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By Nathan L. Gonzales Posted at 5 a.m. on April 18

Ruiz is a freshman from California. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

After Democrat Raul Ruiz defeated GOP Rep. Mary Bono Mack in Californias 36th District in 2012, Republican insiders immediately put this district toward the top of their target list.

After all, though Ruiz won the race by 6 points, 53 percent to 47 percent, he was buoyed by a presidential year and took advantage of the perception that Mack was distracted by her then-husbands Florida Senate bid.

But things havent developed as Republicans expected. Ruiz reported a strong $1.5 million on hand on March 31, and he continues to be regarded as a hard-working Member of Congress who wont be caught off-guard in his first re-election bid. (On a side note, on April 7 I wrote about what California candidates chose as their ballot designations.)

This year, the Republican most likely to finish in the top two with Ruiz in the primary is Assemblyman Brian Nestande, former Rep. Sonny Bonos former chief of staff. Nestande spent much of last year deciding between a congressional run and a bid for the state senate, and that indecision got him off to a slow start, from which he is still recovering.

GOP strategists had hoped that Nestandes fundraising had improved in the beginning of 2014. But his cash on hand only ticked up marginally in the first quarter and the Republican showed$323,000 in the bank at the end of March.

Its possible that Nestande catches fire and this turns into a real race. But right now, Ruiz looks to be in surprisingly good shape for re-election. Were changing our Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call rating of the race from Leans Democrat to Democrat Favored.

Originally posted here:
Ratings Change: California's 36th District

A Democrat and Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee agreed Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has ignored U.S. and European pleas to withdraw military troops from Ukraine and called for tougher economic sanctions, following a deadly shootout this weekend.

"I don't think Putin really believes we're going to punish them in that way," Tennessee GOP Sen. Bob Corker, the committee's senior Republican member, said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat and fellow committee member, said: "I think the time is now to rapidly ratchet up our sanctions, whether it's on Russian petrochemical companies or on Russian banks."

The senators made their comments after at least three people were killed in the Easter morning shooting and as tens of thousands of Russian troops occupy the Ukraine-Russian border and Moscow operatives purportedly infiltrate eastern Ukraine to stir opposition toward that countrys new, temporary government.

Both sides blamed each other for the shootout, at a checkpoint manned by pro-Russia insurgents in eastern Ukraine.

Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement blaming militant Ukrainian nationalists, and Russian state television stations aired pictures of supposed proof of their involvement in the attack.

The Ukrainian Security Service said the attack was staged by provocateurs from outside the country.

The clash, near the city of Slovyansk, appears to be the first since an international agreement was reached last week in Geneva to ease tensions in eastern Ukraine, where armed pro-Russia activists have seized government buildings in at least 10 cities. Russia last month annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula.

The political upheaval in Ukraine has been going on for months, with citizens in February ousting their Moscow-backed president.

The Russian ambassador to Ukraine told Fox News Sunday that his country is not on a military march into Eastern Europe and surrounding regions and blamed militia groups for the recent violence in Ukraine.

See the article here:
Congressmen make bipartisan call for more Russia sanctions amid deadly Ukraine violence

Minnesota Democrat Party Constitution Amendment Process Pushes its Own Voter ID

By: Tyler Benson

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Minnesota Democrat Party Constitution Amendment Process Pushes its Own Voter ID - Video

Joe Avellone, Democrat for governor
Joe Avellone, Democrat for governor.

By: LowellSun

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Joe Avellone, Democrat for governor - Video

Maureen Winningham 2014 Clark Democrat Convention
Maureen Winningham, Democrat, bullying her way through the 2014 Clark County Democrat Convention, lying and misrepresenting her opponent with nearly every word.

By: Lew Waters

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Maureen Winningham 2014 Clark Democrat Convention - Video