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.
* Much to the relief of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) in Nevada, Rep. Dean Heller (R) has decided not to challenge the incumbent next year. He informed National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn of his decision yesterday.
* Democrats hoping to shake up New Jersey’s gubernatorial campaign may have caught a break this week. New documents, released as part of the U.S. Attorney purge scandal, show that Republican gubernatorial hopeful Chris Christie was laying the groundwork for his campaign — with Karl Rove’s guidance — while serving as a federal prosecutor.
* In Virginia, Rasmussen shows Bob McDonnell (R) continuing to lead Creigh Deeds (D) in the state’s gubernatorial race, 47% to 38%.
* Apparently feeling some heat from the left, Sen. Ben Nelson (D) of Nebraska, who is up for re-election next year, has begun airing new TV ads in his home state, touting his support for health care reform.
* In Texas, Tom Schieffer’s (D) gubernatorial campaign has a key hurdle to clear in a competitive Democratic primary: his work in the Bush/Cheney administration.
* It looked for a while like Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) would seek re-election without a Democratic opponent next year. That’s no longer the case — former state Sen. Tom Feigen (D) will kick off his campaign on Friday. Bob Krause, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Veterans Caucus, has also been eyeing the race, but hasn’t done much since launching an exploratory committee five months ago.
