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:
* Now that Tim Kaine (D) has highlighted the Dems’ ability to win in Virginia, the DSCC is looking anew at taking on Sen. George Allen (R) next year. I noted two weeks ago that James Webb, a highly decorated Marine infantry officer in Vietnam and Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration, is considering the race, and yesterday, DSCC Chairman Chuck Schumer hinted that Harris Miller, a successful Virginia businessman and former state Democratic official, may also enter the race.
* In the category of “poll results I never get tired of seeing,” a new Rasmussen poll in Pennsylvania shows Bob Casey ahead of Rick “Man on Dog” Santorum by the widest margin yet. While a July poll by Rasmussen showed Casey up by 11, the latest numbers show Casey up by 20 points, 54% top 34%.
* Now that Jon Corzine has won in New Jersey, every Dem in the state apparently wants his Senate seat. Reps. Robert Andrews, Frank Pallone, and Bob Menendez all said yesterday that they will run for the seat next year, regardless of who Corzine taps for the post. The biggest problem: Any U.S. representative seeking the full Senate term would risk his political career in a contested primary. He would have to give up his House seat by March, when candidates begin vying for party endorsements.
* Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon (D) is poised to run for governor next year in 2008 against vulnerable incumbent Gov. Matt Blunt (R). As Taegan Goddard noted, Nixon is widely considered a strong statewide candidate, but he also has “a longstanding reputation as a political loner who often is at odds with fellow Democrats.”
* Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) sent out a fundraising letter recently making his 2008 plans clear. The letter, obtained by the WaPo’s Chris Cillizza, says, “I’m running.”
* In related news, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), who’s in DC touting his new autobiography, attended a book party hosted by Clinton White House Chief of Staff Thomas F. “Mack” McLarty. While there, he made his intentions clear about the next presidential race. “You gotta read my book,” he said a few times, and then he explained why governors were the future for Democrats. Then: “Keep your powder dry,” Richardson was quoted by one guest as saying, “I’m running, and you can tell people that.” Two others recalled him saying: “I’m going in 2008.”