FRIDAY’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.
* In a surprise move, and a setback for Democratic recruiting, Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink announced this morning that she will not run for the Senate in 2010. Sink, a popular figure in Florida politics and the only Democrat in the state’s cabinet, was the DSCC’s top choice for the open-seat contest.
* If New York Gov. David Paterson is swayed at all by polls, he may be interested to know New Yorkers prefer Andrew Cuomo for the Senate vacancy to Caroline Kennedy, 40% to 25%.
* On a related note, Kennedy has hired media consultant Mark Kornblau to help with press requests.
* Norm Coleman will be permitted to temporarily re-open his Senate office, but only so it can be cleaned out.
* It’s unclear if Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) will seek a full term in 2010, but if he does, he may face a primary challenger or two. Yesterday, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) expressed interest in the race.
* Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R) has raised an impressive $2 million for his gubernatorial campaign. On the other side of the aisle, Terry McAuliffe, who’s known for his fundraising acumen, has collected about $948,000, Creigh Deeds has raised about $658,000, and Brian Moran has raised roughly $755,000.
* Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, rumored to be planning a gubernatorial campaign in California, visited Congress yesterday and did quite a bit of politicking. Her schedule included a closed-door lunch with the California GOP House delegation.
