Tuesday’s political round-up

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:

* Following former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume’s announcement that he’ll seek Maryland’s Senate seat next year, Rep. Albert Wynn (D) said he’ll skip the race. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D), meanwhile, will announce the creation of an exploratory committee for the race today.

* Assuming that Jon Corzine becomes New Jersey’s next governor, Rep. Frank Pallone (D) is laying the groundwork to get the seat, officially kicking off his campaign this week with a major fundraiser. If Corzine wins this year’s gubernatorial race, he’ll have the power to name his own successor, with a special election for a full term in November 2006. Also in the Dem mix is Reps. Bob Menendez and Robert Andrews.

* California Treasurer Phil Angelides (D) will launch his gubernatorial campaign today, saying, “Governor Schwarzenegger and I have a different view of the world, two very different visions of what makes society strong.” Angelides has already raised about $12.5 million for the effort. He’ll likely face Attorney General Bill Lockyer in a Dem primary.

* Former Tennessee Rep. Van Hilleary (R) announced his campaign to fill the Senate vacancy Bill Frist will leave next year. It’s going to be a very crowded field, especially among Republicans — Van Hilleary joins a legion of likely GOP candidates, including Rep. Marsha Blackburn, State Sen. Rosalind Kurita, former Rep. Ed Bryant, Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, outgoing state Republican Chairman Beth Harwell.

* Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) will announce within the next month that he will not seek another term. Hyde, who is 80, was first elected in 1974.

* William O’Kane, a prominent Chicago realtor, is weighing a run for governor of Illinois next year as a Republican. The field of Republicans gearing up to take on incumbent Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) is getting bigger all the time, and includes Illinois state Sen. Bill Brady, DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett, Rep. Ray LaHood, and businessman Ron Gidwitz.

* Wesley Clark fans — you know who you are — will be pleased to know Clark was on the Hill yesterday, hosting a “standing-room-only gathering” of Democratic Senate staffers to discuss the party’s national security agenda. (He reportedly encouraged Dems to stop talking about exit strategies and timelines and focus on how to win in Iraq.) Clark also joined Leaders Reid and Pelosi for a closed-door meeting of their newly announced National Security Advisory Group.

* And finally, those of you who are wondering whether Virginia Gov. Mark Warner harbors presidential ambitions may be interested to know that he’ll be the keynote speaker at the Democratic Party of Georgia’s annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner tonight.