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:
* Tom DeLay, fresh off the weakest re-election support of his career, is continuing to slip in popularity at home. A Houston Chronicle poll published over the weekend found 45% in DeLay’s Texas district would vote for someone else if a congressional election were at hand, while only about 38% said they would re-elect DeLay. “There seems to be no question that there has been an erosion in support for the congressman,” said John Zogby, whose company conducted the poll. “These are not good re-election numbers.”
* In the Los Angeles mayoral race, Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa’s campaign picked up a big endorsement late last week: former Mayor Richard Riordan, a Republican with close ties to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “What we need is somebody who is electric, somebody who is a leader, somebody who will bring hope to the people,” said Riordan, now the state education secretary. The run-off election will be held May 17.
* It’s not unusual for home-state voters to express some skepticism about their representatives running for president, but Sen. Evan Bayh (D) seems to enjoy broad support in his native Indiana. Despite the state’s historical Republican support — Indiana hasn’t backed a Dem presidential candidate in over 40 years — Hoosiers strongly back Bayh, who enjoys a 70% approval rating (15 points higher than Bush’s support in the state). Moreover, two-out-of-three voters in Indiana say they believe Bayh has the personal qualities needed to be a good president.
* The speculation about Rudy Giuliani’s future continues to swirl, with the latest report indicating that the former New York mayor will not be a candidate for governor next year. Giuliani’s top aide says it’s “really unlikely” he’ll run next year, but he left the door wide open to a 2008 presidential bid.
* Speaking of New York, Gov. George Pataki (R) is trying to un-burn the bridge he razed last year with Arthur Finkelstein, the campaign advisor who helped orchestrate Pataki’s win in 1994. The two had an ugly falling out last year.
* Mississippi State Rep. Erik Fleming (D) hopes to give Sen. Trent Lott (R) something he hasn’t had in years: a tough race.
* And, finally, Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.) will be among the select few to face intense questions about his political ties to Tom DeLay before next year’s election. Reynolds serves in a swing district, where Dems believe voters will reject anyone with such close ties to an ethically-challenged House Majority Leader. Campaign for America’s Future began running TV ads late last week against Reynolds for his support of DeLay.