My new daily feature about campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may nevertheless be of interest to political observers:
* Doris Matsui, the widow of Rep. Robert Matsui (D-Calif.) is in a 12-way special election for her husband’s seat in Congress. She remains the odds-on favorite, but with 11 opponents, breaking the 50% threshold may be tricky. The run-off race, should one be necessary, would by May 3.
* Also in California today is the Los Angeles mayoral race.
* Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, the only Republican in West Virginia’s congressional delegation, has begun making noise about taking on Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) next year. Byrd hasn’t had a competitive race in decades, but he hasn’t formally said whether he’ll seek re-election.
* House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and the Democratic staff of the House Rules Committee will release a detailed report today called “Broken Promises: The Death of Deliberative Democracy.” It’s intended to document the unprecedented steps taken by the GOP majority in the 108th Congress to “stifle deliberation and quash dissent.”
* Dems have enjoyed a surprising resurgence in Montana of late, so much so that they think they might have a shot at beating Sen. Conrad Burns’ (R) re-election bid next year. “This is one of the top races in the country,” said Brad Martin, executive director of the state Democratic Party. “Sen. Burns should be very concerned.”
* And, in a report I wish were a joke, Doug Friedline, who ran Jesse Ventura’s gubernatorial campaign in 1998, is “working with a group of New Jersey residents urging actor and comedian Joe Piscopo to run for governor of the Garden State.” Piscopo, for you younger Carpetbagger readers, hasn’t had a hit in a very, very long time, but was on Saturday Night Live in the early ’80s.