MONDAY’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.
* CPAC held a 2012 straw poll over the weekend, which Mitt Romney won with 30% support. Bobby Jindal was second with 14%, followed by Ron Paul and Sarah Palin, with 13% each. It was Romney’s third win in a row at CPAC.
* Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois’ Democratic state treasurer, announced this morning that he’s running for the Senate next year, whether Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) seeks a full term or not. Giannoulias is likely to be a credible candidate, given his close ties to Obama and Dick Durbin, and his reported fundraising prowess.
* Speaking of Illinois, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said this morning that she will run if there’s a special election for Burris’ seat. She has not yet decided, however, about a campaign in 2010.
* Democrat Scott Murphy’s campaign in New York’s 20th got a boost this morning, when he won the endorsement of the Independence Party. Murphy, running to replace Kirsten Gillibrand in the House, won the support after “an intense lobbying effort from both sides of the aisle.” His Republican opponent, state Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco, had enjoyed Independence Party support in the past.
* Tom Schieffer, who was Bush’s ambassador to Australia but is a life-long Democrat, is poised to kick off a gubernatorial campaign in Texas.
* Former Rep. John Cooksey (R-La.) is moving towards challenging Sen. David Vitter in 2010 in a GOP primary.
* Is House Minority Leader John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) job on the line if Republicans have yet another bad cycle in 2010? Probably.
* Would CNBC’s Larry Kudlow run against Sen. Chris Dodd (D) next year in Connecticut? There’s a rumor to that effect, but I’m skeptical that Kudlow would consider the paycut. Besides, does he even begin to realize all of the nutty things he’s said on the air over the years?
