After a flood of political news in recent days, today is a comparably light day. With the general election field now set in New Jersey, the eyes of election geeks descend on Virginia. Let’s look at the headlines from this Wednesday on the horse-race beat.
GA-GOV: Roy Barnes Wants His Old Job Back
After weeks of speculation, Roy Barnes made it official today, announcing that he will run for the Democratic nomination for governor. Over at SSP, they look at who might be ushered out of the Democratic primary as a result.
MN-GOV: Names Floated For Governor, Including One You Won’t Believe
Now that Tim Pawlenty has made it official that he will not seek a third term as Minnesota’s governor, the silly season has begun. Names are being bandied about at a rapid pace, but two names are really perking up ears. One is Michele Bachmann (for what it is worth, one of her staffers gave a pretty noncommittal denial). The other...presuming he is done contesting the 2008 elections, of course...is none other than Norm Coleman. Coleman has been this way before; he ran second in the 1998 gubernatorial election that put Jesse Ventura into the statehouse.
MN-06: If Bachmann Stays, She May Have Company in the GOP Primary
Here is an interesting tidbit: Michele Bachmann may well have a contested Republican primary in her suburban House seat, if attorney Chris Johnston has his way. Johnston declared that the district needs a representative that "thinks before they speak."
NY-SEN: Gillibrand Comes To Daily Kos, and May Have A Primary Opponent
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who spent some time today chatting with folks here at Daily Kos, may have a slight political complication up ahead. Political Wire is reporting that Manhattan Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney is putting a team in place, and may announce her candidacy for the U.S. Senate by month’s end.
VA-SEN: Deeds on the Air in NoVa, Plus New Numbers
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds has taken to the air in vote-rich Northern Virginia, less than a week before the primary to decide who will face Republican Bob McDonnell in the Fall. Deeds got another good piece of polling news today: SurveyUSA shows that while Deeds is within striking distance of Terry McAuliffe overall, he actually has a lead when the universe is limited to those who are already certain of their vote. Deeds has, through the campaign, polled weakest in NoVa, so any additional support he might pick up there would be critical to his chances.