MONDAY’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 Wisconsin, the Associated Press has projected that conservative state Supreme Court Justice David Prosser has prevailed, thanks to the 7,000 votes that were “discovered” the day after the election. A statewide recount remains a possibility.
* Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.), who has struggled in recent months with mental-health issues, will likely face a primary opponent next year, with state Labor Commissioner Brad Akavian poised to kick off a bid.
* The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had hinted about a high-profile recruit in Texas, hoping to replace retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R), and now we know who it is: Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq from 2003 to 2004.
* In Kentucky, which will hold a gubernatorial race this year, incumbent Gov. Steve Beshear (D) enjoys a 12-point lead over his GOP challenger, David Williams, in a hypothetical general election match-up.
* Sen. Bob Casey (D) is up for re-election in Pennsylvania next year, and despite a relative weak approval rating, Public Policy Polling shows him easily defeating all of his likely Republican opponents.
* In the state of Washington, state Attorney General Robert McKenna (R), a likely gubernatorial candidate, has said he opposes any efforts towards legalizing marijuana. Asked if he ever used the drug, McKenna said, “I might have.”
* And Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum has a campaign slogan: “Fighting to make America America again.” After being told that the phrase appears to have been borrowed from Langston Hughes — a gay liberal — Santorum said, “The folks who worked on that slogan for me didn’t inform me that that’s where it came from, if in fact it came from that.”
