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 candidate Rick Perry hired Deirdre Delisi to be the policy director for his campaign. And who’s Deirdre Delisi? She was also the policy director for George W. Bush’s campaign, which only helps reinforce the similarities.
* With just a few days remaining before the special election New York’s 9th congressional district, Democrat David Weprin has a new television ad touting his endorsement from the New York Times and slamming Republican Bob Turner over Medicare. The election is on Tuesday.
* On a related note, the Republican establishment has been reluctant to invest too heavily in New York’s 9th, but this week, the National Republican Congressional Committee is sending out a fundraising appeal to boost Turner’s chances. The GOP candidate has also received donations from House Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy.
* In Connecticut, wrestling mogul Linda McMahon is set to launch another Republican Senate campaign in another open-seat contest. McMahon spent $50 million last year in a losing effort.
* With Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D) running for the Senate in Wisconsin, the race is on to replace her in the House. Yesterday, two Democratic state representatives, Mark Pocan and Kelda Roys, prominent opponents of Gov. Scott Walker (R), kicked off their campaigns.
* In South Carolina, President Obama has no realistic shot of winning, but the latest survey from Public Policy Polling shows him tied with Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, and Michele Bachmann in hypothetical match-ups.
* Similarly, in Kentucky, another reliably-red state, the president trails the leading GOP candidates, but PPP shows him beating Gingrich and Palin.
* We’re just four days until the next debate for Republican presidential candidates, and CNN, which is cosponsoring the event with the Tea Party Express, had to finagle the entry requirements to make Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum eligible, without also inviting guys like Gary Johnson and Buddy Roemer.
