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 South Carolina, Public Policy Polling now shows Newt Gingrich taking the lead, 35% to 29%, over Mitt Romney. Rick Santorum and Ron Paul are tied for third at 15%.
* Romney has quietly been collecting high-profile endorsements, and announcing them when he feels like he needs a positive story about his campaign in the media. This morning, that meant unveiling Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s (R) support.
* Now that Rick Santorum appears to have won Iowa by 69 votes, Romney called the former senator. Santorum said it was a concession call, but Romney said it was a congratulatory call.
* South Carolina State House Speaker Bobby Harrell was supporting Rick Perry. Yesterday, he switched to Gingrich.
* Many religious right leaders continue to rally behind Rick Santorum, and James Dobson announced his endorsement for the former senator yesterday.
* In a rather remarkable display, Elizabeth Warren, the leading Democrat in Massachusetts’ U.S. Senate race, raised over $1 million in just one day.
* In North Carolina, incumbent Gov. Bev Perdue (D) is struggling badly, and PPP now shows her trailing Republican Pat McCrory by 11 points in this year’s gubernatorial race.
* In New Jersey, state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R) has kicked off his U.S. Senate campaign. The most recent Fairleigh Dickinson University poll shows him trailing Sen. Bob Menendez (D) by 12 points.
* In Wisconsin, Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D), the presumptive Democratic nominee in this year’s U.S. Senate race, raised over $1.1 million in the last quarter, and has been endorsed by the man she hopes to replace, retiring Sen. Herb Kohl (D).
