KS-Sen: Excellent news here, as a poll conducted by Research 2000 for Daily Kos shows Democrat Jim Slattery trailing incumbent Republican Pat Roberts by twelve points, 50% to 38%.

That may not seem impressive, but I'm very excited by those numbers. Kansas is one of the most Republican states in the country, and Slattery has been out of politics since 1994. For Roberts, a two-term incumbent, to be right at the 50% line is terrific news.

These numbers are pretty similar to Kay Hagan's when she entered her race against Elizabeth Dole, and that has already become one of the hottest races in the country. Kansas is not North Carolina, and winning here won't be easy in the slightest, but this is certainly a fine place to start.

NC-Sen: And speaking of North Carolina...Swing State Project has an Anzalone-Liszt poll from May showing Dole leading Hagan by just four points, 48% to 44%.

Dole has since kicked off a statewide ad campaign, which may have given her a slight bump. Still, there's little question that this is a highly competitive race, and should continue to be one.

VA-Sen: Ah, today's reliably hilarious GOP! Former Virginia Governor, presidential candidate, and current Senate candidate Jim Gilmore won the endorsement of his party for his no-hope Senate race by the skin of his teeth against a no-name state delegate. However, Gilmore is apparently unable to win the endorsement of the man whose seat he seeks, Senator John Warner.

Warner, 81, who announced last September he will retire when his fifth term ends in January, twice shunned inquiries about his stance in the race, directing reporters to a statement that his press office said is not forthcoming.

"I’m not going to keep answering this question about Gilmore," Warner said. "I’ll get my press office to send you a statement."

Rep. Tom Davis, the man who would have opposed Gilmore for the Republican nomination (and quite probably would have been a far better nominee for the GOP), is barely more enthusiastic about Jim Gilmore:

When asked Wednesday at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast whether he would endorse Gilmore, Davis deflected the question.

"I’m a Republican; I’m going to vote for Gilmore," he said.

When pressed whether he would endorse the nominee, he said: "What do you mean? Am I going to go up and put my arm around him and say, ‘Jim, you’ve always been my best friend’? "

After briefly walking away, he offered: "Jim needs to do outreach. Jim doesn’t talk to anybody.
"I’ll support the Republican."

Ah, Gilmore. What a charmer!

House Races
NY-13: The madness never ends in this race. The latest news: The son of GOP candidate Frank Powers, also named "Francis Powers", is going to run for the seat himself...as a Libertarian.

There will be two Francis Powerses on the ballot, father and son.

When asked about the timing of his entry into the race, Powers said, "Me being his son gives me a different platform than normal," a platform that Powers said he wouldn't have against another candidate.

"We can't have the Republicans take this seat again," he added. "A vote for my father is a vote for the straight Republican ticket."

Will this throw would-be Powers voters into a mass of confusion? Powers fils is unconcerned:

When asked about the head scratching that might cause voters, Powers said, "If people can't tell the difference between the Republican Party and the Libertarian Party, maybe they shouldn't be voting."

Ron Moore, chairman of the Manhattan Libertarian Party, told the Advance that Powers has "an extremely good" chance of securing the party endorsement for the race.

Powers the Elder will face a primary challenge as well, from Staten Island Dr. Jamshad Wyne.

There has been no better source of entertainment over the past month than NY-13, and the news refuses to stop getting more hilarious.

MN-02: Polling news brings our attention to yet another district which we hadn't thought would be in play, but may yet. Swing State Project reports that a poll conducted in Minnesota's Second District reveals that a generic Congressional ballot shows the Democratic and Republican candidates tied, 40% to 40%.

When actual names are used (those of Republican incumbent John Kline and his Democratic opponent, Steve Sarvi), the numbers surely drop, but get this: after voters hear a brief positive bio of Sarvi, he leads 49% to 37%.

I'm skeptical of "bio polls", because realizing those numbers is dependent on a candidate getting his/her name out there, and withstanding negative attacks from the opponent. Still, promising numbers from a district that had been flying low on the radar.

NY-26: An already crowded Democratic primary is even more crowded now. With Iraq War veteran Jon Powers, industrialist Jack Davis, and attorney Alice Kryzan already in the race, say hello County Legislator Kathy Konst.

I have no idea why this primary had to get any screwier than it already is, but such is life.

OH-07: The internal polls of Democrat Sharon Neuhardt show her trailing the favored candidate, Republican State Sen. Steve Austria, 41% to 35%.

The favored Democratic candidate in this race, Sheriff Gene Kelly, dropped out because he believed no Democrat could beat Steve Austria in this R+6 district.

However, Democrats have a generic ballot advantage of 46% to 33%, and Neuhardt is clearly competitive despite very limited name recognition.

Add OH-07 to the list of races to watch.

Link: Ohio Daily Blog.