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 ever-changing Dem field in the Rhode Island Senate race took another turn yesterday when former state attorney general and U.S. Attorney Sheldon Whitehouse (D) advised close family and friends earlier this week that he has decided to run. A formal announcement by the 49-year-old Whitehouse is expected Monday.
* Former Rep. Baron Hill (D) narrowly lost to freshman Rep. Mike Sodrel (R) last year, and now Hill is considering a rematch in 2006. Hill said he may form an exploratory committee before the end of April. “I want to learn from this defeat,” Hill said. “I want to make lemonade out of the lemons that were dealt to me.”
* World champion skier Bode Miller is considering a new career: congressional candidate. New Hampshire’s Rep. Charles Bass (R) hasn’t had a competitive race in a decade, but Miller, with high name recognition and an Olympic background, hopes to change that. One of his first decisions is whether to run as a Dem or launch his own independent campaign.
* Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) is, according to the AP, “quietly weighing a presidential bid in 2008, is using a network of social conservatives and Christian activists to raise his profile in Iowa and New Hampshire.” Brownback will be in New Hampshire in two weeks to present awards to 13 state legislators for their support of conservative causes. He’s already been a regular in Iowa and South Carolina.
* Speaking of ’08, John Edwards was in Iowa yesterday, defending the judiciary’s role in the Terri Schiavo case and criticizing Congress for intervening. In his first trip to the state since the election, Edwards said “the courts must be free to perform their role without undue influence by Congress.”
* In other 2008 news, South Carolina has treasured its early spot on the primary calendar for years, but may soon face serious regional competition. Seven states have moved up their contests to the first Tuesday in February, including Arkansas, Delaware, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. “We are being assaulted from all sides,” said state GOP Chairwoman Katon Dawson.
* And in New York’s mayoral race, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) threw a curveball into the mix by endorsing Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, instead of Dem front-runner Fernando Ferrer.