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:
* Former Obama administration official Jon Huntsman will kick off his Republican presidential campaign a week from today. The announcement will apparently be made in Liberty State Park, New Jersey, with the Statue of Liberty in the background.
* In the state of Washington, two-term Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) announced yesterday she won’t seek a third term next year. State Attorney General Rob McKenna (R) is already in the race, and the Democratic frontrunner is likely to be Rep. Jay Inslee.
* Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) appears to have closed the door on a 2012 presidential campaign, explaining this morning that he is “not considering it.” In the same interview, the right-wing senator said Michele Bachmann “does impress.”
* Speaking of Bachmann, the right-wing Minnesotan said this morning her House re-election bid is on hold while she runs for president. After her national campaign fails, Bachmann will be able to switch back fairly easily.
* Newt Gingrich wants people to know his increasingly-farcical presidential campaign is not yet dead. He is, however, apparently getting tired of being asked how much longer he can keep the charade going.
* Al Hubbard, a close Mitch Daniels ally and a former economic advisor to George W. Bush, has thrown his support to Tim Pawlenty.
* In Missouri, Rep. Todd Akin (R) is likely to run for the Senate next year, but first he has to resolve allegations of election fraud. When questions arose that he’s illegally been voting in a district where he no longer lives, Akin scrambled to change his registration.
* With Tammy Duckworth stepping down from her post at the Department of Veterans Affairs, there’s renewed speculation about the Iraq war vet possibly running for Congress in Illinois.
