U.S. House of Representatives

Rob Portman announced his resignation as President Bush's budget director today, which set off speculation that the 51-year-old Ohioan is preparing to re-enter electoral politics. Portman served six-terms as the representative of the Cincinnati area before joining the administration in 2005, and according to the AP's write-up he made it clear today that he is considering a future bid for Governor or the U.S. Senate.

So which will it be and what are his chances?  read more »

According to prospective mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis, running for mayor as a Democrat-turned-Republican (like Mike Bloomberg did) works, but running for President as an independent (like Mike Bloomberg may) probably doesn't.

"On a national basis, if Mr. Bloomberg wants to run, the one thing he has to overcome that I don't have to overcome -- lets say he has to spend three, four, five hundred million dollars on his own, he's capable of spending. And lets say he gets good name recognition, and people actually like him and people vote for him, and lets say he splits up the vote three ways, 33, 33, 33. If [Ross] Perot got 19 [percent], I'm sure Mike Bloomberg is capable of getting 33.

"But if nobody gets 270 electoral electoral votes, and it goes to the House of Representatives, there's no independents in the House of Representatives. How do you become president?"

-- Azi Paybarah

Democrats will no doubt hail the non-binding resolution just passed in the House of Representatives as another victory towards forcing the administration to change its course in the war.

Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey sees the non-binding House resolution opposing the Iraq troop increase as a defeat for the Democrats.

Discussing the 246 to 182 vote, which included 17 Republican defections, Armey said, "The White House is doing good then, if they held it to 17. I think they felt if they could keep it to 20 or below then they are in good shape. I think that settles the deal."

"They didn't get enough of a show of Republican votes, so that it will drift into the category of little-noted-no-longer-remembered," he said.

The Democrats have convened an unusual Saturday session of the Senate in an attempt to make sure that doesn't happen.

--Jason Horowitz

A DC reader pointed me towards an interesting fact concerning the fattest campaign accounts among the 435 members of the House of Representatives.

Two of the top three belong to Democrats from Massachusetts -- Marty Meehan ($4,894,187) and Edward Markey ($2,369,412). The other belongs to Frank Pallone of New Jersey ($2,412,888).

Out of the ten best-funded members, four are from Massachusetts and two are from New Jersey.

Among other things, the concentration of money-hording members in MA and NJ seems to be a result of the very real back-logs of representatives lining up for nonexistent opportunities to win promotion to the Senate.

In Massachusetts, it's Ted Kennedy and -- now that he's not running for president -- John Kerry who are gumming up the works for the foreseeable future. In New Jersey, where there have been a couple of unexpected vacancies in recent years, Bob Menendez is settling in for what looks to be a long stay and just-turned-83-years-old Frank Lautenberg is planning to run for re-election.

I'm sure the DCCC wouldn't mind if the members game them some that money. Anyone else have any suggestions for what Meehan, Pallone, Markey and company might do with their inert millions?

-- Azi Paybarah

E. Scott Garrett, one of the most conservative members of the entire U.S. House, has been declared the winner in the northern New Jersey 5th Congressional District, holding off Democrat Paul Aronsohn. The seat, which serves some of the most rural and right-leaning areas of the state, was seen as fairly safe for Garrett-- one where defeat would signal doomsday for the national Republican Party.

Still unknown, however, is whether Republican Michael Ferguson has survived in the central Jersey-based 7th District, a less solidly GOP area. His opponent, Assemblywoman Linda Stender, has mounted a credible campaign in what is now the only unsettled race in the Garden State.

-- Steve Kornacki

Almost as soon as Vermont's polls closed, Democrat Peter Welch was declared the winner of the race for the state's lone U.S. House seat, downing Republican state Adjutant General Martha Rainville. This is not an upset, but this seat -- held by the outgoing independent/Democrat Bernie Sanders -- was actually one of the brighter pick-up prospects for the national GOP. The fact that they lost so decisively isn't a good signal for them. -- Steve Kornacki

More post-racial politics in the 11th Congressional race...

After receiving an invitation to join Yvette Clarke on the steps of City Hall next Tuesday (pdf) for a women-centric promotion that we couldn't pass up posting ("A women's place is in the House...The House of Representatives!"), we decided to talk to Clarke PR rep Juda Engelmayer about the abrupt change in strategy that coincided so neatly with his arrival to the campaign.

Here's what he said:

"Basically the focus has been on race -- the focus hasn't been on issues and it's hard to get the focus back on issues when what's exciting to the media are polarizing issues and we're trying to do that."

"Emily's List and Future PAC just endorsed her. These are women's groups who believe she's good on women's issues. Because of that, we decided we're going to start going with that. She is the only woman in the race so we believe it has a certain appeal and attraction level. But there are women's issues out there that are important and two PACs believe she is the candidate of choice for these reasons."

"People can argue that bringing up the women's issue is just as polarizing in a sense as the race issue, nobody can change their color, and nobody can change their gender -- well let's not go there. We're harping on a kind of non-issue: 'Vote for me because I am of a certain class or gender,' so its kind of feeding into the same race issue. But on the other hand, these two PACs give us the clout of having issues behind us as well."

Got that?

—Nicole Brydson

Charlie Rangel will be hosting a fundraiser this Friday evening at Harlem's Baton Rouge restaurant and lounge. The event begins with a Chairman's Reception, for a donation of $500-$4,200, and cocktails and entry to a performance by recording artist Raheem Devaughn for $200.

The invitation reminds supports that "Congressman Rangel is raising funds to help win the 15 seats necessary for the Democrats to regain control of the House of Representatives."

And, not incidentally, that "in a Democratic Majority, Congressman Rangel will make history as the first African-American and the first New Yorker since 1881 to Chair the Ways and Means Committee."

—Nicole Brydson

The Senate has passed a resolution apologizing to the relatives of almost 5,000 Americans known to h  read more »

Wonkette has this exchange between Don Imus and Rick Santorum:

Santorum: Tom's a very good leader. I don't think anyone can question that...

Imus: He's a weird little dude.

Santorum: He's not a weird dude. He's a good guy.  read more »

Imus: He just looks to me like a guy that has some kind of weird, kinky, sexual thing going on.

Santorum: I don't think it's appropriate to talk about the majority leader of the House of Representatives that way.

Steny Hoyer, the U.S. House Minority Whip, is in Albany today meeting State Senate Minority Leader David Paterson. We're told he's hoping that New York's Democrats can retake the State Senate and then oversee the kind of deeply partisan redistricting made popular by Tom DeLay, relieving both him and Paterson of their minority status.  read more »

Immediately upon returning to Washington, the victorious majority in the House of Representatives ag  read more »