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:
* Just a week after ruling out a Senate campaign, Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro (R) has apparently decided to take on Sen. Hillary Clinton next year. According to the New York Times, a Pirro adviser and a Republican Party official told reporters about Pirro’s plan this morning after Pirro informed party leaders last night. A recent Quinnipiac poll showed Clinton leading Pirro, 63% to 29%.
* Things are going so well for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) that he hardly has to worry about re-election at all next year — no one wants to run against him. He’s already raised $3 million, and with broad statewide popularity, the state GOP can’t find a credible opponent for him. “It’s hard to want to run a race when you know you’re going to get whomped,” says Lonna Atkeson, a political science professor at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. In 2002, Richardson beat businessman John Sanchez by one of the largest margins the state had ever seen.
* With new SEC Chairman Christopher Cox formally resigning from his House seat last week, the race to succeed him in California’s 48th District is growing intense with competing factions rallying behind different candidates. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), who has intervened little in primaries, has formally backed State Sen. John Campbell (R). Sen. John McCain (R), meanwhile, has indicated that he will soon throw his support behind state Assemblywoman Marilyn Brewer (R).
* Taegan Goddard reports that Rep. Ted Strickland (D-Ohio), the top Dem candidate in Ohio’s gubernatorial race, has said he would “be an enthusiastic supporter of Democrat Paul Hackett running for Senate next year,” if Dem Reps. Sherrod Brown and Timothy Ryan decide to skip the race. Incumbent Sen. Mike DeWine (R) is considered very vulnerable next year, and Dems in DC and Ohio are hoping for a top-tier candidate to take him on.
* Wesley Clark is still on the trail, appearing as the keynote speaker over the weekend at the Maine Democratic party’s annual lobster cookout fund-raiser. According to the AP, Clark emphasized the importance of strong Democratic leadership on issues such as family values, the economy, and health care.
* In Nebraska, Republicans have had some difficulties recruiting a top-tier challenger to Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), but slowly but surely, a GOP field has emerged. Ameritrade COO Peter Ricketts has resigned from the company in advance of a likely Senate campaign. If Ricketts runs, he’ll face former Nebraska Republican Party Chairman David Kramer and former state Attorney General Don Stenberg (R) in a GOP primary.