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:
* Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, generally inclined to avoid firm positions on controversial bills, announced this morning he’s against the debt deal that gives his party practically everything it asked for.
* Fundraising for various Democratic Super PACs isn’t quite as strong as anticipated, at least not yet. The groups — Priorities USA Action, American Bridge 21st Century, Majority PAC and House Majority PAC — brought in a combined $10 million from January through June.
* In Kentucky, the latest Courier-Journal/WHAS11 Bluegrass Poll shows incumbent Gov. Steve Beshear (D) with a big lead over state Senate President David Williams (R) in this year’s gubernatorial race, 52% to 28%. Kentucky is home to one of only two gubernatorial campaigns in 2011.
* In California, a nonpartisan redistricting commission has wrapped up work on its new congressional-district map, and projections show Democrats would likely gain at least three House seats as a result of the new lines.
* The Western Conservative Summit 2011 Denver Presidential Straw Poll was held yesterday, with Herman Cain cruising to an easy win over Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Both spoke at the event, along with Rick Santorum and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton.
* Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann is receiving foreign policy advice from Islamophobic conspiracy theorist Frank Gaffney, which, while disturbing, isn’t terribly surprising.
* Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) ruled out a presidential campaign a few months ago, and reiterated yesterday that he will not be a candidate in 2012. Asked, however, about possibly joining the ticket as a V.P. nominee, Thune said, “I’m not going to rule anything out.”
* And in Texas, state Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, over the last month, has been a U.S. Senate candidate, then a U.S. House candidate, and now a U.S. House candidate in a different district.
