Gillibrand Spent Years Defending Big Tobacco

CEO himself characterized as 'longtime smoker'

(NEWSER) - Sure, cigarettes are bad for you and addictive, but they're really not that hard to quit—in the rose-colored world that belongs to Philip Morris CEO Louis Camilleri, who was responding to anti-tobacco comments at the cigarette maker's annual shareholder meeting. Camilleri was in 2009 characterized as a "longtime smoker himself," reports the AP, who had quit only once for three months when he had a cold. More»

Daily News publisher won't challenge Kirsten Gillibrand

(NEWSER) - Kirsten Gillibrand lost another challenger today: Publisher and real estate mogul Mort Zuckerman won't be running for her Senate seat after all. "I was encouraged by many major political figures in New York to look closely at running for Senate," Zuckerman told the Daily News . "However, at this time, it is very difficult to see how I can devote the necessary time to either a campaign, or to working in Washington, if I were to win." Zuckerman cited his "young family" and the death of his partner at Boston Properties as factors in his decision. More»

These shaky Dem incumbents could be next to make the GOP's day

(NEWSER) - The decision by Indiana Senator Evan Bayh not to seek reelection has put 10 Democratic seats—and the majority—firmly in reach of Republicans in the upcoming election. Politico looks at 5 most likely to make the job easier for the GOP:

• Arkansas: Blanche Lincoln trailed a likely GOP challenger by an astounding 23 points in a recent poll, and even if she drops out there is no clear replacement.

New York's incumbent can't communicate, and that could be her downfall

(NEWSER) - Kirsten Gillibrand bears a lot of unfortunate similarities to Martha Coakley, and could soon suffer the same fate. Like Coakley, she assumes she’s in for a cakewalk, with the full weight of her party behind her in a mostly-blue state. And like Coakley, she has “dreadful communication skills,” writes Steve Kornacki at the Daily Beast . “She talks, often for far too long, almost exclusively in political clichés. There is no blood in her veins.” More»

Incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand, challenger Harold Ford Jr. out for blood

(NEWSER) - Kirsten Gillibrand isn’t playing nice anymore. The New York Democrat is heeding advisers’ counsel and going for the jugular against Senate primary opponent Harold Ford Jr., who’s been lobbing bombs faster than she can keep up. Until now, Gillibrand’s mostly attacked Ford through proxies, generating little buzz in New York’s tabloid-dominated media scene. But in a recent statement, she blasted Ford as an anti-abortion, anti-gay rights Wall Street pawn, Politico reports. More»