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George Pataki is backing Hoffman over the Republican Party's choice.

(CNN) - George Pataki has endorsed third-party conservative Doug Hoffman over Republican Dede Scozzafava in New York's special congressional race, making the three-term former governor the latest high profile Republican to weigh in against his party's choice.

In a statement released Thursday night, Pataki suggested electing the moderate Scozzafava could amount to giving "another vote to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid."

"Doug Hoffman will stand up to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. He will fight for all the residents of northern New York," Pataki said. "He will fight for our proud servicemen and women at Fort Drum, our dairy farmers in Lowville and our manufacturers in Plattsburgh."

While GOP party leaders are standing firmly behind Scozzafava, several Republicans have aligned themselves with Hoffman in recent weeks, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. A handful of Republican members of Congress have also backed Hoffman.

There's speculation Pataki is considering a run for Senate in 2010, though the New York Republican has given no indication one way or the other whether he is considering a bid.

A new poll of New Jersey voters suggests independent candidate Chris Daggett, center, continues to make gains.

(CNN) - A new poll of New Jersey voters suggests independent candidate Chris Daggett continues to make gains in that state's highly competitive gubernatorial race, primarily peeling support away from Republican challenger Chris Christie in campaign's final days.

Daggett, whom the Newark Star-Ledger surprisingly endorsed earlier this month, stands at 20 percent in the new survey conducted by Rutgers University, the highest level of support the former administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency has registered in any poll of the race to date.

Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine meanwhile holds a narrow lead over Christie, the state's former district attorney, 39 percent to 36 percent. But given the poll's 4 percentage point sampling error, the two are statistically tied.

"A rule of thumb among political junkies says that that the actual vote for a third-party candidate tends to be roughly half of what that candidate was getting in pre-election polls around Labor Day," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "But Daggett has been gaining ground since those Labor Day polls, so he may be one of the few independents who finishes strong and has a significant impact on the final results."

If nothing else, Daggett's growing support could mean the ultimate victor wins with less than 40 percent of the vote, a reflection of how unsatisfied New Jersey voters appear to be with all three candidates.

The Rutgers survey also shows both Christie and Corzine have net negative approval ratings and voters are deeply concerned with taxes, unemployment, and corruption in the state.

The poll of 583 likely voters was conducted October 15-20.

The White House tightly managed Sotomayor's nomination, including which suit she wore at her nomination ceremony.

(CNN) - Just how tightly scripted did the White House manage U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's nomination process?

Obama administration officials even picked out which suit Sotomayor wore when President Obama formally announced her as his nominee for the high court early this summer.

According to the New Haven Register, Sotomayor told fellow classmates at her Yale Law School Reunion over the weekend she had planned to buy a new outfit for the event, but the White House instead asked she bring five suits to Washington, one of which they would pick for her to wear.

Sotomayor also discussed the administration's grueling vetting process, which included the dispatch of an FBI agent to investigate a parking ticket she incurred more than two years ago, according to the Yale Daily News.

Sotomayor, who graduated from Yale in 1979, also described her first meeting with President Obama last spring.

"It was a conversation like none other that I have ever had," adding that she "almost fainted."

Biden says some Democrats are 'turkeys.'

(CNN) - Joe Biden has campaigned for a lot of Democrats during his lifetime in politics - including a few who are "turkeys," the vice president joked at a Thursday night fundraiser in Virginia.

Attending the fundraising event on behalf of three Democratic House members from Virginia - Reps. Glenn Nye, Gerry Connolly and Tom Perriello - at the home of former Virginia Sen. Chuck Robb, an off-script Biden suggested competence doesn't stretch across the entire Democratic Party.

"These guys are smart, "Biden said of the three Virginia congressmen. "Some of the guys Chuck [Robb] and I have campaigned for are turkeys. Not all Democrats are created equal, while most Republicans are."

Biden went on to say the candidates are "independent minded" and "damn competent," and all share the party's core principles of health care and energy reform.

Nye and Perriello, hailing from the more conservative regions of the once solidly Republican-voting state, are expected to face especially difficult re-election races.

Obama will headline a fundraiser for the DSCC and the DCCC.

(CNN) - The Democratic Senate and congressional campaign committees will not accept cash from political action organizations or lobbyists during a fundraiser to be headlined by President Obama, a Democratic source confirms to CNN.

The White House stipulated the condition for the major June 18 fundraising event, expected to raise millions for 2010 Senate and congressional candidates.

Obama banned PAC and lobbyist donations during the presidential campaign to square with his pledge to limit the influence of special interests in Washington. He instituted a similar rule at the Democratic National Committee after winning the White House.

But both the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee - which along with their GOP counterparts have historically relied on PAC and lobbyist contributions - will return to accepting such funds after the Obama fundraiser.

McCain left off Palin's name on his list of future GOP leaders.

(CNN) - Did John McCain snub Sarah Palin during an appearance Monday on NBC's The Tonight Show?

That's what some pro-Palin bloggers and other political observers claim after the former GOP presidential candidate left out his former running mate when naming five governors who he thought were in position to lead the Republican Party.

"We have, I'm happy to say, a lot of voices out there," McCain told host Jay Leno before listing Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Utah Gov. John Huntsman, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist.

"There are a lot of governors out there who are young and dynamic," said the Arizona senator.

McCain then quickly joked, "I've left out somebody's name and I'm going to hear about it."

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Perino is joining the consultancy firm headed up by Mark Penn.

(CNN) - Former Bush Press Secretary Dana Perino has taken a job with Burson-Marsteller, the political consultancy firm headed by former top Clinton advisor Mark Penn.

In a statement published on Burson-Marsteller's Web site, Penn said Perino "has performed one of the most demanding jobs in Washington."

"We know the skills and judgment she honed in her time at the White House will serve our clients well," he also said in the statement.

Perino isn't the first prominent ex-Bush advisor to sign up with Penn's firm. Karen Hughes, who managed the White House's communications office during President Bush's first term, joined Burson-Marsteller last summer.

Penn resigned as chief strategist of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's presidential bid last April after, in his role as CEO of Burson-Marsteller, he appeared to lobby for a trade agreement Clinton opposed.

Fiorina may challenge Boxer for the Senate.

(CNN) - Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO and high-profile surrogate for John McCain's presidential bid, told reporters Tuesday she's "seriously considering" a bid to unseat California Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2010.

Fiorina, who served as a top economic adviser to McCain during the presidential race, also told reporters in a roundtable interview she hopes she can add "value and make a difference...irrespective of what my decision will be in California," according to published reports.

The comments came during her trip to Washington as chair of the board of the Technology Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank.

Should she ultimately jump into the Senate race, Fiorina would be the second high-profile former CEO running for statewide office in California. Former e-Bay CEO Meg Whitman announced last month she was exploring a run for California governor.

The former Hewlett-Packard CEO was largely sidelined from public appearances for the McCain campaign after telling an interviewer she didn't think either member of the GOP presidential ticket was qualified to run a major company.

Cantor called Britney Spears a a 'great performer.'

(CNN) - House Republican Whip Eric Cantor - among the unlikeliest attendees at a Britney Spears concert earlier this week in Washington - told CNN Thursday he went to the teen-dominated show for a political event, to "help the team."

"I had a political event there, and it was simply because it was there to help the team, that's why I was there," Cantor told CNN's Dana Bash.

According to a Republican aide, Cantor was specifically raising money at the concert for his political action committee, ERICPAC. The event was hosted by the Truckers Association, which has a box at the Verizon Center, where Spears was performing.

The Web site Wonkette first reported Cantor was spotted at the event, which took place as President Obama held a prime-time press conference.

Cantor told CNN the concert - part of the singer's "Circus" tour - was "quite a show."

"I hand it to the performer, she was something," he said.

The congressman also said his daughter was "really mad" he did not bring her to the concert. "She had school that day, and the next, and I wasn't going to bring her up here to miss it."

The White House posted Obama's bracket online Wednesday. (WhiteHouse.gov)

(CNN) - President Obama's NCAA Men's basketball Final Four picks, unveiled Wednesday, reveals the nation's first hoops fan picked Big East powerhouses Louisville and Pittsburgh, along with Memphis and the University of North Carolina.

In all, the president is taking few risks when it comes to his Final Four teams: Louisville, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina are all No. 1 seeds, while Memphis is seeded No. 2.

But the picks are sure to anger the state of Connecticut, whose Huskies are the only No. 1 seed Obama doesn't have going to the final four.

The president is also not picking an upset many observers have predicted - he has No. 12 Arizona falling to No. 5 Utah in the first round.

Watch: Basketball legends critique Obama's skills on the court

But the decision has nothing to do with the fact Obama battled a senator from Arizona for the presidency last year, he assured ESPN.

"It has nothing to do with McCain - I think Arizona is a great state: I love playing golf there. But hey just squeaked in based on reputation," Obama said.

UPDATE: ESPN has released Obama's full bracket

(CNN) - As Congress grills AIG's chief executive Wednesday, here's a look at the top ten political recipients of AIG donations for the 2008 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The top ten recipients of AIG donations for the 2008 election cycle:
Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut: $103,100
President Barack Obama: $101,332
Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona: $59,499
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: $35,965
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Montana: $24,750
Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney: $20,850
Vice President Joe Biden: $19,975
Rep. John Larson, D-Connecticut: $19,750
Sen. John Sununu, R-New Hampshire: $18,500
FormerpPresidential candidate Rudy Giuliani: $13,200

Grassley said he was speaking rhetorically when he said AIG executives 'resign or commit suicide.'

(CNN) – Sen. Charles Grassley is standing by his earlier comments suggesting some embattled AIG executives should "resign or commit suicide," but told CNN Tuesday he was merely speaking rhetorically.

"Of course I don't want people to commit suicide," the Iowa Republican said. "But I do want an attitude in corporate American that's similar to what they have in corporate Japan.

"[In Japan], people that run a corporation into a ground have violated their trust with the stockholders and maybe even the taxpayers - they take a very deep bow, they apologize, they are remorseful, they are contrite, they take full responsibility," he added. "We have not heard the sort of apology, remorsefulness, contrition, that we ought to hear from corporate executives in America assuming full responsibility."

Grassley's initial comments came Monday afternoon during an interview with Iowa radio station WMT. During the interview, Grassley endorsed what he viewed as Japan's corporate model, saying it is customary for failed executives to either relinquish their posts or commit suicide in disgrace.

"In the case of the Japanese, they usually commit suicide before they make any apology," he said during that interview.

A spokesman for AIG called Grassley's initial comments "very disappointing."

Watch Gibbs take a swipe at Cheney.

(CNN) – White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs took a slap at Dick Cheney Monday, likening the former vice president to controversial talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh.

The comments came at the White House daily briefing, during which Gibbs dismissed Cheney's statement Sunday on CNN that several of President Obama's policies had left the country less safe.

"Well, I guess Rush Limbaugh was busy, so they trotted out the next most popular member of the Republican cabal," he said. "I would say that the president has made quite clear that keeping the American people safe and secure is the job - is the most serious job that he has each and every day.”

On CNN's State of The Union with John King Sunday, Cheney defended the Bush administration's policies on the handling of enemy combatants.

"I think those programs were absolutely essential to the success we enjoy, of being able to collect the intelligence that let us defeat all further attempts to launch attacks against the United States since 9/11," he said. "I think it's a great success story. It was done legally, it was done in accordance with our constitutional practices and principles…"

Gibbs later dialed back his comments, after being asked by a reporter if the sarcasm was the official White House "sanctioned tone" toward the vice president.

Watch: Cheney questions Obama's policies

"Some times I ask forgiveness, rather than for permission," he said. "I hope my sarcasm didn't mask the seriousness of the answer…that for seven plus years the very perpetrators that the vice president says he's concerned about weren't brought to justice."

Gov. Schwarzenegger is a fan of the stimulus measure.

(CNN) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Sunday declared President Obama's stimulus plan is "terrific," an assessment that sharply differs from many of his Republican colleagues.

In an appearance on CNN's State of the Union, Schwarzenegger said he welcomes his state's share of the massive $787 billion package, believing it could create as many as 400,000 new jobs.

"We welcome this economic stimulus package. I think it's terrific and will help us," the California governor said. "We were happy even though there's…people complaining. It's not what they envisioned, but what is? The people will give you 1,000 different answers.

"It was Obama that got elected. He put the package together, so let's support it," he also said.

Schwarzenegger's comments differ sharply from those of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who earlier on State of the Union said he would turn down some of the stimulus money because it could lead to future spending requirements from his state.

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Newt Gingrich says Palin has the head start in Iowa.

(CNN) - It's impossible to know how the Republican presidential field will stack up three years from now, yet former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says one candidate in particular may have a big head start.

Speaking at an event Monday sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, Gingrich said Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's continued popularity among the GOP's base would give the former vice presidential candidate an instant boost in Iowa - the state whose caucuses, dominated by rank-and-file conservatives, kick off the primary season.

"Palin starts in Iowa with a substantial base," said Gingrich, who also noted how important the Iowa caucuses have proven to be in presidential campaigns.

He said Palin is "very formidable," and suggested the Alaska governor spend time developing "fairly sophisticated positions" on a range of issues.

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Blagojevich could get his own radio show.

(CNN) – Rod Blagojevich's political career is likely over, but the embattled Illinois governor could have a future in the talk-radio business.

Bob Shromper, the program director of Chicago's WLS-AM, said Friday he's prepared to offer Blagojevich his own show on Sundays if the governor agrees to resign from office rather than be forcibly removed by the state Senate.

Shromper said he wants the governor to step down immediately, so to spare the state of further embarrassment.

Blagojevich's office isn't commenting on the offer.

Palin has reportedly hired a powerful DC attorney

(CNN) - Could Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin be coming to a bookstore or television near you?

Palin has reportedly hired a powerful Washington, DC attorney who has successfully landed lucrative media deals for other political rock stars, a signal the former Republican vice presidential candidate may be interested in further expanding her media exposure in the coming months.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Palin has secured the services of Robert Barnett, the Washington lawyer who negotiated highly profitable book deals for Bill and Hillary Clinton. (Bill Clinton was paid $10 million by Alfred A. Knopf publishing to write his memoirs and Hillary Clinton garnered $8 million by Simon & Schuster to write hers.)

Barnett has also negotiated book deals for President Obama and Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, and has landed lucrative television contracts for many high-profile network anchors and correspondents.

Barnett would not confirm or deny that he is now working for Palin. Palin's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Several publishers have said Palin could fetch up to $7 million to write a book about her unlikely VP bid, and could rake in millions more as a television host after her gubernatorial term ends in 2010.

But should Palin decide on a presidential run, federal election regulations would almost certainly keep her from hosting a television show.

Sen. George Voinovich, a Republican from Ohio, will retire from the Senate when his term is up in 2010.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The 111th Congress has just barely begun as Senate Republicans brace for more grueling elections in 2010 which threaten to further weaken the party's influence in Congress.

The latest setback for the party came Monday, when Ohio Sen. George Voinovich - the 72 year-old two-term GOP senator - announced he will not seek reelection in 2010. That leaves Republicans with a highly vulnerable seat in a perennial swing state that has drifted Democratic in the last two elections.

Voinovich's decision sent Ohio Republicans and Democrats scrambling ahead of what will likely be a competitive primary on both sides, and virtually guarantees the GOP will have to spend significantly more money defending a seat that otherwise would likely have been a safe bet.

"Republicans are starting the cycle on the defensive once again, it's a familiar but uncomfortable position," said Nathan Gonzalez of the Rothenberg Political Report.

Full story

Palin had tough words for Fey and Couric.

(CNN) - Sarah Palin is credited with making Tina Fey a world-wide star and boosting Katie Couric's ratings at CBS.

But in a recent interview with conservative John Ziegler, Palin said both "exploited" her twelve-week candidacy - a fact, she said, that "says a great deal about our society.”

Fey's widely-applauded portrayal of the Alaska governor boosted SNL's ratings, while Couric’s audience grew after a series of interviews during which Palin now-famously faltered.

“I did see that Tina Fey was named entertainer of the year and Katie Couric’s ratings have risen," Palin said in the interview. "I know that a lot of people are capitalizing on, oh I don’t know, perhaps some exploiting that was done via me, my family, my administration - that’s a little bit perplexing, but it also says a great deal about our society.”

The Alaska governor was particularly upset with an SNL skit during which Fey's version of Palin said, "I believe marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers."

The line was a clear reference to Palin's 18-year-old daughter Bristol and her fiancé Levi Johnston. The two announced shortly before the GOP convention that they were expecting a baby and had plans to marry.

"The mama grizzly rises up in me, hearing things like that," she said of a skit. "Here again, cool, fine come attack me. But when you make a suggestion like that that attacks a kid, it kills me."

In the wide-ranging interview, Palin also faulted the McCain campaign for agreeing to a series of sit-downs with Couric after the first one appeared to go so poorly.

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Becerra is staying in the Congress.

(CNN) - Rep. Xavier Becerra, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for U.S. trade representative, pulled himself out of the running Tuesday.

In a statement released by his office, the California Democrat said he's more interested in working alongside Obama from his seat in the Congress.

"I am grateful for that privilege and now see a rare opportunity to push across the goal line much of the unfinished business of America: investing in our infrastructure and our workers, universal healthcare, comprehensive immigration reform, and scrubbing a tax code that’s out of shape and behind the times," he said in the statement.

“Working for and with incoming President Barack Obama would be an opportunity of a lifetime. I will get to experience that thrill… by working by his side in the People’s House just down the street from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."

Democratic sources told CNN earlier this week that Obama had formally offered Becerra the position.

But Becerra told La Opinion, a Spanish-language newspaper, that he felt trade would not be a major focus in the Obama administration.

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