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:
* President Obama’s re-election team is poised to kick into gear, closing the office of political affairs at the White House, and setting up a headquarters in Chicago. It will be the first time a modern presidential re-election campaign has been run outside of Washington.
* Former half-term Gov. Sarah Palin (R) appears to be “inching toward a presidential run,” including scheduling speeches in states with early nominating contests, and advisers who’ve “quietly” begun outreach in Iowa.
* There’s quite a bit of buzz this week about Ted Kennedy Jr. considering a campaign for the Senate next year in Connecticut.
* In Mississippi, the Republican gubernatorial primary keeps getting more contestants, with state Department of Revenue employee James Broadwater kicking off his campaign this week.
* There will also be a crowded primary in West Virginia this year, with several Dems running in the primary. Former West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant (D) announced yesterday she’s running.
* Speaking of 2011 gubernatorial campaigns, a new poll in Louisiana shows Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) in reasonably good shape — 49% of Louisianans want the incumbent to win a second term, while 40% want someone new.
* Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) would appear to be a top-tier 2012 presidential candidate, but he said he won’t announce his plans until the summer, which by contemporary standards, is pretty late in the process.
* Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton said this week he considers himself a credible Republican presidential candidate. “Well, I think I could win the Republican nomination if I chose to run,” he said, “because I do think I’m in the mainstream of the Republican Party.”
* And speaking of silly presidential ambitions, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) said this morning he’s “absolutely” considering another pointless national campaign.
