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.
* Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D) second general-election ad in Nevada is targeting Sharron Angle’s (R) opposition to Social Security and Medicare. The spot features commentary from a representative of the Alliance for Retired Americans, who described Angle’s position this way: “This is crazy.”
* On a related note, it’s a Rasmussen poll, so take the results with a grain of salt, but the pollster finds Angle leading Reid in Nevada, 48% to 41%. Two weeks ago, Rasmussen showed Angle up by 11 points over the incumbent.
* In Florida’s increasingly competitive Republican gubernatorial primary, state Attorney General Bill McCollum (R) is nervous enough to go after disgraced former health care executive Rick Scott in a hard-hitting new ad. Recent polls show Scott pulling into the lead.
* In Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race, a new survey from Public Policy Polling shows state Attorney General Tom Corbett (R) leading Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato (D), 45% to 35%.
* New Mexico’s gubernatorial race looks very tight, with a new poll showing district attorney Susana Martinez (R) leading Lt. Gov. Diane Denish (D) by the narrowest of margins, 44% to 43%.
* In Iowa, far-right activists hoped GOP gubernatorial nominee Terry Branstad would pick Bob Vander Plaats as his running mate. He didn’t — Brandstad announced freshman state Sen. Kim Reynolds (R) is his choice.
* Carol Fowler, the South Carolina Democratic chairwoman, described Senate candidate Alvin Greene yesterday as “irrelevant to South Carolina voters and he is irrelevant to the fall campaign.” Ouch.
* Dashing the hopes of some on the right, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said he will not run for president in 2012.
