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
* Florida’s Senate race isn’t looking very competitive, but the state’s gubernatorial contest is still in play. According to a new Rasmussen poll<\/a>, state Attorney General [tag]Charlie Crist[\/tag] (R) leads Rep. [tag]Jim Davis[\/tag] (D), 44% to 39%, and state Sen. [tag]Rod Smith[\/tag] (D), 45% to 34%. Crist’s primary opponent, [tag]Tom Gallagher[\/tag], the state’s chief financial officer, does not fare as well, trailing Davis, 43% to 38%.<\/p>\n * In New York, Republican gubernatorial hopeful [tag]John Faso[\/tag] will announce today that Rockland County Executive [tag]Scott Vanderhoef[\/tag] will join his ticket as Faso’s running mate<\/a>. Vanderhoef, who is pro-choice and considered a moderate, brings some ideological balance to Faso’s ticket. The New York Daily News reported that he was Faso’s third choice, after state Banking Superintendent Diane Taylor and Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray turned him down.<\/p>\n * The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, already optimistic about the party’s chances in November, reported excellent April fundraising reports in filings to the FEC over the weekend. As Roll Call noted<\/a>, “For the first time in recent memory, the cash disparity between House Democrats and Republicans is almost nonexistent six months out from the November elections.” Both the [tag]DCCC[\/tag] and the [tag]NRCC[\/tag] showed a balance of about $22.8 million, though technically, the Republicans enjoyed a $15,561 edge.<\/p>\n * It’s Primary Day in Idaho<\/a> and Arkansas<\/a> today. There aren’t too many high-profile races to watch, though there’s a tough Dem primary for lieutenant governor in Arkansas and Republicans have a six-way contest to determine who will likely replace Rep. [tag]Butch Otter[\/tag] (R) in Congress next year, now that Otter is giving up his seat to run for governor.<\/p>\n