A quick roundup of some of the news around the country in races for the U.S. House of Representatives:
ILLINOIS: Representative Aaron Schock, a third-year Illinois Republican and one of the youngest members of Congress, announced he will not be running for governor in 2014 and will instead run for reelection.
The GOP field for governor in the Land of Lincoln may include state treasurer Dan Rutherford, state senator Kirk Dillard, and wealthy businessman and investor Bruce Rauner.
WEST VIRGINIA: When Representative Shelley Moore Capito (R., W.Va.) announced plans to run for U.S. Senate, she set the stage for tough primary fights in both parties for the opportunity to replace her in the U.S. House. On the Democratic side, former Democratic-party chairman Nick Casey, state senator Herb Snyder, and Delegate Doug Skaff Jr. are considering bids. The Republican names mentioned most frequently are house minority leader Tim Armstead, former state senator Steve Harrison, Delegate Patrick Lane, and Delegate Eric Nelson. Former delegate Larry Faircloth and former state senator Steve Harrison have made their interest clear.
MASSACHUSETTS: Bay State Democrats will choose a senatorial nominee on Tuesday, and odds are likely that a House seat will open up. Democrats will nominate either Representative Ed Markey or Representative Stephen Lynch. Gabriel E. Gomez, former U.S. Attorney Michael J. “Mike” Sullivan, and state representative Dan Winslow are running on the GOP side.
State senator Karen Spilka said on Thursday she is “seriously considering” running for Congress if Markey wins the Senate seat. Markey’s district is a particularly tough one for Republicans, scoring D+16 in the Cook Partisan Voting Index.
CALIFORNIA: The Golden State’s 31st congressional district is going to see one crowded Democratic primary. Lawyer Eloise Gomez Reyes announced Saturday that she will be running against the incumbent, Republican representative Gary Miller. The primary field includes former representative Joe Baca, Redlands mayor Pete Aguilar, and San Bernardino school-board member Danny Tillman. This is one of the few swing districts in California, scoring D+2 in the Cook Partisan Voting Index.
FLORIDA: Bill Posey, the Republican who represents Brevard County on Florida’s Space Coast, has a new challenger, Democrat Corry Westbrook. (You can tell this is a heavily Republican district because the word ‘Democrat’ does not appear on Westbrook’s web site.) She is a former legislative director for the National Wildlife Federation.