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
* In Missouri’s closely-watched Senate race, a Research 2000 poll for the Post-Dispatch and KMOV-TV shows incumbent Sen. [tag]James Talent[\/tag] (R) closing the gap<\/a> against state Auditor [tag]Clair McCaskill[\/tag] (D) after a furious TV ad blitz. According to the poll, McCaskill now leads 47% to 46%. In June, a Research 2000 poll showed McCaskill with a six-point lead. In previous the six weeks, Talent outspent McCaskill by a ratio of 10:1.<\/p>\n * Over the weekend, Sen. [tag]Lincoln Chafee[\/tag] (R-R.I.) said he will not follow Joe Lieberman’s example and run as an independent if he loses his GOP primary. Appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” Chafee said that option is “off the boards<\/a>.” Even if Chafee wins the primary, he’s still in a tough spot — a new Rasmussen poll<\/a> shows him trailing Sheldon Whitehouse (D), 44% to 42%.<\/p>\n * In Michigan’s gubernatorial race, a Selzer & Co. poll released on Sunday showed Gov. [tag]Jennifer Granholm[\/tag] (D) leading<\/a> Amway heir [tag]Dick DeVos[\/tag] (R), 46% to 44%. A Selzer poll in July showed DeVos leading Granholm by five, 47% to 42%, which suggests the race is finally going in the right direction.<\/p>\n * In Iowa’s very competitive gubernatorial race, Iowa Secretary of State [tag]Chet Culver[\/tag] (D) is still hanging on to a narrow lead over Rep. [tag]Jim Nussle[\/tag] (R) in a new Rasmussen poll<\/a>, 42% to 40%. Last month’s Rasmussen poll showed Culver ahead by a similar margin, 41% to 38%.<\/p>\n * Minnesota’s gubernatorial race is getting very interesting lately. A new Rasmussen poll<\/a> shows state Attorney General [tag]Mike Hatch[\/tag] (D) narrowing the gap against incumbent Gov. [tag]Tim Pawlenty[\/tag] (R) down to six points, 45% to 39%. A month ago, Pawlenty led by double digits. A curveball to watch: independent Peter Hutchinson garnered 8% in the poll, which suggests he has enough support to tip the scales. A Gallup poll<\/a>, meanwhile, shows Hatch actually taking a narrow lead over Pawlenty.<\/p>\n