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:
* Pennsylvania Gov. [tag]Ed Rendell[/tag] (D) recently spent some of his huge campaign war chest on a TV advertising blitz, which appears to be paying off in a big way. A new Quinnipiac poll shows Rendell leading former football player [tag]Lynn Swann[/tag] (R), 55% to 33%. Rendell’s approval ratings are now up to 55%, up from 46% in early April.
* Businessman [tag]Richard Tarrant[/tag] (R) has already spent more on his Senate campaign in Vermont than any candidate in state history — Election Day is six months away — but it doesn’t seem to be helping much. A new poll conducted for WCAX shows Rep. [tag]Bernie Sanders[/tag] (I) leading Tarrant, 61% to 24%.
* Missouri’s back-and-forth Senate race has swung back towards the incumbent. A new Rasmussen poll shows Sen. [tag]Jim Talent[/tag] (R) leading State Auditor [tag]Claire McCaskill[/tag] (D), 43% to 40%. As Rasmussen noted, it’s the “sixth time in seven polls that Talent and McCaskill have been within three percentage points of each other.”
* Arkansas Attorney General [tag]Mike Beebe[/tag] (D) continues to look very strong in the state’s gubernatorial race, leading former Rep. [tag]Asa Hutchinson[/tag] (R), 49% to 38, in a new Rasmussen poll. The margin is similar to a poll taken last month in which Beebe led, 47% to 36%.
* And in South Carolina, Gov. [tag]Mark Sanford[/tag] (R) continues to look like a safe bet for re-election. In the latest Rasmussen poll, Sanford leads state Senator [tag]Tommy Moore[/tag] (D), 52% to 33%, which is an even bigger margin that the 13-point lead Sanford had over Moore in February.