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:
* In Florida, Rep. Katherine Harris (R) continues to struggle in her uphill Senate campaign. A new Quinnipiac poll released today shows incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson (D) way ahead of Harris in next year’s race, 55% to 31%. It’s reached the point in which Florida House Speaker Allan Bense (R), the Bush Brothers’ choice for the race, is reconsidering his decision to skip the Senate campaign.
* In case it wasn’t clear before, be sure to include Missouri on the list of key Senate pick-up opportunities for Dems next year. A new Rasmussen poll shows Claire McCaskill (D) two points ahead of Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.), 47% to 45%.
* In other Senate news, Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) is also looking strong in advance of her re-election effort next year, leading Mike McGavick, the former CEO of the Safeco corporation, 52% to 37%.
* Bob Casey lashed out at Rick Santorum yesterday for his role in leading the Republican “K Street Project,” which seeks GOP dominance over Washington’s lobbying industries. Casey announced that he would bring an ethics reform plan to the Senate that would address the abuses of power that have become so common.
* Santorum responded by challenging Casey to a series of 10 debates, starting immediately. Casey’s campaign manager, Jay Reiff, said Casey would be happy to debate Santorum after candidates win their respective party nominations.
* A new Siena poll in New York produced yet more evidence that next year’s Empire State contests may not be terribly interesting to watch. The poll showed Sen. Hillary Clinton leading Jeanine Pirro 59% to 31%. State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer enjoys big leads over his most likely rivals, including former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld (64% to 16%) and billionaire Tom Golisano (58% to 26%).
* Democratic recruiting efforts suffered a rare setback yesterday when lawyer Jack Conway, who came within a few percentage points of beating Rep. Anne Northup (R-Ky.) in 2002, announced that he will not run again next year, citing personal and professional commitments. Kentucky Dems believed Conway had the best chance to beat the vulnerable incumbent.