WEDNESDAY’S CAMPAIGN ROUND-UP…. Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:
* In Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate race, a new Wisconsin Public Radio poll shows a more competitive race, with Ron Johnson’s (R) lead shrinking to just two points over Sen. Russ Feingold (D), 49% to 47%.
* In Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race, following up on a PPP poll showing the Democrat inching ahead, a new Morning Call/Muhlenberg College Tracker poll shows Rep. Joe Sestak (D) with a narrow lead over former Rep. Pat Toomey (R), 44% to 41%.
* In the state of Washington, polls have continue to show Sen. Patty Murray (D) leading Dino Rossi (R) in her re-election bid, but the gap has narrowed considerably. A new survey from Public Policy Polling puts Murray’s lead at just two points, 49% to 47%, while a McClatchy poll shows her up by just one, 48% to 47%.
* In Missouri’s U.S. Senate race, did Rep. Roy Blunt (R) hire an immigrant who entered the country illegally? Maybe.
* In a very effective ad in California’s gubernatorial race, Jerry Brown (D) is noting the eerie similarities between Meg Whitman’s (R) rhetoric and that of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R).
* In Oregon’s gubernatorial race, a new PPP poll for Daily Kos shows former Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) leading retired basketball player Chris Dudley (R) by just one point, 48% to 47%.
* In North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, PPP shows Elaine Marshall (D) closing the gap a bit against Sen. Richard Burr (R), but the incumbent still leads by eight, 48% to 40%.
* We can probably stop paying attention to Ohio’s U.S. Senate race, where a new Quinnipiac poll shows former Bush Budget Director Rob Portman (R) leading Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher (D), 55% to 34%.
* In Utah’s U.S. Senate race, a Deseret News/KSL-TV poll shows Mike Lee (R) leading Sam Granato (D) in the race to replace Sen. Bob Bennett, 53% to 31%.
* And in Colorado, Republicans launched an attack ad targeting Rep. Betsy Markey (D) for a vote she didn’t cast, because the GOP confused her with Rep. Ed Markey (D) of Massachusetts. They’re not related.
