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
* It’s safe to say that Republicans best, if not only, chance of picking up a Senate seat this year is in New Jersey. The latest Monmouth University\/Gannett poll<\/a> shows state Sen. [tag]Tom Kean[\/tag], Jr. (R) leading incumbent Sen. [tag]Bob Menendez[\/tag] (D), 44% to 38%.<\/p>\n * In Maryland, a new Baltimore Sun poll<\/a> shows Rep. [tag]Ben Cardin[\/tag] (D) with a comfortable-but-not-insurmountable lead over Lt. Gov. [tag]Michael Steele[\/tag] (R), 51% to 40%, in the state’s U.S. Senate race. Concerns that African-American voters would abandon Cardin to support Steele, who is black, appear unfounded. As the Sun noted, “Cardin’s support stretches across the state, according to the poll, and he dominates in Maryland’s most solidly African-American communities: Baltimore and Prince George’s County.”<\/p>\n * Speaking of Maryland, the same Baltimore Sun poll<\/a> found that Baltimore Mayor [tag]Martin O’Malley[\/tag] (D) continues to lead incumbent Gov. [tag]Robert Ehrlich[\/tag] (R), 50% to 44%, in the state’s gubernatorial race.<\/p>\n * In Montana’s closely-watched Senate race, a new Rasmussen poll<\/a> shows scandal-plagued Sen. [tag]Conrad Burns[\/tag] (R) trailing Democratic challenger [tag]Jon Tester[\/tag], 43% to 50%. The margin is about the same as it was a month ago.<\/p>\n * Florida’s gubernatorial race is getting more competitive, at least according to a new poll<\/a> from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The newspaper’s latest poll shows state Attorney General [tag]Charlie Crist[\/tag] (R) leading Rep. [tag]Jim Davis[\/tag] (D), 49% to 43%. Davis, however, remains widely unknown, leading the pollster to note that he has “a lot more room to grow for people to view him favorably.”<\/p>\n