THURSDAY’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.
* Organizing for America is launching its first television ads. The goal, not surprisingly, is to rally support for the president’s budget.
* Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) says he’s not worried about trailing in next year’s Republican primary in Pennsylvania. He’s putting on a brave face, but if Specter weren’t afraid, he wouldn’t have flipped on EFCA.
* Vice President Joe Biden is also helping out in the special election in New York’s 20th, appearing in a radio ad in support of Democrat Scott Murphy. The election is Tuesday.
* Speaking of New York’s 20th, Democrats are also exploiting public revulsion of Rush Limbaugh.
* Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) has been rumored as one of the Republicans’ vulnerable incumbents, and there’s new polling data to back up the talk. A poll from the conservative Civitas Institute shows Burr trailing state Attorney General Roy Cooper (D), 41% to 38%, even though Burr has better name recognition.
* Speaking of vulnerable incumbents, a Public Policy Polling survey in Arkansas shows Sen. Blanche Lincoln with a modest 45% approval rating, but reasonably solid leads over her likely Republican challengers.
* Is Arnold Schwarzenegger going to run for the Senate? Yesterday, the California Republican said, “I’m not running for anything.” Asked if that meant he is ruling out a race against Sen. Barbara Boxer, Schwarzenegger added, “When I say I’m not running for anything, that’s exactly what I mean … until you change the Constitution.”
