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:
* With former House Majority Leader [tag]Tom DeLay[/tag] resigning from Congress one of these days, the race is on among Republicans in Texas’ 22nd to replace him. Yesterday, Harris County Judge [tag]Robert Eckels[/tag], once considered the frontrunner, announced he will not be a candidate, but Houston City Councilwoman [tag]Shelley Sekula-Gibbs[/tag] said she will. The Houston Chronicle explained that because of the date of DeLay’s resignation and state law, a four-member committee of Republican precinct chairs representing each of the counties that are part of the 22nd will pick the GOP nominee. Other names in the mix are Sugar Land Mayor David Wallace, former state District Judge John Devine, state Rep. Robert Talton of Pasadena, and lawyer Tom Campbell, who lost to DeLay in the March primary.
* Speaking of Texas, Gov. [tag]Rick Perry[/tag] (R) is facing three general-election opponents — a Democrat and two independents — but the latest Rasmussen poll suggests he’s in a good position to win another term. According to the poll, Perry is well out in front with 40%, followed by state Comptroller [tag]Carole Keeton Strayhorn[/tag] (I) with 19%, former U.S. Rep. [tag]Chris Bell[/tag] (D) at 17%, and entertainer [tag]Kinky Friedman[/tag] (I) with 15%.
* Maryland Gov. [tag]Bob Ehrlich[/tag] (R) is still facing an uphill climb in his race for a second term. The latest Rasmussen poll shows the incumbent trailing both of his Dem rivals, though one is ahead far more than the other. According to the poll, Baltimore Mayor [tag]Martin O’Malley[/tag] (D) leads Ehrlich, 51% to 42%, while Montgomery County Executive [tag]Doug Duncan[/tag] is ahead by a smaller margin, 45% to 43%.
* Up until fairly recently, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) always raised considerably more money than the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). Not anymore. As the WaPo noted today, the DSCC reported raising $6.9 million in March, bringing its total for the 2005-2006 cycle to $56.4 million, with $32.1 million in the bank. The NRSC reported raising $5 million in March, bringing its total to $50.4 million for the cycle, with $16.5 million in the bank. Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) declared: “We’ve got the wind at our backs, because Americans know that the best way to get change in Washington is to get more Democrats elected to the Senate.”
* And, on a more comical note, Fired Up Missouri reported yesterday (via reader D.C.) that Sen. Jim Talent (R), who’s facing a very tough re-election fight against Missouri State Auditor Claire McCaskill (D), is having a little trouble generating audiences. Apparently, at two recent campaign stops, the senator “was only able to scrape together 5 — that’s right five — people interested enough in Mr. Talent and his plans for Missouri to come listen to him speak.”