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.
* Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D) selection as New York’s new senator has pushed a whole lot of dominoes in the Empire State and “appears to have thrown the state’s political scene into a free-for-all.”
* As expected, even before taking office, Gillibrand seems to already be shifting to the left. The first issue is gay rights, on which Gillibrand has been anything but a progressive ally.
* A special three-judge panel rejected Al Franken’s request that Norm Coleman’s latest lawsuit be dismissed.
* Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D), a close friend to Barack Obama, has begun taking steps toward challenging Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) in a 2010 Democratic primary.
* Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) for president? John McCain raised the possibility last night.
* I knew Obama was popular, but I didn’t expect him to have 60% approval ratings in very “red” states like Texas and Tennessee.
