Thursday’s political round-up

July 14, 2005

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 new SurveyUSA poll released this week once again lists support for each of the nation’s 50 governors. North Dakota’s John Hoeven (R) is on top with a 74% approval rating, while Ohio’s Bob Taft (R) is dead last with 17%. Among the 2008 presidential aspirants, Virginia’s Mark Warner was clearly the strongest, with a 63% approval rating, the sixth strongest of any governor in the country.

* A Quinnipiac University poll out this week suggests Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) is still well positioned in advance of next year’s re-election race, leading all of his potential GOP rivals by double digits. Former Lt. Gov. Bill Scranton (R) came closest, and he trails 47% to 37%.

* Fueling speculation about an awkward primary match-up, John Kerry and John Edwards, just eight months after running on a national ticket together, are both paying full-time campaign staffers to work in New Hampshire.

* John McCain’s 2008 prospects might suffer in Michigan if the state GOP goes ahead with a plan to close off its presidential primary to Republicans only. McCain excelled in Michigan in 2000, thanks in large part to crossover appeal with Dems and independents. In 2000, Bush won 66 percent of the Republican vote, compared to 29 percent for McCain, according to an exit poll conducted by CNN. By contrast, 82 percent of the Democrats who voted in the primary backed McCain, versus 10 percent for Bush. A closed primary is widely believed to undermine McCain’s chances of winning the state’s primary again.

* Speaking of Michigan, despite expressing serious interest in the race for a couple of months, Jane Abraham, wife of former Sen. Spencer Abraham (R), has decided not to take on Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) next year. State Republicans are still trying to lure lure Domino’s Pizza CEO David Brandon into the race.

* Just a week after former FBI whistle-blower Coleen Rowley (D) made her congressional campaign official, she’s made an unusual announcement: no professional campaign consultants. One of Time magazine’s people of the year in 2002, Rowley told the Politics in Minnesota newsletter that she is dismissing all traditional political consultants for her own advice.

“…while Ohio’s Bob Taft (R) is dead last with 17%.

Do the Dems have a solid candidate to go after that seat? All we needed was Ohio to take back the White House in 2004. My hunch is that will be the same in 2008. A solid Dem governor doing a good job could go a loooong way to bringing Ohio into the Dem column.

  • There’s a lot of interest in this race among would-be candidates from both sides of the aisle.

    On the Dem side, the top candidate is Rep. Ted Strickland, who had told leaders he wouldn’t run, but recently changed his mind. He’ll likely face a primary challenger or two, including former state Attorney General Lee Fisher and Michael Coleman, the first Dem mayor of Columbus in 28 years. Others in the mix include Akron Mayor Donald Plusquellic, state Senator and former U.S. Senate candidate Eric Fingerhut, and Jerry Springer (yes, that Jerry Springer).

    There are some top-tier Republicans either in the race or eyeing it — Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, Auditor Betty Montgomery, state Attorney General Jim Petro, former U.S. Rep. John Kasich — but with all the digust with the Ohio GOP, I’m cautiously optimistic about the Dems’ chances.

  • Thanks for the overview. It’d sure be nice to add an Ohio governorship to the Dem column.

  • Wouldn’t Mark Warner be a favorite in a 2006 Senate Contest against George Allen? Why not? Makes more sense than a 2008 Presidential race which would be a longshot at best.

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