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:
* In Virginia, gubernatorial hopeful Ken Cuccinelli (R) confirmed to the NBC affiliate in Richmond yesterday that he was questioned by federal investigators about the gifts given to him by Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams. I believe that’s the first time he’s acknowledged this publicly.
* In New Jersey’s U.S. Senate special election, which is five weeks from today, Cory Booker (D) leads Steve Lonegan (R) in a new Rutgers-Eagleton poll, 64% to 29%.
* In New York City’s primaries, Bill de Blasio appeared to be the big winner in the Democratic mayoral primary, and he’ll likely face Republican Joseph Lhota. Also of interest, Eliot Spitzer came up short in his primary for New York City comptroller.
* In North Carolina, a new Public Policy Polling survey shows incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan (D) in surprisingly good shape, with the senator enjoying sizable leads over likely GOP rivals.
* The same poll shows Gov. Pat McCrory’s (R) approval rating dropping to a woeful 35%. (Of course, with sweeping voter-suppression measures in place, McCrory may hope he can limit voting to those inclined to like him when he seeks a second term.) * Republicans hope to defeat Sen. Mark Begich (D) in Alaska next year, but a “GOP civil war” between multiple primary opponents will likely strengthen Begich’s hand. * And in Wyoming, Sen. Mike Enzi’s (R) supporters have created a super PAC called “Wyoming’s Own.” The name is almost certainly a not-so-subtle shot at Enzi’s primary opponent, far-right media personality Liz Cheney, who moved to the state from the D.C. Beltway last year.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past." Recommended
