THURSDAY’S CAMPAIGN ROUND-UP…. Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that won’t necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:
* The first debate for Republican presidential candidates is tonight in South Carolina, but the Associated Press and Reuters won’t cover it because of media restrictions being imposed by News Channel and the South Carolina Republican Party.
* We’ve known for months that Rep. Mike Pence (R) was running for governor in Indiana, but today, he made it official. He was supposed to announce on Monday, but delayed in light of the Osama bin Laden news.
* To state Democrats’ delight, Nevada state Treasurer Kate Marshall (D) announced yesterday she’ll compete in the 2nd district’s special election this year. It will be a multi-candidate free for all, though, with multiple Dems and Republicans running at the same time.
* A new WMUR poll in New Hampshire shows Mitt Romney continuing to lead the GOP field in the first primary state. The former Massachusetts governor has 36% support, with Donald Trump second with 11%.
* Fox News wants Mike Huckabee, one of the network’s paid employees, to make up his mind about the 2012 presidential campaign. The Republican network has reportedly given Huckabee until the end of May to make a decision.
* Michele Bachmann has not yet decided whether to run for president, but she said publicly this week she wants God to give her and her husband “a special anointing on how to put our team together.”
* To the disappointment of the state GOP, former Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land (R) will not take on Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) next year. Michigan Republicans are still without a top-tier Senate candidate.
* And in case Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.) didn’t have enough trouble, former Rep. Elizabeth Furse is now talking about taking Wu on in a Democratic primary next year. State Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian is already running against the incumbent, who recently acknowledged struggling with mental health issues.
