THURSDAY’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 Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race, a new Quinnipiac poll shows Pat Toomey’s (R) lead over Joe Sestak (D) shrinking to just two points, 48% to 46%. Muhlenberg’s tracking poll, meanwhile, shows the two tied at 43% each.
* Speaking of Pennsylvania, the latest survey from Public Policy Polling shows Tom Corbett’s (R) lead over Dan Onorato (D) also shrinking to just two points, 48% to 46%. Nearly every other recent poll, however, shows Corbett with a much larger lead.
* In Illinois’ U.S. Senate race, the latest survey from Public Policy Polling shows Mark Kirk (R) leading Alexi Giannoulias (D), 42% to 40%. The pollster’s analysis said the biggest problem is Democratic voters who may not show up, handing the seat to Republicans.
* In Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race, a new Mason-Dixon poll shows Rand Paul’s (R) lead over Jack Conway (D) shrinking to five points, 48% to 43%.
* Going into October, the RNC had $3.4 million in cash on hand — about $10 million less than the DNC.
* In Alaska’s U.S. Senate race, a new Time/CNN poll shows Republicans Joe Miller and Lisa Murkowski tied with 37% each, followed by Scott McAdams at 23%.
* In Florida’s U.S. Senate race, a new Time/CNN poll shows Republican Marco Rubio (R) continuing to pull away, leading Gov. Charlie Crist (I) by 14 points. The same poll shows a more competitive gubernatorial race, with Rick Scott (R) narrowly leading Alex Sink (D), 49% to 46%.
* Did Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) run afoul of his own campaign finance law by using his coffers to run an ad for a different candidate? It sure looks like it.
* On a related note, it seems as if Linda McMahon’s (R) Senate campaign in Connecticut is coordinating its efforts with McMahon’s wrestling company, which is also illegal.
* In California, a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California shows Jerry Brown (D) leading Meg Whitman (R) in the gubernatorial race, 44% to 36%, and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) leading Carly Fiorina (R), 43% to 37%.
* In New York’s gubernatorial race, Carl Paladino (R) has seen the bottom fall out of his statewide support, and the latest Siena poll shows him trailing Andrew Cuomo (D) by 37 points, 63% to 26%. Nearly 7 in 10 New Yorkers have an unfavorable view of the GOP nominee.
