Hotline Sort: Manchin, Get Your Gun

By Julie Sobel  //  October 10, 2012 | 8:19 a.m.

Welcome back to Hotline Sort. Massachusetts and Arizona Senate debates tonight, Manchin busts out his gun again in a new ad, the RGA helps Spence, and McKenna shows his Gangnam Style moves.

10) Don't miss this video of Washington GOP gubernatorial nominee Rob McKenna dancing "Gangnam Style," along with his wife, at a Global Korean Day celebration.

9) The Republican Governors Association puts big money into helping Dave Spence with his challenge to Demcoratic Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon.

8) Indiana GOP gubernatorial nominee Mike Pence wants an ad taken off the air. What does the spot do? Ties him to the state's GOP Senate nominee, Richard Mourdock. "He's just like Richard Mourdock," says the ad's narrator. "Tea Party and extreme."

7) Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., brings back his famous gun from a 2010 ad in a new spot running statewide this morning. "I know what you're thinking," says Manchin, as he cocks the gun. "But I don't need to shoot the cap and trade bill. I already killed it." The ad focuses on his record on coal and energy.

Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., joined Manchin on a conference call yesterday to defend him after Sen. Rand Paul's, R-Ky., PAC launched an ad attacking Manchin for opposing Paul's effort to block aid to Egypt, Libya, and Pakistan.

6) In other West Virginia news: Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and his GOP challenger Bill Maloney met for their only televised debate last night. The Charleston Daily Mail has the recap. 5) New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg will host a fundraiser for Independent Maine Senate candidate Angus King later this month. Bloomberg gave $500,000 to American Elect's effort to support King last week. 4) Senate Conservatives Action, aligned with conservative Sen. Jim DeMint is going up with two weeks of television ads in the Indiana Senate race, Politico reports -- a $435,000 buy. 3) Two debates today in big Senate races: GOP Rep. Jeff Flake and former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona will square off for the first time in Arizona's Senate contest. And in Massachusetts, Sen. Scott Brown and Democratic opponent Elizabeth Warren will meet for the third time. 2) The Hill has a story on House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chair Darrell Issa targeting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over the administration's handling of the terrorist attack at the American consulate in Libya:

Issa has not called on Clinton to testify at a hearing Wednesday morning meant to investigate security lapses at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Issa's staff has also praised Clinton for vowing to cooperate with the investigation of how an attack on the consulate left U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other American diplomats dead. ... But there are signs that a prolonged investigation by the pugnacious Issa and his panel, which enjoys subpoena power over the administration, will bring the two Washington heavyweights into conflict. While Issa has not directly criticized Clinton, one of his lieutenants -- Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) -- did on Tuesday, arguing the White House and Clinton had been more concerned with normalizing relations with Libya's new government than with security.

1) Voter registration ended yesterday in Colorado, Florida and Ohio -- three crucial states in this year's presidential race -- and Democrats hold a narrowing advantage in most swing states, with Republicans cutting into those advantages since 2008 (with the notable exception of Nevada). Check out this New York Times breakdown of the numbers.

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Reid Wilson, Editor-in-Chief
Steve Shepard, Executive Editor
Julie Sobel, Editor
Kevin Brennan, Deputy Editor


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