TUESDAY’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.
* In Massachusetts, Rasmussen polled the upcoming special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s seat, and found Martha Coakley (D) leading Scott Brown (R), 50% to 41%. The election is two weeks from today.
* Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry (D), in something of a surprise, announced today that he will not be a candidate for governor this year. State Democratic leaders seem rather pleased with the news.
* Sen. Bob Bennett (R) of Utah continues to face pressure from the state party’s far-right base, and will now face yet another primary challenger. Mike Lee, the general counsel to former Gov. John Huntsman (R), will throw his hat into the ring tomorrow, and is expected to be a credible challenger.
* Rep. Pete King’s (R-N.Y.) on-again, off-again interest in running for the Senate appears to be moving back towards on-again. After practically ruling out the possibility a few months ago, King told Don Imus yesterday, “Actually, I am looking at it.”
* Rep. Pete Hoekstra’s (R) gubernatorial campaign in Michigan neglected to purchase the candidate’s name as a URL. Big mistake.
* New York Gov. David Paterson (D) will likely face state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in a primary, but in the meantime, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy (D) has also formed an exploratory committee for the same race.
* And in the latest in a series of setbacks for Gov. Charlie Crist (R) in Florida, state GOP Chairman Jim Greer will give up his office today, facing pressure from right-wing activists.
