Friday’s political round-up

Over the course of the day, I hear about a variety of campaign-related news items, most of which wouldn’t require a post of their own, but may nevertheless be of interest to political observers. With this in mind, I’ve been thinking about starting a new daily feature in which I cull some of these items together for a daily “political round-up.” Here’s the first installment; readers should let me know if they think this is a worthwhile idea.

* Pennsylania Dems have been rallying behind State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr.’s campaign challenging Rick “Man on Dog” Santorum next year, but former State Treasurer (and former Republican) Barbara Hafer has announced her intention to challenge Casey in the Dem primary. Yesterday, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D), among other state party leaders, pressured Hafer to step aside.

* Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-Minn) had been rumored to be mulling next year’s open Senate campaign, but decided yesterday to skip the race. Rep. Mark Kennedy and former Sen. Rod Grams remain the two leading contenders for the GOP nomination.

* Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) had been rumored to retire from the House to assume the leadership of the NAACP, but Cummings has announced that he is not among the candidates the civil rights group is considering.

* Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) was widely expected to launch a gubernatorial campaign next year, but instead announced yesterday that he will run for the Senate in 2008. It’s unclear whether this will be on open seat or not; incumbent Sen. Wayne Allard (R) said three years ago that he would not seek re-election in 2008.

* Rep. Clay Shaw (R-Fla.), a key player in House negotiations on Social Security privatization, will face a formidable challenger next year, popular State Senator Ron Klein. (I was born and raised in the district and continue to be amazed at Shaw’s ability to eke out victories in this Dem stronghold. Klein will make this one of the nation’s most competitive House races next year.)

* Arnold Schwarzenegger was anxious to launch an initiative aimed at redrawing California’s legislative and congressional districts for the 2006 elections — but he’s run out of time.

* The conventional wisdom has been that Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.) would be the obvious nominee in the race to replace Sen. Bill Frist next year, but state Sen. Rosalind Kurita (D) is gearing up for the race and has released a poll showing that she can be just as competitive. In a general election match-up against Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, the likely GOP candidate, Corker led Kurita by only one point (38-37), while Ford led by only two (39-37).

* Lawton Chiles, Jr., son to the popular former Florida governor, will not be launching a gubernatorial campaign of his own next year. He wanted to, but after living briefly in the northeast after growing up in Florida, Chiles does not meet the state’s eligibility requirements. “The reaction is really one of great surprise by most people of Florida about me doing this. They perceive my family, Lawton Chiles, as Floridians,” he said. “The whole thing is a little bit silly. But the law is the law.”