Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:
* Former congressman Bob McEwen (R-Ohio), a far-right favorite, narrowly lost a primary fight earlier this year against Jean Schmidt in Ohio’s now-infamous 2nd Congressional District. Now, McEwen may have a new target: Sen. Mike DeWine (R). Someone — it’s not altogether clear who — has started a Bob McEwen for Senate website, suggesting that DeWine may very well have a primary challenge next year. This would naturally delight Dems, who have two top-tier candidates eyeing the same race (Sherrod Brown and Paul Hackett).
* As Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates kick things up a notch with aggressive new ads, a new Rasmussen poll shows Republican Jerry Kilgore with a very narrow lead. Kilgore now leads Dem Tim Kaine 46% to 44%.
* A new Siena College poll shows Hillary Clinton cruising to re-election next year. In data released yesterday, Clinton leads Jeanine Pirro by 28 points (59%-31%), which is an improvement on her 21-point lead in August. Similarly, Clinton leads Ed Cox by 30 points (60%-30%), which is up from a 23-point lead in August.
* As for New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the same Siena poll shows the presumptive Dem gubernatorial nominee crushing any potential Republican rival. Indeed, Spitzer maintains 30-44 point leads against three potential challengers: Thomas Golisano 56-26 percent, former Massachusetts Governor William Weld 62-18 percent, and former Assemblyman John Faso, 63-19 percent.
* Former Senate Dem leader Tom Daschle has been unusually active on the national scene lately and, apparently, there’s a good reason. Daschle told a reporter this week that he’s “undecided” about running for president in 2008, which as a rule, means he’s seriously considering it.
* The Massachusetts Republican Party has had more than a little trouble finding a credible candidate to take on Sen. Ted Kennedy next year. Kennedy, who has been gearing up for another re-election bid and shows no signs of taking the race for granted, has been scaring away potential challengers for months. The state GOP now seems intent on wooing Essex Sheriff Frank G. Cousins Jr. into the race, though it’s not clear he’s game. “I don’t know if I want to do that,” Cousins told reporters this week.
* While Florida Rep. Katherine Harris’ (R) fundraising was supposed to be one of her key strengths in her Senate campaign, it’s not working out as planned. The Harris campaign acknowledged yesterday that she raised less than $1 million during the three months ending Sept. 30, less than half what Sen. Bill Nelson’s (D) campaign raised in the same period. If Harris had hoped to quiet doubts about her candidacy, this is a major setback.