WEDNESDAY’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 the disappointment of the Republican establishment, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) announced this morning that she will not run in a Senate special election this year. Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin, who launched his campaign yesterday, is now an even heavier favorite to replace the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D).*
* In Georgia’s gubernatorial primaries yesterday, former Gov. Roy Barnes (D) won his party’s nod with 66% support, while former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel and former Rep. Nathan Deal will face off again in an Aug. 10 runoff.
* In Nevada, the latest survey from Public Policy Polling shows Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) with a narrow lead in his re-election bid, up by two over former state Rep. Sharron Angle (R), 48% to 46%.
* The DCCC and NRCC both raised about $9 million in June, but the Democratic committee still enjoys a considerable lead when it comes to cash on hand.
* In related news, when it comes to the Senate campaign committees, the DSCC raised over $7 million in June, compared to the NRSC’s $4 million haul. When it comes to cash on hand, the DSCC has $21.5 million, while the NRSC has $19.7 million.
* In his new defense, former Rep. John Kasich, the Republican gubernatorial hopeful in Ohio, tells voters in an ad that he didn’t “run” Lehman Brothers. He was, however, one of many managing directors at Lehman while the infamous investment firm was collapsing.
* In Florida, the latest survey from Public Policy Polling shows state CFO Alex Sink (D) with six point leads in this year’s gubernatorial race over both of the leading Republican candidates, state Attorney General Bill McCollum and disgraced former health care executive Rick Scott.
* With two weeks left before Michigan’s competitive Republican gubernatorial primary, a Detroit News poll shows Mike Cox (R) with a very narrow lead over Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R), 26.4% to 25.6%,
* And in Virginia, where Republicans desperately hope to defeat Rep. Tom Perriello (D) in the 5th congressional district, the GOP got some encouraging news yesterday when a SurveyUSA poll showed Perriello trailing state Sen. Robert Hurt (R) by a whopping 23 points. Most recent polls have found the race far more competitive.
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