Now that Governor Sanford’s whereabouts have been verified, we can turn our collective eyes onto the less intriguing, but still interesting and important, developments on the Electoral Path on this Monday:
CA-GOV—Los Angeles Mayor Demurs From 2010 Gubernatorial Bid
This afternoon, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa declared that he will NOT be a candidate for governor of California in 2010. This makes it, for the time being, essentially a two-man race between San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General (and former Governor) Jerry Brown. It is difficult to say who today’s decision benefits the most. Since neither Newsom nor Brown is from southern California, there is no natural geographic advantage to be had from Villaraigosa’s decision to stand aside. Ron Gunzberger’s Politics1 website suggests three possible Democrats still contemplating matters: Orange County congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, former state Controller Steve Westly, and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, who hails from the Santa Barbara area.
IL-GOV—Another GOP State Senator Running For Governor in Illinois
Another statehouse Republican is contemplating throwing his hat in the ring for the 2010 Governors race. Matt Murphy may join a pair of other state senators (Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard), in the race. The Democratic field is still very much in the air, with incumbent governor Pat Quinn and attorney general Lisa Madigan remaining question marks, to varying extents.
NE-02—Democrat Inches Closer to Race Against Lee Terry
Kossack Skylewalker follows up on a story we saw last week. Apparently, this weekend, state Senator Tom White, a top candidate for the Democrats to go after multi-term Congressman Lee Terry in the Omaha based 2nd district, let it be known that he is seriously considering jumping in to the contest. This would move this race to top-tier status in a hurry.
NV-SEN—Cashell Endorsing Reid? Not So Much, Says Cashell
A few weeks back, we reported that about five dozen Republicans, including Reno Mayor Bob Cashell, had endorsed Harry Reid’s re-election campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2010. Now, Cashell is saying that the release was in error, and that he has NOT endorsed Reid after all. Apparently, there are multiple layers of intrigue here. First of all, Cashell said that he had hosted a fundraiser for Reid, but that should not be construed as an endorsement. Which does lead one to wonder how many people host fundraisers for people that they DON’T want to see elected. Second of all, rumors have mounted over the last few weeks that Cashell might be thinking about getting after uber-unpopular Republican Governor Jim Gibbons in a GOP primary. This might also explain Cashell’s decision on two fronts. Can’t run in a GOP primary and be a guy that endorses Democrats, can you? Especially when the possible Democratic nominee that you will face (and, yes, he is looking at the race) is....Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid. That would be Reid, as in the son of Harry Reid.
NV-SEN—Ensign Poll Numbers Drop Like Rock
Speaking of matters in the Nevada delegation to the U.S. Senate, a new Mason Dixon poll shows a marked drop in the favorability numbers for Nevada Senator John Ensign. Ensign scores a 39/37 approval spread, which is a pretty considerable drop over his previous numbers. What might be more depressing, he STILL LEADS both Democratic Senator Harry Reid (34%) and Republican Governor Jim Gibbons (10%). Wow...10% favorability. Might explain Cashell’s about-face on the Reid endorsement, no?
OH-GOV—Strickland Barely Leads Kasich, According to PPP
This poll should make some folks nervous: incumbent Democratic Governor Ted Strickland has seen a twelve-point hit in his favorability ratings, and is down to just a two-point edge (44-42) over former Congressman and Fox News host John Kasich. Now, it is worth noting, as PPP very responsibly does, that their numbers have been a bit less bullish on Strickland than other pollsters. That said, both major pollsters looking at this race have seen a marked drop in Strickland’s numbers in the past few months. That, it would seem, is justifiable cause to keep one eye on the race.
TX-GOV—Schieffer To Make The Announcement That He Is In
Not a huge shocker, but it looks like Tom Schieffer, the former GM of the Texas Rangers and a fairly well known F.O.W. (Friend of W), will seek the Democratic nomination to be Governor of Texas. Schieffer, the brother of CBS Newsman and "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer, has the fundraising chops to be formidable, but the close relationship to the 43rd president that will no doubt rankle many Texas Dems. Other Democrats looking at the contest include Kinky Friedman, the colorful 2006 Independent candidate who appears set to run this time as a Democrat. State senator Leticia van de Putte is also said to be contemplating a bid. On the GOP side, it appears to be a two-person race developing between Governor Rick Perry and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.
WI-GOV—WSJ Columnist Thinks Doyle Will Run, And Will Win
Here is an interesting tidbit, coming on the heels of the DailyKos/Research 2000 poll we conducted a few weeks back. Wisconsin State Journal columnist Scott Milfred seems pretty assured that Doyle will run for a third term. What’s more, he seems pretty bullish on the chances for the incumbent, despite flagging favorabilities in our poll, and lousy trial heat numbers in the survey conducted by PPP.