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.
* Massachusetts’ Senate special-election primaries are tomorrow, and state Attorney General Martha Coakley (D), the apparent frontrunner, is getting an 11th-hour boost: robocalls recorded by Bill Clinton.
* Speaking of Democratic primaries, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) will be in Philadelphia today, throwing his support to Rep. Joe Sestak’s Senate campaign. Sestak is, of course, challenging Sen. Arlen Specter for the Democratic nod.
* Iraq war veteran and former state Sen. Cal Cunningham (D) officially kicked off his Senate campaign this morning, and hopes to take on Sen. Richard Burr (R) in North Carolina next year. Cunningham will face Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and attorney Ken Lewis in a Democratic primary.
* The Kennedy family is staying officially neutral in the race to replace Ted Kennedy in the Senate, but Caroline Kennedy has signaled her support for Alan Khazei, a community service activist. Most recent polling shows Khazei running third in the Democratic field.
* There are still rumors about Rudy Giuliani running for the Senate next year, but the former mayor doesn’t seem focused on politics right now — he just signed a contract with Brazil to serve as a long-term security advisor for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
* Kasim Reed was certified as the next mayor of Atlanta, but Mary Norwood is expected to call for a recount today.
* There’s been on-again, off-again talk of Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) facing a credible primary challenge next year. Looks like the talk is on again.
* The latest Rasmussen poll in South Carolina shows a pretty competitive gubernatorial race. Despite the state’s very conservative leanings, South Carolina Education Superintendent Jim Rex (D) fares quite well against the major GOP candidates.
* And speaking of South Carolina, as part of an apparent presidential campaign, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) is headed to the Palmetto State for some events this week.
