While John Ensign looks for his checkbook, and Tom Coburn gives relocation advice, the political and polling axis continues to turn.
MN-Gov: Coleman Bruised Badly By Electoral Contest, Says New Poll
So, all that talk about the inevitability of a Coleman gubernatorial bid might have taken a little bit of a hit. PPP polls Minnesota, and finds that Coleman's favorables are a painful 38/52, and that he would lose to either former Senator Mark Dayton (41-39) or Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak (45-39). Here's an "ouch" for the Coleman-loving Wall Street Journal to ponder: 54% of those polled said that Coleman's conduct during the post-election phase had made them LESS likely to vote for him.
The Money Chase: Lots of New Figures, And Several Impressive Ones
As we have seen throughout the week, a lot of candidates for office in 2010 are posting their second-quarter fundraising totals now. Most impressive, without question, was the haul for the establishment candidate in the Florida Senate race. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist Florida Governor raised an eye-popping $4.3 million for the quarter. Crist outraised Republican insurgent candidate Marco Rubio by a 14-to-1 margin. Meanwhile, the Democrats have a reason to smile as well, as one of their rookie challengers, Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet, banked over $200,000 for the quarter. In the race for Texas Governor Rick Perry announced a huge haul: $4.2 million in nine days. He starts the campaign against Republican primary opponent (and US Senator) Kay Bailey Hutchison with about $9 million on hand.
TX-Gov: Perry Has Double Digit Lead in GOP Primary, Says UT
A new poll out today from the University of Texas gives Governor Rick Perry a twelve-point edge (38-26) over Kay Bailey Hutchison in the GOP primary for Governor. While this poll confirms others with a Perry lead, I remain a bit mystified that so many folks would be undecided in a race with two major players in the party.
NJ-Gov: Christie Loses Ground, But Maintains Lead, According to Rasmussen
In this year's New Jersey gubernatorial campaign, Rasmussen gives Republican nominee Chris Christie a seven-point edge (46-39) over Democratic Governor Jon Corzine. While this is still a significant edge for the challenger, it is roughly half of the advantage he enjoyed in the afterglow of his primary win. A June Ras poll gave Christie a twelve-point advantage (51-39). Rasmussen notes that 42% of voters are either truly undecided or are still persuadable, which is excellent news for the incumbent, who needs to claw back from a deficit he has been burdened with throughout.
Incidentally, Corzine's troubles, as well as sagging poll numbers for many incumbent Democratic governors, will be the topic of my essay this Sunday during Sunday Kos.
NY-State Senate: Espada Returning To Dems?
Well, this is an amusing development: it is now being reported that apostate Democrat Pedro Espada is planning to return to the Democratic fold in the State Senate, thus breaking the 31-31 deadlock and returning the Democratic Party to the majority they held until Espada and his co-conspirator Hiram Montserrate decided to start this whole mess a month and a day ago. In the strangest part of the saga, Malcolm Smith, whose role as Senate leader was allegedly the crux of the dispute, will be reinstated as Majority Leader. Anyone with good theories on what the holy heck happened here--please share.