NE-Sen: Scott Kleeb now sports an endorsement from the Lincoln, NE Journal-Star. mcjoan has more on Kleeb, who is opposed by millionaire Republican-turned-Democrat Tony Raimondo in the Democratic primary. Raimondo rather cynically switched parties last year, figuring it was his best opportunity to buy a U.S. Senate seat, and he seems intent on doing just that, having dumped $450,000 of his own money into this race.

We're looking to raise $20,000 via 450 donors for Scott Kleeb, by the end of the day Friday. Contribute here!

MA-Sen, MA-05: Having lost a 2007 special election by a relatively narrow six-point margin to current Rep. Niki Tsongas, Republican Jim Ogonowski is making everyone's lives easier by waging a quixotic U.S. Senate run against John Kerry, rather than try again at the 5th District seat.

As a result, everyone is safe. Tsongas' only Republican challenger dropped out of the race, and Kerry is slaughtering Ogonowski, who can't raise enough to be a viable Senate candidate, in all polling so far. Kerry isn't even all that popular, considering how blue Massachusetts is, but the MA GOP is so pathetic that it's tough to imagine them waging a decent Senate challenge anytime soon. They haven't, since 1996.

Speaking of Massachusetts, CQ has a good roundup of House races in the Northeast.

House Races

NY-13: In case anybody missed it earlier, Vito Fossella is in a world of trouble, with Republican leaders having "lost all faith" that he can recover from this scandal.

If Fossella should retire, a Republican replacement might have an institutional advantage over Democratic candidates Domenic Recchia and Steve Harrison; geography. Recchia and Harrison are Brooklynites, while the bulk of the district is based in Staten Island. The New York Daily News reports that the DCCC, perhaps anticipating that this dynamic will play a role in the race, is attempting to recruit NY State Assemblyman Michael Cusick, a Staten Islander.

IL-18: I have seen the future of the GOP, and it is obsessed with the past of the GOP. Meet Aaron Schock, Republican candidate for the U.S. House and just a few weeks shy of his 27th birthday. On his website, our man Schock salivates breathlessly over the fine achievements of the old, Gingrichian Republican Congress:

The accomplishments of the Republican Majority in Congress since 1994 are astonishing and every American lives a better life today because of those changes made with that historic majority. Yet, beginning a few years ago, our congressional leaders and our majority who led so valiantly for over a decade, began to get tired, lose their way, get ground down, and run out of energy.

Last year, the public overwhelmingly came to believe that the Republican Majority had lost its way and strayed from Republican core principles.  

He's got stellar backing in DC, too...with guys like Eric Cantor, Dennis Hastert, and the youthful slug from Florida, Adam Putnam:

Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia is the House Chief Deputy Whip (the Number Four Republican leader) and has hosted events for Schock’s campaigns and said, "Aaron Schock is the role model for what our party needs to do to win back the voters we have lost in recent years. He will re-energize our party in Congress and I strongly support his election."

The House Republican Conference Chairman, Adam Putnam of Florida, also has endorsed Schock and offered to help, as has former Speaker Dennis Hastert, who has said, "Aaron Schock is one of the most exciting Republicans in the nation today."

Aren't Cantor, Putnam and Hastert the same guys who were leading the party over the last couple years...around the time that the Republican Party "lost its way", according to Schock? Curious choice of endorsements to boast about, then.

AK-AL: Jake Metcalfe is dropping out of the race for the U.S. House, after one of his political advisors was caught trashing Democratic opponent Ethan Berkowitz on various attack websites. This leaves Berkowitz and 2006 nominee Diane Benson in one of the most exciting races of this cycle.

IN-09: With the primaries over, it is now official: Rep. Baron Hill (D) and former Rep. Mike Sodrel (R) will meet for a fourth consecutive time this fall. Hill defeated Sodrel in 2002, lost narrowly in 2004, won his seat back in 2006, and will defend it again this fall. It should be quite a race to watch, especially as there's no love lost between the two:

Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.) and former Rep. Mike Sodrel (R-Ind.) are facing off in what likely will be their fourth distinctively negative campaign in as many cycles. And with Wednesday marking the first official day of the general election, this cycle is so far proving to be no exception.

"There’s a great personal dislike between the two of them," said one well-placed Washington, D.C., GOP source, who declined to be named. "I think it’s residual effect from multiple campaigns."

-The DCCC has filed a third FEC complaint against Republican shadow group Freedom's Watch.

The DCCC filed a complaint today with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Freedom's Watch, a shadowy outside group, for failing to report its spending on television ads it's running against Democratic candidate Travis Childers (MS-01) and ran against Congressman Don Cazayoux (LA-06).

Freedom's Watch is operating as the cash-strapped NRCC's de facto independent expenditure campaign.  

"Clearly, Freedom's Watch thinks they are above the law," said Jennifer Crider, Communications Director at the DCCC.  "Freedom's Watch is trying to hide their spending on attack ads against Travis Childers and that's illegal.  As the NRCC looks to Freedom's Watch to save them, the NRCC, Republican Members, and Republican candidates need to decide whether it's worth it to return to the hay days of Republicans' culture of corruption by being tied to a group that regularly breaks the law."  

The DCCC has done a fine job watchdogging this sort of thing this cycle, and should be commended for it.

UPDATE: OK-Sen: Check out the Andrew Rice campaign's recent diary; the DSCC is now committing resources to Oklahoma, impressed by the strength of Rice's candidacy to this point.

Rice is running a strong race against one of the worst Senators in the land, noted climate-change denier James Inhofe.

MS-01: mitch2k2 has the latest DCCC ads on behalf of Travis Childers' campaign, both here, and at  The Thorn Papers. Check them out!