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.
* Florida’s competitive gubernatorial race will apparently drop from three candidates to two when Bud Chiles ends his struggling independent campaign. The likely beneficiary of his support is state CFO Alex Sink (D).
* Which incumbent senator has been the most financially supportive of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) re-election campaign? Oddly enough, the answer is Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).
* In Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race, the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll shows right-wing former Rep. Pat Toomey (R) building on his earlier leads over Rep. Joe Sestak (D), and is now up by double digits, 47% to 37%.
* On a related note, the same poll shows state A.G. Tom Corbett (R) with an even bigger lead over Dan Onorato (D) in Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race, 49% to 34%.
* In Colorado’s gubernatorial race, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) continues to look strong against Dan Maes (R), with a new poll showing Hickenlooper up by 19, 46% to 27%. Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (I) is third with 17%.
* New York continues to look favorable for Democrats this year, with a new Quinnipiac poll showing state A.G. Andrew Cuomo (D) with huge leads in the gubernatorial race, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) looking nearly as strong in her bid.
* The Democratic Governors Association launched a fairly aggressive fundraising effort in the wake of News Corp’s $1 million contribution to the Republican Governors Association, and the DGA’s efforts have apparently paid off. The Dems’ appeal raised $1 million, matching Murdoch’s investment.
* Eric Deaton’s Senate campaign in Ohio was always a long shot — he’s running as a hyper-conservative Constitution Party candidate — but his odds worsened this week when he was indicted on a single count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
* Those who know him best: a new poll in Minnesota shows Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s (R) constituents unimpressed with his presidential campaign, and unlikely to vote for him in 2012.
