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:
* The good news for Rep. [tag]Katherine Harris[/tag] (R) is that she still enjoys some support among Republicans in Florida. The bad news is, it’s fading fast and primary voters are open to new candidates. According to a new poll from Strategic Vision, a GOP polling firm, retired Gen. [tag]Tommy Franks[/tag] would lead Harris by 4 percentage points in a GOP primary, if he were to enter the race. On the other hand, Harris still leads Rep. [tag]Mark Foley[/tag] (R-Fla.) and state House Speaker [tag]Allan Bense[/tag], though neither has formally said they intend to run.
* In New Jersey, a new Quinnipiac poll shows Gov. [tag]Jon Corzine[/tag]’s support slipping, due in large part to the state’s budget problems. After only a few months in office, Corzine has seen his approval rating drop to just 35%, though about one-in-five voters say they’re still undecided. The good news is 87% of voters say Corzine inherited the state’s budget problems.
* Dems have been hoping for months that Arizona’s Senate race would tighten once businessman [tag]Jim Pederson[/tag] (D) boosted his name recognition, and that’s exactly what’s happening. According a new Arizona State University/KAET poll, incumbent Sen. [tag]Jon Kyl[/tag] (R), who appeared to be cruising to re-election, has seen his lead over Pederson drop. Kyl is now ahead, 42% to 31%.
* Former Secretary of the Navy [tag]James Webb[/tag] formally kicked off his Senate campaign in Virginia yesterday, vowing to seek an end to the war in Iraq and the “culture of corruption” in Washington. Webb will face businessman in [tag]Harris Miller[/tag] a June 13 primary, the winner of which will face Sen. [tag]George Allen[/tag] (R) in the fall.
* And in Nebraska, Sen. [tag]Ben Nelson[/tag] (D) appears to be in a very strong position going into November, according to the latest Rasmussen poll. Nelson leads his closest GOP rival, [tag]Pete Ricketts[/tag], 54% to 36%, despite months of statewide TV ads from Ricketts. Nelson enjoys even bigger leads over Ricketts’ primary opponents, topping former State Attorney General [tag]Don Stenberg[/tag] and former Nebraska Republican Party Chairman [tag]David Kramer[/tag] by about 40 points each.