Photograph by Mic Smith/AP Photo

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, center, speaks with voters, Joan Cobb, at left, and her father Harold Turner, at right, and reporters at Orlando’s Pizza in Daniel Island, S.C., on May 6, 2013.

Count Mark Sanford as a vote against expanding background checks for gun-buyers.

Count Sanford as a vote against the immigration bill from a bipartisan group of senators.

That’s if the vote-count in South Carolina’s special congressional election today goes the way of the former governor, a Republican whose tenure was marred by an extramarital affair with an Argentine, or Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, sister of Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert — in a district that leans heavily Republican, but where the latest public opinion polling showed a race to0 close to call.

Sanford says he wants this contest settled on the issues. He credits a recent debate with his Democratic opponent for bringing some of those issues to the fore — his opposition to “Obamacare” versus his opponent’s support, and more.

He is counting on those issues trumping the tale of the Appalachian Trail, in which the former governor’s office in 2009 told the public he had gone hiking when he actually had gone abroad.

“We finally began to talk about issues” as opposed to his background, going back to 2009, he said this morning in an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” The hosts said Colbert had been invited for an Election Day interview as well, but declined. “In essence we’ve had a conversation here at home, not only about my strengths and weaknesses,” he said, but also about his belief in protecting taxpayers.

“We’re all going to make mistakes in life,” Sanford said of his own. “We all have feet of clay.” Responding to co-host Mika Brzezinski’s question about how the public can trust him going forward after the Appalachian-Argentinian episode, Sanford turned the question on her: “I guarantee you’ve made some personal mistakes in your life.”

If elected, the former governor and congressman was asked, how would he vote on the background check bill that failed to get 60 votes in the Senate.

“I’m a big Second Amendment person,” Sanford said. “I would have voted no.”

On the immigration bill that Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and others are advancing in the Senate: “ think we could learn from history,” he said, pointing to the last major revision of immigration law in 1986 when 3 million undocumented immigrants were legalized with a promise of better border enforcement. The nation needs to start with enforcement first, he said — “I would not support the bill in its present form.”

(That bill, in its present form, requires the Department of Homeland Security to develop and enact a plan for 90-percent effectiveness in security of the highest-risk border sectors before any of the 11 million undocumented already in the country are granted new legal rights.)

Asked how he is feeling about this five-month contest after a crowded party primary, being outspent by the Democrat and forced into a close contest in a district that should be an easy walk for a Republican, Sanford said: “Worn out. All those things you feel at the end of a campaign,” he said. “You get ultimately to the day of judgment… You feel a mixture of calm… And worn out.”

Original post is Sanford ‘Worn Out’ on ‘Judgment Day’ by Political Capital.

Photograph by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Attendees look at a display of tactical shotguns during the 2013 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits at the George R. Brown Convention Center on May 3, 2013 in Houston, Texas.

The National Rifle Association is meeting in Houston.

Which can only mean one thing. It’s showtime:

Colorado’s Magpul brought an intriguing vehicle to Houston. Note the hula girl dashboard accessory. #NRA twitter.com/bykowicz/statu…

— Julie Bykowicz (@bykowicz) May 3, 2013

Bloomberg’s Julie Bykowicz is there – as her story linked at left and tweets here show.

They’re not only celebrating the defeat of the gun bill in the Senate, they’re also discussing such issues as:

Discussion on hotel shuttle to Houston NRA convention: Is it legal to send ammo through FedEx or UPS? No one knew answer. #NRA

— Julie Bykowicz (@bykowicz) May 3, 2013

The sheriff is in town:

NRA adopts a law and order image at its Houston conference, which begins today. #nra twitter.com/bykowicz/statu…

— Julie Bykowicz (@bykowicz) May 3, 2013

Original post is NRA Convention: Roof-Mounted Microbus Cannon and More by Political Capital.

Photograph by Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg

President Barack Obama during a meeting with Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the Amir of Qatar, unseen, in the Oval Office of the White House on April 23, 2013.

One hundred days into his second term as president, today, April 30, President Barack Obama has plenty to talk about at a White House news conference.

Including what hasn’t happened at home — where his fervent pleas for new gun controls following the killing of 20 schoolchildren in Newton, Connecticut, in December have gone unheeded in Congress.

And what hasn’t happened in Syria — where the president warned months ago of a red-line not to be crossed, the use of chemical weapons by a government under siege by rebels, and now the U.S. concludes “with varying degrees” of confidence that a chemical agent, sarin gas, has been deployed.

One thing has happened: The Senate is underway with a debate over immigration, focused on precisely the sort of comprehensive reform that Obama is seeking — a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the U.S., an overhaul of visas for the low-skilled and high-skilled alike, and tougher border security going forward.

It may not be the past 100 days so much on people’s minds today, as it is the next 100.

The president will field questions from reporters at the White House at 10:15 am EDT.

Original post is Obama: 100 Days In, Red Line Deadline? by Political Capital.

Photograph by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Members of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America wait to enter the office of Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) at Russell Senate Office Building on April 17, 2013 in Washington, DC. The group held a ‘Stroller Jam’ event to call on senators to vote to strengthen gun regulations.

There may be no one senator spotlighted so intensely about her vote against background checks for gun-buyers as New Hampshire’s Kelly Ayotte.

Fifty percent of New Hampshire voters surveyed by Public Policy Polling after the vote said they would be less likely to support her in a future election, compared with 23 percent who called it a positive.

This is a Republican who won her seat in 2010 by a 23-percentage point margin.

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ Americans for Responsible Solutions is running ads against Ayotte and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

The anti-Ayotte ads encourages listeners to call her and let her know “how disappointed they are by her decision to “go Washington” instead of remaining loyal to her constituents.

There is one group happy about Ayotte’s vote — she was one of four Democrats who voted on principal against the expansion of background checks in the Senate. Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada voted no to preserve the right to seek reconsideration as a member of the prevailing side. It failed on a vote of 54-46, with 60 votes needed for Senate approval.

That’s the National Rifle Association, airing a radio ad in the Granite State:

“Washington is full of politicians out of touch with the problems of our lives. While we worry about keeping our kids safe, too many of them worry about keeping their own power. But Senator Kelly Ayotte is focused on meaningful bipartisan solutions to our nation’s problems.”

“That’s because Kelly Ayotte is not just a senator, she’s also a mom who cares about protecting our kids. She knows that they only way to protect our children from tragedies like Sandy Hook is to fix our broken mental health system. That’s why Kelly Ayotte brought Republicans and Democrats together on a bipartisan solution and it’s why Kelly had the courage to oppose misguided gun control laws that would not have prevented Sandy Hook.

“Kelly Ayotte is focused on prosecuting law breakers and fixing our broken mental health system. Call her at 202-224-3121 and thank her for focusing on protecting our kids and our New Hampshire values. Paid for by the New Hampshire men and women of the National Rifle Association.”

Original post is Kelly Ayotte Gets Her Gun Ads by Political Capital.

Photograph by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Boxes of ammunition sit on the shelf at Sportsmans Arms in Petaluma, California.

If proponents of gun safety legislation were counting on a public backlash over the Senate’s vote against expansion of background checks for gun-buyers, they won’t find it here:

Among Americans surveyed by the Pew Research Center on a subject which generally has been found to enjoy 90 percent public support — the expansion of gun background checks — only 47 percent voiced negative feelings about the Senate’s vote while 39 percent had a positive reaction.

The White House and other advocates of gun safety have suggested that senators who scuttled the background check bill will be hearing from voters. Yet this initial gauge of public reaction suggests something less than a groundswell of reaction on the issue.

The Senate voted 54-46 for a bipartisan measure last week — falling six votes shy of the 60 needed to advance it in the chamber. Five Democrats and 41 Republicans voted no, though Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did so to preserve his right to ask for reconsideration of the matter.

Overall, 15 percent of Americans surveyed said they are angry this legislation was voted down and 32 percent said they are disappointed. On the other side, 20 percent said they are very happy the legislation was blocked, while 19 percent said they are relieved.

The national survey of 1,002 adults was conducted April 18-21.

“Republicans and Democrats paid equally close attention to the gun debate last week: 40 percent across party lines say they tracked the events very closely, making it the second most closely followed story last week, after the terrorist bombings at the Boston Marathon.” Pew notes.

Original post is Public Reaction to Senate Gun Vote: 47% Negative, 39% Positive by Political Capital.

Photograph by Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

Senator Max Baucus, a Democrat from Montana, speaks to the media while leaving the Blair House after a bipartisan meeting on deficit reduction with congressional leaders in Washington, D.C.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus won’t seek re-election in 2014, ending a 36-year tenure capped by his authorship of the 2010 health care law.

Baucus, 71, has been the top Democrat on the Finance Committee since 2001, often frustrating members of his own party with his willingness to negotiate with Republicans at length and break with Democrats on gun control and the estate tax.

Baucus’ departure could make it easier for Republicans to win a Senate seat in a state that President Barack Obama lost last year by 14 percentage points. He is the sixth Democratic senator, and the third from a state that voted Republican for president in 2012, who’s announced plans to eschew re-election next year.

Michael Bennet of Colorado, chairman of the Senate Democrats’ campaign committee, said he expects to build on the ground operation the party built for Jon Tester’s successful re-election in 2012 and “compete and win.”

One possible candidate is Brian Schweitzer, the former governor. Baucus had previously said he was running for re-election.

Baucus indicated his decision to fellow lawmakers today, said Orrin Hatch of Utah, the top Republican on the committee.

“It’s a great loss as far as I’m concerned,” said Hatch.

Baucus plans to make an announcement later today, a Democratic aide said. Another Democratic aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said Baucus plans to retire.

Baucus’ departure and lack of a campaign could give him more time and political space to legislate on tax policy over the next two years. He has been working on a rewrite of the tax system.

After he leaves, the most senior Democrat on the Finance Committee will be Ron Wyden of Oregon, now chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Wyden, long an advocate of tax simplification, declined to comment today on whether he would be interested in the Finance chairmanship.

Original post is Baucus’s 2014 Retirement: Sixth Senate Democrat to Go by Political Capital.

Photograph by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) speaks at a news briefing after the Senate defeated a bipartisan proposal to expand background checks on firearms purchases and close the so-called gun show loophole.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, the state where 20 elementary school students were gunned down in December, says that advocates of new gun legislation are not giving up after being unable to overcome a Republican-led filibuster to expand background checks of gun purchasers.

“The Senate said no to America. But America won’t take no for an answer,” Blumenthal said in an interview. “We’re coming back.”

He said supporters, including families of the victims in Newtown, Connecticut, are not going away. “As one of the families’ members said, `We’re not even close to being done.”’

With polls showing 90 percent of Americasn backing expanded background checks, supporters of background checks say that yesterday’s vote continues to show the power of the gun lobby, led by the National Rifle Association, despite losing most of the congressional races it spent money in last year.

Former Sen. Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican, said that opposition to background checks was motivated by a lot more than whether a senator would receive NRA support in the next election.

“Serious people asked a serious question: Does the solution fit the problem/” said Kyl, now at the lawyer-lobbying firm Covington & Burling LLP. Kyl did not seek re-election last year.

Original post is Blumenthal on Gun Laws: ‘America Won’t Take No for an Answer’ by Political Capital.

Photograph by Matt Hinshaw/The Daily Courier via AP Photo

Sen. Jeff Flake meets with the public on March 28, 2013 in Prescott, Arizona.

Now it gets personal.

The failure of gun-control legislation in the Senate will come with as many political repercussions as the passage of a bill would have generated.

Mark Kelly, the retired astronaut married to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona lawmaker seriously wounded in a 2011 Tucson shooting that claimed six lives, has some words on Twitter today for Sen. Jeff Flake, the Arizona Republican who opposed a measure expanding background checks for gunbuyers. That bill died Wednesday on a 54-46 vote. It needed 60.

Sen. John McCain, Arizona’s other Republican senator, voted for the bill. He was one of only four Republicans who did.

@jeffflake heard u say on FOX “I think all of us want to keep guns out of the hand of criminals & those with mental illness. We can do it.”

— Mark Kelly (@ShuttleCDRKelly) April 18, 2013

@jeffflake I’m confused, friend. You had that chance yesterday. Want to rethink and join me and Gabby in making Arizona safer?

— Mark Kelly (@ShuttleCDRKelly) April 18, 2013

This was Flake’s explanation:

I will oppose the Manchin-Toomey Amendment. Here’s why: facebook.com/JeffFlake1?ref…

— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) April 16, 2013

Original post is Kelly to Flake: Had Your Chance by Political Capital.

That’s how many votes a proposal to expand gun background checks received as it was rejected by the Senate yesterday.

The proposal, by West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, fell short of the 60 needed for passage.

Susan Collins of Maine, Mark Kirk of Illinois and John McCain of Arizona were the only Republicans other than Toomey to vote for the measure.

Four Democrats opposed it: Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Mark Pryor of Arkansas. All represent states that backed 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who beat President Barack Obama there by an average margin of 18 percentage points. Baucus, Begich and Pryor are up for re-election next year.

Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, a backer of the amendment, switched his vote to no to give him an opportunity under procedural rules to bring up the measure again.

“This was a pretty shameful day for Washington,” Obama said after the vote at the White House, where he appeared with family members of victims of last December’s shootings in Newtown, Connecticut.

Expanding background checks “will not reduce violent crime or keep our kids safe in their schools,” Chris W. Cox, a National Rifle Association lobbyist, said in a statement.

Original post is Bloomberg by the Numbers: 54 by Political Capital.

Photograph by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp

As they vow to continue their fight, backers of the expanded firearm background-check measure derailed in the Senate today — beginning with President Barack Obama — are pounding away at poll results showing that 90 percent of American voters support the proposal.

Indeed, a Quinnipiac University survey released earlier this month put the figure at 91 percent in favor of requiring background checks for all gun buyers — language that goes further than the plan unsuccessfully promoted by Sens. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, and Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican.

The political irrelevancy to some lawmakers, though, of what an overwhelming number of Americans from coast to coast may think is underscored by a statement Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota released today shortly before she joined a handful of other Democrats in rebuking Obama and other party leaders to join Republicans in thwarting the Manchin-Toomey legislation.

“I’ve thought long and hard about this, I’ve taken the tough meetings, and I’ve heard overwhelmingly from the people of North Dakota; and at the end of the day my duty is to listen to and represent the people of North Dakota.”

That’s a state with a population just shy of 700,000 as of last year, according to the Census Bureau, in a nation with roughly 314 million residents.

Three of the other Democrats voting against the increased background checks were definitely on the spot – Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Mark Begich of Alaska are all on the ballot next year in states that lean Republican and where bucking the National Rifle Association on gun control measures could doom their already dicey re-election prospects.

Heitkamp, 57, didn’t face that type of pressure. A former state attorney general, she won her Senate seat just last November, and so won’t face voters again until 2018.

Regardless, here’s what she had to say after her vote:  “Throughout the debate, I stood firm and protected the Second Amendment rights of North Dakotans. I felt the Manchin-Toomey amendment ultimately would place undue burdens on law-abiding North Dakotans.”

Original post is Heitkamp Gun-Control Vote Puts National Polls in Perspective by Political Capital.