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:
* As the Republican establishment begins to settle in larger numbers for Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor has picked up Sen. John Thune’s (R-S.D.) endorsement.
* Newt Gingrich, in a rather embarrassing display of organizational weakness, failed to qualify for the ballot in Missouri’s primary.
* Despite his apparent pro-choice leanings, Herman Cain has signed the Susan B. Anthony List’s “Pro-Life Presidential Leadership Pledge.”
* Cain told Iowans this week that his race will make him a more competitive candidate in the general election. The evidence to the contrary is overwhelming.
* Leading social conservative activists in Iowa are still organizing in the hopes of derailing Romney’s chances in the upcoming caucuses.
* On a related note, Bob Vander Plaats’s right-wing outfit in Iowa, The FAMiLY Leader, has said it has narrowed its endorsement choices to Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum.
* Santorum believes people in the West Bank are Israelis, not “Palestinians.” For nearly a half-century, that hasn’t been the policy of the Israeli government.
* Last week, Jon Huntsman’s Super PAC spent over $800,000. This week, it’s spending an additional $650,000. For any campaign, that’s a lot of money. For a last-place campaign, it’s extraordinary.
* In Pennsylvania, the latest poll from Public Policy Polling shows President Obama struggling badly, and he’s now tied with Romney in the state at 42% each.
* Gingrich intends to teach a free Internet class to interested Americans if he’s elected president.
* And in California, the latest PPP poll shows incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) with very large leads over her potential Republican challengers. Former Rep. Tom Campbell (R) is the most competitive, and he trails Feinstein by 15 points.
