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:
* A new NBC News/Marist poll in Iowa shows Mitt Romney leading the Republican presidential field with 23%, which is odd given how little attention Romney has paid to the state. Herman Cain is a close second with 20%. The other candidates in double digits are Ron Paul at 11%, and Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann tied for fourth with 10% each.
* NBC News/Marist also asked New Hampshire Republicans and found Romney with a huge lead, running first with 44%. Cain and Paul are tied for second with 13%, and no other candidate reached double digits in the state.
* Another Granite State poll, this one from the Harvard and St. Anselm New Hampshire Institutes of Politics, shows Romney ahead, but not by as large a margin. This one shows Romney first with 38%, followed by Cain with 20%.
* In a very impressive display, Elizabeth Warren’s (D) Senate campaign in Massachusetts has already raised $3.15 million. Sen. Scott Brown (R), meanwhile, raised $1.55 million in the third quarter and has $10.5 million in the bank.
* The new Washington Post/Bloomberg poll shows Romney leading the GOP field at the national level with 24%, with Cain second at 16%, and Perry third with 13%. No other candidate was in double digits.
* In one of the nation’s closest Senate races, a new Quinnipiac poll shows former Gov. Tim Kaine (D) with a one-point lead over former Sen. George Allen (R) in Virginia, 45% to 44%.
* In Wisconsin, Dems formally announced they will launch a recall campaign against Gov. Scott Walker (R). The search for petition signatures will begin in November.
* And on a related note, Wisconsin state Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald (R), who partnered with Walker to strip state workers of their collective bargaining rights, kicked off his U.S. Senate campaign this morning.
