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
* The drama that has become Jeanine Pirro’s Senate campaign took another turn yesterday when county Republican leaders from across New York met privately and concluded that Pirro should drop out<\/a> of the race and run for state attorney general. State GOP Chairman Stephen Minarik said no vote was taken but that was the consensus of the county leaders. Pirro issued a statement rejecting the suggestion.<\/p>\n * On a similar note, Rep. Katherine Harris responded to Bob Novak’s recent column that suggested she’ll quit her Senate campaign by forcefully denying the possibility<\/a>. “I am in this campaign until Election Day next November,” Harris said. “Any rumors or speculation to the contrary are completely false.”<\/p>\n * In Pennsylvania, a new Quinnipiac poll<\/a> included some good news for the state’s most important Dems. Gov. Ed Rendell (D) saw his approval rating increase back above the 50% mark (51%), while also enjoying double-digit leads over all of his likely GOP challengers. In the Senate race, Robert Casey leads Rick Santorum, 50% to 38%, which is slightly narrower than the 16-point lead Casey enjoyed in an October Quinnipiac poll. As for the president, Pennsylvania voters said they disapprove of Bush’s job performance, 59% to 38%.<\/p>\n * An internal poll leaked to Kos from Sherrod Brown’s Senate campaign in Ohio shows Brown leading Paul Hackett<\/a>, 51% to 22%.<\/p>\n * Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley (D) officially announced<\/a> yesterday that Del. Anthony G. Brown (D) would be his running mate. After the announcement, the two kicked off a one-day, nearly 190-mile trek to campaign stops in Frederick and Hagerstown before returning to Baltimore for a fundraiser.<\/p>\n