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:
* Though it certainly looked as if Rick Perry would quit the presidential race, yesterday the Texas governor reiterated his commitment to his campaign. “This wasn’t a hard decision,” Perry told reporters, adding that he’s looking forward to “actual primaries.”
* Rick Santorum, a very close second in the Iowa caucus, reportedly raised $1 million in one day. That’s pretty remarkable.
* Speaking of Santorum and money, Foster Freiss, a wealthy Wyoming financier, has identified himself as one of the principal backers of Santorum’s Super PAC, the Red, White and Blue Fund.
* With just five days until the New Hampshire primary, Jon Huntsman is now airing his first television ad in the Granite State. The former Utah governor continues to see New Hampshire as his make-or-break contest.
* Speaking of the first primary, the latest Suffolk University poll in New Hampshire shows the post-Iowa effect changing the race a little. Romney still leads with 41%, and Ron Paul is second with 18%. Rick Santorum, however, has now worked his way up to third, though his support is still just 8%.
* The Republican Governors Association raised a stunning $44 million in 2011, more than double the Democratic Governors Association’s $20 million haul over the same period.
* And while there aren’t any Kennedys in Congress right now, Joseph P. Kennedy III, Robert Kennedy’s grandson, apparently hopes to change that. The 31-year-old prosecutor is pursuing a congressional race in the Massachusetts district Rep. Barney Frank (D) currently represents.
