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:
* The latest poll out of Pennsylvania shows the same thing all recent polls have made clear: Rick Santorum is losing. The latest Rasmussen poll shows Santorum trailing state Treasurer Bob Casey (D), 53% to 38%.
* For the umpteenth time in a row, a statewide poll in New York show Sen. Hillary Clinton trouncing her most likely GOP rivals. A Quinnipiac poll showed Clinton ahead of former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer, 60% to 30%, and Manhattan lawyer Edward Cox, a son-in-law of President Nixon, 60% to 29%. Asked how she would be as president, 14% of New York voters said the former first lady would be “great” and 37% said “good.” Twenty percent said Clinton would make a “so-so” president, and 22% said she would be “bad.”
* Top GOP leaders in Florida appear to have resigned themselves to the fact that Rep. Katherine Harris (R) will be their Senate nominee. After months of in-fighting and appeals to get Harris to drop out, party officials finally rallied to Harris’ defense over the weekend at the state GOP’s quarterly meeting in Lake Buena Vista. Gov. Jeb Bush said he would campaign for Harris and encouraged a room of Republican activists to do the same. At a separate rally, Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings gave strong praise to Harris and told her, “Go, run and win.”
* After months of false starts, Former Safeco CEO Mike McGavick (R) finally launched his Senate campaign in Washington state against incumbent Sen. Maria Cantwell (D). Recent polls show Cantwell with a double-digit lead.
* In Illinois, Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) enjoys lukewarm support going into his re-election campaign. A new St. Louis Post-Dispatch poll shows Blagojevich with a 47% approval rating, which is below the 50% threshold that often spells trouble for incumbents. (via Taegan Goddard)
* Disgusted by recent developments with his party, former Rep. Pete McCloskey (R-Calif.) announced late last week that he is coming out of retirement to take on Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), who is facing serious ethical questions, in a GOP primary. “This is no Republican Party I recognize today,” McCloskey said.