TUESDAY’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:
* Republican leaders in New York chose Assemblywoman Jane Corwin yesterday to run as the GOP nominee in the special election to replace former Rep. Chris Lee (R). The GOP’s Tea Party wing immediately criticized the selection, insisting that Corwin isn’t right-wing enough.
* Hoping to defuse a controversy, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) announced yesterday he opposes a measure to honor Nathan Bedford Forrest on state-issued license plates.
* Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) is already facing a credible GOP primary challenger, and now his opponents have a new area for criticism: when Lugar returns to his home state, he lives in a hotel.
* Speaking of Indiana, Dems in the Hoosier State received some more discouraging news yesterday when former Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D) and Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel (D) said they’re skipping next year’s gubernatorial race.
* Voters will head to the polls in Chicago today, the first phase is electing a new mayor. If former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel tops 50% of the vote, there will be no second phase.
* Former governor and DNC Chairman Tim Kaine still hasn’t said whether he’s running for the Senate next year, but at Virginia’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner over the weekend, attendees were effectively treated to a pro-Kaine pep rally.
* Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) was asked yesterday whether he’s considering running for president in 2012. “No,” he said, “I’m running for reelection to the United States Senate.”
* And Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) said yesterday he’d “probably” accept an invitation to be the Republican vice presidential nominee, if it were offered.
