Campaign Daily

Because hey, it's only 2 1/2 years until Decision '08!

-Montana Democrat Jon Tester jumps out to a 6-point lead on incumbent Republican Conrad Burns for the US Senate. Tester is an organic farmer and a proud progressive who's led the Montana Senate to some shocking victories for a supposed "red" state. He still has a primary hurdle but would be a great candidate for November.

-There are actually primaries today in Indiana, North Carolina, and Ohio. Already there are reports of lots of voting irregularities in the Buckeye State, where (get this) the Secretary of State who's tasked with handling elections, Ken Blackwell, is also on the ballot as a gubenatorial candidate. New voting machines aren't working, voters in urban counties are being turned away. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Swing State Ohio has a roundup.

-I don't think Rudy Giuliani is likely to get the nomination, but he was out on the stump yesterday in Iowa. Here's something sure to reach the base:

While Mr. Giuliani's advisers have been laying the groundwork for such a presidential bid, he has been coy about his intentions, committing himself only to helping Republicans keep control of Congress in November. But his trip to Iowa came very close to real politicking, as Mr. Giuliani ruminated about the presidency and argued that if Republicans are to be a majority party, they need to accept politicians, like Mr. Giuliani, who support for abortion rights, gay rights and gun control.

Good luck with that.

-TBogg reveals the Democrats' secret weapon in 2008: Jim Gilchrist!

Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, is considering a run for president in 2008 representing the Constitution Party.

Gilchrist told WND the only candidate he would support as the Republican Party presidential nominee in 2008 was Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.

"If John McCain enters the race for president," Gilchrist said. "I will definitely run. John McCain should have forfeited his right to run for president on the Republican Party the moment he put his name on immigration legislation with Sen. Ted Kennedy."

A third-party vote like this would have the impact of Nader by a factor of five. I can already see the Hispanic voter registration surges.

-This article about Chuck Schumer and Rahm Emanuel is encouraging if you knew nothing else about what they've done, like contributing to pushing Democrats out of primaries and forcing loser consultants on their handpicked winners. I wish that were the exception but it's all too prevalent. One thing is clear: no matter which Democrats win in November, you can be sure Rahm and Chuck will be in front of a microphone explaining how they engineered the campaign. They've been good fundraisers and good recruiters. Now let the candidates run their own campaigns, that's all I ask.