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:
* Sen. Hillary Clinton may be cruising to re-election in New York, but she may have a primary opponent before taking on Jeanine Pirro. Newsday reported today that Steven Greenfield, a sax player from New Paltz who takes issue with Clinton’s ongoing support of the Iraq war, submitted papers recently with the FEC to register his intention to run for the Senate as a Dem.
* In Florida, with Rep. Katherine Harris’ Senate campaign floundering, leading Republicans who skipped the race are suddenly interested again. Florida Speaker Allan Bense, Reps. Dave Weldon and Ginny Brown-Waite and former Senate contender Daniel Webster are all said to be considering bids, a Republican source told The Hill.
* As if the Dem field for Maryland’s open Senate seat weren’t crowded enough, multimillionaire Joshua Rales is gearing up to run. Rales has hired a campaign manager, an experienced local media consultant, and Howard Dean’s former pollster. Rep. Ben Cardin and former Rep. Kweisi Mfume are considered the top Dem candidates, along with American University history professor Allan Lichtman and forensic psychiatrist Lisa Van Susteren.
* The Rev. Keith Butler (R), who for months was the only Republican willing to take on Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) next year, is finding his campaign on the decline. Now that county sheriff and former state lawmaker Mike Bouchard has re-entered the race, Butler has slipped to second place in a poll of Republican voters. “Bouchard enters the race as the front-runner at this moment, taking a large portion of Butler’s support,” Strategic Vision CEO David E. Johnson said.
* Though Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) looks strong in advance of his re-election campaign next year, Utah voters are at least open to someone new. In a poll conducted by the Deseret News, 45% said Hatch should be elected to a sixth term, while 48% said it’s time for someone new.
* Former football player Lynn Swann (R) continues to move forward with his gubernatorial campaign in Pennsylvania. Swann appeared yesterday before a crowd of business leaders, lobbyists, and journalists, telling them Pennsylvania would be a better place if he were governor (he didn’t say why). Swann wouldn’t say for certain whether he’s running, but added, “[S]ome people say if it walks like a swan, looks like a swan….”