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
* After a couple of weeks of speculation about his intentions, Georgia congressman and civil rights pioneer John Lewis officially switched<\/a> his support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. In a statement issued by his office, Lewis said, “Something is happening in America. There is a movement, there is a spirit, there is an enthusiasm in the hearts and minds of the American people that I have not seen in a long time, since the candidacy of Robert Kennedy.”<\/p>\n * Clinton is offering a plan this afternoon on reducing childhood poverty<\/a>, including a “‘comprehensive’ early education initiative that starts with nurse’s visits for pregnant women, lets children begin the Head Start program earlier and calls for universal pre-kindergarten programs. The New York senator also says she would deal with childhood hunger by putting in place a food safety net, and give children ‘greater access to healthy, fresh food.'”<\/p>\n * Feel like we haven’t heard<\/a> as much from former President Clinton lately? “‘The Clinton campaign is sending Bill to safe places, to small cities where a visit by a former president is a really big deal,’ said Darrell West, a professor of political science at Brown University in Providence, R.I. The Clinton campaign won’t comment on its Bill strategy, but the numbers and the fallout from some of his public appearances earlier in the campaign suggest why West’s view, one widely shared by other analysts, makes sense.”<\/p>\n * Obama picked up another Senate endorsement yesterday, earning the support of North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan<\/a> (D). Dorgan said he joined colleagues such as Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius who are “really anxious to have a candidate on the top of the ticket who isn’t going to give up on a state before it begins.”<\/p>\n * The Children’s Defense Fund Action Council released a new congressional scorecard, measuring lawmakers on their votes affecting children. While plenty of Republicans fared well — Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Gordon Smith (R-OR) received 70% rankings — John McCain received a 10% rating<\/a>, the worst in the chamber. (His score was depressed by a series of missed votes.) * Speaking of Texas, a new Rasmussen poll shows Obama ahead in the Lone Star state, 48% to 44%<\/a>. About a week ago, Rasmussen showed Clinton ahead in Texas, 46% to 45%.<\/p>\n * The Obama campaign is stepping up its advertising in the LGBT communities in Ohio and Texas. The Advocate reported<\/a>, “According to Obama LGBT steering committee member Eric Stern, the campaign has just completed an ad buy with queer newspapers in the four largest LGBT markets of those two states — Columbus, Cleveland, Dallas, and Houston. Full-page ads will appear starting this Friday in Outlook Weekly of Columbus, the Gay People’s Chronicle of Cleveland, the Dallas Voice, and OutSmart, which is Houston-based.”<\/p>\n
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\n* Adelfa Callejo, a prominent Clinton campaign supporter in Dallas, raised a few eyebrows yesterday when he told<\/a> a local TV station that Obama would have trouble gaining Latino support because he “simply has a problem that he happens to be black.” The campaign later issued a statement: “After confirming that they were accurately portrayed, Senator Clinton, of course, denounces and rejects them.”<\/p>\n