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 Randy “Duke” Cunningham resigning in disgrace, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced yesterday that there will be an April 11 special election to fill the now-vacant California House seat. Among the Republicans likely to run are State Sen. Bill Morrow, State Rep. Brian Bilbray, and former Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian. Dems are already rallying behind Francine Busby, who took on Cunningham last year. If no candidate wins a majority on April 11, there will be a runoff held on June 6, the date of a statewide primary.
* Robert Menendez seems to be enjoying a welcome start to his new career in the Senate. A new Quinnipiac poll shows that a majority of voters in New Jersey approve of Corzine’s pick, 51% to 23%. Looking ahead to next year, Menendez also enjoys a modest lead over State Sen. Thomas Kean, Jr., 44% to 38%. The same poll found that a majority of voters said they didn’t know enough about either candidate to form an opinion.
* Republicans in California are having a tough time finding a candidate to take on Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) next year, but the Green Party has guaranteed that she won’t run unopposed. Todd Chretien, a former organizer for Ralph Nader, announced yesterday that he will run for the Senate. Chretien is perhaps best known in California for his work on an initiative that limited military recruiters’ access to public high schools and colleges.
* As expected, former Texas Supreme Court justice Bob Gammage (D) announced yesterday that he is running for governor. Gammage, who served 25 years in public office, including stints in the Texas Legislature and in Congress, will likely face former Rep. Chris Bell (D), who was re-redistricted out of a job last year, in a Dem primary.
* In Illinois, State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka (R) is widely considered the frontrunner for the GOP’s gubernatorial nomination, but her support for abortion and gay rights is causing consternation among party leaders. To help assuage the problem Topinka tapped State’s Attorney Joseph Birkett, a prosecutor who opposes abortion rights, as her running mate.
* Speaking of running mates in Illinois, dairy farmer and gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis (R) asked attorney Kathy Salvi (R) to be his running mate for next year, but she declined, opting to run for the House against incumbent Rep. Melissa Bean (D).
* And in Texas, Tom DeLay will have two primary opponents next year. Michael Fjetland, whom DeLay has defeated on three separate occasions, said this week that he’ll try again next year. Moreover, Pat Baig, a political newcomer, also announced her intention to run this week. Assuming DeLay gets past these two, he’ll likely face former Democratic U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson (D) in November.