DSCC

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Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.), who was arrested this morning, will name Barack Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested today on federal corruption charges -- he allegedly tried to sell Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat -- which means Obama's replacement in the United States Senate could be appointed by a man under indictment.  Illinois state law provides for the Governor to fill vacant seats in the U.S. Senate, and short of resignation, there is no process for Blagojevich to pass that responsibility to anyone else.  He could opt to leave Obama’s Senate seat vacant.

WASHINGTON – Newly-installed Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-Union City) is eyeing a fund-raising strategy that targets a geographically broader donor base than the one employed by his predecessor, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Like Schumer, Menendez is planning to use his connections to Wall Street and well-moneyed Democratic donors in New York and New Jersey to stuff the DSCC’s purse. But the New Jersey senator, who during his career in the U.S. House served as chairman of the Democratic Caucus, is looking to broaden the committee’s fund-raising reach, and has indicated that he wants to make heavy use of relationships he has established with donors in around 20 cities around the country, sources familiar with Menendez’s planning said.

These sources predicted that Menendez will make overtures to Democratic givers in Texas, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago. Menendez, who is Cuban-American, will also target donors in South Florida. The effort will be geared at taking advantage of a nationwide network that is already in place.

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), right, with his predecessor as Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)

It’s official.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this morning turned over the reigns of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to New Jersey’s Bob Menendez, the group’s vice-chair (D-Hoboken). 

“Our Caucus will be well-served by Bob Menendez, whose mastery of policy is matched only by his mastery of politics,” said Reid in a statement.

Schumer departs with a successful track record, presiding over the Democrats’ takeover of the Senate in 2006 and further gains this year.  Menendez said he hopes to build on that. 

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U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, with President-elect Barack Obama, wil be the new Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee

Earlier this evening, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez accepted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's invitation to become the Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.  Reid will officially announce Menendez's appointment tomorrow.   Menendez will replace Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who announced today that he would step down after four years heading the DSCC.

Not surprisingly, the New Jersey delegation was thrilled with Joe Biden’s speech tonight.  But among three delegates, the most powerful moment was Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden’s introduction of his father. 

Beau Biden’s recounting of the family’s tragic narrative, when he and his brother survived a car wreck that killed his mother and infant sister, struck State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) particularly hard.

Listening to his son speak and seeing him come out, that was very powerful,” she said.  “You could see the son’s eyes welled up with tears, appropriately so.”

Frank Lautenberg may have had to settle for having a train station named after him instead of Newark Airport, but former Denver Mayor Wellington Web joked today that he may yet get his name on part of an airport – just not one in New Jersey. 

Webb addressed the New Jersey delegation at their breakfast this morning. 

“We decided to build a new airport and didn’t have the money to do it.  We found a great advocate for us in Senator Frank Lautenberg,” said Webb, the first and only African-American Mayor of Denver.  “As a matter of fact, a wing of that airport should be named after Frank Lautenberg.”

Danny O’Brien, who was just hired as Sen. Bob Menendez’s new chief of staff in May, faces a happy predicament.

O’Brien, a native of southern California with deep political roots in New Jersey, spent three-and-a-half years as Sen. Joe Biden’s chief of staff before moving on to Menendez. Before Biden, he was chief of staff for former Senator Robert Toricelli, and worked on former Gov. Jim McGreevey’s 2001 gubernatorial campaign.

Now, having just started his job with Menendez, it’s easy to see him being recruited to the executive branch if Barack Obama and Joe Biden win the general election. But as of right now, he has no plans to change jobs.

“I have no plans to make any changes right now. I’m lucky to be working for Senator Menendez,” he said.

When U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews decided to wage a primary challenge against Sen. Frank Lautenberg, few politicians went after Andrews as hard as Rep. Frank Pallone did.

But Pallone (D-Long Branch) today indicated that, with Andrews (D-Haddon Heights) expected to depart from the House in January, the two will once again have a working relationship.

“I don’t know if it’s certain that he’s working for Goldman Sachs, but I assume he’s going to be involved in legislation and continue to be involved with Congress in some way, even though he’s not a congressman. I’ve worked with him for years, and will continue to,” said Pallone.

Kate Whitman is the only candidate in the 7th district Republican primary that is “strong” on the second amendment – the only candidate with a hunting license, according to her campaign. 

What does she hunt?

“Pheasant,” said Anthony Attanasio, her spokesman.

And from the Democrats, feeling confident that the winner of their U.S. Senate primary will prevail over the winner of the Republican primary:

Frank Lautenberg has a 31-point lead over Rob Andrews in New Jersey's Democratic U.S. Senate primary: Getty Images Photo
A poll conducted by Joel Benenson and released by the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC) today shows U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg with a sizeable lead over challanger U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews.

Matt Miller, spokesman for the DSCC, said the April 1-2 Benenson poll of 500 likely Democratic primary voters gives Lautenberg a 52-21% lead over Andrews.

The poll shows Lautenberg with a 75% job approval rating among Democratic voters, and shows 57% of Democrats voting for Lautenberg and 12% against.