Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that won’t necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:
* Mitch McConnell may be the incumbent, he may not have an announced opponent, he may be a far-right senator in a red state, and the election may be a year and a half away. But the Kentucky Republican is so worried about his weak standing that he’s now airing yet another television ad. This as buy in support of the spot is “well into the six-figures.”
* As you may have heard, the National Republican Congressional Committee has given up on disgraced former Gov. Mark Sanford’s (R) congressional special election candidacy, announcing yesterday that it “will not be engaged” on the race. The announcement comes on the heels of Sanford’s trespassing charges, about which he apparently forgot to inform party officials.
* In Ohio, a new Quinnipiac poll shows Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald as the early frontrunner in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. However, FitzGerald is not well known statewide, and he trails Gov. John Kasich (R) in a hypothetical match-up, 46% to 37%.
* As expected, former Rep. Mike Ross (D), a long-time Blue Dog, launched his gubernatorial campaign in Arkansas yesterday. He’ll likely face former Lt. Gov. Bill Halter in a Democratic primary. * And Maine’s controversial first-term governor, Republican Paul LePage, is gearing up for his re-election bid next year. “I will guarantee you that you will see the most vicious education campaign ads that you’ve ever seen in your life next year, because I am going to be the next Scott Walker in this country, because I am challenging the status quo,” he said yesterday. LePage won in 2010 with just 38% of the vote, when Democratic and Independent candidates split mainstream voters.
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