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
* For some reason, Condoleezza Rice’s non-existent presidential ambitions continue to be a matter of great interest. In an interview yesterday<\/a>, Bush was peppered with questions about Rice’s plans, prompting the president to say, “I think you need to take her at her word that she’s not running.”<\/p>\n * Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate and state Attorney General Tom Reilly (D) lost his running mate after just one day on the ticket, as state Rep. Marie St. Fleur (D) was forced to step aside<\/a> amid revelations of tax and loan delinquency. St. Fleur reportedly owes the IRS more than $12,000 and failed to pay $40,000 in student loans.<\/p>\n * Several member of the Pennsylvania Republican State Committee endorsed<\/a> retired football player Lynn Swann’s gubernatorial campaign last night, moving Swann one step further to gaining the GOP establishment’s support over former Lt. Gov. Bill Scranton.<\/p>\n * Delaware Republicans have had some trouble recruiting a top-tier candidate to take on Sen. Tom Carper (D) next year, but seem to have convinced conservative law professor Jan Ting to throw his hat into the ring<\/a>. Ting, a former commissioner for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, has never before sought public office. If Ting does run, he’ll face airline pilot Mike Protack in a GOP primary.<\/p>\n