OK, this is a bit complicated and very Florida. Bear with me.
1. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL21), who won a comfortable victory against a very flawed challenger in 2008, is retiring from Congress. Word has it that he's keeping his powder dry for a restoration of the ancestral kleptocracy in Cuba.
2. His brother, Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL25), who didn't win a huge victory despite a flawed campaign by a good challenger in 2008, is going to change districts and run from FL-21 instead of FL-25, because FL-25 is trending Democrat faster than FL-21, which remains a quality gerrymander.
3. Speculation is that Joe Garcia, currently heading the Office of Minority Economic Impact for the Department of Energy, may run again in FL-25. If so, I hope he runs a more grass-rootsy and less expensive-consultant-driven campaign. We don't need and can't afford Joe Trippi for this one. We do need a very experienced and organized campaign manger.
(More coverage in the Herald, Lincoln Diaz-Balart's exit from Congress sets off political scramble)
OK. Now we know what happened to Mike Gravel's media team: they're working for Cal Sen candidate Carly Fiorina. Here's an early but very strong entry in the contest for weirdest campaign video of 2010.
Via Kos which says, too kindly,
It's as if a very expensive Senate campaign for an incredibly wealthy woman in the biggest, richest state in the United States of America collectively dropped acid and decided to make an art school, prog rock “concept commercial.”
(Mike Gravel Flashback 2 and Flashback 1.)
Post-Massachusetts rumor: I hear that Jay Leno will be taking over as President due to Obama's sinking ratings.
Rob Miller is running for Congress in SC-02 against Rep. Joe Wilson, the yahoo who heckled President Obama during the healthcare speech. Mr. Miller got within a few percent two years ago despite a shoestring budget that resulted in his being outspent by a large ratio.
That's unlikely to be a problem this time. In the less than 48 hours since the (inaccurate) “You Lie” heard round the nation, ActBlue's Rob Miller campaign has raised over $800,000 from more than 22,000 donors.
And the number is still growing.
This is not a solicitation to donate to Mr. Miller — I don't actually know anything about him other than he's not Joe Wilson…which is almost, but not quite, enough. The public reaction, though, is more than impressive. I'm told the average contribution is $36 and the median contribution is $25, so it's a genuine grass-roots phenomenon.