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.
* The Democratic Change Commission, which was convened to examine the presidential nominating process, will apparently recommend eliminating the influence of superdelegates. The recommendation will be further evaluated by the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee.
* Much to the chagrin of the DCCC, Kansas state Sen. Laura Kelly (D) announced this morning she is ending her campaign against first-term Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R). Dems believe Jenkins is vulnerable, and will likely try to get state Sen. Tom Holland into the race.
* Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) new fundraising letter suggests he’s expecting to face a primary challenge from former Rep. J.D. Hayworth.
* Sen. Richard Burr (R) of North Carolina is considered one of the more vulnerable Republican incumbents in 2010, but he still doesn’t mind being associated with the Bush presidency — Karl Rove is headed to N.C. to help Burr raise money.
* The intra-party fight within Florida’s state GOP is getting even more intense. This week, a group of key Republican fundraisers in the state — most are top allies of Jeb Bush — called on Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer to resign.
* He’s been running for months, but yesterday, ophthalmologist Rand Paul formally filed the paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky. Paul, who has no experience in government at any level, is best known for being Rep. Ron Paul’s (R-Texas) son, and for being named after Ayn Rand.
* Former congressman and convicted felon Jim Traficant said yesterday is he “going to run” for Congress next year, though he hasn’t picked a district. Traficant served seven years behind bars after being convicted on federal corruption charges. He was released in September, and would have to quickly establish residency somewhere in order to pretend he’s part of the community he wants to represent.
