Senator John Walsh (D, MT) withdraws: Aug. 7, 2014

Under pressure from Democrats, Senator John Walsh of Montana, who has served in office for just six months, said on Thursday that he was dropping his election bid, clearing the path for his party to nominate a new candidate. Walsh, who was appointed by Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) to his office in February after Senator Max Baucus was named ambassador to China, will keep his seat through the end of this year. Montana Democrats have until Aug. 21 — when statewide candidates are certified on the ballot —to replace him. His withdrawal from the race comes about two weeks after The New York Times reported that in 2007 Walsh had plagiarized large sections of the final paper he completed to earn his master’s degree at the prestigious Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. Monday is the deadline for Montana candidates to withdraw from the general election.

Democrats in Washington and Montana had concluded that Walsh had virtually no chance to win against the Republican nominee, Rep. Steve Daines. He was mum for much of this week, canceling public events and discussing his decision with his family. After initially denying his plagiarism when confronted with evidence outside his office last month, Walsh suggested after The Times published the article that stress from his tour of combat in Iraq had played a part in his appropriating the work of others. Last week, however, he said that the effects of his military service had not played a part, and indicated that he took “full responsibility” for his behavior. Still, the reaction in his home state was swift and negative. Two Montana newspapers published editorials on Sunday urging him to stop campaigning.

Rep. Eric Cantor resigns: Aug. 1, 2014

Less than two months after his stunning primary upset and just hours after stepping down as House majority leader, Rep. Eric Cantor said Thursday that he will resign his seat in the House of Representatives effective Aug. 18. “I want to make sure that the constituents in the 7th District will have a voice in what will be a very consequential lame-duck session,” Cantor said in an exclusive interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Cantor said he has asked Gov. Terry McAuliffe to call a special election for his district that coincides with the general election on Nov. 4. By having a special election in November, the winner would take office immediately, rather than in January with the next Congress. “That way he will also have seniority, and that will help the interests of my constituents (because) he can be there in that consequential lame-duck session,” Cantor said.

Dave Brat, an economics professor from Henrico County, toppled the incumbent in a Republican primary on June 10. Cantor on Thursday reiterated his support of Brat’s election bid. “I hope he will win,” he said.

McAuliffe said Wednesday that he was “heartsick” over Cantor’s defeat, because coupled with the retirements of Rep. Frank R. Wolf, R-10th, and Rep. Jim Moran, D-8th, it represents a significant loss of clout for the state’s congressional delegation.

Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said Cantor deserves credit for making a “generous gesture” to his district and eventual successor by resigning early. “At the same time, it’s highly probable that he has a very lucrative deal in the works for his post-Congress life, and he’s eager to get started,” Sabato said. “The Republicans are nearly guaranteed to retain control of the House of Representatives after November, and a former majority leader with good ties to most of his colleagues is a very valuable commodity,” he said.

Georgia Republican Primary runoff results: July 22, 2014

Gubernatorial race updates: July 13, 2014

OnTheIssues has added coverage for several new gubernatorial candidates based on who won their primaries, or who answered our VoteMatch quiz. The new candidates will have their issue stances filled out over the next couple of weeks.

Click on the candidates above to see their issue stances; and check back in the coming weeks to see additional coverage.

Another Tuesday, another primary: June 24, 2014

Click on the candidates above to see their issue stances (and others'); and check back in the coming weeks to see additional coverage.

House Leadership shakeup: June 10-23, 2014

Republican Primaries: June 3, 2014

Cabinet Shakeup: May 30, 2014

Since the start of Obama's second term in January 2013, six Cabinet officers have resigned, including three in 2014. The roster of changes now includes:

Republican Senate Primaries: May 20 & 27, 2014

Candidate update: May 15, 2014

OnTheIssues has added some new candidates for 2014 Senate and gubernatorial races; the primaries are now underway, too, so we note the candidates who have lost their primaries. OnTheIssues serves as a political archive, so we keep information on candidates even after they drop out -- ready for the next race or for referencing.

Click on the new candidates above to see their issue stances (and others'); and check back in the coming weeks to see additional coverage. We will now focus on adding depth to each candidate issue page (the current average is 67% coverage for challengers; i.e., 2/3rds of all VoteMatch questions are answered for each candidate).

Rep. Michael Grimm arrested: April 28, 2014

New York Rep. Michael Grimm was indicted Monday on 20 counts of fraud and other charges relating to a Manhattan restaurant he owned and operated, accused by federal prosecutors of evading the IRS and making over $1 million in revenue "disappear." The Republican congressman, who is a former FBI agent, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Brooklyn. After he was arrested earlier in the day, Grimm will be released on $400,000 bond. He was ordered to stay within the continental U.S., and surrender his passport by May 11.

The congressman has vowed to fight. After learning that charges were forthcoming, Grimm's attorney William McGinley said Friday that the "government has pursued a politically driven vendetta against Congressman Grimm and not an independent search for the truth." The statement said Grimm "asserts his innocence of any wrongdoing" and "will be vindicated." McGinley said Grimm will "continue to serve his constituents."

The indictment covered mail and wire fraud charges and charges pertaining to false federal tax returns. At the heart of the indictment was an alleged "scheme" to hide sales and wages at his Upper East Side restaurant, Healthalicious, which he ran from 2007 to 2010 before entering Congress. Prosecutors described a relatively simple scheme, where Grimm allegedly took cash from the register of his restaurant and used part of that to pay workers off the books. In doing so, he allegedly under-reported his revenue, "making over a million dollars simply disappear."

Grimm was also accused of hiring undocumented workers. The charges did not appear to focus on the financing of Grimm's 2010 congressional campaign, which was initially thought to be the focus of a long-running FBI investigation.

[In an unrelated scandal], U.S. Rep. Vance McAllister said that he won't be seeking reelection to his seat next fall.

Gov. Bobby Jindal, Louisiana's Republican Party state chairman Roger Villere and others asked McAllister to step down early after the married congressman was caught on video kissing a member of his staff. McAllister said that he plans to serve out the rest of his term, which ends in December. The congressman's decision not to run for relection is likely to spur a lot of interest in his position representing the 5th district in Louisiana.

Republican wins Florida special election: March 11, 2014

Rep. Bill Young (R, FL-13) passed away on Oct. 18, 2013; a special election was called by Gov. Rick Scott (R) for March 11, 2014. David Jolly (R) beat Alex Sink (D), and because this is a special election, will be seated immediately, but will be up for re-election in November 2014.

New candidates for Senate & Governor: March 1, 2014

OnTheIssues has added some late entries for the 2014 Senate and gubernatorial races. February 2014 is considered a "late entry" for the November 2014 election (the first Senate primary takes place in Texas in March!).

Click on the new candidates above to see their issue stances (and others'); and check back in the coming weeks to see additional coverage. We will now focus on adding depth to each candidate issue page (the current average is 50% coverage for challengers; i.e., half of all VoteMatch questions are answered for each candidate); and on adding third-party candidates (who typically enter the race later than major-party candidates, since they usually have no primary).

New Senator appointed: Feb. 7, 2014

Sen. Max Baucus (D, MT) resigns; Lt. Gov. John Walsh (D, MT) appointed:

Win or lose in November, Democratic Lt. Gov. John Walsh will be the next senator from Montana. Gov. Steve Bullock appointed his former running mate to fill the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, who is leaving the Senate early after being confirmed as ambassador to China.

Walsh was already running for the seat, but he'll now run as the incumbent senator. That change could provide some inherent advantages in his quest to hold one of the party's most vulnerable seats. "I wanted to appoint someone who I truly believed would wake up each and every day wanting to put Montana and Montanans first," Bullock said in a news conference to announce the appointment.

National Democrats recruited Walsh to run after former Gov. Brian Schweitzer took a pass on the race. The open seat is a top target of national Republicans, who landed a top-tier candidate in Rep. Steve Daines. Two other Democrats, former Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger and rancher Dirk Adams, are also seeking the nomination.

Rep. Rob Andrews (D, NJ) resigns:

New Jersey Congressman Rob Andrews has announced he's resigning from his congressional post after holding the seat for more than two decades. The 56-year-old will join a Philadelphia law firm. "It appeared that this was an opportunity that was here now and that would not be here in the coming months," he said. Andrews plans to vacate his post on Feb. 18, but his staff will stay on board until a successor is chosen. N.J. Gov. Chris Christie will need to schedule a special election to fill Andrews' seat. No word yet on when that may be. The New Jersey 1st Congressional District is a strongly Democratic seat that is expected to stay blue in the upcoming election.

The congressman's resignation comes as he is being investigated for potential ethics violations related to the use of campaign funding for travel. A watchdog group called for an investigation into his use of $11,000 for a trip to California. His daughter, an aspiring performer, was in Los Angeles at the same time for a music recording session. Andrews also reimbursed his campaign $13,000 after coming under scrutiny for taking his family to a wedding on the campaign's dime. His campaign then donated the money to charity. The congressman has said multiple times that all of the spending was legal and fully disclosed. His resignation would shut down the investigation since he would no longer be a member of Congress and would be out of the purview of the U.S. House Ethics Committee.

State of the State speeches: Feb. 1, 2014

Most governors (but not all) are required to make an annual speech to their state legislature on the "State of the State", analogous to the presidential requirement of an annual "State of the Union" speech. These speeches typically take place early in the year; below are excerpts from those which have taken place in January. More will follow in February, with a few in March.

Click on the governors above to see their policy plans as laid out in their annual State of the State speeches.

State of the Union address: Jan. 28, 2014

President Obama delivered the State of the Union address, telling numerous tales of ObamaCare, and assigning Joe Biden a new task. The mainstream media focused on how Obama promised, on several issues, to bypass Congress and implement new policy by Executive Order.

The Republican response was marked by numerous separate responses this year:

Rep. Trey Radel resigns: Jan. 27, 2014

Rep. Trey Radel (R-Fla.) will resign from Congress on Monday, according to multiple sources. Radel, 37, was caught buying cocaine last year from an undercover federal agent in Washington and spent nearly a month in a rehabilitation facility. He returned to Congress after the winter recess. Before this incident, Radel looked like he had a bright career. He gained prominence by playful banter on Twitter. He called himself the hip hop Congressman.

It’s up to Florida Republican Gov. Rick Scott to schedule a special election for Radel’s seat. His southwest Florida district is solidly Republican — Mitt Romney won the district with 61 percent of the vote. The race for Radel’s seat had begun even before he decided to resign. Republican Paige Kreegel, a former state representative, has already launched a campaign for the 19th district. Kreegel, who finished third to Radel in a 2012 primary, has drawn the support of a super PAC, which has raised $1 million with the intention of helping him win the seat.

Lizbeth Benacquisto, a Republican leader in the Florida Senate in Tallahassee, is widely expected to run for the seat. Former Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.), who held the seat before Radel, has also mulled a run. Former Congressman Connie Mack has talked to others about potentially running for the Fort Myers-based seat he used to hold, and former candidate Chauncey Goss hasn't ruled out a bid, either. Both Goss and Kreegel, a former state representative, ran against Radel and lost in 2012.

The race’s lone Democratic candidate, April Freeman, issued a written statement skirting whether Radel’s less-than-reputable departure would lead to positive opinions for a Democrat in the seat, but it touched on Freeman being an “independent voice” to replace the Republican’s “hurtful, harmful and extreme” political policies. “They did not support Southwest Florida business, protect seniors or improve government. More of the same will not help our community,” she wrote.

Sen. Tom Coburn announces resignation: Jan. 18, 2014

Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn will retire at the end of 2014, triggering a special election for his deep-red Senate seat in November That means the Republican primary to replace Coburn could be a free-for-all.

Three of Oklahoma’s five U.S. House members are seen as potential candidates: Reps. Tom Cole, James Lankford, and
Jim Bridenstine. Insiders in the state expect Lankford to jump into the race; Cole, too, has long been seen as someone who could run for, and is interested in, seeking higher office. Bridenstine, should he decide to run, would likely be the choice of outside conservative and tea party groups.

Also on the shortlist are several state-level officials: Attorney General Scott Pruitt, Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb and Corporation Commissioner Patrice Douglas. And T.W. Shannon, the African-American speaker of the state House, will certainly be on Oklahoma insiders’ minds for the seat.

Gov. Mary Fallin announced Friday morning that the special election to fill Coburn’s seat will be held on Oklahoma’s regular election days this year: a primary on June 24, runoff election on Aug. 26 if necessary, and the general election on Nov. 4. The filing deadline is April 11.

Kirk Humphreys, the former mayor of Oklahoma City who ran and lost against Coburn in the 2004 GOP primary, said the race to fill Coburn’s seat could be “like a cattle call.” At the same time, he said, one factor could keep the field smaller: because the special election will be held at the same time as the state’s regularly scheduled elections, anyone whose current position is up for reelection this year will have to consider whether to give up his or her seat in order to run for Senate. That applies to almost all of the potential candidates being mentioned: Cole, Lankford and Bridenstine all have House elections in November, and Pruitt, Lamb and Douglas all are up for reelection statewide this fall as well.

House retirement coverage: Jan. 16, 2014

A spate of House retirement announcements this week highlights that January is a traditional time to announce retirement. "Retirement" means the House incumbent will not seek re-election in November 2014, and will leave office in January 2015. The January timing allows challengers to file for candidacy in time for early primaries (some as early as spring 2014). The list so far for the entire 113th Congress appears below -- we'll add next week's list as announcements are made; next week will be another "retirement week"!

Click on the candidates above to see their issue stances.

Gubernatorial debate coverage: Jan. 5, 2014

OnTheIssues begins its coverage of gubernatorial races. The list below include races where the two opposing candidates have announced early enough that we can cover them early (some will likely drop out, and we will likely add some others later). Click on the state names for debate coverage, or on the incumbent and challenger names for candidate coverage. Check back in coming weeks as we fill in the coverage of each of the races below.

Click on the candidates above to see their issue stances (and others'); and check back in the coming months as we "freshen" their coverage as the campaigns progress.