According to information from the Federal Elections Commission, Latham pulled $1,003,987 in receipts for the first six months of 2011 — well below the more than $6 million garnered by U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, but still well above most of his congressional colleagues.

In looking only at contributions from PACs or other committees, however, Latham nearly matches Boehner. Latham, who ranks seventh among incumbents in this category, reaped more than half of his receipts — $691,491 — from PACs while Boehner garnered $787,200 from similar groups. Boehner also ranks first in individual contributions, receiving more than $2.5 million of his overall total from this demographic. Latham, however, is not among the 50 top House incumbents for individual donations.

Latham is also the only Iowan of the state’s five House incumbents who makes the top 50 list for cash on hand as of June 30. Latham ranks 26 with just under $1.5 million cash on hand.

Some of Latham’s largest PAC contributors were:

• Truth, Accountability and Courage PAC, or TACPAC — $10,000
  leadership PAC affiliated with Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican

• Anheuser-Busch PAC — $10,000
  beer, wine & liquor industry

• American Maritime Officers Voluntary Political Action Fund — $7.500
  transportation union

• AT&T Inc. Federal PAC — $10,000
  telephone utilities industry

• Burlington Northern Santa Fe RailPAC — $7,500
  railroad industry

• California Dairies Federal PAC — $10,000
  dairy industry

• College of American Pathologists PAC — $10,000
  health industry

• EricPAC — $10,000
  leadership PAC affiliated with Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican

• Freedom & Security PAC — $10,000
  leadership PAC affiliated with John Kline, a Minnesota Republican

• Hawkeye PAC — $10,000
  leadership PAC affiliated with Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican

• Honeywell International PAC — $10,000
  manufacturing & distributing industry

• Next Century Fund — $10,000
  leadership PAC affiliated with Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican

• PAC of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons — $10,000
  health industry

• Physical Therapy PAC — $10,000
  health industry

• R.J. Reynolds PAC — $10,000
  tobacco industry

• Swisher PAC — $10,000
  tobacco industry

• The Freedom Project — $10,000
  leadership PAC affiliated with John Boehner, an Ohio Republican

Eight of his PAC contributions came from organizations that listed Iowa as their headquarters. Those are:

• National Pork Producers/Pork PAC — $3,500
• Principal Life Insurance Co. PAC — $2,000
• Meredith Employees Fund for Better Government — $1,000
• PACEG Committee — $2,500
• West Central PAC — $1,000
• Hawkeye PAC — $10,000
• VGM Management Ltd. PAC — $1,500
• Stanley Consultants Inc. PAC — $250

Due to redistricting, and the Hawkeye State losing a congressional district, Latham has already announced he will be moving and challenging Democratic incumbent Leonard Boswell in the newly formed 3rd District. According to FEC filings, Boswell has total receipts of $332,540 — $121,550 from individual contributions and $199,250 from PACs or other committees. Boswell’s ending cash on hand for June 30 was $285,985.

When all 420 House incumbents are combined, they have receipts of $15.6 million — a $20.5 million, or 15.6 percent, increase from the same period in 2009, the most recent non-election year.

Individual contributions accounted for $75.8 million of House incumbents’ total receipts, representing $13.2 million, or 21.1 percent, increase from the first six months of 2009. Contributions from PACS amounted to $66.9, which only a slight increase of $2.1 million, or 3.2 percent, since the same time period in 2009.

Cash on hand for incumbents, however, has dropped. Currently, the incumbents have a combined $217.4 million available for use, a decrease of $15.5 million from the previous non-election year.

Non-incumbent candidates raised a total of $30.5 million for House races during the first six months of 2011, slightly outpacing the $30.3 million raised during the same six-month period in 2009. As of June 30, 2011, House non-incumbent candidates had a combined cash-on-hand total of $18.1 million, a $500,000 (2.8%) increase from the June 2009 combined total.

Although neither of Iowa’s U.S. Senators — Grassley and Tom Harkin — made the top 50 in any category, the 82 individual Senate campaign committees raised $103.1 million in the first six months of 2011 — the highest total ever reporter for the first six months in a non-election year. The figure exceeded the previous high of $93.2 million raised in the first half of 2009. And, in 2005, the last time this same group of Senate seats was up for election, 85 candidates raised $84.8 million during the first six months of the cycle.

Roughly 74 percent of the Senate contributions were from individuals; PACs contributions to Senate candidates totaled $17.5 million, or about 17 percent of the campaigns’ receipts.

Of course, he’s got the long-held ire from the left. But some Republican leaders have expressed distaste for Gingrich, or at least doubt in his ability to win the nomination.

There’s the scathing attacks from Sarah Palin, who originally reported by Politico, referred to Gingrich as an “egotistical, narrow-minded machine goon.”

And in December, The Washington Post interviewed Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), who was not complimentary to the former speaker.

“You do need a speaker who is very sober minded. Boehner will do a much better job than Gingrich. John is the perfect person for the job. The only time he becomes the center of attention is when the White House makes him the center of attention. … The speaker can’t take on issue X for two weeks and then go on Meet the Press or Fox and talk about issue Y. … When you’re in leadership, you are speaking to the whole country.”

But the former speaker of the House will likely have some support. Roll Call reported that he has backing from the GOP in Georgia (where he once served) and California.

Said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) to Roll Call:

“He has stayed in touch with the Georgia delegation, and I think he would find some ready support among the delegation. He has a big network [in the House]. … Most people know and respect Newt. I would say it’s a rare Republican who hasn’t crossed paths with Newt Gingrich politically in their own campaigns. I think he would carry the state. If he gets in the race I think he would lock down Georgia pretty quick. We’ll be with him.”

But even those who support him, like Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), said he has no chance at winning the GOP nomination, according to Roll Call.

Said Burr to Roll Call: “When you look at Newt, you see a person that’s bubbling over with ideas but not necessarily one who has the discipline to see those ideas carried through to finality. Gingrich certainly brings excitement. I don’t see the former speaker coming out of a primary contest as our nominee, but I wish him well.”

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) reacted on her Twitter account, “Distressed about Shooting of Rep. Giffords. Am sure all members are praying for complete recovery. Please join us in prayer.”

Foxx also spoke with the Winston Salem Journal, saying:

“I don’t think members of Congress incite that kind of rhetoric — I don’t think the things we say incite that kind of behavior. And I don’t know that the things other people say incite it. I just think we have deranged individuals in this country and occasionally they do bad things.

“This guy appears to be a communist. His beliefs are the liberal of the liberals. There is no evidence whatsoever that this man was influenced by Sarah Palin or anybody in the Republican Party. This man is not a conservative; he’s a fan of communism — that’s the opposite of conservatism.

“The members of Congress, we put ourselves out there, and we’re willing to take whatever risk there is, but it is so sad that this involved innocent people. We never want anyone else to be harmed because of our positions.”

Nevertheless, Foxx has used harsh rhetoric before; one example was in tying federal health care reform’s impact on the U.S. to that of terrorism. On Nov. 2, 2009, Foxx said: “I believe we have more to fear from the potential of that [health reform] bill passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country.”

A number of members of the N.C. Congressional delegation sent out statements.

Rep. Sue Myrick (R) said:

“I am shocked and saddened over the senseless attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, her staff and constituents, and over the sad news that this attack has taken the life of US District Court Judge John Roll. We cannot and must not tolerate acts of violence such as these, especially when the victims are working for the good of the American people. My thoughts and prayers are with Rep. Giffords and her family, the family of Judge Roll, and all of the victims and their families during this difficult and tragic time.”

Rep. Larry Kissell (D):

“I am honored to not only call Congresswoman Giffords a colleague, but also a true friend. Her selfless hard work on behalf of the people of her district is a true testament to her dedication to helping others. I ask you to join me in praying for Gabby’s recovery, as well as all of the victims and families that have been touched by this senseless tragedy.”

Rep. Mike McIntyre (D) spoke with the Wilmington Star- News about Giffords and said in a statement that she “is an exceptional public servant whose dedication and determination to serve her constituents, state, and nation are an example for all of us to follow. She is a good friend with whom I have worked closely with on many issues. Our prayers are for her and all affected by this senseless tragedy.”

Sen. Kay Hagan (D) said “Today’s shooting in Arizona is an absolute tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her family and staff, and the families of those injured and killed.”

Sen. Richard Burr (R) said he is “shocked and deeply saddened to learn about this senseless shooting. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the victims and families affected by this tragic event.”

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is pressing his Republican colleagues to put a moratorium on earmarks. (UPPA/ZUMApress.com)

With a fight brewing between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Tea Party ringleader Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) over the practice of requesting earmarks in the Senate, most Republican Senators have been desperately hoping to avoid picking sides. But Tea Party groups, which are eagerly monitoring a closed-door Republican Party vote on the issue next Tuesday, have decided to make sitting on the sidelines that much more difficult.

[GOP1] “It might not ever be known, but if somebody won’t come out and say they’ll vote against earmarks, then we’ll be pretty sure we know they voted for allowing them,” said Mark Meckler, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, a national network of Tea Party groups. “And if that’s what they’re going to do, then a lot will see themselves facing primary challenges.”

The added pressure leaves many Republican senators between a rock and a hard place in the lead-up to Tuesday’s vote. On the one hand, they don’t want to undermine McConnell’s leadership or appear hypocritical should they continue the routine practice of requesting earmarks in the next Senate session. But they risk finding themselves on the wrong side of the GOP’s anti-spending campaign and alienating Tea Party groups that have made earmarks an important symbol of all that’s wrong with Washington.

Between now and Tuesday, Republican senators must weigh the dangers of speaking out versus straying mum and then cast a decisive, albeit non-binding vote that activists are looking to as a first sign of the character of next year’s Senate Republican caucus.

Following last week’s elections, DeMint wasted no time in capitalizing on the anti-spending fervor in Washington — and the anti-earmarks platforms on which many Senate Republicans had run — to announce a new push for a vote to place a year-long moratorium on the practice of earmarking at the upcoming Republican Conference meeting among Republicans. The issue quickly drove a wedge between the Tea Party and McConnell, who pushed back against DeMint’s proposal on television and in private. Tea Party leaders like Meckler couldn’t believe it.

“I think McConnell’s a perfect example of what’s wrong with the GOP and has been wrong for a long time,” said Meckler. “Following the election, he has a chance to be a hero and he’s being a zero. It’s very clear that the vast majority of Americans are anti-earmark. He’s a classic example of the arrogance of the ruling class.”

DeMint released a letter indicating that he had gathered the signatures of ten fellow Republican senators, including six fresh faces — Marco Rubio (Fla.), Pat Toomey (Pa.), Rand Paul (Ky.), Mike Lee (Utah), Ron Johnson (Wis.) and Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) — many of whom had run on explicitly anti-earmark platforms.

But many Republican senators hoped to avoid declaring either way, buoyed by the prospect that Tuesday’s vote would remain anonymous. The last time Senate Republicans had voted on a moratorium to end earmarks was in March, when DeMint led an open vote of the full Senate, and while a majority of Republicans had voted for the measure then, they had the benefit of knowing that with most Democrats voting against it, it had little chance of passing.

“It got a majority of the Republican conference last time, but like Bob Dole once said, you never get in trouble for voting for something that fails or against something that passes,” said Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a group that advocates for reforming the congressional earmark process.

The secret ballot in Tuesday’s vote appeared to make approval of DeMint’s resolution that much less likely. “If you have a closed-door vote, then certainly there are people who can talk one way and vote another or won’t worry about the pressure back home or whatever else,” Ellis said.

The news that Tea Party groups will consider silence on the issue an admission of guilt, however, has thrown GOP senators’ previous calculations into flux and brought increased pressure on them to reveal their intentions. DeMint’s office confirmed on Wednesday that two more senators — Richard Burr (R-N.C) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) — have signed on as cosponsors to his proposal and Sen. Bob Corker’s (R-Tenn.) office responded via email on Wednesday night to say that he, too, had signed the letter. Tea Party groups across the country, meanwhile, have rallied to DeMint’s cause.

“We support it because we would like for our elected officials to vote on the bills at hand and not attach other things to it that might cause them to vote for bad legislation,” said Phillip Dennis, who sits on the steering committee for the Dallas Tea Party. “Let them vote on each bill on its own merits.”

As for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), who voted against DeMint’s proposed moratorium in March and has yet to signal a position on the upcoming vote, Dennis added that his group will be “very interested in what she’s doing.”

Indeed, Hutchison is considered among the most vulnerable of GOP incumbents who are being scrutinized and asked to take a stand. She, Richard Lugar (Ind.), Olympia Snowe (Maine) and Roger Wicker (Miss.) all voted against DeMint’s earmark moratorium in March, and all are facing re-election in 2012. All four offices have refused to reveal their positions this time around, but by doing so they risk incurring renewed calls by the Tea Party to run primary challenges against them in two years’ time.

“We’ll do what we always do,” said Meckler. “Our members will put immense pressure on every senator to vote against earmarks. This is a fundamental issue — it’s both substantive and symbolic. Will they vote against the politics of the past or are they still stuck in it? This is a vote that will never go away, like TARP. Tea Partiers have long memories. Politicians have always taken advantage of the fact that voters have short memories, but we’ll know, we’ll remember, and in 2012 when they have aggressive, well-funded primary challengers, they’ll know why.”

One Republican Senate office, which asked to remain anonymous, urged Tea Party groups not to make assumptions about the senator’s lack of public commitment at this time. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who is also up for re-election in 2012, will wait until talking with his colleagues next week before coming to a decision. The office of Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), who has also thus far declined to indicate how he will vote, did not return requests for comment.

Staying silent, however, no longer seems like the safest option.

Just last month, she lost the GOP nomination to an upstart, tea party–backed candidate named Joe Miller, who succeeded in labeling her the consummate Washington insider. Now that their roles have flipped, however, she’s up with an ad warning voters of the outside interests that will surely flood the airwaves on Miller’s behalf and distort her stellar record of serving Alaskans:

One data point working in favor of Murkowski’s new outsider stance is that fact that Senate Republicans stripped her of her ranking member status on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee yesterday. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) is expected to take over after her demotion, which was reportedly orchestrated by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The Associated Press declared Marshall the winner in her runoff after she beat former state Sen. Cal Cunningham 60-40 percent. Marshall will face incumbent Sen. Richard Burr (R) in the general election.

Marshall was 9 percentage points ahead of Cunningham in the May 4 primary, but she did not clear the 40 percent threshold necessary to avoid a runoff. Though Cunningham had unofficial support from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Marshall was able to win voters by highlighting her deeper recorder of experience in elected office. She was also seen as the more electable of the two candidates, keeping Burr under 50 percent and running within 7 points of him in a Public Policy Polling survey released earlier this month.

Former sportscaster Harold Johnson defeated Tea Party candidate D’Annunzio 61-39 percent. Though D’Annunzio placed first in the primary, he was later dogged by accusations from state Republican leaders that he is a religious zealot. State party chair Tom Fetzer even said D’Annunzio was “unfit for public office at any level.”

D’Annunzio may have hit the final nail into his political coffin when he had an on-air meltdown during a radio interview with WBT host Keith Larson. During the interview, he accused Larson of helping create an ad for Johnson’s campaign — an act D’Annunzio said would send Larson to “a special place in hell.” Some listeners who called into the show indicated D’Annunzio’s tirade had convinced them to switch their votes in the runoff.

Updated at 11:31 p.m.

UTAH

Two races hold national interest in the night’s only true primary elections — the Republican Senate primary between two Tea Party candidates and Rep. Jim Matheson’s (D) fight to keep his party’s nod against a challenger from his left.

Back on May 8, incumbent Sen. Robert Bennett (R) got knocked out of the running for renomination at the GOP’s state convention, placing third during the second round of balloting, behind businessman Tim Bridgewater and attorney Mike Lee. Since neither remaining candidate got the required support of 60 percent of delegates, they were forced into a primary. Bennett, the first incumbent senator to lose this cycle, decided not to mount a write-in campaign for the seat, instead choosing to back Bridgewater.

The results of a Deseret News/KSL-TV poll released over the weekend shows Bridgewater leading Lee 42-33 percent, with 25 percent of respondents saying they were still undecided. Both candidates have roots in the Tea Party movement, though Lee has the backing of FreedomWorks PAC and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), a Tea Party icon.

Matheson also did not get the required 60 percent of delegates at his party’s convention, meaning he too faces a primary — in this case from retired high school teacher and college adjunct Claudia Wright. Wright has hammered Matheson, a member of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition, over his refusal to vote for his party’s legislative priorities — including health care reform.

Though Matheson led Wright by 19 points in the poll cited above, he only garnered 52 percent  — an anemic number for a five-term incumbent. Since the convention, he has received financial and campaign support from fellow Blue Dogs, including freshman Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho).

NORTH CAROLINA

There are high-profile runoffs in both parties here, with the most-watched race being the contest between former state Sen. Cal Cunningham and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. Marshall ran nine points ahead of Cunningham in the May 4 primary, but fell short of the 40 percent threshold needed for an outright victory. Both candidates have factors that may work in their favor with voters — Marshall has more experience in elected office, while Cunningham has the unofficial backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Electability may also be a factor, as a Public Policy Polling poll released June 8 shows Marshall runs closer to incumbent Sen. Richard Burr (R) than Cunningham does. Polls have shown the two candidates tied or have given Marshall a small lead.

There will also be runoffs to select Republican challengers to incumbent Democratic Reps. Larry Kissell, Brad Miller and Melvin Watt. The most-watched of these races occurs in Kissell’s district, where the contest is between embattled Tea Party favorite Tim D’Annunzio and former sportscaster Harold Johnson. Since D’Annunzio finished first in the primary, opponents have portrayed him as a religious zealot and claimed he was “unfit for public office at any level.” A PPP poll released earlier this month showed Johnson leading by 10 points.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Apart from the all-but-finished electoral controversy surrounding Democratic Senate nominee Alvin Greene, the two main political stories in this state will reach their own conclusions in runoffs tonight.

In a race that has seemed to get nastier by the day, state Rep. Nikki Haley and U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett are battling for the Republicans’ gubernatorial nomination. Haley nearly captured the nomination during the June 8 primary and remains the clear front-runner. She withstood multiple attacks in the closing weeks of the campaign, including a blogger’s charges of infidelity — he has since endorsed her candidacy — and an ethnic slur from a supporter of Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer. Since then, Barrett has stuck to an issue-based campaign.

Meanwhile, Rep. Bob Inglis (R) is in the fight of his political life against Spartanburg and Cherokee County prosecutor Trey Gowdy. Inglis placed second in the primary with only 28 percent of the vote, while Gowdy placed 11 points higher. Inglis, a six-term incumbent, has come under fire mainly for his vote in favor of the Troubled Asset Relief Program. If he loses, tonight, he will be the third incumbent member of the House to lose renomination.

MISSISSIPPI

There is one national-level runoff here tonight, to determine the Republican challenger to Rep. Bennie Thompson (D). It is unlikely the eventual nominee will have a chance of winning in the general, as CQ Politics rates the seat as “Safe Democratic.”

Tonight’s primary season kickoff elections in North Carolina, Ohio and Indiana include several tests of whether party favorites still reign or if outsider candidates continue to gain steam.

After the jump, I break down a few things to watch in tonight’s elections.

Indiana: Former Sen. Dan Coats (R) is vying for his old seat. Though he faces other experienced challengers in the open seat primary, such as former Rep. John Hostettler, Coats’ primary challengers are running to Coats’ right under the Tea Party banner. Coats has been repeatedly attacked as the “establishment” candidate in the primary.

And in Indiana’s 3rd District, Republican Rep. Mark Souder is facing two conservative challengers on his right. The fact that there are two of them, potentially splitting any anti-Souder sentiment, bodes well for the incumbent.

Republican Rep. Dan Burton in the 5th District is also up against some unusually strong GOP primary opponents tonight, but the incumbent is expected to clinch his party nomination.

Ohio: The Democratic establishment, including Gov. Ted Strickland, is supporting Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher for Senate, but Fisher faces competition from Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for the Democratic nomination. Still, it appears that the establishment will come out on top in this race. Polls show Brunner badly trailing Fisher. She would have to pull a major upset to win this one.

North Carolina: Initially, Republican Sen. Richard Burr appeared to be vulnerable to a primary challenge, but it looks all but impossible for Burr to lose the contest for the GOP nomination tonight. Instead, the fight to retain his seat will happen in November. There’s something of a tossup race on the Democratic side that political observers say may extend to a runoff. Here, former state Sen. Cal Cunningham’s advantage as the Democratic party recruit will be tested in his primary race against Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.

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“It may not be total repeal at the end of the day,” said Burr in a radio interview. “It may be a series of fixes over the course of this bill getting enacted that allow us to change and possibly bend that cost curve down.”

Watch:

Burr is not one of the six senatorial signatories of the Club for Growth’s “Repeal It” pledge.