2016: Bush, Romney down in poll. The two establishmentarians who have expressed interest in the next presidential race, Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney, have seen their poll numbers among fellow Republicans decline in recent weeks. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll reported in The Hill showed Bush had a 44% positive, 12% negative rating among GOPers last November, but it is down to 37% positive to 15% negative in January. Romney went from 60%/13% positive/negative in September to a current 52/15 ratio. Hillary Clinton gets a 75% positive/7% negative among Democrats ……. Kentucky: McConnell to get help from new PAC. The Senate Leadership Fund has been formed to “protect and expand” the GOP’s Senate majority in the 2016 elections. The PAC was formed by “Republicans with ties to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell,” says The Hill. Next year, the GOP will be especially vulnerable, defending 24 Senate seats to the Democrats 10 ……. Virginia: Senate fails to block in-state tuition for undocumented students. After what the Washington Post called “a lengthy and testy debate,” the Senate failed to pass a bill that would prevent children brought to the U.S. illegally when they were children from qualifying for lower in-state tuition rates. All of the Democrats voted against the measure, while one Republican voted for it and another did not vote
