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:
* Eight months after ruling out a Senate primary against Rep. [tag]Katherine Harris[/tag] (R), Florida House Speaker [tag]Allan Bense[/tag] “may reconsider” his decision. Bense has been encouraged by state and national GOP leaders, but said yesterday that he won’t address the subject further until after the 60-day Florida legislative session ends May 5. “The only thing that probably intrigues me more about it is the challenge, because all my life I’ve loved a good challenge, but I’m really just focused on what I’m doing right now,” Bense said.
* Sen. [tag]Mike DeWine[/tag] (R), one of the Senate’s most vulnerable incumbents, is just barely hanging on in the latest Rasmussen poll. The poll shows the Ohio Republican leading Rep. Sherrod Brown (D), 43% to 41%.
* Speaking of Ohio, the Cleveland Plain Dealer has historically supported Rep. [tag]Dennis Kucinich[/tag] (D), but this week, the paper endorsed his largely-unknown primary opponent, [tag]Barbara Anne Ferris[/tag], former adviser to the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. The Plain Dealer called Ferris “the Democrat more in tune with the community, its needs and its future.” In 2004, Kucinich won his primary challenge with 84% support.
* In still more Ohio news, the latest Rasmussen poll shows Rep. [tag]Ted Strickland[/tag] (D) looking very strong in this year’s gubernatorial campaign, leading Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth [tag]Blackwell[/tag] (R), 52% to 35%, and topping state Attorney General Jim [tag]Petro[/tag] (R), 51% to 31%.
* Rep. [tag]Ben Cardin[/tag] (D) has finally opened up a sizable lead over Lt. Gov. [tag]Michael Steele[/tag] (R) in Maryland’s open Senate race. According to a new Rasmussen poll, Cardin leads Steele, 45% to 35%. The same poll showed former Rep. [tag]Kweisi Mfume[/tag] (D) also ahead, but by a smaller margin, 42% to 38%.