Monday Must-Reads: Strategies

After a quiet weekend, we look ahead for some potential strategies in upcoming races:

First up—just a few weeks away, in fact—is the special election in NY-20. Stuart Rothenberg considers the longer-term implications about the national parties’ involvement with this race. The DCCC, for their part, air a new ad. Arlen Specter, facing new pressure thanks to his primary battle with Rep. Pat Toomey, may have to decide soon to run as an independent, an strategy that is earning mixed reviews for its effectiveness. Newt Gingrich’s potential 2012 campaign gets a rundown on a Post blog. (Newt recently became the latest to take on Rush’s anti-Obama statements.) Minnesota is still waiting on a senator, but the state supreme court said Friday that they do not have the authority to force Gov. Tim Pawlenty to seat Franken.And as Republicans try and sort out what sort of coalition to build, one writer suggests they may be able to appeal to rural and suburban voters who may be put out by the urbanity of Obama’s associates.