Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that won’t necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:
* In Virginia’s closely watched gubernatorial race, which is now just six weeks away, a new NBC News/Marist poll finds Terry McAuliffe (D) leading Ken Cuccinelli (R) by five points, 43% to 38%. A new Washington Post poll shows McAuliffe ahead by eight, 47% to 39%.
* The same Post poll also shows Democrats narrowly ahead in the race for lieutenant governor and state attorney general in Virginia. The party hasn’t won all of the top three statewide races in a quarter-century.
* In New Jersey’s U.S. Senate special election, a new Stockton Polling Institute poll shows Cory Booker (D) leading Steve Lonegan (R) by 26 points, though a new Quinnipiac poll shows a more competitive race, with Booker ahead by 12 points.
* It’s primary day in Alabama’s 1st congressional district, where GOP voters will likely choose former Rep. Jo Bonner’s (R) replacement.
* To the great relief of Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R), independent Eliot Cutler is kicking off another gubernatorial campaign. Cutler ran in 2010, split the mainstream vote, and allowed LePage to win with just 38% of the vote. Republicans hope Cutler boosts the far-right incumbent again in 2014.
* And in West Virginia, Public Policy Polling shows Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R) as the clear early favorite in the state’s open U.S. Senate race, leading Natalie Tennant (D) by 14, 50% to 36%.
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