Discover GOP Opprobrium

[teapeebubbles]

Today's installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn't generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers.

* With less than a week until Pennsylvania's Senate Democratic primary, a new Quinnipiac poll shows Sen. Arlen Specter's lead over Rep. Joe Sestak shrinking to two points, 44% to 42%. Last month, Quinnipiac showed Specter leading by 21.

* Would Sen. Bob Bennett (R), defeated at Utah's Republican Party convention over the weekend, seek -election as a write-in candidate? He hasn't ruled it out.

* Republicans launched an effort last week to mock Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, this year's Democratic nominee for Senate, for footage of him shirtless. Yesterday, Ohio Democrats presented a rebuttal -- Republican Rob Portman is responsible, they said, for literally taking the shirts off workers' backs.

* Next week's special election in Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district is drawing quite a bit of attention, and the latest Susquehanna Polling & Research survey shows Mark Critz (D) leading Tim Burns (R), 44% to 38%.

* In Massachusetts, where Gov. Deval Patrick (D) is facing a tough race for a second term, Rasmussen shows the incumbent leading the three-way pack. Patrick enjoys 45% support in the poll, followed by Charlie Baker (R) with 31%, and Tim Cahill (I) third at 14%.

* New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (D) hasn't formally announced his gubernatorial campaign, but the latest Marist poll nevertheless shows him crushing his GOP challengers by about 40 points each.

* Looks like the Republican National Convention will be held in Tampa in 2012.

* And Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) controversial new ad on immigration has a new problem: the sheriff shown patrolling the border doesn't actually represent a county on the border.