundraising draw for House candidates across the country.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Dallas) indicated in an interview Wednesday that he was prepared to run for National Republican Congressional Committee chair following the November elections.

"If there's the will of the [Republican] Conference, I'll be pleased to do that," Sessions said. "I believe it would be a fun thing to do and I'd enjoy it very much."

Sessions, who is serving his sixth term in the House, would be entering his second contest for the chairmanship. He lost to U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) in 2006 in a conference-wide vote on the second ballot.

Tom Cole, the Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee will be in state on Wednesday to campaign for former Congresswomen Melissa Hart.  Cole and Hart will hold a joint press conference at the Ingomar Gulf gas station to discuss energy and energy exploration. 

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Tucson) announced the formation of the group Veterans for Giffords Wednesday to bolster her support among that key demographic in the 8th Congressional District. Gen. John A. Wickham (ret.), who served as Army Chief of Staff to Pres. Reagan, will co-chair the organization.

The Giffords campaign estimates that around 90,000 veterans reside in the 8th district, the most of any of Arizona's congressional districts. Veterans' issues have topped the Democratic congressional agenda during this session, and Giffords is trying to capitalize on their successes.

"The reasons for re-electing Giffords... can be found in her solid record of accomplishment," said the release announcing the inception of Veterans for Giffords. It went on to list key bills, including the Wounded Warriors Act and the updated G.I. Bill, introduced by Giffords's fellow Democratic freshman, U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Tempe).

State Sen. Pres. Tim Bee (R-Tucson) will team up with U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) Tuesday to address veterans' issues at a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Tucson.

Cole, Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, is in town to assist Bee in his drive to win the 8th Congressional District seat, which is currently held by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Tucson).

In addition to veteran-related matters, Bee and Cole will also address national security topics, according to an announcement put out by the Bee campaign.

Susan Bitter Smith, one of the Republican primary candidates in the 5th Congressional District jockeying for the chance to take on U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Tempe) in the general election, held a "virtual" fundraiser Wednesday for donors in Washington, D.C. and across the country.

The event may have been virtual, but the money is real. Bitter Smith told PolitickerAZ.com that the conference call brought her campaign $10,000.

"It ended up being actually quite an interesting event," said Bitter Smith. "The only thing they didn't get was obviously the soda and cheese and crackers."

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Phil English (R-Erie), who waged an unsuccessful bid for the chairmanship of the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2006, on Thursday all but took himself out of the running for the top job at the House GOP's campaign arm in the 2010 election cycle. "I think it is extremely unlikely that I would run for NRCC chairman," English told PolitickerPA.com in an interview Thursday at his office at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. "It's not right now in our priority list. I have been approached by a couple of people who have encouraged me to think about it. But I have been very clear to those that have approached me that it's not a priority for me..."