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
* John McCain unveiled<\/a> his healthcare plan yesterday. He called it a “reform” measure, but it’s really just a modest tax credit and a call for “greater competition.” In other words, it’s more of the same.<\/p>\n * The exodus continues: Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Ohio) will announce today that he is retiring<\/a> at the end of his term. For a Republican caucus that hoped to keep retirements to a minimum, this isn’t good news — Regula is the 10th GOP incumbent to retire this cycle. What’s more, Dems already have a candidate in mind to run in Regula’s district: State Sen. John Boccieri, a major in the Air Force Reserve.<\/p>\n * Hillary Clinton has earned the support of two legendary Democratic leaders: Rep. John Lewis<\/a> (D-Ga.) and former Vice President Walter Mondale<\/a>.<\/p>\n * Mitt Romney, facing an uncomfortable question about gay rights, said he opposes gay marriage, but, “At the same time, I’m not in favor of discrimination<\/a>. I do not oppose and I very much support equal opportunity in education, equal opportunity in employment, in housing and so forth for gay people.” He added that as Governor one of his cabinet members was gay. The questioner later suggested Romney was trying to play “the gay friend card.” * In the non-endorsement category, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s (R) support is coveted by all the GOP candidates, but Sanford said yesterday that he doesn’t expect<\/a> to endorse anyone. He added, however, “I’m not saying never.”<\/p>\n * In case there are any lingering suspicions about just how much the religious right opposes Giuliani’s campaign, Operation Rescue’s Randall Terry said yesterday<\/a>, “As President, Giuliani would be the de-facto head of the GOP; he would systematically destroy the political power of the pro-life movement within the GOP; he would pressure the party to take the pro-life plank out of the party platform; he would declare the ‘abortion issue’ is divisive, and should not be part of federal races; he would make the GOP the mirror image of the DNC regarding child-killing, thus insuring that there is no pro-life party.” I guess Giuliani should count on an endorsement.<\/p>\n * Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D), currently planning to run for the U.S. Senate next year, holds a whopping 30-point lead<\/a> over his Republican rivals in a new WaPo poll. As for the GOP primary, former Gov. James Gilmore leads Rep. Tom Davis by 19 points.<\/p>\n
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\n* Former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson didn’t have much luck during his presidential campaign, and withdrew after the Ames Straw Poll. Today, he’ll endorse Rudy Giuliani<\/a> at an event in South Carolina.<\/p>\n