Colorado
Rep. Mark Udall (D) and former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R) both announced the first television ads of their Senate campaign Wednesday.
Udall’s focuses on energy independence, while Schaffer’s focuses on his biography.
{mosads}Udall talks about broad goals including “green jobs” and a “cleaner future.” Schaffer talks about his Colorado roots and goals for the state, including a strong economy.
Neither faces a major challenge in the state’s Aug. 12 primary, and the general election is expected to be one of the closest battlegrounds in the country.
The seat is vacant because Sen. Wayne Allard (R) is retiring this year after two terms.
— Aaron Blake
Kansas
Former Rep. Jim Ryun leads state Treasurer Lynn Jenkins by roughly 3-to-1, according to a Ryun-commissioned poll of their GOP primary race released Wednesday.
Ryun’s 65 percent-to-21 percent lead among GOP primary voters represents a significant bump for the former congressman since a poll released nearly a month ago showed Ryun leading 50 percent to 34.
That poll was conducted for a group supporting Jenkins.
“While this race is bound to tighten as the campaign progresses, there is no question that Jim Ryun has a very strong edge among GOP voters,” says the poll, which was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies. “The report indicates that Ryun benefits from significantly higher name identification.”
Jenkins campaign manager Patrick Leopold took issue with the poll, noting that it was not “independent.”
“We haven’t spent a dime on advertising and sit here today with more money to spend on the primary than Ryun,” Leopold said, adding that the April poll showed that “the more people hear about his record, the better we do.”
Ryun communications director Jacqueline Harrison said: “This poll speaks for itself.”
The winner of the race will face freshman Rep. Nancy Boyda (D), who won the seat by defeating Ryun in 2006.
— Andy Barr
Kentucky
No matter whom Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has to face following Tuesday’s hotly contested Kentucky Democratic Senate primary, he will start out the race polling below 50 percent, according to a new poll.
McConnell leads Democratic candidates Bruce Lunsford and Greg Fischer, but a new Lexington Herald-Leader-WKYT poll shows him topping out at 48 percent against the pair. That’s the same percentage of Kentucky voters who approve of the longtime senator’s job performance. A nearly equal 44 percent of Kentucky voters disapprove of McConnell.
McConnell leads two-time gubernatorial candidate Lunsford 48 percent to 38 percent with 16 percent undecided.
Kentucky’s senior senator leads Louisville businessman Fischer, a favorite of liberal bloggers, 47-35 with 18 percent undecided.
Recent polls show Lunsford leading Fischer by nearly 20 percentage points going into next week’s primary, but Fischer has been gaining.
— Andy Barr
Nebraska
Former congressional candidate Scott Kleeb won the Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday, setting up an uphill battle with former U.S. Agriculture Secretary and former Gov. Mike Johanns (R) for this state’s open Senate seat.
Kleeb beat businessman Tony Raimondo 69-25, according to unofficial results from the Nebraska Secretary of State. The young rancher will try to build on his strong 2006 showing in the state’s conservative 3rd district, where he took 45 percent in an open-seat race against now-Rep. Adrian Smith (R).
As expected, Johanns cruised in his primary, taking 78 percent of the vote against businessman Pat Flynn.
The seat became vacant this year when Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) announced he would retire at the end of his term.
Raimondo switched parties to run as a Democrat when Johanns entered the GOP race. Johanns left his Cabinet position to run for the seat and is the consensus favorite.
In the second district, Democrat Jim Esch easily won his party’s nomination for the second straight election and will face Rep. Lee Terry (R). Terry defeated Esch 55-45 in 2006.
Smith will face Democrat Jay Stoddard, who won a two-man primary with 74 percent.
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R) will face Democrat Max Yashirin. Both were unopposed.
— Aaron Blake
West Virginia
Former Senate aide Anne Barth won the Democratic primary to face Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R) on Tuesday, taking about two-thirds of the vote and setting up what Democrats hope will be a competitive race.
Barth, who entered the race when state Sen. John Unger (D) abruptly bowed out at the last minute, is a former aide to Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.).
Capito hasn’t faced a tough challenge in the last two cycles, but Democrats believe she is vulnerable.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D) easily won his primary and faces a rematch with Republican Jay Wolfe, whom he defeated 63-37 in 2002.
Rep. Nick Rahall (D) will be a heavy favorite against Republican Marty Gearheart.
Rep. Alan Mollohan (D), whom Republicans targeted last cycle, will be unopposed.
— Aaron Blake