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:
* The lawsuit hanging over Alaska’s U.S. Senate race is now on an expedited schedule. Judge William Carey said yesterday, “We need to resolve this matter at this state court level just as soon as we can.”
* In Missouri, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) appears to be in for a tough fight in 2012, with a new survey from Public Policy Polling showing the incumbent within two points — up or down — of the leading Republican candidates. Most notably, PPP has McCaskill trailing former Sen. Jim Talent (R) by two, 47% to 45%.
* In Massachusetts, Sen. Scott Brown’s (R) head-shaking ignorance and confusion about current events doesn’t appear to bother Bay State voters. A new survey from Public Policy Polling shows Brown, who’ll seek a full term in 2012, leading his probable Democratic challengers, in margins ranging from 7 to 16 points.
* In still more Senate news, outgoing Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle (R) appears to be leaning towards a campaign against incumbent Sen. Daniel Akaka (D) in 2012.
* Based on expected Census Bureau data, the state of New York will likely lose a congressional seat or two, giving the Empire State its smallest House delegation in two centuries.
* In New Mexico, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D) says he’s undecided about running for re-election in 2012. He’ll decide “sometime in the first quarter of next year.”
* While most Americans probably agree that the role of money in the political process is a problem, former RNC chairman Mike Duncan, eyeing a return to his previous post, believes the opposite. “There is not too much money in politics,” he told a right-wing gathering yesterday. “There is not enough money.”
