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.
* Conservatives still think there’s a possibility that last week’s results from New York’s 23rd may be overturned.
* Most of his constituents believe Sen. Joe Lieberman is aligned more with the Republican Party. Imagine that.
* While most recent polls in Connecticut have shown Sen. Chris Dodd’s (D) standing improving, a new Quinnipiac poll shows him trailing former Rep. Rob Simmons (R-Conn.) by double digits, 49% to 38%.”After inching up in the polls for months, Sen. Christopher Dodd is sliding back down again on job approval,” Quinnipiac poll director Douglas Schwartz said.
* Quinnipiac also has a new poll in Ohio pointing to more problems for Dems, with former Bush Budget Director Rob Portman (R) enjoying narrow leads in next year’s Senate race over his likely Democratic challengers.
* On a related note, Portman does have a Republican primary challenger, car dealer Tom Ganley, who launched a television ad campaign this week to help improve his name recognition. Ganley’s campaign manager said the ad is primarily airing on Fox News in media markets across Ohio.
* Is Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden (D) running for the Senate next year? At the state party’s Jefferson Jackson Dinner this week, he received all kinds of encouragement, but Biden has not yet made an announcement.
* Rep. Thomas Perriello (D-Va.), who narrowly won last year in a center-right district, apparently believes in using his seat to do the right thing. With the congressman having voted for health care and energy reform, his spokesperson told a local paper, “A lot of the political pundits and all the conventional wisdom is saying that this is going to cost him the election next year. He didn’t come to Congress to get reelected.”
* CNN keeps asking Gen. David Petraeus if he’s running for president. “I’ll close it right here, right now,” Petraeus said. “I will remind you of the great country song that used to ask ‘What about no don’t you understand.’”
