Hotline Sort: Mack Misses Vote on Ryan Budget

By Sean Sullivan  //  March 30, 2012 | 8:32 a.m.

Welcome back to Hotline Sort. Our latest Senate race rankings are out, as Massachusetts ticks down on the list of potential pickups. Meanwhile, Mack misses a key vote on the Ryan budget, Heitkamp goes up on TV, the DGA raises $8 million during the first quarter and Mark Block is back in the news. Here's today's rundown:

9) Remember Mark Block, the Herman Cain adviser famously smoking in what became a viral campaign video? He's facing potential legal trouble now: Corporations he founded are facing a federal investigation, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

8) Arizona Democratic state Sen. Paula Aboud is dropping out of the November general election in Arizona's 2nd District and backing Ron Barber, a former aide to Gabrielle Giffords.

7) Former North Dakota Democratic Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp is up with her first TV ad, a positive spot that is airing beginning on Friday (the state GOP convention is this weekend). "Mom was a school janitor. Dad never finished high school. He used to work out on these roads. And they believed in us. All seven kids went to college," Heitkamp says in the spot.

6) Virginia Democratic state Sen. Chap Petersen is all but certain to run for governor in 2013, an adviser tells the Washington Post. That would set up a fascinating Terry McCauliffe-Petersen Democratic primary in 2013.

5) The Democratic Governors Association raised $8 million in the first three months of 2012. The Republican Governors Association has not released its numbers yet, but it has been easily outpacing the DGA so far this cycle.

4) It's been a good week for picking up big-name establishment Republican endorsements for Mitt Romney. House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan endorsed him today on "Fox and Friends." "It's clear to me he understands the fork in the road America is facing," Ryan said on the show. "I also think he has the best chance of winning, of defeating President Obama in the fall." 3) Ten House Republicans voted against Ryan's budget plan on Thursday, but one Senate candidate was notably absent: Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla. Mack's spokesman said he supports the plan but had other obligations, the Tampa Bay Times reports. Missing a key vote like that becomes instant fodder for former Sen. George LeMieux in the GOP primary. 2) Keep an eye on Wisconsin this morning, where the Government Accountability Board will meet to decide whether to certify the recall elections. There's no drama here: It's going to happen, and the board staff has already recommended it. The real variable involves the Democratic primary. Some time after the board certifies the recall and before Tuesday, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett will announce whether he is running. Barrett is gearing up for a run; which would trigger a heated primary against former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk. 1) The Hotline's latest Senate rankings are out and the race most likely to change control is still Nebraska. Meanwhile, Maine jumps up to #3 while Montana and Massachusetts flip flop at #5 and #6. Check out the full list of the top 20 races here.

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