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 the New York Times/CBS News poll released over the weekend, Rick Perry is still the national frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, leading Mitt Romney, 23% to 16%. No other candidate is in double digits.
* The Democratic National Committee launched a new effort this morning, announcing it will run Spanish-language ads touting the American Jobs Act. The ads will run in Denver, Las Vegas, and Tampa.
* In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Corbett (R) has heard the complaints from his own party’s establishment about breaking up the state’s electoral votes, but he says he’s pushing for the scheme anyway.
* In the meantime, Nebraska is moving in the opposite direction. Three years after President Obama won one of Nebraska’s electoral votes, Republicans are eager to prevent that from happening again and want to shift to the winner-take-all system 48 other states use.
* Mitt Romney campaigned at an Arizona Ford dealership, where, for some reason, he boasted about owning Cadillacs. Retail politics really isn’t his thing.
* Right-wing activist and failed U.S. Senate candidate Ovide Lamontagne will reportedly kick off his gubernatorial campaign in New Hampshire today. Four-term incumbent Gov. John Lynch (D) announced Friday he will not seek re-election.
* In Wisconsin, former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) filed his paperwork today for his U.S. Senate campaign, but for some reason, added that his campaign is not yet official.
* In West Virginia, a Public Policy Polling survey shows conservative Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin looking like a safe bet to win a full term next year, enjoying big leads over potential Republican challengers.
* And in Ohio, a tea party activist intends to run a GOP primary campaign against House Speaker John Boehner, citing Boehner’s inability to strip the federal budget of funding to Planned Parenthood.
