Randy Duke Cunningham

Two days after Republican Congressman Michael Ferguson said he would give the $1,000 contribution he received from Duke Cunningham to a local charity, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is calling on Fergsuon to return the money. Cunningham, a GOP Congressman from California, admitted to taking over $2 million in bribes from defense contractors. The DCCC is a little late in their rhetoric: local Democratic activists looking to oust Ferguson beat them to the bunch a few days ago. The DCCC has also called on Republican Congressmen to return campaign contributions from indicted House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, but has not issued similar statements concerning Democratic Congressmen who took donations from jailed developer/filmmaker Charles Kushner.

Is Chuck Schumer in the loop or not? Some New Jersey Democrats, especially Jon Corzine, were not happy two weeks ago when the New York Senator, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told an Associated Press reporter that he was interviewing candidates for Corzine's Senate seat. His comments also upset two Democratic Congressmen who have expressed an interest in the seat but did not get an interview: Bill Pascrell and Donald Payne. The DSCC website clearly omits Pascrell and Payne from consideration: "With Senator Corzine's victory in the gubernatorial race in November, there are a number of potential candidates interested in his seat which will officially be open once he is sworn in as governor. Democrats who have shown interest in the seat include Reps. Rob Andrews, Rush Holt, Bob Menendez, and Frank Pallone." But the DSCC website does suggest that Doug Forrester and Bret Schundler could also seek the GOP U.S. Senate nomination -- which would be big news here in New Jersey, if it were true.