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:
* Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R) will formally enter the Senate race today, but starts off trailing his most likely challenger. In a poll conducted by Gonzales Research & Marketing, Rep. Benjamin Cardin (D) leads Steele in a hypothetical 2006 match-up, 47% to 38%. However, Steele enjoys leads in the same poll over all the other Dem candidates, including former Rep. Kweisi Mfume.
* Speaking of Maryland, the same poll shows Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley (D) leading Gov. Robert Ehrlich (R), 48% to 42%, looking ahead to next year’s gubernatorial race. Ehrlich also trails Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan, but by a narrower margin, 45% to 44%.
* A new Quinnipiac poll suggests that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is poised for a landslide victory over Fernando Ferrer (D). The latest numbers show Bloomberg besting the Dem by a better than 2-to-1 margin, 61% to 30%. That’s a slightly larger lead than the previous Quinnipiac poll two weeks ago.
* It was a busy day for Dems running for governor in Minnesota yesterday. Attorney General Mike Hatch formally kicked off his campaign, nonprofit founder Bud Philbrook formally ended his campaign, and real estate developer Kelly Doran made the biggest ad-buy of the year by kicking off a $500,000 television ad campaign.
* Difficulties continue for Republicans hoping to find a top-tier opponent for Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) next year. Yesterday, State Senate President Ken Bennett (R) became the latest current or former Republican officeholder to skip the race, following Reps J.D. Hayworth and Rick Renzi, ex-Gov. Fife Symington, and former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley. “I keep hoping that somebody will turn up,” said June Bryan, an 86-year-old member of the Central Republican Women’s Club. Otherwise, “I suppose that Janet will get in again.” In the Arizona race now are attorney John Greene, a former legislative leader out of office more than eight years, and party activist Don Goldwater, a nephew of Barry Goldwater.
* Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) acknowledged yesterday that the 2008 presidential campaign is on his radar screen. “It interests me,” Daschle said. “I don’t have any plans to run, but I am going to keep my options open.”