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:
* Questions continue to linger surrounding the shell corporation that donated $1 million to help Mitt Romney’s campaign, as new revelations suggest there were other barely-existent companies that may have done the same thing.
* Jon Huntsman’s campaign yesterday said it would unveil a “major endorsement” today, and this morning, announced Jeb Bush Jr. is supporting Huntsman’s bid. Just to be clear, Jeb Bush Jr. is not the former Florida governor; he’s the son of the former governor, who’s never held elected office.
* In Connecticut, former Rep. Chris Shays (R), who lost his re-election bid in 2008, will reportedly run for the U.S. Senate next year. He’ll face a crowded GOP primary field, which is likely to include former wrestling executive Linda McMahon’s second run.
* About a month before the special election to replace Anthony Weiner in New York, a new Siena poll shows Democrat David Weprin leading Republican Bob Turner by just six points, 48% to 42%.
* Jon Chait raises a good point about the Republican presidential frontrunner: “Here is an important fact about Romney that nobody ever mentions: He does not have an economic plan. He talks incessantly about jobs. But his actual program to create them does not exist.”
* Campaigning in Iowa yesterday, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum told voters the GOP would benefit from nominating a Roman Catholic candidate.
* In Michigan, the latest survey from Public Policy Polling shows Romney ahead, but not with the kind of lead one might expect given the state (Romney’s father was governor of Michigan). Romney is first with 24%, followed by Michele Bachmann at 18%, and Rick Perry at 14%.
* Republican presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty claimed last week to have “perhaps the most international experience” of any GOP candidate in the race. Why? Because he’s visited places around the world. (Tim, that’s not really what “international experience” means in a candidate.)
* And at the Ames Straw Poll on Saturday, Mike Huckabee will be playing bass for Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, and Tim Pawlenty.
