The Atlantic has the scoop on Paul’s ads – old and new… but Ron Paul just picked up a huge chunk of TV time in Iowa and New Hampshire.

And the ad is damn good:

ABC News has the story, too.

This hit my inbox just now:

Friend –

We’re filing this campaign’s first financial report with the Federal Election Commission on Friday.

You own this campaign, so you deserve to get this news first.

And thanks to you and other supporters all over the country, there’s a lot of good news to share.

I’m not going to steal my own thunder here in the email — you’ve got to watch the video to get the news about what we’ve raised, how we’re spending it, and what’s next:

The Washington chatter around the report we’re releasing has focused on one number: the sum total we’ve raised.

But other numbers that the pundits often ignore — like how many field offices we and the DNC have open, how many one-on-one conversations we’ve had with potential supporters, and how many people have already decided to own a piece of this campaign — tell the real story of our campaign.

All those numbers are in the video, and they’re the ones you should be proud of today. Watch it now:

http://my.barackobama.com/July-Report

One more thing: It’s a fact that our opponents won’t have hundreds of thousands of people giving whatever they can afford — so they’ll be relying heavily on money from two sources to fund an unprecedented barrage:

1. Washington lobbyists and special interests whose explicit aim is to influence the federal government in any way they can.

2. Outside groups that don’t have to disclose a word about what they’ve raised or who they’ve raised it from, like one of Karl Rove’s political organizations. His groups have set an astounding $120 million fundraising goal in their campaign to tear down President Obama.

The threat to our success from these determined groups — acting solely in their own interest, not the public interest — is real, and it’s growing. And it’s going to take serious commitment and vigilance from all of us to withstand their attacks while still building the grassroots campaign we’ll need to win.

We’re off to a solid start. But this is just the beginning.

So now, back to work.

Thanks,

Messina

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

According to The Facts:

After serving almost 24 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Ron Paul told The Facts this morning he will not be seeking another term for the District 14 seat.

Paul, 75, will instead focus on his quest for the presidency in 2012.

“I felt it was better that I concentrate on one election,” Paul said. “It’s about that time when I should change tactics.”

His announcement will give enough time for anyone with aspirations for his seat to think about running, he said. Paul didn’t want to wait for filing in the 2012 primary to let people know he wasn’t seeking reelection.

“I didn’t want to hold off until in December,” he said. “I thought it shouldn’t be any later than now.”

Texas allows candidates for President to also appear on the ballot in other places, which is how Paul ran for both President and Congress in 2008.

While I believe it’s highly unlikely that Paul will get the Republican nod for President next year, I do believe he has done an excellent job opening the door for his son, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, to seek higher office in the future.

Additionally, the Texas Congressman has established a nationwide grassroots network of liberty-loving activists in Campaign for Liberty and Young Americans for Liberty.

UPDATE: It looks like Paul may have been a casualty of Republican redistricting in Texas. Take a look at the map at the bottom of this story. If you click on the 14th District and look at the before and after, Paul loses a ton of the western portion of his district, and post-redistricting, the TX-14 creeps east toward Louisiana. From another article:

Paul’s new 14th District is smaller, nudging closer to the Louisiana border to Beaumont, areas Paul hasn’t represented before, with a greater proportion of black voters. Victoria and other western counties that have long supported Paul tacked onto first-term Rep. Blake Farenthold’s 27th district instead.

Still, the seven-term Congressman has overcome redistricting challenges before. He faces a steeper challenge in a G.O.P. field that’s criss-crossing Iowa ahead of the Ames straw poll, where he’s banking on making a big splash.

Some good news this morning from TheIowaRepublican for Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann:

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has surpassed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in a recent Iowa poll that was conducted by TheIowaRepublican.com.  With Bachmann now leading in Iowa, Romney has fallen to second place, but he is still well ahead of third place finisher Tim Pawlenty, who has overtaken Herman Cain my a miniscule margin.

Bachmann received support from 25 percent of likely Iowa caucus goers in the poll, while Romney is backed by 21 percent.  The poll also shows signs of growth for former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who now stands in third place in statistical tie with Herman Cain at just under nine percent.  Ron Paul finished with six percent, Newt Gingrich with four percent, Rick Santorum with two percent, and Jon Huntsman rounded out the field with one percent.

Bachmann’s campaign has taken off like a rocket since participating and announcing her presidential intentions during the CNN debate in New Hampshire last month.  Here in Iowa, Bachmann has been playing up her Iowa roots.  She officially announced her candidacy in Waterloo, the town in which she was born and spent her formative years.  The night before she made her announcement, Bachmann’s campaign hosted a rally for 500 locals who came to welcome her home.

While Bachmann’s lead over Romney is just within the margin of error, the poll’s cross tabs show how much momentum her campaign has generated in Iowa.  Her favorability is ten points higher than Romney’s, who had the second highest number in that category.  Her unfavorable figure is 14 points lower than Romney’s, giving her a stellar plus 65 favorability margin.  Her numbers suggest that Bachmann has found a very effective way to appeal to caucus goers.

According to the poll, Bachmann has a favorability spread of +65 to Romney’s +41.

FYI, the last time a sitting Congressman was elected President was in the election of 1880 with James A. Garfield, who served in Congress from 1863 until until his election to the Presidency.

It’s rare for a sitting Congressman to become President. I’m not saying it’s impossible — particularly in this cycle.

This is where my History degree comes in handy. Garfield was assassinated shortly after being elected President by an mentally unstable man, whom Garfield had passed over for a diplomatic post. Garfield became the third President to be the target of what was known as “Tecumseh’s Curse.”