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:
* In a national CNN poll released yesterday, Rick Perry is out in front of the announced Republican presidential candidates, leading the crowded field with 32%. Mitt Romney is second with 18%, while Michele Bachmann is third with 12%. Unlike Bachmann, Romney has seen his support slip over the last month.
* In South Carolina, a new survey from Public Policy Polling shows Perry with an even bigger lead, topping Romney by 20 points, 36% to 16%. Bachmann is third with 13%. South Carolina, of course, is home to a key early primary contest.
* Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald (R), instrumental in passing anti-worker legislation this year, will reportedly enter a crowded GOP field in the state’s open U.S. Senate race. Fitzgerald will face former Gov. Tommy Thompson and former Rep. Mark Nuemann in a Republican primary.
* Michele Bachmann will publish an already-completed memoir in November. The book does not yet have a name.
* Perry’s gubernatorial administration automatically deletes all staff members’ emails after seven days. It’s not exactly a model for open, transparent government.
* Louisiana is home to one of a few gubernatorial races this year, but it isn’t shaping up to be much of a contest. The latest polling shows incumbent Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) lead state Sen. Rob Marionneaux (D) by 29 points with roughly three months to go before the election.
* And in Missouri, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder (R), struggling after a series of embarrassments, including allegations he attended a pants-free nightclub, said yesterday he won’t run for governor unless he’s sure he can win. Kinder is poised to launch a statewide tour to gauge levels of support.
