Afternoon Read: McAuliffe Ready to Run for Gov. — If Warner Doesn't

Democrat Terry McAuliffe -- a former Democratic National Committee chairman who unsuccessfully ran for Virginia governor three years ago -- said he would run for governor again... as long as U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) doesn't.

Via the Richmond Times-Dispatch

"If Mark runs, I'd be the first guy to endorse him. Let's have no ifs, ands or buts about it," McAuliffe said today in an interview.

McAuliffe said he’s planning to run, but noted that Warner has "has left the door open a little bit" and he'll wait for it to be closed before jumping in, according to RTD.

Roll Call has a piece laying out the different ways the proposal for D.C. budget autonomy could play out in Congress.

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Mayor Vincent Gray have recently expressed optimism that they can get Congress to grant budget autonomy to D.C. But, as Roll Call points out, the price for budget autonomy will likely be a ban on funding for abortions in the budget.

Here’s a recap of Roll Call’s listed scenarios:

  • The bill dies in the House, or the Republicans amend it to make it unpalatable to Democrats.
  • House GOP leaders say they can't give D.C. budget autonomy without also banning local funding for abortions, leading the bill to die in the House early on.
  • The bill bans local funding for abortions and passes in the House with Republican support and Norton risks alienating key political allies.
  • Norton and Gray strike a deal with House leadership that would bar tax dollars for abortions but would not prevent local officials from using special funds or raising private money to pay for low-income women’s abortions.
  • Or... lawmakers add a last-minute provision to another bill granting D.C. budget autonomy.

To read about these scenarios in detail, click here.

* Despite already being voted down three times, the proposal to repay city workers for furlough days will likely resurface, according to the Washington Examiner. D.C. Council aides have said that lawmakers are continuing negotiations and will likely vote on the issue again in the future.

Via the Examiner:

"I still believe very strongly that public employees in the District of Columbia will receive reimbursement," said Geo Johnson, executive director of the local affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. "There was confusion that may have taken place. I think as they go back and rethink that, I think folks will reconsider it."

* In D.C., the gap between the city’s best and worst schools has been growing, according to a new report commissioned by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

Via  the Washington Examiner:

"In Ward 3, the average student's growth-percentile score on the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System reading exam over the past two years was 71, meaning that the average student scored better than 71 percent of D.C. students who achieved the same score. Meanwhile, the average student in Ward 7 was performing better than only 44 percent of students who they had been 'tied' with."

The Examiner has an easy-to-read chart of the report’s findings.

* In Maryland, grocery stores are generally banned from selling any sort of alcohol, including beer and wine. However, grocery stores like Wegmans and Harris Teeter are trying to find ways around the prohibition, according to the Baltimore Sun.

This is drawing pushback from the state’s powerful liquor lobby and package good stores, but gaining support from consumers who hope to buy their wine and food in one easy stop.

Via the Sun:

"'This issue is clearly the next fight,' said Adam Borden, president of Marylanders for Better Beer & Wine Laws, an advocacy group that fought successfully to get direct shipments of wine to Maryland residents. 'It's clear that consumers are aching to be able to buy their groceries and a bottle of wine in the same place.'"

Read the full article here.

* President Obama’s campaign rolled out a new ad Monday morning, which is airing in nine states, including Virginia.

The ad’s message is to remind people that, while there is still a ways to go in improving the economy, things are still a lot better now than they were in 2008.

Watch the ad here:

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