Polling and Political Wrap-Up, 7/03/09 0
I was busy most of the day, but I heard that something might have happened with regard to the 2010 elections. Some sort of a candidate announcement. Might have been a governors race? Perhaps someone here can fill me in….
MN-Gov: Apparently, Norm Coleman IS Serious About This
Norm Coleman is obviously trying to resemble one of those sandy-bottomed childrens toys that you keep knocking over, only to see it rise again to your endless amusement/frustration. According to this article, a Coleman advisor is saying that he is actively discussing a 2010 gubernatorial bid with Republican activists. This comes, of course, less than 72 hours after he finally conceded the 2008 Senate race, in which he was defeated by Democrat Al Franken.
OH-Gov: Poll Confirms Softening of Strickland’s Position
A new poll from Quinnipiac shows that the state’s financial dire straits have had a political effect on the state’s first-term Democratic governor, Ted Strickland. Once considered in a strong position for re-election, Strickland now leads his potential GOP rivals by single digits. Strickland holds a one-point edge over former Senator Mike DeWine (41-40) and a five-point edge over former Congressman John Kasich (43-38). In early May, Quinnipiac had Strickland leading both GOP candidates by double-digit margins.
NATIONAL: The Dire Straits of Republican Governors
As Sarah Palin jogs off into the sunset (for now), Kyle Munzenreider of the Miami New Times has a pretty solid read on a topic that will probably unleash a little healthy weekend schaudenfreude in these parts: the shockingly swift descent of the Republican governors, once considered to be the bedrock upon which the GOP resurrection would be built. The gallery of GOP gubernatorial drama alone is worth the visit.
IL-Sen/IL-Gov: Could Kirk’s Statewide Plans Get Scuttled By Right-Wing?
Mark Kirk has taken most of his abuse lately from the political left, in particular for his somewhat dangerous attempt to give Barack Obama and the Democrats a swift kick in the knees by telling China that America’s government could not be trusted. Now, he is taking on water on the starboard side. Yep, the right-wing in his state is less than thrilled that he was one of eight Republicans to support the President on last week’s very tight Clean Energy vote.
NV-Sen: Heller Looking Less Likely As A Senate Challenger in 2010
Barely a week after John Cornyn insisted that a Republican challenger to Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid was forthcoming, the main target of the NRSC’s recruitment efforts seems to be intent on staying put. Dean Heller, who has served northern Nevada in Congress since 2006, has not made up his mind definitively, but the signs are pointing towards him not running for statewide office in 2010. This is doubly good news for Democrats, since not only does this mean that he is unlikely to challenge Reid, but it also means that he is unlikely to challenge incredibly vulnerable GOP Governor Jim Gibbons. Top Republicans seem resigned to a Heller non-candidacy: John Thune, now in the Senate leadership, simply said of Heller, “I think he likes the job he has.”
subscribe to comments RSS
Comments are closed