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Will Olympia Snowe Join Third-Party Ticket?

Sounds like she could be a candidate for Americans Elect: Jonathan Chait

(Newser) - What's Olympia Snowe up to? Her surprise decision to retire from the Senate came with what Jonathan Chait at New York magazine sees as an "unusually specific" statement about her desire to try to fix DC's partisan ways. "I intend to help give voice to my...

Dem Senator Delays Obama Judicial Pick

Some say Robert Menendez holding grudge

(Newser) - President Obama is facing a battle over a judicial nominee—and his opponent is a fellow Democrat. New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez is delaying the confirmation of a judge to a federal Court of Appeals, and he hasn't given the New York Times a reason. But insiders think it...

Rubio Lashes Back at 'Embellishment' Charges

Florida senator says 'Post' story misses bigger picture

(Newser) - Marco Rubio got a taste of what it's like to live in the klieg light of national politics this week. Ever since the Washington Post published a story accusing him of fudging the truth about his Cuban family history, Rubio has been on a media blitz to rebut the...

Congresswoman Aims to Be First Openly Gay Senator

Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin announces 2012 candidacy

(Newser) - Rep. Tammy Baldwin, a self-described Wisconsin progressive, hopes to make a little history next year: She is running for Senate, and a victory would make her the first openly gay senator, notes the Huffington Post . Baldwin will likely be the most formidable Democrat in the race, writes Amanda Terkel, who...

Coburn: 'Good Thing I Can't Pack a Gun' in Senate

Otherwise, those 'cowards' would be in trouble

(Newser) - Today's exercise in whether a politician's joke goes too far, courtesy of Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn: "It's just a good thing I can't pack a gun on the Senate floor," said the Republican, after describing his colleagues as "cowards" and a "bunch...

Elizabeth Warren Senate Run Looks Likely

She is expected to challenge Scott Brown in Massachusetts

(Newser) - Pencil it in as one of the better Senate races to watch in 2012: Elizabeth Warren vs. Scott Brown in Massachusetts. It now looks like a safe bet that Warren will enter the contest, writes Sam Stein in the Huffington Post . Warren herself ratcheted up the speculation by posting a...

Senator: Open Budget Talks or I'll Shut Down Senate

Ron Johnson threatens to block chamber's business

(Newser) - Every senator has the power to bring the chamber's business to a halt, but only freshman Ron Johnson is threatening to use it. The Wisconsin Republican vowed yesterday that he would block "business as usual" in the Senate by withholding his consent for basic procedures unless debt ceiling...

Senator Wyden: The Real Patriot Act Is Classified

And he wants the government to make it public information

(Newser) - If you think the Patriot Act is invasive, you don’t know the half of it, Ron Wyden says—and he can’t tell you. In an interview with Wired , the Democratic Oregon senator reveals that the government is operating on a much broader interpretation of the law than it...

No Definitive Cause in Stevens' Alaska Plane Crash

Limited information on events of crash has NTSB stumped

(Newser) - No definitive cause can be determined for the plane crash that killed former US Sen. Ted Stevens and four others last summer in Alaska, the National Transportation Safety Board said today. The board agreed at a hearing in Washington that "temporary unresponsiveness" of the pilot could be to blame,...

John Ensign Resigns, but Senate Ethics Inquiry Will Go on
 Ensign Inquiry Will Go On 

Ensign Inquiry Will Go On

Senate ethics panel makes unusual move to continue after resignation

(Newser) - John Ensign may have quit to avoid further scrutiny of his peccadilloes, but the Senate ethics investigation into his affair with a campaign staffer will go on, reports the Washington Post. “Senator Ensign has made the appropriate decision," said a statement from Sens. Barbara Boxer and Johnny...

Nevada Senator John Ensign to Resign

Lawmaker is in the midst of ethics investigation

(Newser) - Here's a pretty strong sign that the ethics investigation against Nevada Senator John Ensign is making progress: He announced today that he's resigning effective May 3, reports the Las Vegas Sun . Ensign had previously announced that he wouldn't seek re-election, but this dramatically speeds the Republican's...

27% of Senate Press Releases Taunt Other Side

Professor analyzes writings, finds lots of name calling

(Newser) - This could explain why Congress is having such a hard time agreeing on a budget: Its members are too busy taunting one another. A Harvard professor analyzed the writings of Congress members, and found that about 27% of the time, they're just insulting each other. “It’s jarring and...

GOP Files Ethics Complaint on McCaskill

They want investigation into use of tax money for flight

(Newser) - Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill is the target of a GOP-filed ethics complaint over her personal plane, Politico reports. McCaskill has acknowledged that she mistakenly used taxpayer money to cover the cost of one purely political trip last year, and she reimbursed the Treasury Department for it last week. Today, Missouri...

Scandal-Scarred John Ensign to Retire

In wake of scandal, senator ducks reelection fight

(Newser) - John Ensign will announce that he is not running for reelection in 2012 at an afternoon press conference in Las Vegas, sources tell Roll Call . Republicans have been leaning on the Nevada senator to retire, on the assumption that his much-discussed extramarital dalliances would prove a distraction. Rep. Dean Heller...

Another Democratic Senator, Hawaii's Akaka, Is Retiring

86-year-old opts to retire at end of this term

(Newser) - Democrats have another open Senate seat to defend: Daniel Akaka of Hawaii says he won't run for re-election in 2012, reports the Honolulu Advertiser . The 86-year-old is a beloved political figure in Hawaii, having served in the Senate since 1990 and in the House for 14 years before that. He...

'Maverick' McCain Now Most Conservative Senator

He's tied for first in National Journal's rankings

(Newser) - John McCain's reputation as a maverick Republican willing to cross party lines has been slipping for a while, and this will all but kill it: He's been officially crowned the most conservative senator by the National Journal . (His 89.7 vote rating actually ties him with seven others: Jim DeMint,...

Another Democratic Senator Retiring

New Mexico's Jeff Bingaman will not seek reelection, sources say

(Newser) - Democratic officials say Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico intends to retire next year rather than seek a new term. Bingaman would be the latest in a string of departures to hit Democrats as they look ahead to the 2012 election season. He is currently serving his fifth term. Democratic...

Scott Brown: I Was Molested as a Kid

Senator reveals abuse by camp counselor, beatings by stepfathers

(Newser) - Scott Brown is making headlines this evening over a 60 Minutes interview in which he says he was sexually abused by a camp counselor and physically abused by his stepfathers. CBS aired an excerpt ahead of Sunday's show. The Massachusetts senator said the camp counselor touched him and forced him...

Civility in DC? Female Senators Show the Way

The 17 women of the chamber regularly gather for dinner

(Newser) - As Washington continues to struggle with divisive political rhetoric, one group has been quietly making strides in the opposite direction: the 17 female senators. “We committed to maintaining a zone of civility here within the institution long before it became the chic thing to do,” says Barbara Mikulski,...

Lieberman: Yes, I'm Leaving; My Politics Never Changed
Lieberman: Yes, I'm Leaving; My Politics Never Changed
OPINION ROUNDUP

Lieberman: Yes, I'm Leaving; My Politics Never Changed

John McCain hopes he becomes defense secretary

(Newser) - Joe Lieberman today confirmed what everybody knew: He's not running for Senate re-election in 2012. Some quotes from the Connecticut independent's news conference, as collected by the Washington Post :
  • "Along the way, I have not always fit comfortably into conventional political boxes—maybe you've noticed that—Democrat or Republican,
...

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