WEDNESDAY’S CAMPAIGN ROUND-UP….Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers.
* If there’s a special election to fill the Senate vacancy in Illinois, it’s likely that Republican Rep. Mark Kirk will consider the race, and be the strongest Republican candidate.
* On a related note, a Democratic field would likely be much larger. Chris Cillizza runs through the possibilities.
* Just what Minnesota needed: 171 absentee ballots in Minneapolis that “may have gone uncounted because of an error.”
* RNC chairman Mike Duncan will reportedly seek another term, but will face a large (and growing) field of challengers.
* A new Marist College poll out of New York shows Caroline Kennedy and state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo as the leading candidates to replace Hillary Clinton. Each garnered 25% support, and no other candidate reached double digits.
* Speaking of New York, Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) will apparently run for Clinton’s Senate seat in 2010.
* Rudy Giuliani will reportedly not run for the Senate, but is still eyeing New York’s gubernatorial race.
* In case you were wondering, Obama does plan to use his middle name when taking the oath of office next month. “I’m not trying to make a statement one way or another,” Obama said. “I’ll do what everybody else does,” referring to other presidential inaugurations.
