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That’s right – 17 year-old Skyview High School senior Anthony Bittner is one of 5 Republican candidates seeking the GOP nomination in the August 17th primary.  Apparently Anthony is a planner.  He’ll turn the statutorily required 18 years old in April – plenty of time before the June 11 filing deadline to be legally eligible to run and hold office.  From the Columbian:

Bittner describes himself as a Republican with independent ideas and conservative values.

“As the son of a small-business owner, I have experienced firsthand the oppressiveness and unfair burden the government forces upon hard-working families,” he said in a statement.

He said he already feels burdened by the state’s budget deficit and would work to reduce government’s intrusion into private lives and the business world.

Other candidates in the race are talking about job creation, Bittner said in an interview, but he disagrees with that approach. “They want to give money to these companies,” he said. “I think we should be taking away the tax burden. I don’t think it should be the government’s job to create jobs. It’s the job of businesses to create jobs.”

He brings a different skill set to the table than any of his opponents – but the question is will anyone take him seriously.  Bittner has his Twitter page up already, though with only 12 followers and him not following anybody kind of makes it hard to get the word out.  Can’t find his campaign website or a Facebook fan page yet…this guy should be nailing those mediums ahead of his older opponents right?

The 18th is a big district for Republicans to hold onto if they want to make real gains in November – will the Republican nominee have to choose between campaigning and freshman orientation?

Chanelling "The Rock"?

Is the Republican candidate one of the GOP’s rising stars?  Will we be reading about Anthony running for Governor of Washington in 10 years?  Is that too soon?  Of course not – heck at 17 he’s already at least 3 years behind Jonathan Krohn.

During a news conference in his office, Blumenthal said Bysiewicz, who recently dropped a bid to run for governor and, instead, run for attorney general, does not have enough years as a practicing attorney.

Blumenthal said Bysiewicz, of Middletown, has not accumulated 10 years in the legal profession. In a formal opinion, Blumenthal said that the requirement for “active practice” means more than retaining a law license.

“Active means something more than being a member of the bar,” Blumenthal told reporters.

The Connecticut Post has the full story. You can imagine that Democrat former legislator George Jepsen and current Democrat State Representative Cameron Staples are gleefully pushing this story around Connecticut. And, a story like this makes for a better February day for Republican State Senator Andrew Roraback, Republican former prosecutor John Pavia, and GOP State Representative Arthur O’Neill – who are all reportedly mulling or exploring the race.

Susan Bysiewicz might be toast.

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, announced that he has more than $2 million on hand in his campaign fund for the secretary of state’s race.

“This is evidence that support for my campaign for Secretary of State continues to grow,” Husted, a former House speaker, said in a press release.

Maybe Ohio voters remember previous elections where the Secretary of State’s office played a less than neutral role in elections. Maybe they remember Joe the Plumber. There are a number of states in 2010 with SOS races that carry implications beyond run of the mill state elections.  You can read the rest of the story here.  You can learn more about Jon Husted here.

Organizing for America, an arm of the Democratic Party that was established this year and is a successor to President Barack Obama’s campaign, has a staff in Texas as large as any of its other state operations, including California and Ohio. It is seizing on the opportunity presented by the 3.5 million Texans, mostly from urban areas, who voted for Obama in the contest with McCain.

Although its immediate purpose is to build support in all 50 states for a federal health care package and other legislation on Obama’s agenda, Organizing for America is also looking to help Democrats regain their footing in Texas for the 2010 election.

“We are going to make sure that we have volunteers ready to go at a moment’s notice,” said Hector Nieto, Texas spokesman for the organization. Nieto and state director Luke Hayes are not divulging details of their election year strategy.

While that might be solid spin coming from the Democrat side, the “on the ground” truth is a wholly different matter. The RNC’s Alan Philp sums up the current reality for Democrats in Texas, and in most other states this way:

Philp said the benefits that Democrats enjoyed from their staff members across the country in 2008 won’t be as helpful to them in 2010 because of the current voter mood, which he says is against Democratic health care proposals and economic stimulus spending.

“If the Democrats want to run a Washington-centric effort to expand the size and scope and intrusion of the federal government, that’s a contrast that we look forward to,” he said.

And that’s not quite the worst news yet for the Democrat efforts in Texas. Texas Monthly’s Paul Burka writes on his Burka Blog that Democrats are in a hefty world of hurt when it comes to fielding strong statewide candidates. Not only is it a consistently Republican state, but the current statewide officeholders (Gov. Rick Perry or Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, L.G. David Dewhurst, A.G. Greg Abbott, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, AG Commissioner Todd Staples, and Comptroller Susan Combs) are all solid, proven winners with rock solid records who are free of any Blagojevich like issues.

Never mind the strong position Republican now hold in both state legislative chambers – it’s not going to be a good year for Democrats in Texas. But, if they insist on spending millions of dollars in the state…that means a few other states get cheated.

Arizona:

Incumbent Secretary of State Ken Bennett is running for his first full term as Arizona’s Republican Secretary of State.  Bennett’s name has been bandied about in some circles as a potential candidate for Governor on the Republican side, but there are so many Republican names in the mix for that race that Bennett probably has figured out he can have a better impact on Arizona building on his record as a state senator with a full term as SOS.

On the Democrat side State Representative Chris Deschene and Sam Wercinski are up and running.  Deschene is in the exploratory phase of his campaign, more a trick of getting around Arizona’s resign to run law, and Wercinski is in official campaign mode.

The Democrats have until August 24th to convince voters who’s better suited to face Ken Bennett in November.  Truth be told, Bennett will be hard to beat as the sitting incumbent, but that’s not reason enough for him to sit back and hope for a an easy victory.

California:

Former NFL wide receiver Damon Dunn is running not for the end zone for but for California Secretary of State against incumbent Democrat Debra Bowen.  By most accounts, California is a no man’s land for cookie cutter GOP candidates, so Dunn’s candidacy just might capture the imagination of voters across the spectrum and vault him into big league status in a new line of work.  Early indications are that Dunn represents a new direction for the Republicans in California that has captured the attention of the party’s leading strategic minds.

Colorado:

Colorado Republicans have an enormous opportunity to win the secretary of state’s contest and give Republican Attorney General John Suthers some statewide company with election law expert Scott Gessler.  Gessler fits Colorado perfectly, and has already mounted a credible campaign against incumbent Democrat Bernie Buescher who was appointed by Democrat Governor Bill Ritter to fill a vacancy created when Republican Mike Coffman was elected to the U.S. House in 2008.

This isn’t the first time we’ve written about Scott Gessler, and we’re pretty sure it won’t be the last.

Iowa:

Incumbent Democrat Secretary of State Michael Mauro was first elected Secretary of State of Iowa in 2006.  2006 was not a banner year for Republicans in Iowa, or any other state for that matter.  A lot has changed since November ‘06, and Iowa Republicans know it.  Two Republicans are already in this for this vital office.  Former state representative George Eichhorn joined the race recently and will have to duel with Council Bluffs City Councilman Matt Schultz for the shot at Mauro in the General Election.

The national political climate aside, the political climate in Iowa has changed dramatically, and with a well executed campaign – Iowa Republicans may be well positioned to win this office.

Minnesota:

Not very many states, Florida and Ohio, have as high profile secretary of state offices as Minnesota.  If you don’t know what we’re talking about go Google, Bing, or whatever your poison is, Norm Coleman and Al Franken.  Then you’ll understand.

Incumbent Democrat Mark Ritchie is the crown jewel of the blue team’s effort at funding and winning secretary of state races nationwide.  Their investment in him has paid off huge.  Republican State Representative Dan Severson brings an outstanding resume serving the people of Minnesota as a state representative and the of this country as a U.S. Navy aviator.

Mark Ritchie was elected in 2006 w/a resounding 49% of the vote.  In fact, the only way Ritchie was able to win was with the help of the Democrat/Progressive funded Secretary of State Project.  They’ll be focused on his race again in 2010 no doubt – though they do have keep an eye on the primary since Ritchie has drawn a primary opponent in 80 year old perennial candidate Dick Franson (he’s run for office 24 times prior to this latest attempt).

Ohio:

With incumbent Democrat Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner seeking her party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate,  Ohio is another big prize for SOS races in 2010.  Right now Republican State Senator Jon Husted and Republican Sandra O’Brien are jockeying to see who will get the right to face Democrat State Representative Jennifer Garrison in the General Election.

Husted is the early favorite in both name ID, he’s been Speaker of the House, and now as state senator, and funds raised over O’Brien.  The dynamics of the May 4 primary are far from set, but Husted appears to have the early edge.

Vermont:

Vermont is blue, but with incumbent Democrat Deb Markowitz running for governor, Republicans have a real candidate and an even better chance of capturing this office.  Republican Chris Roy gives Republicans the best opportunity they’ve had in years to win this office.  Not to say it won’t come easily.  Roy will have to defeat Democrat Charles Merriman, but Republicans like their chances at this stage of the race.

U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions are featured guests at a Washington fundraiser for Strange next week, according to the invitation, and both offices on Tuesday praised Strange’s candidacy.

It is an intriguing development inside the Alabama Republican Party to have the GOP’s two highest-ranking federal officials actively working against an incumbent they helped elect three years ago.

In the fall of 2006, Shelby’s political action committee gave $25,000 to King’s general election campaign, and Sessions’ campaign donated $3,000.

But losing their support this year is less of a financial blow to King than a symbolic one.

“This is a sign of just how alienated Troy King has become from the Republican establishment,” said David Lanoue, chairman of the political science department at the University of Alabama. “This is pretty extraordinary.”

Ain’t politics grand?  You can pick up the rest of the story right here.

Under most versions of the trickle-down impact, GOP Attorney General Greg Abbott winds up running for something else. And that means there may be no Republican more eager for Hutchison to get on with getting out of the Senate than Texas Supreme Court Justice Dale Wainwright, who is considering running for attorney general if Abbott seeks a new job.

Unlike others looking at that race, Wainwright has to be very, very careful about what he says about it. Canon 5 of the the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct — Refraining from Inappropriate Political Activity — says “A judge shall resign from judicial office upon becoming a candidate in a contested election for a non-judicial office … ”

Judges are the only elected officials in Texas who have to quit to run for something else. Everyone else is canon-free. That would include Republican Ted Cruz, who has declared for attorney general (but only if Abbott does not seek re-election) and state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, who is looking at the race.

That leaves Wainwright, re-elected last year to a six-year term on the high court, dancing as close to a candidacy as possible without saying or doing anything that would force him to resign.

“I am seriously considering seeking the attorney general’s office if it’s open, that is if General Abbott vacates it,” he told me this week.

Read the rest and see what Ken’s grand plan on Senator Hutchison’s replace really is all about.

Alan Wilson, who formally kicked off his campaign to replace outgoing A.G. Henry McMaster earlier this month, now must contend with the challenge of staying on message while being peppered with questions resulting from this father’s elevated national profile.