By RP Staff, on Tue Jul 2, 2013 at 12:15 PM ET
If you haven’t yet subscribed to The RP’s KY Political Brief — prepared every weekday morning by wunderkind Bradford Queen with links to all of the day’s Kentucky political news — now is the time. Click here to subscribe FOR FREE!
Here’s what you may have missed today– all the latest on the upcoming epic battle between Mitch McConnell and Alison Lundergan Grimes:
IN WALKS GRIMES – “Ky. Secretary of State to challenge Mitch McConnell” by AP’s Roger Alford: “Declaring that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has “lost touch” with Kentucky voters, the state’s 34-year-old secretary of state announced Monday that she would seek to unseat him in 2014, ending a long search by Democrats for a competitive challenger to the deep-pocketed, five-term Republican. Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, who had been touted as the Democrats’ best hope of defeating McConnell, began seriously considering the race after actress Ashley Judd opted out in March. Grimes, a lawyer from a well-connected Kentucky family who was first elected in 2011, launched her bid with tough words for the 71-year-old McConnell, the longest-serving U.S. senator in state history. … “I agree with thousands of Kentuckians that Kentucky is tired of 28 years of obstruction, that Kentucky is tired of someone who has voted against raising the minimum wage while all the while quadrupling his own net worth,” Grimes told reporters. “Kentucky is tired of a senior senator that has lost touch with Kentucky issues, voters and their values.”” [AP]
—The SCENE – Kevin Wheatley: “Besides [State Sen. and former Gov. Julian] Carroll, others in attendance Monday include former Gov. Martha Layne Collins, House Majority Caucus Chair Sannie Overly of Paris, Sen. Kathy Stein of Lexington, Rep. Mary Lou Marzian of Louisville and Rep. Darryl Owens of Louisville. House Speaker Greg Stumbo also sent text messages from a vacation in Morocco Monday to House members in the meeting with Grimes.” [The State Journal]
—The TIMING – Ronnie Ellis: “… The timing of Grimes’ announcement may have been tied to Federal Election Commission campaign reporting dates. By waiting until Monday, Grimes didn’t have to see an empty campaign fund contrasted with McConnell’s well-stuffed coffers. McConnell has raised nearly $13 million but that doesn’t include how much he raised during the quarter which just ended, so his significant edge will only grow.” [CNHI]
—The WEEKS AHEAD – Ryan Alessi: “Jonathan Hurst who has been acting as an adviser to Grimes told reporters after the press conference that the next step is to begin the campaign process which will likely include announcements in several parts over the state in the next month. Hurst said decisions as to who will manage the campaign will also be made in the coming weeks.” [CN|2 Politics]
—C-J’s Joe Gerth, “Alison Lundergan Grimes to run against Sen. Mitch McConnell” [C-J]
—H-L’s Jack Brammer, “Grimes will challenge McConnell for U.S. Senate seat in 2014” [H-L]
—NYTimes, “Kentucky Secretary of State Will Challenge McConnell in Senate Race” [NYTimes]
—The Hill, “Democrats land top recruit to challenge McConnell in Kentucky” [The Hill]
—ABC News, “Alison Lundergan Grimes To Challenge Mitch McConnell For U.S. Senate In Kentucky” [ABC News]
GOP RESPONSE – McConnell statement, in an e-mail with subject line: “President Obama’s Kentucky Candidate”: “Accepting the invitation from countless Washington liberals to become President Obama’s Kentucky candidate was a courageous decision by Alison Lundergan Grimes and I look forward to a respectful exchange of ideas. The next sixteen months will provide a great opportunity for Kentuckians to contrast a liberal agenda that promotes a war on coal families and government rationed health care with someone who works everyday to protect Kentuckians from those bad ideas. Together we’ve invested a lot to ensure that Kentucky’s voice in the U.S. Senate is heard from the front of the line rather than the back-bench and I intend to earn the support to keep it there.”
—Sen. Damon Thayer criticized Grimes’ use of her old ‘Grimes for Secretary of State’ signage for the U.S. Senate announcement. In a series of tweets yesterday afternoon, Thayer, the Ky. Senate majority floor leader, raised questions about whether using the old backdrop was a potential violation of campaign finance laws. “@AlisonForKY banner at presser was for a state race. She used it to announce for federal race. Don’t think it’s legal. #KREF ruling needed … As Chief Elections Officer, @AlisonForKY should know the law.” Thayer tweeted. Some national Republican strategists joined in the discussion while Democrats defended her.
—MORE statements [CN|2 Politics]
DAYS UNTIL : Fancy Farm 2013: 32 … Next fundraising deadline: 90 … Primary Election filing deadline: 210 … Fancy Farm 2014: 396 … Ky. 2014 Primary Election day: 322 … 2014 General Election day: 490
THE ANALYSIS – “Re-Election Is Likely for McConnell, but Not Guaranteed,” NYTimes’ FiveThirtyEight blog: “Mr. McConnell, the Senate minority leader, is likely to win re-election. … However, he is unlikely to sail to victory. Ms. Grimes was elected to statewide office in 2011 with 60 percent of the vote. She has deep ties to Democratic politics, both in Kentucky and nationwide, as the daughter of the state’s former Democratic Party chairman, Jerry Lundergan. Those connections and the high-profile nature of the race should make it relatively easy for her to raise money. … While there have not yet been any nonpartisan surveys testing a potential contest between Mr. McConnell and Ms. Grimes, the four partisan polls that have been conducted so far (three by the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling and one by the Republican-leaning Wenzel Strategies) have shown a relatively tight race, with Mr. McConnell leading by an average of 4.5 percentage points. … “In many ways, Ms. Grimes faces a challenge similar to that faced earlier this year by Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the Democrat who challenged Representative Mark Sanford in a special election in South Carolina’s First Congressional District: to defeat a vulnerable Republican opponent — Mr. Sanford because of his past scandals and Mr. McConnell because of his mediocre popularity — on solidly Republican terrain. Ms. Colbert Busch lost that race, and Ms. Grimes, too, will have a hard time overcoming Kentucky’s Republican gravity. The McConnell campaign will probably attempt to tie her to Mr. Obama, who remains highly unpopular in the state.” [NYTimes]
—“Crystal Ball holds firm on Likely R rating,” Larry Sabato tweets (@LarrySabato). “McConnell has enormous advantages in strongly anti-Obama KY. Low turnout midterm, too. … I’ve followed McConnell’s races since ’84. I’ll bet polls get close at some point in fall ’14. … KY doesn’t ‘love’ McConnell. It’s more of a business/ideological pact. McC won’t be caught napping, will pull away by end.”
—WaPo’s The Fix blog, “The nastiest Senate race in the country just started”: “Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes’ decision to challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2014 ensures the political world one thing: This will be the nastiest race in the country. Here’s why. … 1. National Democrats hate McConnell. Hate is a strong word. But it is not too strong a word for how Democrats feel about McConnell. … 2. McConnell is famous/infamous for the campaigns he runs. McConnell is legendary in political circles for his willingness to unapologetically savage the person he is running against. … 3. No one (really) knows who Lundergan Grimes is. Yes, she has been elected to statewide office. And, yes, her father is the former (and longtime) chairman of the state party — who also happens to be a friend of Bill Clinton. But, no, no one in the state really knows who Alison Lundergan Grimes is.” [WaPo]
—Kentucky Enquirer, “Grimes confronts tough, uphill task” [Enquirer]
—National Journal, “Grimes Offers a Preview for Red-State Democrats”: “Grimes will start out the race as an underdog, but has an inviting target in McConnell. Her biggest challenge will be distancing herself from the Obama administration’s unpopular policies on energy (read: coal) and gun rights. Democrats are capable of winning statewide races in Kentucky, but it’s tougher in a federal contest where control of the Senate is at stake. Her announcement was highly unconventional: on the week of July 4, without throngs of cheering supporters in attendance, having briefed only a small group of friends and allies right before the speech. She’ll need a similar outside-the-box campaign to pull off the upset. Other red-state Democrats, from Mark Pryor to Mary Landrieu, will be watching closely.” [National Journal]
—POLITICO, “Alison Lundergan Grimes challenges Mitch McConnell in Kentucky”: “… Grimes had long been seen by Kentucky insiders as unlikely to run, given her cautious nature and the fact she appeared to be angling for a statewide bid, whether it was attorney general or the governor’s mansion in 2015. If she runs and loses against McConnell, it could hurt a future bid for higher office — even one against Sen. Rand Paul in 2016, when the Kentucky Republican may opt for a White House bid.” [POLITICO]
—AL MAYO: “Can Grimes Win? Yes – BUT!” – KPB column: “… She’s by far the strongest candidate they have available, so it’s the best possible news for Democrats, but Grimes has her work cut out for her. She was flanked by family, friends and a few high-powered Kentucky Democrats. … Grimes needs to be mega-prepared for MAJOR adversity in this campaign. … What to expect from this race? Look for nastiness. Pure and simple. … What I cannot stress enough is that Grimes can’t sit back, and wait for McConnell to make a mistake. It’s. Not. Going. To. Happen.” [KPB column]
—“Yarmuth: Grimes can raise the money and provide the contrast to defeat McConnell” [CN|2]
—The Guardian, “Mitch McConnell’s challenger Grimes has her work cut out in Kentucky” [Guardian]
—John Y. Brown, III: “Courage in the Arena” [The RP]
Click here to get all of the latest on McConnell/Grimes delivered free to your email box every weekday morning.
By RP Nation, on Tue Jul 2, 2013 at 10:00 AM ET  We’ve already talked about how influential Social Media and related platforms such as Twitter are in helping change the political landscape (check out our contribution to the Recovering Politician’s 12 Step Program to Survive Crisis).
However, while following our favorite “recovering” politician, Jonathan Miller (a.k.a. Johnny Poker) during this past weekend’s World Series of Poker tournament, we recognized a new reality of the pervasive influence of Social Media. It has officially permeated the world of professional poker as well!
Where else besides social media could one directly ask all of their family, friends, followers, and fans to help strategize on what outfit they should don at the table (Good call on the Maccabee jersey, Jonathan)? How else would poker fans not only know who is playing at Phil Hellmuth’s table, but also get a picture of such to boot? Where else could you hear about which tournaments poker legend Doyle Brunson is contemplating entering? Yes, that’s right. Even Texas Dolly, well into his 70’s, is active on Social Media and Tweeting with his fans and the poker community.
Social Media provides any interested party an instant inside look at the personalities, battles, and tough breaks this rare group of individuals contend with each time they saddle up to the table. Now all can witness first-hand, and in real time, what the players themselves think, see, and feel while in the heat of competition. The conversation doesn’t stop there. Take the recent social media beef between Gus Hansen and Daniel Negreanu. “The Great Dane” took to Twitter to not only remind Negreanu of the $300M he won from him in a recent tourney, but provided a link to a YouTube clip of it as well. Negreanu responded in kind by issuing a battleship style challenge to Hansen in which he asked his fans to Tweet him names of players they think he should select to play on his team. So fans are not only able to see and hear what the pros are thinking and doing, they can directly engage and interact with them as well! This type of access is priceless and extremely valuable to a “sport” which isn’t blessed with the saturating media coverage enjoyed by other professional leagues.
Now a beginner player can get a tip directly from a pro on how to improve their game, all while watching them use those same skills against elite competition during the biggest poker event in the world! Intimately sharing the joy and pain they experience while playing this crazy game gives us virtual front row seats to the annual Vegas spectacle. We here at Socialfly are on the edge of ours!
By RP Staff, on Mon Jul 1, 2013 at 5:00 PM ET All the latest national news below. Let us know what you think it the comments section:
From ABC News:
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell got a challenger for his U.S. Senate seat on Monday and her name is Alison Lundergan Grimes.
“I have met with my supporters. We have had a great conversation and determined and decided that we can next make the best move, the best difference in the commonwealth of Kentucky by running for the U.S. Senate,” Grimes said at a news conference in Frankfort, Ky.
“Over the course of the past 12 weeks I have taken the time necessary to gather all the facts to make truly an informed decision and that includes listening to my supporters all across this state,” Grimes said. “Make no mistake members of the media this due diligence was not reluctance, it was not hesitancy, but rather a deliberate gathering of all the necessary facts to make a decision that should not be taken lightly. During this process the question never was: ‘Is Mitch McConnell vulnerable? Does Kentucky deserve a change?’ The answer to both of those two questions remains and is yes. The question before my supporters which we have been working diligently on is, ‘How best can we continue to make a difference and move this commonwealth forward.”.
Grimes said she is “no stranger to being an underdog” and McConnell’s ads already running “are based out of fear, of losing his 30 year grip on power and this Kentucky woman does not believe the voters of Kentucky will be fooled that easily.”
The announcement from Grimes, the Kentucky secretary of state who is not a national figure like her opponent, was highly anticipated since the 34-year-old is thought to be the Democrats’ best chance at defeating McConnell. Local polling has shown the Kentucky Republican is vulnerable, but until Monday, no high-profile Democrat had mounted a challenge.
“Accepting the invitation from countless Washington liberals to become President Obama’s Kentucky candidate was a courageous decision by Alison Lundergan Grimes and I look forward to a respectful exchange of ideas,” McConnell said in a statement shortly after the announcement.
From Time magazine:
Democrats have successfully recruited a top candidate in the fight to unseat Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell next year.
Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s Secretary of State, announced Monday afternoon that she will challenge the Republican Senate leader, whose national clout belies his shaky standing at home. “Kentucky deserves a change,” she told supporters gathered in Frankfort, who whooped as she revealed a decision that was closely held until the moment she bounded onstage.
After a brief dalliance with actress and activist Ashley Judd, local and national Democrats zeroed in on Grimes, 34, as the best chance to topple the powerful five-term incumbent. A Lexington attorney and the daughter of a former state Democratic Party chairman, Grimes won election in November 2011, coasting to victory in the conservative commonwealth after tapping into a deep fundraising network. She ran in that race as a plain-spoken, pro-business moderate, who put her grandmothers in a campaign spot.
Read the rest of…
Grimes is Taking on McConnell!
By Jason Grill, on Mon Jul 1, 2013 at 3:00 PM ET  Click here to order Contributing Recovering Pol (and former Missouri State Rep.) Jason Grill interviewed the RP last week for Entrepreneur KC Radio, KMBC, about their new book, The Recovering Politician’s Twelve Step Program to Survive Crisis.
Click here, skip to the 14:10 mark and listen in.
By Jonathan Miller, on Sun Jun 30, 2013 at 11:31 AM ET  I will be hitting the felt at Noon PDT for my first $1000 buy-in tournament in this year’s World Series of Poker.
I have a critical decision to make, and I desperately NEED YOUR HELP.
My wardrobe.
Do I go with my lucky outfit from Day 1 last year — Tel Aviv Macabees shirt, University of Kentucky ballcap (see picture?)
Or should I vary it up?
For uniforms, my choices include Jeremy Lin’s Harvard jersey, Darius Miller’s Pelicans jersey and a generic Red Sox jersey.
My ball cap selection includes a Joe Morgan commemorative Reds hat, IDF camouflage cap, and ball caps from Harvard and Miami University.
Note that I am saving my lucky Day 2 outfit — Joe Morgan Reds uniform, No Labels hat — for tomorrow’s vote. And saving my University of Kentucky Anthony Davis uniform for a final table.
Please vote in comments below:
By Jonathan Miller, on Sat Jun 29, 2013 at 2:30 PM ET  Of all the well-wishing emails, comments, and tweets I’ve received over the past 24 hours, only a critical one really stood out.
It came from my friend, Jim Fannin, a world-renowned mental performance coach, whose client list features an all-star team from virtually every major professional sport. I didn’t realize until we spoke that he has also counseled plenty of famous poker pros as well, including one of my favorites, Phil Gordon, a pro who once placed 4th in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Jim was taken aback by my negativity in the email I sent friends announcing my trip to Vegas — I had written that repeating my final table finish from last year would be “an absurd implausibility.” Jim let me know in no uncertain terms that this was the kind of attitude that could send me to the rail in a short time.
To help turn me around, Jim gave me a quick coaching session that was invaluable. His mantra, to “clean my mind” and “stay in the zone” — a strategy that was brilliantly described by Tom Chiarella in this Esquire piece — requires me to wipe away all of my defensive rationalizations of sure defeat (Jim calls this my “safety net”), and focus instead on my ultimate goal — winning a WSOP bracelet.
Indeed, my un-coached visualizations from last year proved prophetic. My goal — my dream — was to make the final table of a WSOP tournament. Indeed, I did, but I was so crippled by my tiny stack of chips and sheer physical and mental exhaustion, that I was soon eliminated — in 8th place. Of course, I couldn’t have been happier making the final table, but Jim urged me to think bigger this time and envision a championship.
 Some other tidbits of advice from Jim Fannin:
- Drink a ton of water. I’ve heard this continually from my personal trainer (see below) and every medical professional that’s treated me; but constant hydration in the uber-dry Vegas climate, as well as with the mental challenge of 12 straight hours of poker ahead of me, will be critical to keeping my mind sharp.
- Stay away from caffeine. This seems counterintuitive — I credited Diet Coke with keeping me alert during the late hours of the grueling 4 day event last year. But caffeine’s high also has very deleterious consequences: It dehydrates you, clouding your mind; It has a boomerang crash effect once the caffeine wears off; and it keeps you from sleeping well to recharge the next day. That sure was the case last year — on Day 4 last July, I was the walking dead.
- Breathe deeply at the table, take brief mental breaks, and keep my jaw unhinged and relaxed. Jim instructs that the world’s most successful performers think less thoughts than the rest of us. Keeping my mind clear and focused on the present (definitely not the past) is critical to empowering me to trust my math skills and my intuition that served me so well last year. As far as the jaw, Jim suggested that I think about how Michael Jordan stuck out his tongue on his greatest plays — he was in “the zone.”
 Click here to review and purchase Want more advice from Jim Fannin to empower your performance in any field?
Check out his latest book, The Pebble in the Shoe: 5 Steps to a Simple, Confident Life. I highly recommend it!
===
I’ve also sought counsel on how to stay in the best physical shape for the grueling week ahead. (And yes, sitting for 12 hours, focused on cards, may be nothing like a day of painful physical labor, but for this broken down, middle-aged man, it is grueling!)
My personal trainer, and this Web site’s regular Thursday columnist, Josh Bowen, sent me the regime below for tomorrow morning, with a picture that will help me visualize my ultimate goal. Between the visualization and the water recommendations, I think Josh and Jim are working in concert.
Join me if you like:
By Jonathan Miller, on Fri Jun 28, 2013 at 2:13 PM ET
By Jonathan Miller, on Fri Jun 28, 2013 at 1:30 PM ET
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Jun 27, 2013 at 3:00 PM ET My high school German teacher insisted he did. This dude says no: [Huffington Post]
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed Jun 19, 2013 at 8:19 PM ET My favorite actor on my all-time favorite television series. Thanks for your extraordinary portrait of the dark side of humanity.
From the NY Daily News:
James Gandolfini, the New Jersey-bred actor who delighted audiences as mob boss Tony Soprano in “The Sopranos” has died following a massive heart attack in Italy, a source told the Daily News.
“Everyone is in tears,” the source close to the 51-year-old TV tough guy said.
ANTHONY NESTE/AP
James Gandolfini (center) is best known for his role as Tony in HBO’s ‘The Sopranos,’ acting alongside Tony Sirico (from left), Steven Van Zandt, Michael Imperioli and Vicent Pastore.
A press-shy celeb who got his start as a character actor and became famous relatively late in his career — thanks to his breakout role on “The Sopranos,” Gandolfini has largely avoided the spotlight since the last season of the beloved show aired in 2007.
PHOTOS: JAMES GANDOLFINI: A LIFE IN PHOTOS
JILL CONNELLY/AP
James Gandolfini (right) with ‘The Sopranos’ creator David Chase.
The burly Westwood, N.J. native has appeared in several supporting roles since then, playing the director of the CIA in “Zero Dark Thirty” and the gruff blue-collar father of a wannabe rock star in “Not Fade Away” last year.
Gandolfini hit Broadway in 2009 with the Tony Award-winning comedy “God of Carnage.”
CORKERY, RICHARD
James Gandolfini and his wife Deborah Lin, who gave birth to a baby girl in October. The couple married in Hawaii in 2008.
“I seek out good stories, basically — that’s it,” he told The Star-Ledger last December.
PHOTOS: BEST MOMENTS OF ‘THE SOPRANOS’
CRAIG BLANKENHORN /AP
James Gandolfini (from left) played a tough-guy mob boss on ‘The Sopranos’ with costars Steven Van Zandt and Tony Sirico.
“The older I get, the funnier-looking I get, the more comedies I’m offered. I’m starting to look like a toad, so I’ll probably be getting even more soon.”
Gandolfini’s wife, former model Deborah Lin, gave birth to a baby girl last October. The couple married in Hawaii in 2008.
CRAIG BLANKENHORN /HBO
The Sopranos family from the wildly popular HBO drama series ‘The Sopranos.’ The series ran from 1999 through 2007 and starred Edie Falco (from left), James Gandolfini, Robert Iler and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
Gandolfini — who spent part of his early career supporting himself as a bartender and nightclub manager — also has a son with his ex-wife, Marcy Wudarski.
RELATED: HBO BACK IN THE JAMES GANDOLFINI BUSINESS
NEILSON BARNARD/GETTY IMAGES
Actress Edie Falco (left) and actor James Gandolfini attend the premiere of ‘Boardwalk Empire’ at the Ziegfeld Theatre in 2010. Falco and Gandolfini played opposites in Broadway’s ‘God of Carnage’ in 2009.
His first break came in 1992 when he landed a role in a Broadway version of “A Streetcar Named Desire” that starred Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange.
Smallish parts in major films followed — Gandolfini played a submarine crew member in “Crimson Tide” in 1995 and a gangland bodyguard in “Get Shorty” the same year.
JOHNNY NUNEZ/WIREIMAGE
James Gandolfini won three Emmy Awards for his role as Tony Soprano.
Fame came for the Italian-American actor after 1999, as “The Sopranos” garnered critical acclaim and cult popularity on its way to becoming a TV classic.
Gandolfini won three Emmy Awards for his sparkling depiction of protagonist Tony Soprano, a mobster trying to balance the mundane stresses of family life and his unusual occupation: organized crime.
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