FRIDAY’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.
* Despite the humiliating scandal surrounding borderline-pathological lies about his background, Mark Kirk’s Republican Senate campaign in Illinois is raking in huge money — $2.3 million in the second quarter.
* Is Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle a “Birther”? The Republican extremist would apparently prefer not to talk about her views on the subject.
* In Florida’s increasingly-heated Republican gubernatorial primary, state Attorney General Bill McCollum and disgraced former health care executive Rick Scott are fighting over who hates gay people more.
* It’s Rasmussen, so take the results with a grain of salt, but the pollster shows former Bush budget director Rob Portman (R) leading Ohio’s Senate race, up by four over Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher (D), 43% to 39%.
* Right-wing ophthalmologist Rand Paul, the Republican Senate hopeful in Kentucky, told supporters this week that the country is approaching “a day of reckoning.” I’m not sure what he means by that, but given Paul’s radicalism, it’s not encouraging.
* Speaking of extremists seeking statewide office, Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer (R) hates government spending, but he’ll accept public financing for his campaign.
* New York Gov. David Paterson (D), after a rough partial-term in office, has said he’ll never run for public office again.
* And Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) isn’t up for re-election until 2012, but he said yesterday he intends to seek another term. No word yet on a possible primary challenge.
