State by State

California

Assemblyman Joel Anderson announced Wednesday that he would not enter the race to replace retiring Rep. Duncan Hunter (R) and would instead serve as a campaign chairman for Hunter’s son, Duncan D. Hunter (R).

Anderson represents a good portion of the 52nd district in the assembly and was seen as a formidable potential candidate.

{mosads}“Capt. Hunter is the true conservative candidate in this election,” Anderson said. “I am proud to endorse him and honored to serve as his campaign chairman.”

Hunter, a Marine Corps captain who recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan, has the backing of more than 90 members of Congress but faces a crowded primary.

— Aaron Blake

Louisiana

The East Baton Rouge Parish Republican Party endorsed Woody Jenkins in the March 8 Republican primary for Louisiana’s 6th congressional district this week. East Baton Rouge Parish encompasses most of the district.

RedState.com , a conservative blog, and the House Conservatives Fund also endorsed Jenkins this week, and he won the backing of the Club for Growth last month.

Jenkins, a member of the Louisiana state legislature for 28 years and the GOP candidate against Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) in 1996, is running against three other Republicans — Paul Sawyer, Laurinda Calongne and Michael Cloonan — and five Democrats.

The seat was vacated in February when then-Rep. Richard Baker (R) retired from Congress. Baker now works as chief executive of the Managed Funds Association, the trade association for the largest U.S-based hedge funds.

Jenkins has raised $80,428, trailing Sawyer ($112,513) and Calongne ($181,132). Democrat Don Cazayoux leads all candidates in money with $257,875 raised.

— Sarah McGrath

Illinois

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spent more than $300,000 on a media buy on Monday in former Rep. Dennis Hastert’s (R) district, bringing its investment in the race close to $1 million.

The DCCC and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) have together spent more than $2 million on the race, which both sides say will be close.

Former Senate candidate Jim Oberweis (R) and scientist Bill Foster (D) are running.

The NRCC launched an $850,000 ad buy last week, and it added a $180,000 buy on Tuesday. It has now spent more than $1.2 million on the race.

— Aaron Blake

Indiana

Sen. Evan Bayh (D) is featured in a new ad for special election candidate Andre Carson (D), in which he describes that candidate as a family man who cares about education.

The ad, launched Wednesday, shows Bayh stumping for Carson on the campaign trail.

Carson, the grandson of the late Rep. Julia Carson (D), is the favorite to win her seat on Tuesday. He is facing state Rep. Jon Elrod (R).

Bayh, a popular Democratic senator in a red state, was thought to be a top presidential contender this cycle before deciding not to run.

The DCCC has spent $180,000 on the race, while national Republicans haven’t gotten financially involved.

— Aaron Blake

Minnesota

Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken owes the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board $25,000 for not providing workers’ compensation insurance for his employees between 2002 and 2005.

Franken moved back to Minnesota, the state he grew up in, in 2005. Notices were reportedly sent beginning that year.

Spokeswoman Jess McIntosh said the company penalized, Alan Franken Inc., comprised only Franken and his wife, Franni, but occasionally hired a couple workers.

“We’re trying to figure out exactly where the point of contention is ourselves, but we know that the state says Alan Franken Inc. had 17 employees at that time, and that’s not true,” McIntosh said, adding that the campaign’s accountant was looking into the matter.

— Aaron Blake

New Jersey

Businesswoman Anne Evans Estabrook abruptly dropped her bid for the Republican Senate nomination in New Jersey on Wednesday, citing recent health concerns.

 On Monday, Estabrook experienced what she called “the early symptoms of a possible stroke.”

 “This was an extremely difficult decision for me to reach, but I know it is the right one for my family, myself and our party,” the land developer said in a statement.

 Estabrook’s decision leaves an unclear picture as to how the Republican field will offer a challenge to Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D). Estabrook was attractive for the financially troubled GOP because she was able to self-fund a bid for the seat.

She had already loaned her campaign $1.7 million for the run and had more than $1.5 million on hand as of the end of 2007.

State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio and Professor Murray Sabrin remain in the race on the GOP side. They have not filed FEC reports.

A Rasmussen poll released Monday showed Pennacchio trailing Lautenberg 46-38 and Sabrin behind 46-31. The 84-year-old Lautenberg, who is seen as vulnerable due to his age, led Estabrook 44-34.

— Andy Barr

National

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) was set to hold a fundraising event for five third-term Republicans on Wednesday night, raising a total of $200,000 for their campaigns.

The National Republican Congressional Committee chairman held similar events for his classmates from the 108th Congress in the 2004 and 2006 cycles.

The 108th Class Regaining Our Majority Program (ROMP) was slated to benefit Reps. Jim Gerlach (Pa.), Jon Porter (Nev.), Scott Garrett (N.J.), Tim Murphy (Pa.) and Marilyn Musgrave (Colo.).

— Aaron Blake