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
* A new Los Angeles Times\/Bloomberg poll suggests Dems still have some work to do<\/a> in the general election: “In head-to-head contests, the poll found, McCain leads Clinton by 6 percentage points (46% to 40%) and Obama by 2 points (44% to 42%)…. The Arizona senator is viewed favorably by 61% of all registered voters, including a plurality of Democrats.”<\/p>\n * The Clinton campaign’s old superdelegate strategy: lean on party insiders to get them to commit now. The Clinton campaign’s new superdelegate strategy: lean on party insiders to get them to remain neutral<\/a> for now. Apparently, the thinking is, if the superdelegates are going to break for anyone right now, it’s Obama.<\/p>\n * In response to an NYT report the other day pointing to morale trouble inside the Clinton campaign, 503 Clinton staffers and volunteers signed a letter to the editor<\/a> sent to the Times that read, in part, “The unnamed advisers and aides the story relies on speak for nobody but themselves. The rest of us — thousands of her supporters, friends, members of her staff and volunteers — are working tirelessly each and every day and night, because we believe in Hillary.” The Times declined to run the letter, calling it “a press release from the Clinton campaign.”<\/p>\n * For reasons that are still unclear, Clinton said last night that she would continue to wait<\/a> to release her tax returns until after the primaries. Pressed for an explanation, the senator said she’s “a little busy right now.”<\/p>\n * Mike Huckabee is still hanging around, and he’s wondering why he and John McCain aren’t debating<\/a>. “There’s a race going on, and I wish Sen. McCain was debating me this weekend,” Huckabee told reporters in Cleveland. “I wish we were going to be in Cleveland tonight on stage or in Dallas or in Houston or San Antonio or Austin or somewhere between now and Tuesday having a debate. I think certainly Republicans in these states that are voting deserve that, and I’m disappointed that we’re not in that same kind of forum.” * Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), long rumored as a possible GOP running mate this year, said she has no interest in the gig<\/a>. During an interview on MSNBC, Hutchison said, “I don’t want to be vice president. I’ve said that over and over again. I’m going in a different direction. I really do not want to be vice president.”<\/p>\n * A new Quinnipiac poll<\/a> in Pennsylvania shows Clinton leading Obama, but by a shrinking margin. As of today, Clinton is up by six in the Keystone State, 49% to 43%, though just two weeks ago, Clinton led by 16, 52% to 36%.<\/p>\n * Houston lawyer Mark White, one of the two surviving Democratic governors of Texas, says he’s endorsing Obama<\/a> for president because he’s “essentially become America’s candidate. You see people from all walks of life, rich and poor, every color reflected, every ethnicity. There’s enthusiasm, hope. He will not only be nominated, he will be elected president. He will be America’s president.”<\/p>\n * I’m delighted to note that Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich<\/a> (D) is poised to challenge Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).<\/p>\n
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\n* In a very impressive display of support, the Obama campaign announced this morning it had received support from 1 million donors<\/a>. Given that it’s February, that’s pretty astounding.<\/p>\n