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.
* With just a few days left in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, the polls are all over the place. A Research 2000 poll shows Chris Christie (R) leading Gov. Jon Corzine (D) by one point; a Democracy Corps poll shows Corzine up by five points; a Fairleigh Dickinson poll shows Corzine up by one point; and a SurveyUSA poll has them tied.
* For his part, Christie’s new message yesterday dared the governor to “man up and say I’m fat.”
* In Virginia’s gubernatorial race, the last Research 2000 poll for Daily Kos before the election shows Bob McDonnell (R) leading Creigh Deeds (D) by 10 points, 54% to 44%. It’s one of many polls this week showing McDonnell with a double-digit lead.
* In the special election in New York’s 23rd, all three candidates were supposed to debate on Wednesday night, but Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman refused to attend because the event was hosted by a public radio station. Last night, all three candidates attended a debate at the local ABC affiliate in Syracuse. The ill will between Hoffman and Republican Dede Scozzafava was apparently obvious.
* In the PCCC poll we talked about earlier, Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) leads state Sen. Gilbert Baker (R) in a hypothetical match-up by two, 41% to 39%.
* New Mexico Democrats were pleased to learn that former Rep. Heather Wilson (R) has decided not to run for governor next year. She was considered the Republicans’ strongest candidate. Lt. Gov. Diane Denish (D) is now considered the frontrunner to succeed Gov. Bill Richardson (D).
* A special election in California’s 10th next week has been largely overlooked, but a new SurveyUSA poll shows Lt. Gov. John Garamendi (D) as the leading candidate to fill the vacancy left by Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.), who joined the Obama administration earlier this year.
