Sunday Quick Hits

New Mexico: The effort to draft Congressman Tom Udall into the 2008 Senate race gains earned media in The Washington Post. (Check out Draft Udall for yourself!)

Nebraska: The effort to draft Scott Kleeb into the 2008 Senate race gains earned media in the Lincoln Journal Star. (Check our Draft Scott Kleeb for yourself!)

Kentucky: Mitch McConnell's biggest (and possibly only) electoral strength in 2008 is the big pile of money he has to spend. And he's going to need it as his likely Democratic competitors start only about 10 points behind him. The Lexington Herald-Leader commissioned a poll finding that McConnell's positive-negative stood at a dangerous 47-46. Also, he doesn't break 46% against any Democratic opponent, leading state Attorney General Greg Stumbo by 9 points, 46-37, and leading attorney & Iraq War veteran Andrew Horne by 11 points, 45-34. Congressman Ben Chandler, who may likely enter the 2010 Senate race for Jim Bunning's seat, trails McConnell by only 5 in the poll, 46-41; and, state Auditor Crit Luallen, who is rumored to be considering a 2008 Senate bid, also starts off only 5 points behind McConnell, 45-40.

Any way you slice it, the poll indicates bad news for McConnell, especially if he has to whittle away some of his bankroll in a possible Republican primary. And for anybody that thinks McConnell's fundraising head start makes him too formidable, please note that in 2006, there were some very significant spending margins between losing Republican incumbents and winning Democratic challengers, including Conrad Burns nearly doubling Jon Tester's spending, Jim Talent more than doubling Claire McCaskill's spending, George Allen more than tripling Jim Webb's spending, and Rick Santorum outspending Bob Casey by over $10 million.