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 poll in Arizona is a good news/bad news situation for Dems. The good news in the new KAET/Arizona State University poll is that Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) looks very strong in advance of next year’s re-election bid, leading likely Repubilcan opponents by more than 30 points. The bad news, at least for now, is that Sen. Jon Kyl (R) leads Jim Pederson (D), 50% to 28%. (Even the bad news is not all bad — Kyl, who won his last race with 79% support, is only at 50% in a state Bush carried by 11 points.)
* In Washington, former Safeco executive Mike McGavick finally made his Senate campaign official, announcing yesterday that he will take on Sen. Maria Cantwell (D). McGavick was supposed to have announced weeks ago and the delays were making the state party nervous. In fact, McGavick waited so long, GOP leaders reached out to former Seattle TV journalist Susan Hutchison (R), who is said to be considering the race.
* A grand jury indicted former Alabama governor Don Siegelman (D) yesterday on racketeering charges, which may represent a setback in Siegelman’s gubernatorial campaign for 2006. Siegelman has called the grand jury probe a political witch hunt by Republican prosecutors. Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley (D), who’s also running for governor next year and would face Siegelman in a primary, said, “This is a very sad day for Alabama because our people want truth and honesty in government.”
* We can add South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) to the list of Republican governors eyeing the 2008 presidential campaign. Sanford visited Arizona this week, following other recent visits to Ohio and Iowa.
* Speaking of 2008, New York Gov. George Pataki (R) helped House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R) raise some money a few years ago and Hastert is returning the favor now that Pataki is considering a presidential run. Hastert sent out a fundraising letter for a $1,000-per-person luncheon for Pataki’s political action committee scheduled for today in Chicago
* Democrats running for the Senate in Rhode Island didn’t need another competitor, but they have one anyway. Former state Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse (D) and Secretary of State Matt Brown (D) have been campaigning for months, but will now also have to deal with businessman Carl Sheeler, who threw his hat into the ring yesterday before about 40 supporters gathered at a Providence high school. Sheeler was a Republican, who then ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate last as an independent. At yesterday’s kick-off, Sheeler held a quart of motor oil and said: “No more blood for oil.”