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
* Florida always seems to figure out a way to be provocative<\/a>: “Gov. Charlie Crist signed a bill Monday moving Florida’s 2008 presidential primary up to Jan. 29, leapfrogging several other states in a change that could dramatically alter the Republican and Democratic presidential nominating campaigns. The move puts Florida’s primary, which had been scheduled for March, behind only the Iowa and Nevada caucuses and the New Hampshire primary and on the same day as South Carolina’s Democratic primary.”<\/p>\n * Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) is once again talking up the possibility<\/a> of breaking his word, ignoring his pledge to voters, and leaving the Democratic caucus. “I hope the moment doesn’t come that I feel so separated from the caucus” that he decides to shift allegiance to the Republicans, Lieberman told Bloomberg. Asked what Democratic actions might cause such a break, he invoked Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s famous 1964 definition of pornography: “I’ll know it when I see it.”<\/p>\n * Today is a big primary day in Kentucky<\/a>, with both parties hosting closely-watched gubernatorial primaries. On the GOP side, Gov. Ernie Fletcher is facing former Rep. Anne Northup and businessman Billy Harper. Polls show Fletcher in the lead, but a June runoff will be necessary if he falls short of 40%. A runoff is likely among Dems, with former Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear, Bruce Lunsford, former Lt. Gov. Steve Henry, and state House Speaker Jody Richards all vying for the party’s nod. (As I recently mentioned, Lunsford is the candidate to avoid — he’s the quintessential Zell-Miller-style DINO.)<\/p>\n * New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) formally kicked off his presidential campaign yesterday and told reporters that he’ll be campaigning heavily in Iowa<\/a> in the coming weeks. “I am very encouraged because it shows that our grass-roots campaigning and our TV ads are creating some momentum,” he said. Richardson finished fourth in a recent Iowa Poll with 10% support, suggesting he’s at the top of the second tier.<\/p>\n * Democratic presidential candidates are finding more fundraising success in the South than GOP candidates? Apparently so<\/a>.<\/p>\n