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:
* A statewide poll released over the weekend in Virginia shows the gubernatorial race getting closer all the time. With just seven weeks until Election Day, a Mason-Dixon poll shows former state Attorney General Jerry Kilgore (R) ahead of Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine (D) by the slimmest of margins, 41% to 40%. About 6% supported independent Russ Potts, a Republican state senator estranged from his party.
* With Trent Lott hinting that he may not seek re-election next year, speculation abounds as to who might try to replace him. The likely GOP candidate is Rep. Charles W. “Chip” Pickering Jr., a five-term GOP House member, though there are rumors Gov. Haley Barbour (R) might be interested in returning to DC, where he was chairman of the RNC. Among Dems, there are a surprising number of top-tier possibilities, despite this being among the most “red” states in the nation, including former state Attorney General Mike Moore, former governor Ray Mabus, state Attorney General Jim Hood, Rep. Gene Taylor, Mississippi Supreme Court Justice James Graves, and former Mississippi congressman and Clinton agriculture secretary Mike Espy.
* Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s (R) presidential aspirations are getting increasingly serious. Starting a two-day visit to Iowa, Huckabee acknowledged that he’s considering the race.
* Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman (D), narrowly defeated in 2002, has been openly weighing a comeback bid. Now, he’s no longer using the word “if” when he talks about running for governor next year. “I intend to be a candidate for governor in 2006,” Siegelman said. “I have listened to the people of Alabama. I have learned that a good many of them want me in this race.”
* State Rep. Angie Paccione (D), a rising star in Dem politics in Colorado, has made it official — she’s launching a campaign to take on Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R) next year. Paccione, before her election to the state legislature, was a teacher, professor, and member of USA National Basketball team. Colorado Dems believe Musgrave, a leading gay-marriage opponent, may be vulnerable next year and actively recruited Paccione.