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Party proud... not Houston Texas, September 29, 2006 -- Texas State Rep. Martha Wong has taped over reference to her Republican Party affiliation on some yard signs she's using in her bid for a third term. Campaign officials say demand for her signs was so high that they had to recycle old ones, and obscured the party label with tape to make them consistent with 2006 signs that do not include a GOP label. Challenger Ellen Cohen — whose campaign provided photos of Wong's taped signs — suggests Wong is running from her party. According to the Houston Chronicle's Kristen Mack however, Cohen's signs similarly neglect to mention that she's a Democrat. According to Texas insiders, the race hinges on independent voters who apparently have bailed on the Democrat and Republican parties. A fourth congressional seat in Utah coming? Salt Lake City, Utah, September 29, 2006 -- If Utah succeeds in getting approval for a fourth seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, a special election would need to be held next year for all of the state's U.S. House seats, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. told the Utah press corps yesterday. The Republican Party which holds two of the state's three U.S. House seats and would likely have a majority of voters in the new district. Nothing can happen until Congress approves the new seat. That could occur when Congress returns after the November elections, but only if the Utah Legislature is ready with a final map of the new districts. The new Utah seat is part of a political compromise that would give the largely Democratic District of Columbia a vote in the House. Huntsman said Thursday that he's willing to call lawmakers into special session to consider a map, but not until after Election Day. The governor believes there's a better than 50-50 likelihood that Utah will get the new seat. Saxon making a hard run in Oregon Portland, Oregon, September 26, 2006 – Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Saxton appears to have a substantial financial edge in his race against incumbent Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski And a Saxton-commissioned poll shows the race a dead heat. Financial disclosure reports aren't out yet but Saxton is outspending Kulongoski on television advertising. Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who may seek the presidency in 2008, also appeared at a fundraiser at the Benson Hotel that Saxton aides said raised $115,000. Kulongoski says he'll ask the 2007 Legislature to approve a hefty cigarette tax increase to extend health coverage to uninsured children in Oregon a move that could put him on a collision course with Oregon House Republicans. Utah taxpayers will have a choice in state income tax systems Salt Lake City, Utah, September 25, 2006 -- Utah taxpayers will have a choice in state income tax systems under changes approved Tuesday: paying under a bracketed structure with a slightly less than 7 percent top rate, or paying at a flat rate just under 5.4 percent with no deductions or credits. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and his supporters sold the "dual-track" plan as a tax reform crucial to Utah's economic growth because it will help the state lure executives and their businesses. The tax change approved in a one-day special session will also mean a $78 million tax cut for individuals. "This is an investment in our long-term competitiveness," said Huntsman's chief of staff, Neil Ashdown. "This is a first step in tax reform." A bill that would allow counties to raise sales tax by a quarter-cent to pay for transportation projects also coasted to approval during a special session of the Legislature. The measure passed in both chambers by the two-thirds margin needed for it to go in effect immediately. Voters still would have to approve the tax hike, and counties now can decide whether to put the question on the Nov. 7 ballot. It was unclear whether county leaders would have time to establish spending priorities by that time, which could mean voters would be asked to raise their sales taxes without knowing exactly what they would pay for, and when. Akaka Holds Off Case in Hawaii Primary Honolulu, Hawaii, September 24, 2006 -- Veteran Sen. Daniel Akaka held off a generational challenge from Rep. Ed Case in Saturday's Democratic primary in Hawaii and seems guaranteed of another term in the Senate. Akaka has survived the biggest threat to his political career in a Democratic primary for Senate that confirmed the party's establishment still remains potent. Akaka held a steady lead with votes in all of the precincts but one counted. Case had conceded just before midnight to his supporters outside his campaign headquarters. Iwase heads for showdown with Lingle Honolulu, Hawaii, September 24, 2006 -- Voters chose former state senator and Honolulu City Councilman Randy Iwase yesterday to lead the Democratic attempt to oust Republican Linda Lingle from the governor's office in November. Iwase, 58, an attorney, was way ahead of Waianae harbormaster and political newcomer William Aila Jr. Hawai'i has re-elected an incumbent governor since 1962 when the previous GOP governor, the late William Quinn, lost in his re-election bid to John Burns. Since then, Democrats controlled the governorship until Lingle defeated Democratic candidate Mazie Hirono in 2002. Hogue keeps slight edge on GOP side Honolulu, Hawaii, September 24, 2006 -- State Sen. Bob Hogue took an early lead in the GOP primary in the 2nd Congressional District last night and held on by the slimmest of margins to defeat former state Rep. Quentin Kawananakoa. After the third printout from Saturday’s GOP primary, Hogue held a 199 vote edge, about 1.1 percent, over Kawananakoa. The results included all votes except for the electronic votes from one precinct. He now goes to the Nov. 7 general election where he faces former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, who edged state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa for the Democratic nomination to succeed Ed Case in Congress. Munsil and Napolitano win in Arizona Primary Phoenix, Arizona, September 13, 2006 -- Conservative activist Len Munsil, one of the state's leading voices against abortion and gay marriage, will compete with Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano in what should become a fierce general election battle over illegal immigration, social issues and the economy in the coming weeks. Emerging from a four-man field, Munsil soundly defeated GOP rival Don Goldwater in a race that sparked little interest and light turnout among voters because of the sparse amount of campaign funds. Huntsman says more tax cuts on the way Salt Lake City, Utah, September 13, 2006 -- As Utah lawmakers look to slashing state personal income taxes by $70 million in a special session next week, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is already talking about taking the next step — more tax cuts that lead to even lower rates. "It's a first step," the governor said of the dual-track income tax system that would allow taxpayers to stay in the current system or elect to pay a flat tax beginning in 2007. "There's more to come." The governor said his goal is to eventually switch all taxpayers to a flat-tax system that would include a few deductions — for items such as charitable giving and home mortgage interest . Huntsman seeks lower tax rates to be more economically competitive, especially with surrounding Western states that are also vying for the jobs created by new and expanding businesses. Napolitano misused veto power, Supreme Court says Phoenix, Arizona, September 12, 2006 -- In a ruling today, the Arizona Supreme Court unanimously ruled Governor Napolitano did not have the constitutional authority to use a line item for a portion of an employee pay raise bill passed by the Legislature. The court ruled the vetoed language did not meet the constitutional criterion of being an appropriation. Utah special session later this month Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Republican lawmakers have agreed to a special session later this month to add a flat tax option to state income tax and give every family a $48-per-year tax cut. The governor, pleased by the overwhelming support for the tax change, will likely call a special session on either Sept. 19 or Sept. 20.  The $70 million tax cut is estimated to mean an average $48 break for families ($24 for single filers). We're not sure $48 (which won’t get you a tank of gas, or a carton if cigarettes in most states) is what the Contract with American guys had in mind when they said ‘tax cut.’ Arizona's Primary Election is September 12, 2006 All House and all Senate seats are up.  Constitutional offices: Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction.  All United States House of Representatives seats are up.  United States Senator Kyle is up for re-election. Arizona House Majority Leader Steve Tully will be retiring after two years of leading the House Republican caucus.  Elected to the House in 2000, the former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee has served as majority leader since 2005. Two Arizonans are viewed by congressional staff members as among Congress' biggest show horses and worst followers, according to a new magazine survey. The same two Republicans, Sen. John McCain and Rep. Jeff Flake, also are seen, respectively, as the 100-seat Senate's "Straightest Shooter" and the 435-seat House's "Gutsiest" member. The article does not elaborate on Flake's position as the House's third "worst follower." But it says McCain's second-place Senate standing in that category, after Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., comes although he is "a little less of a maverick as 2008 nears." McCain is tied for third with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., as "the Senator I'd like to see win the presidency in 2008," trailing first-place George Allen, R-Va., and Barack Obama, D-Ill. McCain also shows up as the Senate's second "Hottest Temper," behind Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. Only one other Arizonan, GOP Rep. J.D. Hayworth, appears in the article. He ended up in second place in the House's "Biggest Windbag" category, behind Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas.

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