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
* Rep. Bobby Jindal (R) won Louisiana’s gubernatorial election<\/a> on Saturday, easily cruising past a wide-open field. In his second run for the office, Jindal garnered 54% of the vote, enough to avoid a run-off, and well ahead of his closest competitor, Democrat Walter Boasso, who had 18%. Jindal, the son of Indian immigrants, will be the nation’s youngest sitting governor (he’s 36), and is Louisiana’s first non-white governor since Reconstruction.<\/p>\n * Chris Dodd, hoping for a strong showing in Iowa, is moving into the Hawkeye State<\/a> with his family for the next few months. According to an LAT report, “The Dodd family has rented a house in Des Moines for the duration to be closer to the prairie campaign scene… His wife, Jackie Clegg Dodd, is moving to the Midwest too, along with their two daughters, 6-year-old Grace and 2-year-old Christina. They’ve even enrolled Grace in kindergarten.”<\/p>\n * Barack Obama unveiled his latest campaign commercial, called “Conventional<\/a>,” which will begin airing in New Hampshire today. In the spot, his third, Obama tells a small roomful of people, “We are a beacon of light around the world. At least that’s what we can be again. That’s what we should be again. When we break out of the conventional thinking and we start reaching out to friend and foe alike, then I am absolutely confident that we can restore America’s leadership in the world. We’re going to lead with our values and our ideals by deed and by example. I want to go before the world and say America’s back. America is back.”<\/p>\n * Speaking of new ads, Bill Richardson unveiled a new spot today, called “Only One<\/a>,” emphasizing the governor’s work as a diplomat. The ad features Kathy Daliberti, wife of former hostage Dave Daliberti, saying, “He’s the only one that was willing to, to leave his family, his wife behind, travel to a dangerous section of the world, for two men he didn’t even know.” * In Michigan, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Lt. Gov. John Cherry have announced that they will endorse<\/a> Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.<\/p>\n
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\n* AP<\/a>: “Republican Party leaders on Monday recommended punishing five states for shifting their nomination contests earlier, moving to strip New Hampshire, Florida, South Carolina, Michigan and Wyoming of half their delegates.” Said Mike Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee, “It’s very important that our party uphold and enforce the rules that we unanimously voted into place at the Republican National Convention in 2004.”<\/p>\n