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:<\/p>\n
* As if the nominating process needed another big state to move up its presidential primary, New Jersey came one step closer to following California, Texas, Florida, and Illinois yesterday. A state Assembly committee unanimously approved<\/a> a measure to move New Jersey’s primary from June to the first Tuesday in February. The proposal has already passed the state Senate and received Gov. Jon Corzine’s (D) endorsement.<\/p>\n * Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), who’s been exploring the possibility of running for president for about two years now, raised the specter<\/a> of running on a “hybrid” presidential ticket that would include a Dem. USA Today reported, “[Hagel] said that if he ran he would seek the Republican nomination. Yet he’s also talking up Unity08. That’s a plan by a bipartisan group of political operatives to draft a bipartisan presidential ticket on the Internet and offer voters an alternative to the Democratic and Republican candidates next year. ‘I think it’s a very intriguing enterprise,’ Hagel said.”<\/p>\n * In Kentucky, Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R) is struggling mightily<\/a> to maintain GOP support for re-election in the face of primary challenge from former Rep. Anne Northup (R). Yesterday, Fletcher’s lieutenant governor, Steve Pence, endorsed Northup and said Fletcher is unworthy of a second term.<\/p>\n * In Colorado, former Rep. Scott McInnis (R) has filed his paperwork with the state in order to run for the Senate<\/a> next year. It will be an open-seat contest with Sen. Wayne Allard (R) retiring, and McInnis will likely face former Rep. Bob Schaffer and retired Air Force Major Gen. Bentley Rayburn in a GOP primary. Rep. Mark Udall (D) is widely considered the likely Democratic candidate.<\/p>\n