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.
* To say that Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) is the most endangered Senate incumbent would be an understatement. The latest survey from Public Policy Polling shows her trailing Rep. John Boozman (R), who will formally enter the race this week, by a whopping 23 points (56% to 33%). Another top GOP contender, state Senate Minority Leader Gilbert Baker, leads the incumbent by 15.
* Several big primaries today in Illinois.
* In New York, a new Marist Poll shows Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) leading former Rep. Harold Ford (D-Tenn.) in a Senate primary, 44% to 27%.
* On a related note, Ford probably didn’t improve his chances during his appearance on “The Colbert Report” last night.
* California’s Republican gubernatorial primary — pitting former EBay CEO Meg Whitman against state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner — is getting nastier by the day. Yesterday, Poizner accused Whitman adviser Mike Murphy on “intimidation tactics” in an effort to get him to drop out of the race. Murphy responded by questioning Poizner’s “mental condition.”
* Despite the discouraging polls, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he really is going to run for re-election this year.
* In Michigan, a new EPIC-MRA poll shows state Attorney General Mike Cox leading Rep. Pete Hoekstra in a Republican primary, 32% to 25%.
* And in Connecticut, former Rep. Rob Simmons (R) was the leading Senate candidate this year. Now that Chris Dodd is retiring, Simmons’s chances have greatly diminished, and yesterday he didn’t rule out dropping his Senate bid and running for his old House seat.
