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 expected, Rick Perry officially “suspended” his presidential campaign this morning, and threw his support to Newt Gingrich.
* A new Politico poll out of South Carolina shows Mitt Romney leading Gingrich, 37% to 30%. The poll was in the field on Tuesday and Wednesday, so it reflects the post-debate period.
* After delivering the State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Obama will travel to five battleground states, making appearances in Cedar Rapids, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, and Detroit.
* In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker (R) now has an opponent in the upcoming recall election: former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk. She will probably not be the last Democrat seeking the position.
* A new CBS News/ New York Times poll shows President Obama and Mitt Romney tied at 45% each nationally. The president enjoys double-digit leads over the rest of the Republican field.
* Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D) of New York announced yesterday he will retire at the end of the term. Hinchey has battled colon cancer in recent years.
* In Ohio, the latest Quinnipiac poll shows President Obama leading all of his Republican challengers in hypothetical match-ups, though Romney comes the closest, trailing the president by two points, 44% to 42%. Romney also leads the GOP field in Ohio.
* On a related note, Quinnipiac also found Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) with a big lead over state Treasurer Josh Mandel (R), 47% to 32%.
* And when Dems gather for the Democratic National Convention in North Carolina this summer, they’ll hold a three-day gathering, rather than the usual four.
