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
* Former congressman Bob McEwen (R-Ohio), a far-right favorite, narrowly lost a primary fight earlier this year against Jean Schmidt in Ohio’s now-infamous 2nd Congressional District. Now, McEwen may have a new target: Sen. Mike DeWine (R). Someone — it’s not altogether clear who — has started a Bob McEwen for Senate website<\/a>, suggesting that DeWine may very well have a primary challenge next year. This would naturally delight Dems, who have two top-tier candidates eyeing the same race (Sherrod Brown and Paul Hackett).<\/p>\n * As Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates kick things up a notch with aggressive new ads, a new Rasmussen poll<\/a> shows Republican Jerry Kilgore with a very narrow lead. Kilgore now leads Dem Tim Kaine 46% to 44%.<\/p>\n * A new Siena College poll<\/a> shows Hillary Clinton cruising to re-election next year. In data released yesterday, Clinton leads Jeanine Pirro by 28 points (59%-31%), which is an improvement on her 21-point lead in August. Similarly, Clinton leads Ed Cox by 30 points (60%-30%), which is up from a 23-point lead in August.<\/p>\n * As for New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the same Siena poll shows the presumptive Dem gubernatorial nominee crushing any potential Republican rival<\/a>. Indeed, Spitzer maintains 30-44 point leads against three potential challengers: Thomas Golisano 56-26 percent, former Massachusetts Governor William Weld 62-18 percent, and former Assemblyman John Faso, 63-19 percent.<\/p>\n * Former Senate Dem leader Tom Daschle has been unusually active<\/a> on the national scene lately and, apparently, there’s a good reason. Daschle told a reporter this week that he’s “undecided<\/a>” about running for president in 2008, which as a rule, means he’s seriously considering it.<\/p>\n * The Massachusetts Republican Party has had more than a little trouble finding a credible candidate to take on Sen. Ted Kennedy next year. Kennedy, who has been gearing up for another re-election bid and shows no signs of taking the race for granted, has been scaring away potential challengers for months. The state GOP now seems intent on wooing<\/a> Essex Sheriff Frank G. Cousins Jr. into the race, though it’s not clear he’s game. “I don’t know if I want to do that,” Cousins told reporters this week.<\/p>\n