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 Federal Election Commission ruled yesterday that Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert can form a Super PAC, without worrying about triggering disclosure rules for Viacom.
* Jon Huntsman publicly vowed in May that he would not rely on his personal fortune to finance his campaign. A month later, Huntsman broke his word, and contributed nearly $2 million of his own money to his campaign coffers. For the quarter, he raised $4.1 million, including his donation to himself.
* For reasons I can’t explain, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R) of Michigan has decided to run for president. The odd five-term congressman will kick off his national campaign tomorrow.
* In mid-May, Mitt Romney’s campaign boasted that it had raised a remarkable $10 million in just one day of aggressive fundraising. As it turns out, Romney was lying — a problem that seems to happen quite a bit with this guy.
* Utah state Attorney General Mark Shurtleff (R) worked for the Huntsman administration, but he’s endorsing Romney’s presidential bid.
* Speaking of Utah, could a Democrat actually win the state’s gubernatorial race? It seems implausible, but a statewide poll this week showed Rep. Jim Matheson (D) within three points of incumbent Gov. Gary Herbert (R) in a hypothetical match-up.
* In the state of Washington, the gubernatorial race is just getting underway, but a new poll shows Rep. Jay Inslee (D) with a narrow lead over state Attorney General Rob McKenna (R), 47% to 44%.
* In Florida, the field of Republican Senate candidates got a little more crowded, with retired Army Colonel Mike McCalister officially entering the race.
* And in Texas, GOP-mandated redistricting is forcing Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D) to move to a new congressional district, where he’ll face off in a Democratic primary against rising-star state Rep. Joaquin Castro (D).
