Two days out from the main event, the 100-day recaps keep pouring in—but with torture and swine flu dominating the headlines, the actual campaign news is fairly quiet.
New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, one of the earliest big election, got a little more interesting as Republican Chris Christie—widely assumed to be the nominee despite an upcoming primary—put out an ad attacking a Republican opponent. A recent poll showed Christie leading Steve Lonegan by 9 points.
Politico runs a good candidate profile of North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan, a Democrat who faces reelection next year in a very red state. But he may benefit from his vocal opposition to some of the president’s policies.
Another potential factor in 2010: a new online rating system for congressmen. Depending on its popularity, it may make good fodder for political ads.
In Washington itself, things seem same as always. House Minority Whip Eric Cantor made recent overtures about returning to bipartisanship, but in a recent White House meeting sparred face-to-face with Obama about just who is the party of no.
Finally, as the Republicans continue to examine their identity, they may want to look at the increased importance of libertarianism. Nate Silver makes a very mathematical argument that the recent Tea Parties—which many Republicans are lauding as a grassroots success—grew from libertarian support.