VITTER PRIMARY CHALLENGES FADE; MN COURT SAYS NO INTERIM CERTIFICATE FOR FRANKEN; ALABAMA GOV RACE NEWS; AND SPECTER-TOOMEY REMATCH IS ON. LOUISIANA. Former Congressman John Cooksey (R) announced this week he will not challenge US Senator David Vitter (R) in next year's primary. Vitter is viewed as ...

UTAH GUV SUGGESTS WAY OUT OF WILDERNESS FOR GOP. One of our readers posted an item in yesterday's blog thread that I thought intriguing enough to make the focus of today's posting. Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. (R) -- a businessman, heir to a billionaire fortune, former US Ambassador, former Reagan...

OBAMA ADDRESSED CONGRESS, NATION; BURRIS WON'T RESIGN; SOLIS CONFIRMED; PALIN REIMBURSES STATE; DETROIT MAYOR PRIMARY RESULTS. THE PRESIDENCY. President Barack Obama, enjoying high approval ratings, spoke to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. The speech focused almost entirely on the econ...

A LOCKE FOR COMMERCE POST; PALIN SAYS MEDIA PLOTTED TO GET HER; SHELBY WONDER IF OBAMA IS REALLY AMERICAN; ROMNEY LAYING GROUNDWORK; INDY JUMPS INTO NJ GOV RACE. OBAMA CABINET. CNN reports that fomer Washington Governor Gary Locke (D) -- the first Chinese-American to serve as a US Governor -- is exp...

PALIN'S HOME TAX PROBLEMS; CRIST STRONG FOR FL SEN RACE; PATAKI LOOKS AT NY SEN RACE; UTAH SEN BENNETT TO FACE PRIMARY CHALLENGE; MORE BURRIS NEWS. ALASKA. After a thorough review, state officials ordered Governor Sarah Palin (R) pay her back taxes related to per diem reimbursements she claimed whil...

BURRIS RESIGNATION CALLS GROW; ROY BLUNT JUMPS INTO MO SEN RACE; MEEKS LANDS KEY LABOR ENDORSEMENT IN FL SEN RACE. ILLINOIS. Interim US Senator Roland Burris (D) has been busy this week digging himself deeper into an ethics and potentially criminal hole. US Senate leaders wouldn't allow Burris to ta...

BURRIS MAY FACE PERJURY PROBE, TOUGH PRIMARY FOE; CONGRESSMAN BURTON TO FACE CROWDED PRIMARY FIELD IN '10. ILLINOIS. US Senator Roland Burris (D) may have perjured himself when he testified in January before the Illinois House committee which investigated the impeachment of now-ousted Governor Rod B...

McDONNELL GETS HELP; TOO SICK TO BE MAYOR, BUT OKAY FOR GOV RACE; PUBLIC WANTS CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRY ON POTENTIAL BUSH ADMIN MISCONDUCT. VIRGINIA. Political consultant Ed Gillespie -- a former Republican National Chairman and staunch Bush loyalist -- has been named as a Senior Advisor to the guberna...

STEELE CLEANS HOUSE; REP DAVIS RUNS FOR ALABAMA GOV; McDONNELL LEADS FOR VA GOV; BATMAN PONDERS GUV RUN; GOP CONGRESSMAN TWITTERS SECRETS. RNC. Newly elected Republican National Chairman Michael Steele is doing some major house cleaning at the RNC. In his first meeting with RNC staffers, he asked fo...

BLAGO APPOINTS BURRIS TO SENATE, LEADERSHIP VOWS TO REJECT APPOINTMENT; SENATE GOP THREATENS TO BLOCK FRANKEN FROM BEING SEATED. ILLINOIS. Embattled and indicted Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) has appointed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris (D) to fill the US Senate seat left vacant by Pr...