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
* With all precincts reporting<\/a>, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) narrowly avoided a run-off in Texas’ 28th congressional district against former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D), winning his four-way primary, 53% to 41%. With no GOP candidate, Cuellar has effectively already won a second term.<\/p>\n * When Dick Cheney attended a Republican fundraiser in Florida this week for vulnerable Rep. Clay Shaw (R), he mentioned the state’s Senate race — but not Katherine Harris’ name<\/a>. “As vice president I look forward to the opportunity to swear in a new Republican senator to serve next to Mel Martinez in the United States Senate,” Cheney said.<\/p>\n * James Webb, a Navy secretary under President Ronald Reagan, formally kicked off<\/a> his Senate campaign in Virginia yesterday against incumbent Sen. George Allen (R). Webb, a decorated Marine and novelist, said he will focus his campaign on national defense, and he sharply criticized the U.S. occupation of Iraq. One issue that will be important: Webb’s commitment to the Democratic Party. Webb said he defected from the party in 1976 but said he has a long history of supporting Dems, including Bob Kerrey’s presidential run in 1992, and former senator Chuck Robb against Oliver North in 1994. Webb, however, admits to having voted for Allen and Bush in 2000.<\/p>\n * In Texas yesterday, former Rep. Chris Bell (D) easily defeated<\/a> former Texas Supreme Court justice Bob Gammage to win the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Texas. Bell goes into the general election as an underdog in the four-way race, also featuring Gov. Rick Perry (R), Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn (I), and entertainer Kinky Friedman (I).<\/p>\n * Former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer (R) told the New York Observer yesterday that he believes KT McFarland’s (R) entrance into the Senate race against Hillary Clinton is part of a plot orchestrated by Clinton<\/a> herself. “The Clintons are pretty slick. They’ll never have any fingerprints on it, but it sure looks that way,” he said. “The only beneficiary of this is Mrs. Clinton.” He said he didn’t have any clear evidence of the plot, but that he found McFarland’s sudden entrance amid a burst of media coverage “mystifying.” As for McFarland herself, “I don’t think she has any credentials, quite frankly.”<\/p>\n