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:
* State Sen. John Campbell (R-Calif.) was elected to the House yesterday in a special election held to replace now-SEC Chair Chris Cox. Campbell won with 45%, ahead of Democrat Steve Young who finished in the very conservative district with 28%. Anti-immigration activist Jim Gilchrist (I) finished third with 25%.
* Voters also went to the polls yesterday in Spokane, Wash., and voted to remove Mayor James West (R) from office. West’s career was ruined by revelations that he used a city computer to woo gay men over the Internet. He was a far-right lawmaker in the state Legislature for over 20 years, where he voted against gay-friendly bills. Based on early results, the recall vote passed by a nearly two-to-one margin.
* Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s (R) response to Hurricane Rita seems to have given him a political boost. In a new Texas Poll, Perry’s once-low job-approval rating climbed 10 points to 49%. Looking ahead to next year’s GOP gubernatorial primary, Perry leads Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn 55% to 24%.
* Speaking of Texas’ gubernatorial race, the same Texas Poll showed Perry well ahead of former Rep. Chris Bell (D) and independent Kinky Friedman in a hypothetical three-way match-up. The poll showed Perry with 46%, Bell with 25%, and Friedman at 13%. The Bell campaign had a pretty good spin on the fact that Perry’s support was under 50% and his lead over Bell was 21 points: “The last Democrat to be polling this strong 11 months out was Ann Richards, and we ended up calling her ‘governor,'” Bell spokesman Jason Stanford said.
* In Washington, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D) continues to look pretty strong in advance of her first re-election fight. A new poll from Strategic Vision, a Republican firm, shows Cantwell leading Mike McGavick (R), 50% to 39%, and is ahead of Susan Hutchinson (R), 53% to 35%. Some recent polls have shown Cantwell below the 50% mark.
* And in Indiana, a new poll from Cooper & Secrest, a Dem polling firm, shows Rep. Chris Chocola (R) with a surprisingly small lead over businessman Joe Donnelly (D), in advance of next year’s race. According to the poll, Chocola, a two-term incumbent, leads Donnelly 46% to 40%. Chocola probably wasn’t helped by his admission this year that he’s anxious to privatize the entire Social Security system.