i'm supporting andrew romanoff for the u.s. senate. >> reporter: a loss for bennet would be an embarrassment for obama. in georgia today the gubernatorial primaries are testing the strength of republicans at the national level. newt gingrich and mike huckabee have been campaigning for nathan deal while sarah palin is throwing her support to karen handel. >> are you ready to elect a pro-life, pro-second amendment, commonsense, constitutional conservative who will fight like a mama grizzly for you? >> reporter: if her candidate wins, she's guaranteed to be seen as the mama grizzly bear of her party headed into the

please join me in welcoming speaker andrew romanoff and senator michael bennett. [applause] [cheers and applause] >> thank you. i accept your nomination -- [laughter] wrong it thank you all -- wrong speech. thank you all for your support of the most junior/senior senators in the united states senate, the very honorable mark udall. [applause] i am not the democratic for the united states senate. i came to support the man who is, our next center, the hon. michael bennett. [applause] i want to say a few words first in things to al the thousands of coloradoans who supported our campaign. thank you for the bottom of my heart for the support you should. [applause] -- the support you showed. [applause] i am very proud of our grassroots team and proud to see so many folks standing together in this united democratic party today. for not just my sake and not just michael's sake and not even for the sake of the democratic party, i am asking you today to throw your support fully and unequivocally behind michael bennett to the united states senate. [applause] i say this not fo

michael bennet defeated andrew romanoff. it is a little more than an hour. >> good morning everyone. welcome to our unity day. the democrats rose in the state of colorado. it is my great pleasure this morning to introduce to you one of the best chairmaen at the democratic party. he cut his teeth doing a grass- roots work. he is here to serve as in this country. please, welcome the chairmen of the national democratic party, tim kaine. >> thank you. hello, colorado. this is great. thank you very much. it is an honor to be back in colorado. i use to come here in the summers for fun. you put on a great convention in

. >> reporter: bennet's rival, andrew romanoff, not only had is support of former president bill clinton, he was the beneficiary of liberal disaffection with obama. but in the end, the obama machine came through. >> this is a pretty good wednesday in the white house. >> reporter: in republican races, voters tilted to the tea party, and democrats say that will help them in november. in georgia, nathan deal narrowly beat sarah palin's hand-picked candidate for governor. in connecticut, a former world wrestling executive, linda mcmahon, won the senate nomination. and in colorado, tea party candidate ken buck easily won the senate primary. >> now they're electing conditions in their primaries that are probably too conservative to win. >> reporter: but democrats are not counting their blessings just yet. republicans have high hopes of winning back the house. >> if they want to see last night as a good night, they ought to savor it, because there

. >> reporter: defeated challenger andrew romanoff said now it's all about november. >> it is the time for us to heal. it is the time for us to be united. it is the time for us to advance the cause that we share. >> reporter: winning on the republican side, career prosecutor ken buck. who had said this on the trail. >> why should you vote for me? because i do not wear high heels. >> reporter: former lieutenant governor jane norton was the establishment choice, but the tea party picked buck.

michael bennet defeated andrew romanoff. it is a little more than an hour. >> good morning everyone. welcome to our unity day. the democrats rose in the state of colorado. it is my great pleasure this morning to introduce to you one of the best chairmaen at the democratic party. he cut his teeth doing a grass- roots work. he is here to serve as in this country. please, welcome the chairmen of the national democratic party, tim kaine. >> thank you. hello, colorado. this is great. thank you very much. it is an honor to be back in colorado. i use to come here in the summers for fun. you put on a great convention in 2008. everytime i get here, i have warm feelings. the yourself a round of applause. [applause] i am excited to be here because of so much good work that has been done by colorado democrat. we have so many great representatives. you will hear from a number of them. i will try to be brief. what you as a party have is a strong reputation for showing unity. here are two day -- [applause] two days after a challenging elec

mike bennett beat andrew romanoff 54% to 45%. we want to get your thoughts this morning on camping 2010 results, as well as what we saw from congress yesterday. they approved $26 billion in state aid, and another $10 billion to avoid teacher layoffs. we can show you that to vote in just a little bit. also from "the washington post" this morning -- we want to hear from you and what you think the results mean for the general election. that is "the washington post" this morning. also, the breakdown of the $26 billion jobs bill -- in "the washington post" this morning. the vote was 247 to 161. three democrats voted against the bill. 24 lawmakers were absent for the vote yesterday. new york, jim oon the line for democrats this morning. caller: thank you. government, this country, we're not going forward. we're either going back or we are going right. we are not going forward. this might sound terribly liberal -- i do not think it is. many of the european countries seem to be going forward with their trade policies. it seems like we're

mike bennett beat andrew romanoff 54% to 45%. we want to get your thoughts this morning on camping 2010 results, as well as what we saw from congress yesterday. they approved $26 billion in state aid, and another $10 billion to avoid teacher layoffs. we can show you that to vote in just a little bit. also from "the washington post" this morning -- we want to hear from you and what you think the results mean for the general election. that is "the washington post" this morning. also, the breakdown of the $26 billion jobs bill -- in "the washington post" this morning. the vote was 247 to 161. three democrats voted against the bill. 24 lawmakers were absent for the vote yesterday. new york, jim oon the line for democrats this morning. caller: thank you. government, this country, we're not going forward. we're either going back or we are going right. we are not going forward. this might sound terribly liberal -- i do not think it is. many of the european countries seem to be going forward with their trade policies. it seems like we're

they backed michael bennet, and they needed a win here over andrew romanoff, the bill clinton-endorsed candidate. i do think there is an ability for barack obama , a chance for him to show i have some political mojo don't count me out. i'm not on the mat. but that's within the context of a deemt primary fight. that's very different than the general election contest, and that's why you heard michael bennet on that morning show this morning not saying, hey, here's the date i'd like to invite barack obama back to colorado this fall. he started keeping his distance because now he has to appeal to the broader electorate in colorado where barack obama 's not nearly as popular as he is inside the primary election. >> lehrer: is it conceivable he could get away with, that turning his back on obama now? >> i don't think necessarily he will turn his back. he vote forward the health care bill--. >> lehrer: he will just be very busy. >> he will just be very busy. the president will have other playings to be. >> lehrer: on the republican side in the senate race. >> this is the other big stheem, i t

romanoff, who had president clinton's endorsement. bennet's victory provided a welcome boost to president obama, who had thrown his political muscle behind the senator. come november bennet will face prosecutor ken buck, the winner of a tight republican primary. >>> in connecticut, former wrestling executive linda mcmahon easily won the republican senate nomination after pouring tens of millions of her own dollars into the race. mcmahon will face and challenge democratic state attorney general richard blumenthal this fall. >>> and in the republican runoff for georgia governor, former congressman nathan deal is leading former secretary of state karen handel, but that race is too close to call. >>> defying advice from lawyers to keep quiet, new york congressman charles rangel took to the house floor yesterday, making it clear that when it comes to charges against him, he's not going without a fight. a defensive rangel said he's not resigning, despite 13 ethics charges against him from the house ethics committee. he denied he was corrupt

i'm supporting andrew romanoff for the u.s. senate. >> reporter: obama backs michael bennet. a loss for bennet could be an embarrassment for obama. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: it's a political smackdown in connecticut. >> i approve this message because it's time for something different. >> reporter: former world wrestling entertainment ceo linda mcmahon hopes to trade the ring for the senate. >> what i hear when i'm around in the state is not they're not concerned with soap opera story line. >> reporter: the conservative is expected to advance to november likely pitting her against connecticut attorney general richard blumenthal. in georgia -- >> are you ready to elect a pro-life pro-second amendment commonsense constitutional conservative that will might like a momma grizzly for you. >> reporter: sarah palin supports karen handel. the biggest prize this primary day, pinning political power in your corner. voters in florida from two weeks to decide the results. early voting is already under way. >> a big day in politics. mike, thanks. >>> a search for a dangerous fugitive an

romanoff. bennett, appointed to the seat, was branded the establishment candidate even though this was his first time on a ballot. in his corner, the endorser in chief, president barack obama. romanoff ran as the outsider despite his years in state politics. romanoff had the backing of former president bill clinton. bennet avoided becoming the third sitting senator this year to lose in a primary. t.j. wingic, abc news, washington. >>> new york democratic congressman charlie rangel is not resigning despite facing more than a dozen ethic charges. he made that clear at an unexpected 37-minute speech on the house floor. any call on the house ethics committee to move it along without delay. >> don't leave me swinging in the wind until november. i do want the dignity that the president had said. if i can't get my dignity back here, then fire your best shot in getting rid of me through ex-pulse. >> he admitted to making mistakes but maintains he has done nothing corrupt. >>> a new storm is menacing th

bucking an anti-establishment trend, he defeated andrew romanoff, who was endorsed by former president clinton. he was a denver school superintendent when he was appointed to his seat nearly two years ago. >> it was just a week ago the political pundits and the washington oddsmakers started counting us out of this race. so, to the pundits and the talking heads, i have a simple message, welcome to colorado. >> bennet will face ken buck in november. >>> in connecticut, former wrestling executive linda mcmahon easily defeated two other candidates to capture the republican senate nomination. mcmahon spent more than $20 medical of her own money on the campaign. she hopes to capture the seat held by retiring senator chris dodd. >> people ask me every day, linda, why did you decide to run for the united states senate? and i can tell you, it is because i had a great fear that the american dream was in the greatest jeopardy that it has ever been in our lifetime. >> mcmahon will be the underdog when she faces richard blumenthal in november. he ran unopposed. >>> in georgia the republican runoff

. >> reporter: while his competitor, andrew romanoff, scored president clinton's support. in the republican primary, jane horton is vying against tea party favorite ken bach. minnesota holds a gubernatorial primary while a senate seat is up for grabs in connecticut. richard blumenthal awaits the winner of the connecticut gop primary between rob simmons and linden mcmahon. and in georgia, sarah palin's star power will be put to the test. >> are you ready to bring it on? >> reporter: her pick in the republican primary for governor, karen handel, is pitted against former congressman nathan deal. some experts say the key to today's primaries is actually who shows up. democrats will be paying close attention to see if republican momentum is holding. a recent pew research study shows gop enthusiasm is at a 16 year high. 77% of republicans say they will definitely vote this year compared to 65% of democrats. a big motivating factor, the economy. >> on the national landscape, there is one single issue. and that's the economy. because the economy is so bad, it ends up being a refer

i'm supporting andrew romanoff for the u.s. senate. >> reporter: a loss for bennet would be an embarrassment for obama. in georgia today the gubernatorial primaries are testing the strength of republicans at the national level. newt gingrich and mike huckabee have been campaigning for nathan deal while sarah palin is throwing her support to karen handel. >> are you ready to elect a pro-life, pro-second amendment, commonsense, constitutional conservative who will fight like a mama grizzly for you? >> reporter: if her candidate wins, she's guaranteed to be seen as the mama grizzly bear of her party headed into the midterms. these are obviously state races but with the midterm elections coming up and 2012 looming in the distance it's all about positioning. and, george, there's a lot at stake. >> sure is. for more we're joined by donna brazile, from washington, and mary matalin from new orleans. good morning to both of you. donna, let me begin with you. as david pointed out while these races are going on in colorado especially the

i'm supporting andrew romanoff to the u.s. senate. >> obama backs michael bennett. a loss could be an embarrassment for obama. it's a political smackdown in connecticut. >> i approve this message because it's time for something different. >> former world wrestling entertainment ceo linda mcmahon hopes to trade the ring for the senate. >> what i hear when i'm around in our state is not, they're not concerned about soap opera story lines. >> the conservative is expected to advance to november likely pitting her against connecticut attorney general richard blumenthal. in georgia... >> are you ready to vote for a constitutional conservative that will fight for you? >> sarah palin is testing the national gop. she supports handle for governor. handle is endorsed by the nra, mike huckabee and newt gingrich. the biggest surprise? pending political power in your corner. voters in florida have two weeks to decide if key races. the official primary day is august 24th but early voting is already underway. abc news. >> it's 4:57. one of silicon valley leaders comes to the defens

has his own supporter, bill clinton. >> i'm supporting andrew romanoff for the senate, and i hope you'll vote for him because he's got really good ideas on the economy. >> in georgia, the latest display of palin power. he ah palin has lined up against he nra, backing her own candidate for governor. >> are you ready to elect a pro-life, common sense constitutional conservative who will fight like a mama grizzly for you? >> and in connecticut, a political smackdown, linda mcmahon, the former ceo of world drestling entertainment is vying for senate against rod simmons dho got lifted off the mat when women undswirld about how pro wrestling treated women under the leadership of mcmahon and her husband, vince. >>> six americans were murdered >>> six in afghanistan and they vowed they would not abandon eyeir work. they said they will stay in afghanistan despite signs of a stay in afghanistal taliban. nick schifrin reports from kabul tonight. >> reporter: members of the team that came to help the afghan help the afghng buried here. in kabul today, the first in kabul t funeral for the doctors and

romanoff. they also spared president obama who campaigned hard for bennett the embarrassment of having to explain why colorado democrats had rejected his candidate. >> i've worked as a truck driver... >> reporter: it was a different story on the republican side. district attorney ken buck, the tea party favorite, one a close race against former lieutenant governor jane norton, the choice of the republican establishment. buck was helped by two million dollars worth of adds and mailers for americans with job security. >> norton pushed the largest tax hike in colorado history. as a regulator, she managed a multimillion dollar surge in government spending. >> reporter: but in the fall campaign, both buck and incumbent bennett are likely to stress their independence for good political reasons says pollster floyd ciruli. >> being an in today, in the political system is not where you want to be. >> reporter: and democrats have done well in colorado in recent years, but with g.o.p. gains likely elsewhe

i'm supporting andrew romanoff for the u.s. senate. and i hope you'll vote for him in tuesday's democratic primary. because he's not really good ideas on the economy. >> reporter: in georgia, the latest display of palin power. sarah palin is lined up against the nra, backing her own candidate for governor, karen handel. >> are you ready to elect a pro-life, pro-second amendment, commonsense constitutional conservative who will fight like a mama grizzly for you? >> reporter: in connecticut, political smackdown. linda mcmahon, former ceo of world wrestling entertainment, is vying for the republican nod for senate. she's up against rob simmons. who lifted his campaign off the mat when questions swirled about how pro wrestling treated women -- >> bark like a dog! >> reporter: under the leadership of mcmahon and her husband vince. >> that was george stephanopoulos reporting. one other primary today, three minnesota democrats battling for a shot at becoming the party's first governor since 1986. >>> house lawmakers are back on capitol hill t

romanoff. bennet, appointed to the seat, was branded the establishment candidate even though this was actually his first time on the ballot. in his corner, the endorser in chief, president barack obama. romanoff ran as the outsider despite his years in state politics. romanoff had the backing of former president bill clinton. bennett avoided becoming the third sitting senator this year to lose in a primary. rob and vinita? >> our thanks to t.j. >>> a state of emergency has been declared in louisiana because of a tropical depression that is now gaining strength. >> it is expected to turn into a tropical storm that will threaten the gulf coast. accuweather's amy aaronson has the very latest. good morning, amy. >> thank you, rob and vinita. the gulf is certainly in the spotlight. our latest lre s has been officially upgo a tropical depression. that's about 150 miles from the west coast of florida. here you can certainly see the defined circulation on the radar but looking very unorganized. we are

romanoff. >> at some point is, you have to stand up to the leadership of your own party when you think they're doing something wrong. i'm doing that right now. >> the gop senate primary in connecticut may be close, but it is sure to be in the spotlight with wrestling executive linda mcmahon expected to pin down the gop nomination. three democrats who want to be minnesota's next governor will be pressing hard in their states. a republican state legislator in the state's gop primary. >>> commuters stuck in the slow lane have a chance to pay for a faster trip in the east bay. the first express lane is about to roll out on 680. it's a 14-mile stretch between highways 84 and 237. carpoolers are still free, however single drivers can now pay for access. the fee depends on the traffic. the expense lanes rules go into effect from 5:00 in the morning until 8:00 p.m. alameda county congestion management agency has said the average price will be $3 or $4. >>> time coming up on 6:08. we want to check in with felipe who is watching traffic this morning. he's in for mike. >> that's right. good morni

i'm supporting andrew romanoff for the u.s. senate. >> obama backs michael bennett. a loss for bennett could be an embarrassment for obama. it's a political smackdown in connecticut. >> i approve this message because it's time for something different. >> former world wrestling entertainment ceo linda mcmahon hopes to trade the ring for the senate. >> what i hear when i'm around in our state is not, they're not concerned about soap opera story lineses. >> the conservative is expected to advance to november likely pitting her against connecticut attorney general richard bomben that will. in georgia... >> are you ready to elect a pro-life common sense, constitutional conservative who will fight like a mamma grisly for you? >> sarah palin is testing the national gop. she supports karen handle for governor. handle is up against deal who's endorsed by the nra and newton beginning gingrich. voters have two weeks to decide its key races. the official primary day is august 24th but early voting is already underway. abc news. >> a happy reunion is in store today for a kitten s

he was appointed to the senate last year, facing a challenge from andrew romanoff and this was a battle between presidents. you had president obama backing bennet. former president bill clinton backing romanoff. in the end bennet pulled it out, 54-46 but romanoff did close the gap in the final weeks. in georgia, another proxy war on the republican side, this in the gubernatorial primary. karen handel was backed by sarah palin and called her one of the mama grizzlies she's backing and former congressman nathan deal backed by mike huckabee and newt gingrich. this one is just too close to call right now. fewer than 1% of the votes separate them and there could be a recount here, and finally up in connecticut, a big race on the republican side, linda mcmahon, the former head of world wrestling entertainment, won the republican primary after spending $22 million in the primary. she's going to face the attorney general democrat richard blumenthal. he faced questions about whether he exaggerated his war record in vietnam. that's going to be the november matchup right now. we spoke with linda m

romanoff. >> at some point is, you have to stand up to the leadership of your own party when you think they're doing something wrong. i'm doing that right now. >> the gop senate primary in connecticut may not be as close, but it is sure to be in the spotlight with wrestling executive linda mcmahon expected to pin down the gop nomination. three democrats who want to be minnesota's next governor will be pressing hard in their states. a republican state legislator in the state's gop primary. >>> virginia lawmakers are lashing out on plans to close the joint forces command center. they say it would eliminate 5,000 jobs in the area. defense secretary robert gates says he wants the closure to eliminate overspending and proposes slashing the pentagon's budget for military contractors. but virginia lawmakers say many of the contractors are modeling and simulation researchers and are critical to national security and global competitiveness. >>> the pat tillman story is one that touches a special nerve in the bay area, now his story is being hold through the eyes of his family in a documentary t

president barack obama had clearly picked sides and was backing bennett over his challenger andrew romanoff. and it looked like this place was pretty close. in the end it turned out not to be so close. i think it was eight points by which bennett won. if he hadn't won, it would have been a real embarrassment. the white house knew it. they were primed for it. i was talking just yesterday with a senior obama political radded advisor who was very nervous and if they knew bennett had stumbled it would have been not just his defeat but seen as a defeat for obama because obama had been out to colorado time and time again and made it clear in his choice. so anyway, they got some good news for a change and they've needed it. >> rose: it's said that by him... by the president that what he was able to do in 2008 was make his personal narrative a narrative of the country. he clearly did that. what narrative would the president like for the country to see going into these midterms and as a precedent to what the narrative might be in 2012? >> right. i think we have to look at this, as you asked, what he

romanoff, is backed by bill clinton. so you've got a real battle of endorsements going on there. and on the republican side, you have ken buck, who is a tea party candidate against former lieutenant governor jan norton, who has john mccain behind her and the governor of arizona, the controversial governor of arizona, behind her. but she's having a lot of trouble from ken buck who says, at least he doesn't wear high heels. how that goes with voters, i don't know. >> not a bad line. we'll see if it's another day for outsiders. cokie roberts, thanks very much. >> what's wrong with high heels anyway? >> we'll find out tomorrow. >>> coming up, actress mia farrow takes the stand testifying about supermodel naomi campbell's diamonds. they're telling two different stories, so which one of them is telling the truth? >>> and your pet's food could be making you sick. how? we have the startling results of a new study out. dr. richard besser is here with all the details on how to prorel. have you tried honey bunches of oats with real

romanoff. and in georgia today the republican run-off for governor has turned into a 2012 republican presidential proxy fight with newt gingrich and mike huckabee on one side supporting former congressman nathan deal and sarah palin on on the other side, in support of her mama grisly, karen handel. >> show the nation how you are ready to bring it on, georgia. >> reporter: a political comeback is being attempted by mark dayton, he's trying to become his party's nominee for governor. >> chuck todd in washington for us. thank you, chuck. >>> uss john mccain docked in vietnam today as two former enemy nations mark 15 years of renewed diplomatic ties. the destroyer is named for admiral john mccain sr. and junior, the grandfather and father of arizona senator john mccain who was held as a p.o.w. during the vietnam war. >>> now 7:12 pacific time. back to meredith, matt and al. >> thank you very much, natalie. mr. roker here with the first check of the weather. >> in dillingham, alaska, 48 degrees and

. >> reporter: defeated challenger andrew romanoff said now it's all about november. >> it is the time for us to heal. it is the time for us to be united. it is the time for us to advance the cause that we share. >> reporter: winning on the republican side, career prosecutor ken buck. who had said this on the trail. >> why should you vote for me? because i do not wear high heels. >> reporter: former lieutenant governor jane norton was the establishment choice, but the tea party picked buck. >> do you think of yourself as a tea party candidate? >> i think of myself as a grassroots candidate and the tea party is certainly part of that grassroots effort. >> reporter: in connecticut, the primary round goes to republican linda mcmahon. the super wealthy wrestling boss poured her own millions into a senate campaign. >> the support of the voters of connecticut isn't bestowed by the establishment or the pundits or the media. it isn't a birthright. it can't be bought. it needs to be earned. >> reporter: and mcmahon will face establishment democrat richard blumenthal, connecticut's attorney gene

. >> reporter: bennett is facing a tough liberal challenge from former state house speak er andrew romanoff who claims even though his opponent has been in the senate less than two years, he's already become part of the establishment. >> i would have fought for the public option. my opponent did not. i would have voted for banks becoming too big to fail. my opponent voted against that proposal. >> reporter: before first lady michelle and daughter sasha got back from a private visit in spain, a trip that's got panned by some for looking out of touch, the president got in some quality basketball time sunday with stars joakim noah and derrick rose of his beloved chicago bulls, lebron james and magic johnson were also there. it was followed by a white house barbecue that included gulf coast shrimp. the president with his family in tow returns to the gulf later this week for a mini vacation to show the country that the region is coming back and is open for business. now, it's not all politics today in texas. in austin the president is going to give a major speech on education, touting his goal t

bill romanoff is being backed by clinton. and bennett is alleged to have abused money that was supposed to be used for the school system. then again, colorado voters have been voting for weeks now. so we'll see. >> and people are watching this to get a feel for how long the anti-establishment mood is in the country. why is that? >> absolute limit in this case you have a democratic challenger to a sitting incumbent. somebody who has the support of the senate and barack obama against somebody who was discouraged from challenging him in the first place. and he's able to pull out takeover money and support bennett has institutionally, that will tell you how anti-incumbent voters are feeling. >> and what are the differences between these two candidates? >> on the republican side you have a man who is accused of plagiarism, a man who worked at one point for a think tank and was paid $300,000 for work it turns out was not his own and he had to return that money and on the other side dan maze who has made out allegations that the bik