by Justin Lin, policy intern

NEWS:

• Might California Republicans make a resurgence in the state legislatures? Democrats in California currently have the governor’s seat and supermajorities in both the state Assembly and Senate, but a recent win by Republican Andy Vidak may begin charting the progress for a resurgence in the state. Vidak, who speaks fluent Spanish, beat Leticia Perez for a state Senate seat in a county that was heavily Democratic and had a large Hispanic population. (Washington Times)
• Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is considering running for the Alaska Senate seat, but a recent poll showed her trailing by a 12 point margin. The same poll found that voters in Alaska have a 58% unfavorable rating towards the governor, and nearly the same percentage of people considered her not an Alaskan as those who did consider her an Alaskan. (Politico)
• The FBI addressed a letter to Senator Rand Paul explaining that it does not believe it requires a warrant to use drones for surveillance, citing Supreme Court cases that permitted the use of manned drones. This letter follows a July 19 letter from the FBI’s congressional liaison office that stated it had used drones in ten different instances in the past, including eight time for criminal surveillance. (Washington Times)
• It has been long speculated that Hillary Clinton is eyeing another presidential run, but it looks as though she will have a head start. A pro-Hillary super PAC called Ready for Hillary is focused on running a strong ground game early on in the race and has already raised $1 million. For the time being, however, the Clintons remain silent on a presidential bid. (Washington Times)
• Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MA) has begun hosting fundraisers for vulnerable Democrats in the House along with other top House Democrats. Rep. Debbie Wasseman-Schultz (D-FL), the Democratic National Chairwoman, and Rep. Joseph Crowley recently hosted another fundraiser for other vulnerable House Democrats. (Roll Call)