FRIDAY’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:
* While his election efforts in the 2010 midterms included targeting Republicans, South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint (R) is “privately reassuring” his GOP colleagues that in 2012, “he won’t recruit or endorse any primary opponent against them.” He does, however, intend to raise more than $10 million to attack Democratic incumbents.
* In New York’s 1st congressional district, the only remaining unresolved U.S. House race, incumbent Rep. Tim Bishop’s (D) narrow lead keeps inching a little higher. He now leads GOP challenger Randy Altschuler by 271 votes.
* Both the DNC and RNC “showed upwards of $15 million of debt” in their latest filings with the Federal Election Commission this week. The difference is, the RNC has so little money left in the bank, it’s struggling to pay its own bills.
* Mark Dayton (D) does not yet know whether he’s won Minnesota’s unresolved gubernatorial elections — he has a narrow lead over Republican Tom Emmer — but he does know he has some bills to pay. Dayton will hold a New York fundraiser in two weeks, with former President Bill Clinton headlining the event.
* Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), apparently hoping to cause even more trouble for Dems, suggested yesterday that Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) may run against President Obama in 2012. The chief of staff to the recently-defeated senator told reporters, “Senator Feingold is not running for President in 2012. Any suggestion he is thinking of running, planning to run, or interested in running is untrue. Senator Feingold is a strong supporter of President Barack Obama and wants to see him reelected in 2012.”
* And speaking of national ambitions, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who recently suggested she would not seek elected office again, reiterated that sentiment yesterday. Responding to a student in Bahrain who asked about her future plan, Clinton said, “I think I will serve as secretary of state as my last public position and the probably go back to advocacy, and probably on behalf of women and children.”
