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Brown has plans to write a book in part about his upset Senate victory.

(CNN) – Newly minted Sen. Scott Brown has plans to write a book about his life story and improbable win in Massachusetts last month.

Brown - who rocketed to stardom in the Republican Party after scoring the upset victory to fill the seat of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy in January - has been "approached by many people who want him to tell his inspirational personal story," spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said.

"He will tell his story in a book in hopes of providing insight and encouragement to others and also to ensure that the record is complete and accurate," Gitcho also said in a statement. "Part of the book proceeds will be donated to charity. Senator Brown will work with a collaborator so he can continue to focus fully on his service to the people of Massachusetts, which is, and always will be, his first priority."

The terms of Brown's book deal will be negotiated by Robert Barnett, the Washington lawyer who has sealed lucrative deals for several high profile politicians including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Senate rules do allow Brown to write a book while in office, but it will first be approved by the Senate Ethics Committee.

Governor David Paterson defended himself Monday in an interview with the Associated Press.

(CNN) - New York Gov. David Paterson defended himself Monday from rumors of womanizing and drug use, describing these unfounded reports as "outrageous," during an interview with the Associated Press.

"For the last couple of weeks I have been the subject of what, even by Albany standards, has been a spate of outrageous rumors about me," Paterson told the AP.

Despite rumors of drug use and gallivanting, Paterson told the AP he hasn't used an illegal substance since his early 20's and rarely eats dinner outside of his home. He also said he hasn't had sexual relations with another woman in more than 10 years. Both Paterson and his wife have previously admitted to extramarital affairs in their past.

The embattled Democratic governor, who is serving the remainder of former Gov. Elliot Spitzer's term, also criticized some reports in the media about his life as "callous and sleazy."

Paterson specifically pointed his finger at the New York Post, which reported late last month that a state police officer caught the governor involved with a woman who wasn't his wife. Paterson said the room he was supposedly caught in doesn't even exist. The Post stood by its reporting in a statement to CNN.

Paterson also blamed the spate of rumors on an investigation that The New York Times is reportedly working on about Paterson's private life. The governor said that investigation has "spawned a bunch of speculations that are so way out that it's shocking."

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Brown will campaign for McCain next month.

(CNN) - The newest member of the Senate will soon hit the 2010 campaign trail for Arizona Sen. John McCain.

A McCain source confirms Sen. Scott Brown, R-Massachusetts, will campaign with the 2008 Republican presidential nominee in early March. McCain is facing a primary challenge from former Rep. J.D. Hayworth.

Brown rocketed to stardom in the Republican Party after scoring an upset victory in the Massachusetts special Senate election last month to fill the seat of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. He was sworn into the chamber Thursday afternoon.

Former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin will also hit the campaign trail for McCain at the end of March.

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin announced Tuesday she will make appearances at Tea Party gatherings in Nevada and Massachusetts over the next two months.

(CNN) – Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin announced Tuesday she will make appearances at Tea Party gatherings in Nevada and Massachusetts over the next two months.

In a blog post on the conservative Web site Townhall.com, Palin defended her decision to speak at the Tea Party convention in Nashville, Tennessee this weekend and said she looks forward to greater participation with the movement in the coming weeks.

The former Alaska governor said she will be on hand next month for a kickoff rally for the Tea Party Express III bus in Searchlight, Nevada - the hometown of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who finds himself in a tough re-election battle. Palin also said she will head to Boston in April for a Tea Party meet-up there.

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Emanuel will host Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver and others in the White House Wednesday.

(CNN) – White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel will meet with representatives from various advocacy organizations representing people with disabilities Wednesday morning in the wake of criticism over his use of the word "retarded" to put down Democrats in opposition to President Obama's health care plan.

The comment came in a closed-door meeting in August but was reported by the Wall Street Journal last week. Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver immediately penned a letter to Emanuel asking that he take a pledge not to use the "R-word."

Emanuel's choice of words also gained greater visibility when former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the mother of a special-needs child, lashed at Emanuel on her Facebook page Monday and called for President Obama to fire his top aide.

Emanuel, known for his coarse language, apologized for the comment, according to a White House official. He will also meet with Shriver and four other disability advocates at the White House on Wednesday.

"The meeting will be a face-to-face discussion with Rahm Emanuel about the suffering and pain of people with intellectual disabilities that is perpetuated by the use of the terms 'retard' and 'retarded' as well as the damage that can be done by the casual use of the R-word – even if it is not directed toward people with intellectual disabilities," the Special Olympics said in a statement.

This isn't the first time the Obama White House has issued an apology to the Special Olympics. President Obama personally apologized last March after he joked to comedian Jay Leno that his lack of bowling skills was "like the Special Olympics or something."

Harold Ford, Jr. appeared on Comedy Central's Colbert Report Monday night.

(CNN) - As he continues to mull a potential primary bid against New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, former Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. defended what appears to be his shift to the left in the four years since he ran for Senate in Tennessee.

In an appearance on Comedy Central's Colbert Report Monday, Ford specifically defended his more liberal language on the issues of abortion rights and same-sex marriage. In his 2006 Tennessee Senate bid, Ford regularly referred to himself as pro-life and said he was an opponent of allowing gays to be married.

But with respect to abortion rights, Ford maintained Monday he has always been "pro-choice" and said he used the term "pro-life" in 2006 to describe his stances on separate issues.

"When I'd walk into forums, I'd look before the audience I'd say let's tell all the people we are really the pro-life ones, we are the ones who support education, and health care, and veterans benefits," he said. "I stand by that."

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Sarah Palin has taken another shot at the National Organization for Women.

(CNN) - Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is not backing down from her criticisms over the National Organization for Women's demand that CBS cease from airing a pro-life commercial during the Superbowl.

"For a pro-life, pro-woman, pro-family ad to be seen as offensive and not empowering women is puzzling," Palin told Fox News' Greta Van Susteren Thursday. "It makes you wonder what is NOW afraid of?"

The ad in question is paid for by the conservative political action group Focus on the Family and features Heisman-winning college quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam, discussing her decision not to have an abortion even though doctors recommended it at the time. Deciding against an abortion, she gave birth to Tim, who grew up to be an all-star quarterback at the University of Florida and perhaps one of the best college quarterbacks of all time.

Several abortion rights groups have taken issue with the ad, saying the Superbowl is not the correct forum for politically-charged messages. But Palin, who originally took issue with NOW's request on her Facebook page earlier this week, said the group is picking the wrong battle.

"It certainly isn't an offensive message," the former Alaska governor said on Fox. "For NOW to have chosen this, [they are] picking a wrong battle I think, to come across sounding quite offended by hearing that a pro-life commercial will air on the Superbowl, it's baffling."

Meanwhile NOW President Terry O'Neill said Palin is "missing our point."

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Mitt Romney's political action committee raised almost $3 million in 2009.

(CNN) – Mitt Romney's political action committee raised just under $3 million in 2009, according to a statement released by the former Republican presidential candidate's Free and Strong PAC.

The PAC also reports donating just under $121,000 to Republican state and federal candidates, as well as Republican causes, in 2009 - an off-year election cycle.

Romney's PAC begins the new year with over $1.1 cash on hand, a total the committee calls a "substantial war chest to help finance Republican candidates in the important 2010 cycle."

Earlier Friday a source told CNN that Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will report raising more than $1.2 million in the final quarter of 2009. Romney and Pawlenty may be potential opponents for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012.

Brown is confident he has Obama beat - on the court.

(CNN) - He hasn't been sworn into office yet, but Massachusetts Sen.-elect Scott Brown is confident he already has the president beat in at least one respect: basketball.

The former state senate Republican, who shocked the political world with his upset victory last week that effectively ended the Democratic Party's 60-seat filibuster-proof hold in the U.S. Senate, told NBC's Jay Leno he also has the game to hand the president a defeat on the court.

Brown, an avid athlete who also said he swims and bikes several miles a week, told Leno he's already issued the challenge to Obama.

"It would certainly be a tough game," Brown said of the potential match up. "The only time I spoke to him was election night. And I did challenge him to pick his best."
Brown meanwhile said he would employ the skills of his 21 year-old daughter Ayla, who plays for the Boston College basketball team.

"I think we'd have the upper hand," said Brown, who himself played basketball in college.

Brown also discussed his now-famous appearance in Cosmopolitan Magazine when he was a 22 year-old law student at Boston College. In its June 1982 issue, the magazine named Brown "America's sexiest man" and featured a photo-spread in which the future senator nearly bares all.

Asked if he'd ever do it again, Brown replied, "Almost 30 years later I'd probably have to do it for [the] mature senior AARP Magazine. So a little different now."

Biden said his son's decision not to run for Senate had nothing to do with politics.

(CNN) - Joe Biden is adamant his son's decision against a bid for the Delaware Senate seat held by the vice president for nearly four decades had nothing to do with the current political climate.

"He would have been a strong candidate. But honest to God, that's not the reason he didn't run," Biden said on NBC's The Today Show when asked if the Democratic Party's misfortune in a string of recent elections led to his son Beau's decision.

"He didn't run because he has one of the largest pedophile cases I suspect at least in the history of the state of Delaware," Biden also said of his son who currently serves as Delaware's attorney general. "He realizes…his responsibility is to do his job as attorney general. "

The younger Biden announced his decision earlier this week in what was a blow to the Democratic Party which now finds itself without a strong candidate to challenge the likely Republican nominee, Rep. Mike Castle, the former 2-term governor of Delaware.

"I cannot and will not run for the United States Senate in 2010," Beau Biden said in an e-mail to supporters Monday. "I will run for re-election as Attorney General."
Biden's seat is currently held by Ted Kaufman, who was named as an interim replacement for Joe Biden when he stepped down from the Senate after his election in November 2008 as vice president. Kaufman has also said he will not run for the seat.

Wilson is organizing his own response to President Obama.

(CNN) - Rep. Joe Wilson, the South Carolina Republican made famous after shouting "You lie!" at President Barack Obama last September, is set to give his own response to the president's State of the Union Address Wednesday.

Wilson's re-election campaign says the response will occur live via Facebook and will include questions from viewers.

"Joe Wilson is using every tool at his disposal to get Washington to start listening to the American people," said Wilson Campaign Manager, Dustin Olson in a statement. "Whether on Facebook or over coffee in South Carolina diners, Joe Wilson is taking the message of everyday Americans to Washington: 'Stop growing government and start growing jobs."

The once relatively-obscure congressman raised close to $3 million in the immediate days after his outburst at Obama's health care address to a joint session of Congress on September 9. Meanwhile, Rob Miller - Wilson's Democratic opponent in this year's congressional election - collected close to $1.7 million in the days following the outburst.

The combined cash haul is likely to transform what was once a low profile congressional race into what appears will be the most expensive campaign for a House seat in South Carolina history.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln released new fundraising numbers Tuesday.

(CNN) – Sen. Blanche Lincoln set the Twittersphere abuzz Monday night when the Arkansas Democrat's campaign tweeted she would make an "important campaign announcement" Tuesday morning.

Several political observers took the short message as a sign that the two-term senator may be announcing her retirement instead of engaging in what is likely to be a hardly-fought re-election bid. Her campaign quickly sought to tamp down those rumors, and word leaked that she was really releasing her 2009 fundraising totals.

So how are her political finances? Well, Lincoln raised $1.3 million in the fourth quarter and has $5 million cash on hand heading into the 2010 elections.

A recent Mason-Dixon poll of Arkansas voters suggests that Lincoln is in a dead heat or slightly trailing all of her possible GOP opponents in hypothetical general election match ups.

The survey also indicates 39 percent of Arkansas voters have a favorable opinion of her, with 41 percent holding an unfavorable opinion.

New York Gov. David Paterson has lost a top advisor to his struggling election bid for a full term in office.

(CNN) – New York Gov. David Paterson has lost a top advisor to his struggling election bid for a full term in office.

Tracy Sefl, a campaign strategist who is based in Washington, DC, announced Friday she is resigning her post because of "business" reasons.

"It has been a privilege to work for the governor over the past year," Sefl said in a statement. "My decision is a business one and I remain supportive and admiring of him and his agenda for the state. I wish him and his team - both at the campaign and inside the Executive Chamber - much success."

Asked by CNN if the decision may be a reflection of her belief Paterson's chances of reelection are low, Sefl said "that is a good question to ask others."

According to recent polls of New York State voters, Paterson lags nearly 40 points behind his likely primary opponent, Andrew Cuomo.

CNN) - The National Republican Senatorial Committee outraised its Democratic counterpart last month but begin the new year at a slight financial disadvantage, according to disclosures released by both parties Friday.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee raised just over $3.4 million in December, about $700 thousand less than Republicans in the same time frame.

But Democrats begin 2010 with $12.5 million cash-on-hand - over $4 million more than the $8.3 million the NRSC has in the bank. However Democrats have $1.25 million in debt while Republicans are debt free.

The two parties were nearly neck-and-neck when it comes to fundraising totals over the course of 2009: Democrats raised a total of $43.5 million while Republicans took in $41.2 million.

Each party is defending 18 seats this cycle.

(CNN) – Having shocked the political world with his surprise Senate win in one of the bluest of states Tuesday night, it was only a matter of time before Republican Scott Brown was asked if he harbors any presidential ambitions.

Sure enough, in a press conference with reporters in Boston Wednesday, the newly minted senator-elect was asked if he felt he was "presidential timber."

Brown brushed aside the question, noting he hasn't even arrived in Washington, DC yet.

"I don't want to say that's a silly question but I am just so thankful for the support that I received from everybody…and to think about something higher? I am just honored to be in this position," he said.

"I can't tell you how proud I am to be here standing before you all," Brown said. "And being – having an opportunity to maybe send the country in a different and better direction – that's my goal."

In the 25 minute news conference, Brown also described his conversation Tuesday night with President Obama, who made a last-ditch trip to Massachusetts Sunday to campaign on behalf of Brown's opponent, Martha Coakley.
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A new survey suggests an overwhelming number of Americans don't want the former Alaska governor to run for president.

(CNN) - Sarah Palin attracted huge crowds across the country last fall as she promoted her best-selling memoir, but a new survey suggests an overwhelming number of Americans don't want the former Alaska governor to run for president.

According to a new CBS News poll out Tuesday, 71 percent are against the former Republican vice presidential candidate launching her own bid for the White House in two years while 21 percent are in favor of a potential run.

Broken down by party, 56 percent of Republicans are against a potential Palin presidential campaign while 30 percent are for it. Meanwhile, the vast majority of Democrats, 88 percent, are not in favor of a Palin presidential run.

The survey also finds significantly more people view Palin negatively than positively: 41 percent negative compared to 26 percent positive.

Both those numbers have increased since Palin's high-profile book tour late last year and since becoming a Fox News contributor last week. In November, 38 percent held an unfavorable view of Palin while 23 percent held a positive view of her.

Among Republicans in the latest poll, 43 percent hold a positive view of Palin while 30 percent of independents do. Meanwhile, just under a half of conservatives view Palin favorably while only 16 percent of liberals do.

Meanwhile, a majority of conservatives, 58 percent say Palin should run for president in 2012.

A new poll puts support for Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson below 50 percent in his home state.

(CNN) – Sen. Ben Nelson's support in his home state of Nebraska has dipped below 50 percent, according to a new poll which finds a majority of voters there disapprove of the Democratic health care bill the two-term senator supports.

According to a new poll conducted by the Omaha World-Herald, Nelson's job approval rating now stands at 42 percent with a 48 percent disapproval rating. Forty-four percent of those polled also said Nelson's support for the health care reform bill would hurt his chances at re-election 2012 should he decide to run.

Nelson was the last Senate Democrat to sign on to his party's health care bill, and has since been criticized for only agreeing to the bill after winning special concessions from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The poll found that more than 60 percent of Nebraskans questioned oppose the Senate health care bill.

A majority said they opposed Nelson's vote in favor of the bill, while about 1 in 3 approved of it. Three-quarters of the GOP voters surveyed - but only 22 percent of Democrats - opposed the senator's vote.

Nelson, who served as governor of Nebraska from 1991-1999, has long been a popular figure in the state. He was re-elected in 2006 to his second Senate term with 64 percent of the vote.

The same poll out Monday shows fellow Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns, a Republican who voted against the health care measure, with a 63 percent approval rating.

The poll surveyed 500 registered voters in Nebraska between Jan. 8-12. It has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

Coleman has decided not to run for governor.

(CNN) - Former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman will not run for governor in 2010, the Republican announced Sunday on his Facebook page.

Coleman, who lost re-election to Democrat Al Franken in a close contest in 2008 that took six months to resolve, said it is the wrong time to launch a new campaign.

"This is not the right time for me and my family to conduct a campaign for Governor,"
Coleman wrote in the Facebook post. "The timing on this race is both a bit too soon and a bit too
late."

The Star Tribune of Minnesota reported Coleman's decision on its Web site.

"It is too soon after my last race and too late to do a proper job of seeking the support of delegates who will decide in which direction our party should go," Coleman continued. "The commitments I have to my family and the work I am currently engaged in do not allow me to now go forward."

Current Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced last year he would not seek another term and several candidates from both parties have expressed interest in running for the state's top job.

According to the Star Tribune, seven Republicans and 12 Democrats have filed to run for the seat.

(CNN) – Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum confirmed to his supporters Friday what pundits have been speculating for months - the conservative Republican is actively considering a run for president in 2012.

In an e-mail and letter to supporters of his Political Action Committee, America's Foundation, Santorum writes, "After talking it over with my wife Karen and our kids – I am considering putting my name in for the 2012 presidential race."

"I'm convinced that conservatives need a candidate who will not only stand up for our views, but who can articulate a conservative vision for our country's future," Santorum also writes. "And right now, I just don't see anyone stepping up to the plate."

"I have no great burning desire to be president, but I have a burning desire to have a different president of the United States," said Santorum, who lost his re-election bid in 2006 after two terms in the Senate.

Full letter after the jump:
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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he's among a handful of Republican candidates who are thinking about running for president in 2012.

(CNN) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he's among a handful of Republican candidates who are thinking about running for president in 2012.

"I think I'm probably on a list of seven or eight possible candidates at this stage," Gingrich reportedly told reporters in North Carolina Wednesday before speaking to a gathering of conservatives. Joe DeSantis, Gingrich's communications director, confirmed the accuracy of the quotes to CNN.

"We have a lot of people around the country who would like to have somebody who represents a commitment to replace the current failed programs and to develop a set of solutions that are practical and workable," Gingrich also said.

Among the other Republican candidates Gingrich named as possible 2012 contenders included former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Also included on Gingrich's list are Govs. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Rick Perry of Texas and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. South Dakota Sen. John Thune may also be a potential candidate, Gingrich said.

Gingrich said he would make a decision about his own political future next year after discussing the prospect of a presidential bid with his wife.

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