Each new poll about the political fortunes of New York Gov. David Paterson and the headline on the latest Marist Poll is no exception: "Paterson's Approval Rating Still in the Tank."

Only 21 percent of voters believe he is doing an excellent or good job (the "excellents" number 3 percent) while 39 percent rate his performance as fair and 37 percent as poor. Fellow Democrats don't give him a rousing endorsement either, with 28 percent regarding his performance as excellent or good (only 4 percent say excellent).

Mark Sanford after meeting with his Cabinet last Friday. (Getty)

"There is virtually no difference between Republicans and Democrats on this matter," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Fifty-one percent of Democrats and 54 percent of Republicans want Sanford to step down."

Since the initial revelation, Sanford has said that he "crossed lines" with a handful of women other than his Argentinean mistress but didn't have sex with them.

Don Young

Young, the state's only House member, has filed to run for re-election in 2010.

"Maybe this will put to rest some of those people that are ambitious and want to run for this seat, understanding I'm there and the people will decide whether I stay or not," Young told the Anchorage Daily News.

Local news reports quote the congressman saying he announced early in the hope of deterring would-be challengers.

Americans oppose the climate change bill that just passed the House - or, at least what they know of it - by 41 percent to 37 percent with 22 percent not sure, and a plurality believe it will hurt the economy, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted June 28-29.

That concern about the economic impact is clearly something the Republicans are already zeroing in on as an issue they believe will work for them. The National Republican Congressional Committee sent out a fundraising pitch today pointing to a study by the conservative Heritage Foundation saying the legislation would cost the average family nearly $3,000 per household per year.

Deval Patrick (Getty)

Christy Mihos who ran against Patrick as an independent in 2006 and garnered only 7 percent of the vote, polls 41 percent to Patrick's 40 percent with 10 percent preferring some other candidate and 9 percent undecided. Mihos has hired veteran political consultant Dick Morris for his campaign, this time as a Republican.

Both enjoy strong support from their respective parties, but they pretty much split unaffiliated voters with Hodes getting 33 percent, Sunun 30 percent and 37 percent undecided. Hodes has an 11 point lead among women, while men are evenly divided.

To see how the 2010 Senate races are shaping up, check out the CQ Politics' election map.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie remains unfamiliar to some voters in New Jersey, but they still prefer Christie over Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in this year's race, according to a new survey from Public Policy Polling,.

Arlen Specter has won the backing of Joe Torsella, who until recently had been vying with Specter for the Democratic Senate nomination.

Torsella, the former deputy mayor of Philadelphia who later headed the city's National Constitution Center, and Specter have some personal history. Specter once hired Torsella's wife to be a counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee when Specter was the panel's chairman.

Cheryle Jackson

Jackson told Crain's Chicago Business that she is forming an "exploratory" committee, which is usually a precursor to a full-fledged run.

She said she had "received an enormous amount of feedback, positive feedback."

John Hoeven

Hoeven, though, has been reticent about the possibility of a Senate bid, so even a hint that he is thinking about opposing Dorgan is bound to get attention. That happened Monday, when, according to the Associated Press, Hoeven said he might make a decision by Labor Day about whether to run for the Senate.

"I don't have any specific timeline, but that's probably a reasonable range," Hoeven told the AP while discussing the state Republican Party's efforts to recruit a challenger to Dorgan.

But when CQ Politics inquired about the remark later in the day, Hoeven's office suggested we don't read too much into it.

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist's high statewide name recognition is paying off, with Crist holding strong leads in both the primary and general elections at this early stage in the race, according to a Mason-Dixon Polling & Research survey conducted June 24-26.

Bill Johnson

Johnson is a former Birmingham city councilman and was director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs until Friday, when he stepped down to prepare his bid for governor .

He is the sixth Republican candidate overall, the fourth state official and the second Riley appointee to enter the race.

Bradley Byrne, a former state senator, was chancellor of the state's two-year college system before he resigned in May to run. His candidacy announcement came between those of state Rep. Robert Bentley and state Treasurer Kay Ivey, both elected officials. The current field is rounded out by Greenville businessman Tim James, a son of former Gov. Fob James, and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who now heads a religious conservative advocacy group.

It's a recess week for Congress, and one day before a key campaign fundraising deadline. So members of Congress and the candidates seeking their seats are engaging in some last-minute money-seeking before this year's second quarter expires at midnight tomorrow.

Without fail, these solicitations note the importance that the press and political analysts ascribe to the second-quarter campaign finance reports, which candidates have to file by July 15. The fundraising implorations often are couched in apocalyptic and urgent tones, warning of the political consequences of the opposition winning the upcoming election.

Here are some excerpts from some fundraising solicitations I've seen over the past few hours. Feel free to use the comments section to let us know about any you've received or seen.

Peter Schiff

"Peter is a non-traditional candidate," said Andrew Schiff of his brother, an outspoken libertarian who has gained attention for correctly predicting the collapse of the mortgage industry despite mockery from other industry analysis. "We're attracting a lot of very fervent believers.The question is whether or not this will all resonate with the voters of Connecticut."

Indeed, Schiff was not considering a Senate run against five-term Sen. Christopher J. Dodd until he became the subject of an aggressive drafting campaign this past winter.

John Sununu (Getty)

And the elder Sununu, a former governor, added that he expects the GOP field to clear for his progeny.

"I will use my warmth and my charm to make sure that if it is a primary, there is a constructive primary or if a primary can be avoided, I will do that," Sununu said. When asked if he would prefer to avoid a primary between his son and Republican state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, he responded: "I think if my son runs, there will not be a primary."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi along with Reps. James Clyburn and Steny Hoyer (r.) after the House vote yesterday. (l.) and (Getty)

A lot of these members will face competitive races in 2010, and no doubt they will be brandishing this against-the-grain vote as evidence of their political independence.

Here's a catalog of the 44 Democratic "no" and eight Republican "yes" voters, broken down by how their districts voted for president. The bill passed 219-212.

Former state Sen. Cal Cunningham is taking a serious look at the North Carolina Senate race, but he remains mum on his time line for making a decision.

Cunningham told CQ Politics Friday only that he will make "a timely decision," about whether he will challenge first-term Republican Sen. Richard Burr, reiterating a statement he sent around earlier this week to supporters. The letter, posted on the "Cal Cunningham for U.S. Senate 2010!" Facebook page, said he's been meeting with a range of people to talk about a potential bid, "from folks going about their daily lives, to interested individuals and party groups, the best state and national consultants, current and former office holders and many close friends," and plans to continue holding such conversations.

Cunningham, an attorney who served as senior trial counsel and military prosecutor in Iraq, wrote that before he makes a decision, he wants "to make sure I can look you in the eye, show you a path for victory and tell you where I stand on the issues that really matter in the lives of our citizens."

Nikki Haley

In doing so, Haley, a state representative, not only backed up Sanford, whom she has aligned herself with based on their shared fiscal conservatism, but also took a swipe at potential 2010 primary rival, Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, who would ascend to the governor's mansion if Sanford steps down.

"I have major concerns about ... the direction our government could take under the Lieutenant Governor should Governor Sanford resign," Haley said in a statement. "As elected officials our actions must be in the best interests of the state - not in the interests of settling long-held political scores - and it is my sincere belief that South Carolina cannot afford to go back to the good-ole-boy system that so badly serves the taxpayers and undermines our government."

David Vitter (Getty)

Vitter on Friday sent out a fundraising e-mail that says Melancon, a Democrat, was talked into running for the Senate by "President Obama and congressional liberals." The senator also criticized Melancon's political views, including his votes in favor of the economic stimulus law and a budget blueprint for the next fiscal year.

Vitter invoked the possibility of a 60-seat Democratic majority that in theory would allow the party to break Republican filibusters. Democrats operationally control 59 Senate seats and are targeting the seat that Vitter won in 2004.

It's not surprising that Democrats and Republicans differ sharply on what they consider to be the top economic concerns, but now Gallup, in a poll conducted June 23-24, has put some numbers to those issues that define where the divide is.

State Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith confirmed Friday that, as expected, she is joining the crowded 2010 race for governor of Michigan. She previously staged a short-lived bid for the same office in 2002.

Smith, whose state House district includes the eastern Michigan city of Ypsilanti, is the third Democrat to enter the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm. She joins Lt. Gov. John Cherry and George Perles, a former head football coach at Michigan State University and now an elected trustee of that school who has publicly stated he plans to run.

Cherry is considered the early favorite for the Democratic nomination, having served alongside Granholm for both her two terms.

Abortion right's group and fundraising powerhouse EMILY's List rolled out its first 2010 governor's endorsements Friday, giving its stamp of approval to Democrats Alex Sink in Florida and Diane Denish in New Mexico. If elected, both would become the first female governors of their respective states.

Denish has served as New Mexico's lieutenant governor during two terms under Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson and was previously the chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. She is the early favorite to succeed Richardson, who is term-limited, in 2010, though she is likely to face a contested primary and general election to get there. State Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez is exploring a Democratic bid and a handful of Republicans -- Albuquerque financial adviser and Army National Guard brigadier general Greg Zanetti, former state Republican chairman and Albuquerque businessman Allen Weh, State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones and former Congress members Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson are all declared or considering run. CQ rates the race Democrat Favored.

If Democrats can recruit their top potential challengers for Oregon's 2010 open seat governor's race, the party begins the race at an advantage, according to results from a new poll.

Steve Pearce

But the GOP will have to wait a bit longer than Pearce initially indicated. After earlier saying he would reveal a decision by the end of June, Pearce told CQ Politics Friday that he is still weighing his 2010 plans and will withhold his announcement until sometime between July 20 and July 27.

Pearce in 2008 edged then-Rep. Heather A. Wilson for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat opened up by the retirement of six-term GOP incumbent Pete V. Domenici. But Democrat Tom Udall, then the state's other U.S. House member, trounced Pearce in the general election by 61 percent to 39 percent.

Scott Harper

Harper, a Democrat, said Friday that he would again run in Illinois' 13th District, a collection of suburbs southwest of Chicago that Biggert has represented since 1999. Biggert won their 2008 contest by a margin of 54 percent to 44 percent.

"I am looking forward to traveling around the district to build on the grassroots support I received last year by showing voters I am this person and discussing my ideas for getting our economy back on track, and building a better future for our families, children, and communities in the 13th District," Harper said.

Despite revelations Wednesday about South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's infidelity and use of a taxpayer-funded trip to visit his mistress in Argentina, a majority of the state's voters think Sanford is "about as ethical" as most politicians.

Just 18 percent said Sanford was less ethical, according to a poll conducted June 25 by Rasmussen Reports. South Carolina voters apparently do not have high expectations for their elected officials: a third agreed that most members of Congress and governors have extramarital affairs, 42 percent were unsure and just a quarter disagreed.

Rasmussen found a lower number of voters - 46 percent -- saying Sanford should resign than other recent polls. Sixty percent of respondents to a Survey USA poll conducted June 24 believed the governor should step down. In the Rasmussen poll, 39 percent opposed Sanford's resignation and 16 percent were unsure.

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd has made strides in consolidating support among Connecticut Democrats, but it seems he still has work to do after the Kent Democratic Town Committee passed a no-confidence resolution against Dodd earlier this week.

Town committee chairman Todd Jones told the Lichtfield County Times that at Dodd's appearance before the committee last month had been a disapointment. "Some committee members felt [Mr.] Dodd did not answer their questions at all. Only three or so questions were answered and people felt their concerns were not addressed."

We take a bow, as always, to Nate Silver's analysis of polls on his FiveThiryEight.Com site where, digesting two polls about South Carolinians who wanted Gov. Mark Sanford to resign after his admission of an extramarital affair, contrasted them to polls on other "pantsless pols" who had admitted similar indiscretions.

His conclusion: Sanford faces more pressure to resign than many of the others, except for former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer. But those who want Sanford to step down outnumbered those who wanted to wave good-bye to former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey, former President Bill Clinton, Nevada Sen. John Ensign and Louisiana Sen. David Vitter.

Here's the nifty chart that Nate constructed based on polling of other prominent politicians who have strayed from the path:

When Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter switched parties two months ago, he said he would issue contribution refunds "upon request."

The Club is asking the Federal Election Commission (FEC) if it can send a letter or make a telephone call to Specter's donors informing them that they can ask his campaign for a contribution refund.

Willie Herenton

"I look forward to the opportunity to take my local government experiences of dealing with tough urban challenges to the halls of Congress to benefit this great city, which I have served tirelessly for my entire career," Herenton said while reading his resignation letter aloud during a press conference at City Hall.

Herenton has headed Tennessee's most populous city since 1991, and his upcoming battle with the incumbent congressman is sure to attract national attention.

North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr remains an unknown quantity to a large chunk of state voters, despite five years in office, according to an Insider Advantage/Majority Opinion Research poll conducted June 22.

Public Policy Polling also has found Burr with low popularity ratings in North Carolina and a similar percent of voters with no opinion of Burr - it's latest poll registered the Republican's approval rating at 35 percent with 31 percent undecided.

A CNN/Essence Magazine, Opinion Research poll conducted last month found significant differences in the way blacks and whites view issues such as racial discrimination and the presidency of Barack Obama.

Fifty-five percent of black Americans say racial discrimination remains a serious problem, about the same level as it was in 2000. Another 28 percent of blacks see racial discrimination as "somewhat serious." Whites have a significantly different perspective with 17 percent believing discrimination continued to be a very serious problem and 39 percent saying it was somewhat serious.

Rick Lazio (Getty)

On Thursday, Lazio issued a statement on the political stand-off in the state Senate, in which he joined with former New York City Mayor and potential 2010 GOP gubernatorial rival Rudy Giuiliani, who had called for a state constitutional convention to re-structure the legislature in a widely-read New York Times op-ed published Wednesday.

Mark Sanford at yesterday's press conference. (Getty)

Sixty percent of South Carolina respondents to a Survey USA poll conducted Wednesday said Sanford should resign his office in the wake of his disclosure of his relationship with a woman in Argentina. Just more than a third -- 34 percent -- said he shouldn't resign.

The poll was conducted in conjunction with television station WCSC in Charleston.

Most of the respondents also expressed anger over the two-term Republican governor's week-long disappearance that preceded his confessional news conference. Sanford did not notify the public of his absence or his staff of his whereabouts. This prompted his staff to tell reporters he was hiking the Appalachian Trail, when he was, in fact, in Argentina.

It remains to be seen how South Carolinians judge Gov. Mark Sanford after his admission, but Gallup's last Values and Beliefs update, conducted last month put affairs between married men and woman at the top of the "morally wrong" list.

Ninety-two percent of those surveyed condemned such affairs as morally wrong, a number that has been pretty consistent since 2001. That topped polygamy (91 percent), cloning humans (88 percent), and suicide (80 percent).

Just three in 10 Pennsylvanians think that Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter has done a good enough job to deserve re-election, according to a a Franklin and Marshall College Poll conducted June 16-21.

The poll suggested that a likely 2010 primary between Specter and Rep. Joe Sestak will be highly competitive. Specter leads Sestak by 33 percent to 13 percent, though a large plurality of respondents (48 percent) are undecided.

Terri Lynn Land

The unexpected move by Land -- who was widely assumed to be a candidate in the open-seat race -- came with another surprise, as she endorsed one of the declared Republican contenders: Michael J. Bouchard, the sheriff of populous Oakland County in suburban Detroit and a former state senator, who was the GOP's unsuccessful challenger to Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2006.

Bouchard on June 3 officially launched his campaign for the 2010 contest to choose the successor to two-term Democratic incumbent Jennifer M. Granholm, who is barred from running again under Michigan's term-limit law.

In a poll of the governor's race, Republican state Attorney General Bill McCollum leads Democrat state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink 42 percent to 34 percent among 500 likely voters surveyed June 22. An additional 18 percent of voters were undecided and 7 percent indicated a preference for "some other candidate." The margin of error was 4.5 points.

Jeff Miller: Race has "tremendous implications" for conservatism.

"This race has tremendous implications for the future of Florida and the very foundation of conservatism in America," Miller said in a statement.

"Marco Rubio possesses an impressive combination of idea-driven, principled leadership and the ability to communicate conservative values in ways that resonate at the kitchen table."

Miller became the second member of Congress to openly endorse Rubio, a former state House speaker, over the party establishment's favored candidate in the race: Republican Gov. Charlie Crist.

If Delaware Republican Rep. Michael N. Castle runs for anything in 2010, it will be as a Republican.

Seems like a few people wondered if Castle, who is a dominant force in Delaware elections even as his state has trended Democratic, might be open to switching parties after he said in a speech Monday that "they've asked me to run for the Senate as a Republican. I don't know if I'm going to do that."

Asked about his comments on Wednesday, following a Capitol Hill news conference at which he promoted a bill to enact bipartisan commissions to redraw congressional district lines, Castle said he has no plans to switch parties and that he might have been a bit "inarticulate" in his Monday speech.

Voters disapprove of Corzine's job performance by a 54 percent to 34 percent margin with 12 percent undecided and say the state is heading in the wrong direction by 59 percent to 28 percent.

To follow the 2009 and 2010 governors' races, check out CQ Politics' election map.

Pennsylvania Republican Elaine Surma, who has a background in law enforcement, is weighing a 2010 campaign against first-term Democratic Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper in the state's Erie-area 3rd District.

Surma, who is a senior agent with the state Attorney General's office, recently filed a statement of candidacy and a statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission.

Surma described her campaign as an "exploratory" effort and says she'll decide sometime this fall whether to wage a full-fledged bid against Dahlkemper, who unseated Republican Rep. Phil English in the 2008 election.

The number of Americans who cite economic problems as the most important challenges facing the country has dropped by 21 points since February but still remains at the top of the list, according to a Gallup poll conducted June 14-17.

Responding to an open-ended question, 65 percent said the economy was the top problem compared to 86 percent in February. The economy in general was the top concern for 41 percent while 14 percent said it was unemployment and jobs. All other items were in single digits.

Other issues mentioned by respondents didn't show much change. Fourteen percent cited poor health care, hospitals and the high cost of health care, which was an increase of April and May, but only slightly higher than the 12 percent recorded in March. Seven percent pointed to the situation with Iraq and 6 percent expressed dissatisfaction with government and politicians.

Of the registered Democrats who responded to the poll, 44 percent called themselves undecided.

Labor activist Jonathan Tasini was barely on the boards, as the favorite of 4 percent of respondants.

John Callahan

The Democrats already have announced candidates in five of those districts. The exception is Pennsylvania's 15th, a district in the Lehigh Valley that is represented by three-term Republican Charlie Dent and where Democrats have struggled to get a top-flight candidate.

But Democrats are hoping to land Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, who seems to be warming to the idea of running for Congress. The Morning Call newspaper in Allentown reported Wednesday that Callahan has "approached party leaders in Pennsylvania in recent weeks to broach the idea" of running against Dent.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney tops Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Republican party chairman Michael Steele when it comes to favorability ratings with the overall public, but among Republicans Palin far outpaces the pack, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted June 10-14.

Romney's favorable-to-unfavorable ratio among the general public is 40 percent to 28 percent with 12 percent undecided with 32 percent undecided. Palin's is 45 percent to 42 percent with 12 percent undecided. Gingrich is in negative territory with 38 percent unfavorable to 35 percent favorable and 26 percent undecided, and Steele's numbers don't count for much since 63 percent have no opinion of him.

At the same time, a clear majority - 58 percent to 39 percent - say action by government is necessary to control costs and extend coverage. Americans are dissatisfied with the overall health system by 57 percent to 43 percent. President Obama's proposal to create a public plan to compete with private insurers is supported by 62 percent to 33 percent, although 41 percent would want that plan to be run by an independent organization compared to 21 percent who favor it being a government agency.

This is a picture that Norman Rockwell could have painted: an America with high confidence in the American military, in the police, in the church, in the presidency, and in small business.

In a new Gallup poll, the military drew an 82 percent confidence rating, similar to previous spikes in public approval during the 1991 Gulf War and the early stages of the war in Iraq. Confidence in small business ranked high with 67 percent of the people polled, followed by the police at 59 percent and organized religion at 52 percent. The presidency, which was at a low ebb of approval at the end of the Bush administration, evoked confidence among 51 percent of the people responding to the poll.

"Public confidence in the presidency has risen by 25 points over the past year, exceeding the 11-point increase in confidence in the military," Gallup said in explaining its findings. "The percentage of Americans saying they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the presidency has in fact doubled since June 2008, from 26 percent to 51 percent."

The Democratic Governors Association in a fundraising e-mail Tuesday highlighted Florida, Alaska, Georgia and Minnesota as 2010 takeover opportunities.

"We know we can take back the governor's mansion in every one of these states. But these are historically Republican seats, and in this crucial election, we won't win them without a fight," DGA National Political Director Ray Glendening wrote in the fundraising pitch.

Three of the races are open seat contests and in the fourth, Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin has yet to confirm her intention to seek re-election.

Leticia Van de Putte

Van de Putte, who represents the San Antonio region, said in a statement that she did not want to run for governor because she did not want her family to endure what Van de Putte described as the Republicans' "scorched earth 'say anything to win' vicious attacks against political opponents."

Former Arkansas Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee added his name Tuesday to the growing list of conservatives backing Marco Rubio, who is running for Florida's open U.S. Senate seat.

"I've never seen a more energetic, articulate, principled conservative as Marco Rubio," Huckabee said. "There's no one I've seen on the Republican scene in a long time that is more committed to standing very, very firm on the things that matter to most of us like holding down spending, keeping taxes low and not believing that the government handouts is the way to build the economy."

George Pataki: Phantom candidate? (Getty)

Albany's WNYT station reported on Monday that Pataki, is "mulling over requests by Republicans to run against" Gillibrand. The station referred to an AP story from over the weekend that noted the former governor, who served three terms between 1995 and 2006, had been approached by Republicans about running. Indeed, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has been open about wanting Pataki to run, first meeting with him back in February, but Pataki, himself, has not made any moves to mount a campaign.

And several Republican and New York-based sources CQ has spoken to believe it is unlikely that Pataki will, in the end, decide to challenge the incumbent, who was appointed in January to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton.

To her supporters, Gillibrand's campaign insists that meeting its goal of raising $100,000 before the quarterly reporting deadline on June 30 "is essential to keep Gov. Pataki out of the race." But it may well take a lot less to keep Pataki from running.

Michael Castle (Getty)

The veteran congressman seems to be still weighing all three options, judging from some comments he made Monday to a group in financial planners in Philadelphia (not far from Castle's Wilmington hometown).

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Joseph N. DiStefano, Castle said, "My wife talks about beaches in Florida. I don't know if I want to run for the House again, let alone for the four years of Biden's term."

Dan Proft

Proft on Tuesday announced his campaign for the Illinois governorship, augmenting a crowded Republican field that is vying for the office currently held by Democrat Pat Quinn and formerly held by disgraced Democrat Rod R. Blagojevich.

"I am running for governor so that others like me, who might have lost faith in their party and their state, know that a choice exists and know that their fight has been joined," Proft said in a campaign speech that was posted to his campaign Web site.

Brunner, the Secretary of State, leads Portman 40 percent to 32 percent with 29 percent undecided, and Fisher, the lieutenant governor, leads 41 percent to 32 percent with 27 percent undecided. Portman was a six-term congressman who left the House to take posts in the Bush administration.

Brian Lasher

Lasher, an Erie social studies teacher, had been the only announced Republican candidate.

Lasher had organized a campaign committee with the Federal Election Commission in April. But Lasher's campaign manager told his Facebook supporters Sunday night that Lasher "loves his students and he loves what he does in the classroom."

Name of Photo (Getty)

Hunter -- a Vietnam War vet who briefly sought the 2008 Republican presidential nomination -- is already backing two such candidates as they launch challenges to two of the more junior members of the House Democratic majority: Jesse Kelly, who wants to take on two-term incumbent Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona's 8th District, and Vaughn Ward, whose target in Idaho's 1st District is freshman Democrat Walt Minnick.

Hunter will be attending a series of brunches, receptions and a golf outing in Tucson this weekend with Kelly, who said Hunter is a big attraction in conservative circles in his district in Arizona's southeastern corner. "He did very well in early presidential polls down here," Kelly noted, referring to Hunter's 2008 bid.

During much of his House career, Hunter represented a California district that stretched from San Diego east to the border of Kelly's home state of Arizona, though for the past decade the 52nd District has been confined to San Diego County in California's southwest corner.

President Obama enjoys a job approval rating of 65 percent, slightly lower than in the three previous months, but his approval levels when it comes to his handling of specific issues - while nearly all positive - are lower than his personal marks, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted June 18-21. These findings generally track with several major polls released last week.

Obama's approval falls below 50 percent on the issue of the federal deficit, and 87 percent say they are concerned about its size. Fifty-six percent of those described themselves as very concerned. And his margin over congressional Republicans in terms of whom the public trusts more on the economy, while still large, fell 13 points since April.

Todd Tiahrt

The commercial focuses criticism on President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for supporting a stimulus plan that hasn't improved the economy, job losses or home foreclosure rates, the ad argues.

"Todd Tiahrt said the bailouts and stimulus were wrong from the start. Now Tiahrt's fighting to stop it," a voiceover states in the ad.

That however, was about the only glimmer of hope in the poll. Just 15 of voters said they would elect Paterson in 2010, while 70 percent said they would prefer someone else, nearly identical to the response in May. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, meanwhile, won a hypothetical primary match-up against Paterson 69 percent to 16 percent, an even larger spread than in May. Cuomo also hit his highest favorability rating ever recorded by Siena, at 71 percent. Forty-six percent of respondents said they would prefer to see Cuomo run for governor, versus 35 percent who said he should run for re-election as Attorney General.

-Emily Cadei

To follow the 2009 and 2010 governors' races, check out CQ Politics' election map.

Antonio Villaraigosa (Getty)

Villaraigosa, who was recently elected to a second term as mayor, said his commitment to the city of Los Angeles prompted him to stay put.

"The answer is no," Villaraigosa said in an interview on CNN. "I feel compelled to complete what I started out to do... I can't leave this city in the middle of a crisis." He noted the city's unemployment rate, residents who have lost their homes and the budget deficit.

Roy Barnes

Barnes polls 48 percent among Democrats with all others tested in the survey in single digits. of the rest, the highest scorer is Attorney General Thurbert Davis with 8 percent. Barnes is seen favorably by 54 percent compared to 12 percent who seem him favorably, and 25 percent who are undecided. Davis' favorable-to-unfavorable ration is 45 percent to 17 percent with 38 percent not sure. Over half of voters don't know enough about the other candidates tested to have an opinion.

Matt Murphy

Matt Murphy, who was first elected in 2006 to represent some suburbs of Chicago, told The Chicago Tribune that "the feedback has been good enough. I'm ready to go forward. I'm in."

Murphy is seeking the office currently held by Democrat Pat Quinn, a former lieutenant governor who was installed as governor after Blaogojevich's ouster in January.

Murphy is joining a Republican primary that already includes Bill Brady, a colleague of Murphy's in the state Senate. Several other Republicans are weighing bids.

Christopher Dodd (Getty)

The Courant, one of the state's leading papers, solicited responses from professionals across Connecticut's public affairs sphere, ranging from former Democratic governor Lowell P. Weicker Jr., to Ronald A. Williams, CEO of health care firm Aetna, to Dodd's colleague in the Senate, Independent Joseph I. Lieberman.

Despite the drubbing Dodd has taken in the press and from the state Republican party of late, the tone in the Courant's survey, among Democrats and Republicans alike, was notably respectful. State Sen. Minority Leader and prospective 4th District Republican candidate John McKinney's statement that "I have always liked and respected [Dodd] and his years of service to our nation," is a far cry from one of Dodd's GOP challengers, former Rep. Rob Simmons, calling the senator a "lying weasel" on Fox News.

The strongest opposition - 60 percent to 36 percent - comes from those with a high school education or less. College graduates favor the legislation by 56 percent to 43 percent.

Republicans oppose the move by 62 percent to 37 percent and independents by 51 percent to 46 percent, while Democrats favor it 54 percent to 45 percent.

Only 17 percent of those surveyed would support a smoking ban.

Ted Strickland

Strickland's favorable-to-unfavorable ratio is only 43 percent to 42 percent with 15 percent undecided. Kasich's is 31 percent to 30 percent, but in his case, 39 percent are undecided which is not surprising, since despite his nine terms, he left the House after 2000.

John Ensign (Getty)

A month ago, 18 percent viewed him unfavorably, a number that now stands at 37 percent. But nearly half of those polled said their view of Ensign was unchanged by the news.

Americans favor by 72 percent to 20 percent the idea of a government-administered health insurance plan that would compete with private plans and, by 57 percent to 37 percent, they say they would be willing to pay higher taxes so that everyone could have coverage, according to a New York Times/CBS News pol conducted June 12-16.

Sixty-five percent say providing for the uninsured is a more serious problem right now compared to 26 percent who say that keeping costs down is the priority. Sixty-four percent say the federal government should guarantee health care for all compared to 30 percent whose say it is not the government's responsibility.

Well, it's clearly "job approval" week, and now Gallup has weighed in with its measure of how the public thinks Barack Obama is doing. His report card mark: 58 percent approve of his performance, down from 63 percent in the last poll. Thirty-three percent disapprove (his disapproval high was 34 percent). The poll was conducted June 16-18.

Obama's approval rating since January has averaged 63 percent thought it dipped to 59 percent on four occasions. The fall-off in the latest poll's score was driven mostly by a drop in approval among independents (from 60 percent down to 53 percent) and Republicans (from 25 percent to 21 percent).

Neil Abercrombie (Getty)

A DailyKos/Research 2000 poll conducted June 15 to June 17 showed Abercrombie leading Honolulu mayor Mufi Hannemann in a Democratic primary match up of likely voters 42 to 22 percent, but 36 percent of voters were undecided. The poll's margin of error is 4 percentage points.

Current Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, a moderate who defied the state's Democratic trend by winning her first election in 2002 and re-election in 2006, will be term-limited in 2010.

Americans are growing more optimistic that the economy will improve in the next year, as will their own personal financial situations, but for the moment, they still are cutting back on living costs, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted June 10-14.

Forty-eight percent believe the economy will be better a year from now, up from 40 percent in February. Similarly, while 52 percent rate the economy as poor, that's down from 68 percent in March. Those making less than $30,000 a year are less optimistic about the future, with 42 percent expecting better times. A little more than half of those earning above that come down on the things-will-be-better in 12 months side.

Richard Jones

Richard K. Jones, the elected sheriff in Butler County, has decided to not challenge Boehner after mulling the possibility for a few weeks, the Dayton Daily News reported. Boehner is expected to seek a 10th House term next year in Ohio's 8th District north of Cincinnati and north and west of Dayton.

"After extensive review and discussions with various individuals in the political and private sectors, and given the current economic conditions and local needs, I have decided to continue as sheriff of Butler County," Jones said in a statement.

Paul Kohls

Kohls, who is in his fourth state House term and sits on the chamber's finance and tax committees, announced his candidacy on Thursday. He said in a statement that his campaign will focus "on issues of fiscal responsibility and limited government."

"We need to do a much better job setting priorities," said the resident of Victoria, located in the western exurbs of Minnesota's Twin Cities.

Jon Barela, former vice chairman of New Mexico's Republican Party, formally announced his candidacy Thursday for the state's 1st District seat, becoming the first to challenge freshman Democratic Rep. Martin Heinrich.

Barela, a businessman who also served as president of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, last month held a funraiser and filed notice with the Federal Election Commission of his potential candidacy. He has already reported $5,000 saved for his run.

The 1st District is considered competitive, even though Heinrich easily defeated Republican candidate Darren White in 2008, 55.6 percent to 44.3 percent. The seat opened up when Heather A. Wilson made a bid for the Senate, but lost in the primary. Heinrich's win marked the first time a Democrat represented the 1st District since the seat was created in 1968.

-- Leah Carliner

Lisa Madigan (Getty)

"The President is not going to pick a candidate in the Illinois Senate race," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said at a press briefing Thursday.

Gibbs was responding to a question about Illinois state Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who met last week with Obama and some of his senior advisers to discuss running for the Senate next year.

A Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll, taken June 15-17 of 600 likely voters, gives McDonnell 45 percent and Deeds 44 percent, with 11 percent undecided on a choice.

The survey revealed a distinct age gap. Deeds performs best among young voters, beating McDonnell by 16 percentage points among voters under 30. But McDonnell has a 21-point lead among voters over 60.

President Obama still enjoys a 61 percent job approval rating and 65 percent are optimistic about his economic policies, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted June 10-14. But his approval rating when it comes specifically to his performance on top issues has fallen, a finding in line with two other major polls released yesterday.

The public approves of Obama's performance on the economy by 52 percent to 40 percent, down from 60 percent to 33 percent in April. It approves of his handling ofd foreign policy by 57 percent to 31 percent, compared to 61 percent to 22 percent in April. On dealing with financial institutions, his approval ratio is 50 percent to 40 percent while his approach to the problems of U.S. automakers gets a bare 47 percent to 44 percent approval mark, which is within the poll's 3 point margin of error.

Jon Porter

Porter, who lost his 3rd District House seat in a tight 2008 race against Democrat Dina Titus, has been touted off and on as a top Republican prospect to take on Reid, whose has shaky approval ratings back home.

But many political observers crossed him off the list of potential challengers when he joined the government affairs practice of the law firm Akerman Senterfitt. Porter is serving in an advisory role as director of public policy for the firm; he is barred from lobbying his former colleagues on legislative matters for one year under congressional ethics rules.

The survey of 374 likely Democratic voters, had Specter with 51 percent of the primary vote and Sestak with 32 percent.

Specter has good approval ratings among voters in his adopted party. Seventy-two percent of respondents said they had a "very favorable" or "somewhat favorable" impression of Specter, compared to 26 percent who said they had "somewhat unfavorable" or "very unfavorable" feelings.

The rubber is meeting the road in the presidency of Barack Obama. While his job approval ratings remain high, Americans are focusing in on his policies and a substantial number are concerned with the way his recovery and other major proposals are expanding the deficit, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted June 12-16.

The poll found that support for his proposals on a range of issues - health care, rescuing the auto industry and closing Guantánamo - fall short of his general job approval ratings.

President Obama is starting to move out of his "charismatic and charming leader" phase with the public to judgments on how he is handling challenges facing the country, with concerns growing about the budget deficit and the extent of government intervention into the economy, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted June 12-15.

Fifty-eight percent of those polled said Obama and Congress should focus on keeping the deficit down even if it slows economic recovery. Sixty-nine percent said they had concerns about federal intervention in the economy whether it was taking an ownership stake in General Motors, limiting executive compensation or getting more involved in health care. Thirty percent did not share that level of concern. Today, the Obama administration took that a step further with its proposal for broader regulation of the financial system.

The improvement in the stock market may have lifted some peoples' spirits, but only 15 percent of the public considers the economy in good shape while 84 percent describe it as in bad shape, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted June 12-16.

However, 27 percent say the economy is getting better, up 7 points since early January before President Obama took office, and the number of those saying the economy was deteriorating has dropped in that time from 54 percent to 25 percent.

Bring up the rear are Democratic leaders in Congress (42 percent), health insurance companies (35 percent), and Republican leaders in Congress (34 percent).

Doctors get big majorities across party lines. When it comes to Obama, he ranks first among Democrats at 85 percent, fourth among independents at 53 percent, and second-to-last among Republican leaders at 28 percent, (their lowest mark goes to their Democratic colleagues on the Hill).

The list of counties shows Gillibrand has garnered support from party leaders in wide swaths of the state -- all but four county chairs in Western and Northern New York are on board, as well as New York City suburbs such as Westchester and Rockland counties and Long Island's Nassau County (home, incidentally, to one of Gillibrand's fiercest critics, Democratic Rep. Carolyn McCarthy).

Gillibrand's Achilles heel continues to be New York City, ground zero for the initial opposition to Gillibrand's Senate appointment in January and home of likely primary opponent Rep. Carolyn Maloney. Gillibrand has made strides in winning over several important downstate constituencies since replacing Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was named secretary of State. But the city's five county chairs are absent from Gillibrand's endorsement list.

However, Patrick Jenkins, an aide with the Bronx County Democrats, told CQ his county chair's lack of endorsement was not a reflection on her job thus far as senator.

Chuck Purgason

Less than a week after one potential Blunt challenger declined to enter the Senate race, Republican state Sen. Chuck Purgason late Tuesday announced an "exploratory" committee to gauge interest in a Senate campaign that would pit him against Blunt, a former GOP Whip who has the backing of party establishment figures.

Purgason was first elected in 2004 to a state Senate district in southern Missouri that abuts Blunt's congressional district. Purgason was re-elected in 2008 with more than two-thirds of the vote. He previously served eight years in the Missouri House.

Richard Burr(Getty)

Republicans say Burr should get another term by a tepid 49 percent to 26 percent with 26 percent undecided. Independents say he should not by 52 percent to 34 percent while Democrats, unsurprisingly, want to see him gone by 66 percent to 11 percent.

Voters are split on whether they approve of his performance - 35 percent disapprove, 34 percent approve - with 31 percent undecided. And when asked if they would support Burr against an unnamed Democrat, 41 percent chose the Democrat to 38 percent for Burr and 21 percent undecided. The margin of error is 3.5 percent.

Eric Cantor (Getty)

Cantor, who is serving his fifth term in the Richmond-area 7th District and his first as House Minority Whip, gave $82,500 to a mix of Republican incumbents and candidates from ERIC PAC, which stands for Every Republican Is Crucial Political Action Committee. The committee made the disclosure in a filing Tuesday to the Federal Election Commission.

Half of the 14 Republican incumbents who received $5,000 checks from ERIC PAC are serving their first full terms: Bill Cassidy, John Fleming and Steve Scalise of Louisiana; Erik Paulsen of Minnesota; Blaine Luetkemeyer of Missouri; Christopher Lee of New York; and Tom Rooney of Florida.

Tim Holden

Holden's image as a Democratic centrist enabled him to win an incumbent-incumbent matchup with longtime Republican Rep. George W. Gekas in the 17th District, designed with an overall GOP lean, and boosted him to easy victories in his three re-election campaigns since.

Republicans, though, contend that they should be able to compete for the 17th District seat. They point out that the district twice gave heavy support to George W. Bush in his bids as the Republican presidential nominee -- 55 percent in 2000 and 58 percent in 2004 - and favored 2008 Republican nominee John McCain with 51 percent even as Democrat Barack Obama carried the state as a whole.

"My goal for the 17th is for Republicans to vote for a Republican," said John J. McNally, Republican Party chairman for Dauphin County, which includes the state capital of Harrisburg. "My hope is that we are able to encourage Republicans to vote their principles."

Kathy Dahlkemper

Dahlkemper, who defeated seven-term Republican Rep. Phil English in the Erie-based 3rd District, said that she was "very pleased" to join "a group that shares my strong belief in fiscal discipline and responsibility."

The Blue Dog Coalition isn't well-known outside Capitol Hill, and Dahlkemper's membership isn't something that's the stuff of campaign commercials.

Russ Feingold (Getty)

The third-term Democrat is particularly popular with members of his own party - who give him an 80 percent approval rating -- but he also has strong support from independents, 50 percent of whom approved of his job performance compared to 37 percent who disapproved.

Another liberal group came out in support of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's 2010 Senate bid on Tuesday, though this one could cut both ways with voters.

The Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now Political Action Committee, also known as ACORN, endorsed Gillibrand for New York Senate, calling her "a leader who will always fight for those who have been pushed to the brink in this economic crisis."

ACORN, which fights for policies that benefit low-income and working class people, has been dogged by controversy for its voter registration tactics in the 2008 campaign. But that hasn't scared away Democrats, who, like Gillibrand, still seek out its support and organizing clout.

Conservatives (59 percent of the sample) favor Tiahrt by 10 points and moderates (35 percent of the sample) prefer Moran by 15 points.

George Perles

Perles certainly has plenty of football credentials. After his career as an MSU player was cut short by injury, Perles served as an assistant coach from 1959 to 1970, a period that included the Spartans' championship era in the mid-1960s. He segued to more than a decade as an assistant coach of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers during their Super Bowl glory days.

Jim DeMint (Getty)

"I believe if we are to defeat the forces of Big Government now controlling Washington, Marco Rubio needs to be a big part of the Republican Party's present. He has the skills and ideas we need to rebuild our party, reform our government, and renew our nation. That's why Marco Rubio will have my full support in his upcoming election," DeMint, a staunch conservative from South Carolina, wrote in an op-ed published Tuesday.

Rubio, a former Florida state House speaker, is running to the right of Crist, who has earned support from the Senate GOP leadership, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Florida's GOP party chairman Jim Greer.

Sam Brownback (Getty)

The development also solidifies Brownback's status as the front-runner in the race for the seat -- currently held by interim Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson -- as he will be spared a primary contest with a well-known and longtime statewide officeholder. Thornburgh has been secretary of state since he was first elected in 1994.

Nonetheless, Thornburgh would have needed a major come-from-behind push to overcome Brownback, who first won his Senate seat in a 1996 special election, won landslide re-election victories in 1998 and 2004, and ran a short-lived campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. A recent poll conducted by SurveyUSA showed Brownback trouncing Thornburgh by a margin of 47 percentage points.

About two-thirds of voters believe that President Obama has not been tough enough with the two nations - North Korea and Iran - that have raised serious concerns about their nuclear ambitions, and those numbers include a majority of Democrats, according to a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll conducted June 9-10.

Sixty-nine percent say Obama has not been tough enough on North Korea, including 65 percent of Democrats, and 66 percent say he has not been tough enough on Iran, including 57 percent of Democrats.

Rex Rice

Rice, a member of the state House since 1994, announced the endorsement Monday.

In the release, Huckabee lauded Rice's brand of conservatism. "Rex is both a fiscal and a family conservative who believes like I do that we as a society must protect life from conception to its natural conclusion; a government which governs least, governs best; and that less spending and lower taxes promote economic growth," said Huckabee, who carried the district in the 2008 Republican presidential primary.

Republican bank executive John Guedry is telling supporters he will challenge Democratic Rep. Dina Titus in 2010, the Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting.

The paper obtained an e-mail from Guedry to friends and colleagues saying, "I made this decision because, like most of you, I have become increasingly concerned about the direction some of our elected officials in Washington, D.C., are taking our country and state."

Guedry told CQ Politics he sent the e-mail out a "couple of weeks ago" as part of his due diligence to assess support for his candidacy. He has also met with party officials with the National Republican Campaign Committee, and the feedback, he said, has been "positive." Guedry said he is close to wrapping us his exploratory phase, and will have formal decision by the end of June.

James Doyle

If he wins reelection, Doyle would be the first Democrat in Wisconsin history to serve three terms as governor.

That echoes a recent Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll that also recorded Doyle's favorability rating at an all-time low.

Americans are split at 41 percent each over the idea of creating a government-run insurance plan to compete with private health insurance companies as President Obama has proposed, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll released today.

Obama says that such a proposal would reduce costs but Americans disagree by 40 percent to 32 percent. Sixty-three percent predicted a government-run health insurance company would lose money and only 20 percent believe that's not likely. Americans believe by 49 percent to 34 percent that private insurers will provide better service and more choices than the government.

Teachers' union head Richard Iannuzzi praised Gillibrand's "sterling record."

Gillibrand on Monday landed the support of the New York State United Teachers union, an influential force in New York and particularly downstate politics, which will add heft and organizing ability to Gillibrand's 2010 campaign as she prepares for what is likely to be a contested primary and general election.

In a statement, NYSUT President Richard C. Iannuzzi said Gillibrand "has a sterling track record of commitment to strengthening education and health care, and will be the leader we need to ensure New York students have access to quality public education from pre-school through college."

Kendrick Meek

The development marks the latest in Meek's efforts to consolidate support and fend off a potential primary challenge from Rep. Corrine Brown.

"He has been battle-tested time and time again and that's the kind of leader we need" in the Senate, said Wasserman Schultz during a conference call with reporters Monday morning.

Wasserman Schultz is the vice chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in charge of retaining the party's incumbents in the 2010 elections, and Meek is one of the few House Democrats so far who is not running for re-election. That is not seen as a problem though, as he is virtually certain to be succeeded by a Democrat in the overwhelmingly Democratic, black-majority 17th District in the Miami area.

When it comes to party identification, Democrats have been making all the gains recently. But when it comes to ideology, 40 percent of Americans described themselves as conservative, 35 percent as moderate and 21 percent as liberal, according to a Gallup analysis of its 2009 polling.

The percentage of conservatives has increased by 2 points since last year, while moderates have decreased by two points and liberals fell by 1 point.

How would you describe your political views - [very conservative, conservative, (or) moderate liberal, (or) very liberal?

By party, 73 percent of Republicans call themselves conservatives, 24 percent say they are moderates and 3 percent liberals. Among Democrats, 40 percent say they are moderates, 38 percent are liberals and 22 percent are conservative. Forty-five percent of independents class themselves as moderate, 34 percent are conservative and 20 percent liberal. Those figures are without "leaners."

As appointed Sen. Roland W. Burris decides whether to ask voters to let him keep his job, a majority of his constituents say they'd just as soon see him go home for good.

Only 6 percent of those surveyed by Rasmussen Reports said they were definitely ready to vote for the Democrat who replaced President Barack Obama in the Senate. Another 61 percent told Rasmussen's researchers they'd made up their minds in the other direction and definitely would vote against Burris if given the chance.

A month earlier, Rasmussen asked the same question and found that 54 percent were ready to vote against Burris.

Republicans say they would not confirm her by a 55 percent to 19 percent margin, while Democrats back the choice 69 percent to 12 percent and independents by 46 percent to 33 percent.

Tommy Thompson (Getty)

Thompson outperforms fellow Republicans Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, who has already declared his candidacy, and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, who is expected to join the race. But at this early stage, that is largely due simply to name recognition - less than half of respondents had formed an opinion of Walker, while just over a third had no opinion of Neumann.

Americans think the country is heading on the right track by 52 percent to 42 percent margin with 6 percent undecided, according to an Ipsos/McClatchy poll conducted June 4-8. That's a hair less than a month ago, but an improvement compared to two months ago when the result when 48 percent said "wrong track" and 45 percent said "right track."

Obama's approval rating was 64 percent to 32 percent with 3 percent having "mixed feelings." That broke down to 40 percent strongly approving of his job performance, 14 percent "somewhat" approving and 10 percent leaning towards approval. That result, too, was similar to a month ago.

The reverse was too for Congress where the disapproval ratio was 52 percent to 39 percent with 7 percent having mixed feelings. Ten percent strongly approved of the job Congress was doing and 25 strongly disapproved.

James Carville (Getty)

"Senator Boxer is preparing for what could be a tough race," her campaign chief Rose Kapolczynski said in a telephone message. "James Carville called and offered to host an event and said that Senator Boxer has been one of the real champions helping the people of New Orleans in recovering from [hurricane] Katrina."

Beyond Boxer's interest in hurricane recovery, Carville and Boxer share bonds with the Clinton family. Carville was the guru behind President Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign, and Boxer's daughter was once married to Hillary Rodham Clinton's brother -- making Hillary and Bill Clinton aunt and uncle to Boxer's grandson.

To see how the 2010 Senate races are shaping up, check out the CQ Politics' election map.

Sarah Steelman

Missouri Republican Thomas Schweich, who was President George W. Bush's ambassador for counternarcotics and justice reform in Afghanistan, said Thursday that he would pass on a challenge of Blunt to promote party unity.

Yet Blunt, whose candidacy is backed by GOP establishment figures in Missouri, could still face a challenge from Sarah Steelman, a former state Treasurer who hasn't said whether she will run for the Senate. Steelman narrowly lost a Republican primary for governor last year.

Labor activist Jonathan Tasini announced Thursday that he is running for Kirsten Gillibrand's U.S. Senate seat in 2010.

"I believe New York voters deserve a choice," Tasini wrote on his Web site. "We live in a democracy, and elections should be about addressing the issues, not about party insiders 'clearing the field' for a favored candidate," a not-so-veiled-reference to President Obama's phone call to Rep. Steve Israel, asking him not to challenge Gillibrand.

Tasini's challenge is unlikely to attract as much concern from national Democratic leaders. The past president of the National Writers Union (United Auto Workers Local 1981), Tasini mustered just 16 percent of the vote in a primary challenge to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2006.

(Getty)

A Gallup poll conducted June 9-10 found 55 percent of Americans opposed to the move while 41 percent approved. The net disapproval was 16 to 19 points in every region except the Midwest, the home of the domestic industry, where the margin of those against to those who supported it was 50 percent to 46 percent.

Bill Slaton

Slaton (pronounced SLAY-ton) filed paperwork this week to run against Lungren, whose district is one of eight House seats in California being targeted by the Democrats' House campaign arm. The targets are Republican House members in districts carried by Barack Obama.

"I have no illusions that this will be easy, but at the end of the day, I think the voters in the 3rd Congressional District are going to see something in me that they recognize and that they see in themselves - that I care - and I think that's going to make it a lot easier," Slaton said Thursday.

Hannah Montana ... running a poor fourth (Getty)

President Obama trumps the Pope and Tiger Woods when it comes to who voters would rather meet and have their picture taken with, and Hannah Montana runs a distant fourth, according to a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll conducted June 9-10. (Question 54 in the poll).

Obama managed to eke out a 2-to-1 victory over the closest contenders among three other choices provided by Fox, with 42 percent wanting to pose with him, compared to 22 percent who picked Woods, 21 percent who preferred the Pontiff and only 5 percent who felt drawn to Montana.

There was a sharp partisan divide on this question. Republicans favored Woods by 34 percent although the Pope was a close second at 31 percent, so His Holiness managed at least a statistical tie for second among this group since the margin of error was 3 points. Obama got 16 percent and Montana again brought up the rear at 7 percent. Independents chose Obama over Woods by 38 percent to 28 percent, with the Pope at 18 percent and Montana at 4 percent. Sixty-eight percent of Democrats picked Obama as a photo-mate, with the Pope at 16 percent and Montana and Woods in single digits.

There's something to read into that, but we don't know quite what.

One more Fox you-need-to-know result: Although President Obama says he has quit smoking cigarettes, 37 percent of voters believe he is still sneaking in some smokes while 30 percent believe he has completely quit. (Thirty-three percent wouldn't hazard a guess).

Michael Castle (Getty)

Castle was interested in becoming the ranking Republican on the Education and Labor Committee -- a post that California Republican Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon is vacating to become the top-ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee. But Castle said in a statement that he couldn't commit to Republican leaders that he will run for a tenth term next year in his state's at-large congressional district.

Mike Huckabee (Getty)

• Next year's potentially crowded primary for governor, in which Republican voters will pick a challenger to incumbent Democrat Gov. Chet Culver.

• The maneuverings by Republicans considering the possibility of running for president in 2012, who one by one have been paying visits -- that look anything but coincidental -- to Iowa, the host of the traditional first-in-the-nation presidential election year caucuses.

Huckabee, who sought the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, has eschewed placing national implications on his appearance on behalf of Bob Vander Plaats -- a businessman who ran unsuccessfully for the 2002 Republican nomination for governor and again in 2006 as the Republicans' nominee for lieutenant governor.

Former state Sen. Mark Fernald, a lawyer, added his name this week to the growing list of Democratic candidates vying to succeed Rep. Paul W. Hodes in New Hampshire's 2nd District.

Fernald, the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for governor in 2002, announced Tuesday his intention to run for Congress. He stressed his distaste for the hold he believes campaign donors, lobbyists and special interests have on elected officials and conceded he likely won't be the top fundraiser in the coming campaign.

"I don't have personal wealth that I can invest in this campaign. I don't have a lot of rich friends who are lining up to bankroll me. I have you," Fernald said, according to his prepared remarks.

Drew Edmondson

In his announcement speech, Edmondson expressed a desire to turn around state statistics including its high rate of teen pregnancy, incarcerated women, and high school dropouts.

"I believe in Oklahoma ... I believe our state is the best place in America to live and raise a family and there's no reason we can't make Oklahoma number one in the right categories instead of the wrong ones," Edmondson said during several campaign stops June 10, according to his prepared remarks.

A Rasmussen Reports poll taken Wednesday had Deeds at 47 percent and McDonnell, a former state Attorney General, at 41 percent. The survey was conducted as Deeds, a state senator, was basking in the media spotlight after easily defeating primary foes Terry McAuliffe, a former Democratic National Committee chairman, and former state Rep. Brian Moran.

This year's race for governor is a rematch of candidates, though for a different office: McDonnell defeated Deeds by a very narrow margin in the 2005 race for state Attorney General. In the immediate aftermath of Tuesday's primary, Deeds was rated higher in the Rasmussen poll, but just slightly.

New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney previewed some attack lines for her prospective primary challenge to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a pre-recorded interview airing on local New York City television Thursday night. The station posted a clip of the interview on its Web site.

Characterizing Gillibrand as more interested in politics than legislating, Maloney told NY1, "I think that she's working hard, but what are the accomplishments?"

"Some people work hard to get elected, some people work hard to do a job, to help people," she added.

Overall, 34 percent of Americans have a favorable view of the GOP compared to 59 percent who do not. In 2003, the reverse was true with 56 percent having a favorable view and 33 percent a negative one. Democrats are viewed favorably by 53 percent to 41 percent with the closest they came to slipping into negative territory being 2005.

Bradley Byrne

In addition, 30 percent of independents (21 percent of the sample) are undecided in each of the match-ups.

Bradley Byrne, a former state senator and college chancellor, leads two of the Democrats in the poll: Rep. Artur Davis by 39 percent to 35 percent with 26 percent undecided, and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks by 41 percent to 27 percent with 33 percent undecided.

Linda Ketner

Ketner, who came within 4 percentage points of upsetting Republican Rep. Henry E. Brown Jr. in 2010, did not give a reason for her decision, instead listing political initiatives she plans to spend her time on. They include eliminating lobbyist money to campaigns, improving public education and helping more women get elected in South Carolina.

Ketner did not rule out a future political campaign, saying she "probably will run again and will look carefully at the environment in 2012 for an opportunity where I might be able to serve and make a difference."

Edward Koch (Getty)

Wednesday the endorser was former New York City Mayor Ed Koch (1978-89), a popular figure downstate. Koch, like Gillibrand, built a record as a centrist Democrat, even going so far as to endorse several Republican statewide candidates, as well as Republican President George W. Bush in 2004. Koch endorsed Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and then Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race.

Of Gillibrand, Koch said in a statement that he was impressed with her "ability to understand the concerns of all New York families and to form a legislative agenda to address those concerns."

Sixty-two percent of voters support President Obama's push for a major overhaul of the health care system with 38 percent of those in the category of "strongly supporting" such action, according to a Diageo/Hotline poll conducted June 4-7.

The most solid backing for action comes from Democrats who want big changes in health care by 87 percent to 7 percent followed by independents who favor it 64 percent to 28 percent. Republicans oppose it 52 percent to 35 percent.

A Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters conducted June 3-8, following the state's June 2 primary, found Corzine trailing Christie 40 to 50 percent among likely voters. Quinnipiac notes that this is their first survey of likely voters, a more select sample than registered voters.

Corzine's job approval rating in the current survey was 36 percent and his disapproval rating was 56 percent.

While there is a clear frontrunner on the Republican side, Democrats have a weaker bench at this stage in the race and, unlike a poll yesterday which indicated that Republicans could lose the governor's chair that Crist is vacating, the GOP seems to have the upper hand on the Senate contest as of now.

Crist, who announced last month his decision to vie for the open U.S. Senate seat instead of a second term as governor, led Rubio 54 to 23 percent among registered Republicans. An additional 21 percent of Republicans expressed no preference.

Investor and financial commentator Peter Schiff confirmed Tuesday night that he is "potentially considering" a run for U.S. Senate in Connecticut.

Schiff, a frequent guest on CNBC and Fox News who predicted the current financial crisis several years ago, made a visit to Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to hawk his book, "Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse" But the interview quickly veered into politics, with Schiff launching into a critique of both the Bush and Obama administration's economic policies.

"Are you running for office?" Stewart finally asked.

David Paterson (Getty)

Seventy-one percent said someone else besides Paterson should be elected to a full-term in 2010.

He scores 27 percent or lower when respondents were asked if he cares about the needs of people like themselves, his ability to deal with a serious crisis, his ability to bring jobs to New York, his capacity for working with lawmakers to balance the budget, or whether he could reduce property taxes.

Rush Limbaugh (Getty)

In fact, all the people named have numbers so low that USA Today/Gallup sees it as hard evidence of the Republicans' leadership vacuum. Gingrich and Limbaugh are each picked by 10 percent by Republicans or Republican leaners, followed by former Vice President Dick Cheney at 9 percent, and last year's GOP presidential nominee John McCain at 6 percent. Another former GOP presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, who seems to be positioning himself for another try, drew 2 percent.

Among all adults, Limbaugh scores 13 percent, Cheney 10 percent and McCain and Gingrich 6 percent each.

Centrism and the increasing number of independent voters are emerging as hallmarks of the Obama era although the "growing political middle" is "steadfastly mixed" in its beliefs, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of its polling data it has been collecting since 1987. It includes surveys this year between March 31 - April 6 and April 14-21.

Pew says the proportion of independents among the electorate is now at its highest level in 70 years. In the last five months, the percentage of independents has risen from 30 percent to 39 percent, while Democrats have slipped from 39 percent to 33 percent and Republicans from 26 percent to 22 percent.

Some independents are more conservative on several key issues because they are defectors from the Republicans. Thirty-three percent describe themselves as conservative, up from 28 percent in 2007.

Franklin County Legislator Paul Maroun has joined the race for Republican Rep. John M. McHugh's congressional seat. Maroun, who also works as counsel to Republican state Sen. Betty Little, told CQ he is equally or more qualified than other Republicans interested in the seat, which is due to open up when McHugh is confirmed as secretary of the Army.

President Obama nominated McHugh to the post June 2, setting up what is likely to be a competitive special election battle to succeed him.

Among his top credentials, Maroun on Monday pointed to his experience in the Naval Reserves, his work helping administer the operations of the St. Lawrence Seaway, where he served as a congressional liaison, among other tasks, and his work in the state Capitol as an aide to both Little and state Sen. Ron Stafford.

The campaign announcements for Minnesota's 2010 governor's race keep rolling in.

State Sen. Tom Bakk told the Mesabi Daily News that he will officially kick-off his campaign for the Democratic nomination this week. And former GOP state Rep. Bill Haas plans to announce his campaign on Wednesday, the AP reports. Republican state Sen. Paul Koering is also considering a run.

Bakk, who has been mulling a run for the past year, is the only Democratic candidate thus far from the Iron Range region, in rural northeast Minnesota.

David Thomas

Thomas, who has been in the legislature for more than twenty years, announced Saturday in Fountain Inn, S.C. that he was running for the 4th District seat, promising smaller government and less spending. The Federal Election Commission published his campaign committee paperwork Monday.

Also challenging Inglis for the seat are Greenville businessman Andrew Smart, Wofford College Professor Christina Jeffrey, Spartanburg prosecutor Trey Gowdy and Mauldin businessman Jim Lee.

Karen Diebel

"I am not a career politician," Diebel said in a statement. "I am a mother who wants to ensure a bright future for my three children. I am a businesswoman who wants to create local jobs." Diebel has served as commissioner since March 2007 and is an executive director at Verizon Business.

Multiple Republicans had been floated as potential 2010 candidates for the seat, including state Reps. Dorothy L. Hukill and Sandy Adams, but they have not indicated an intention to run.

Alex Sink

A Quinnipiac University poll of Florida voters conducted June 2-7 found that Democrat Alex Sink, the state Chief Financial Officer, holds a narrow 38 percent to 34 percent lead over her major competitor in the governor's race: Republican state Attorney General Bill McCollum. The poll's margin of error is 2.8 percentage points.

The youngest son of former House Republican Speaker J. Dennis Hastert is seeking a U.S. House seat in Illinois that his father long held but is now represented by Democratic Rep. Bill Foster.

Ethan Hastert, a lawyer with the Chicago-based firm Mayer Brown, said Monday that he will be a candidate next year in the 14th District, a collection of suburbs and rural territory west of Chicago that his father held for more than two decades.

Hastert, 31, told the Kane County Chronicle that he wants to be part of the "next generation of leadership."

Robert Smith (Getty)

Smith, who served in the Senate from 1991 to 2003, has lived in Sarasota, Fla., for seven years. He joins a GOP primary field that includes Gov. Charlie Crist and former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio for the seat Republican Mel Martinez is leaving after one term. Four-term Rep. Kendrick Meek announced his candidacy in January and is the leading Democratic in the growing field of candidates.

"I can no longer sit on the sidelines in this fight for the soul of the Republican Party and to preserve the freedoms and values of our constitutional Republic," Smith said in a statement posted on his Web site. "I have 18 years of proven and principled conservative leadership and I proudly wear the scars of those battles... I led the fights for protecting freedom and liberty, respect for the Constitution, the preservation of the Second Amendment, the rights of the unborn, U.S. sovereignty, a strong national defense, cutting taxes and spending and reducing the size of government."

Two new polls are out today looking at how the public thinks President Obama is doing in general and on specific issues, and so far, he is faring pretty well, although the percentage of Americans that disapprove of his handling of the federal deficit and controlling spending outnumber those who give him positive marks.

A Gallup poll conducted May 29-31 has Obama's overall job approval ratio at 61 percent to 34 percent which is lower than his personal favorability ratio of 67 percent to 32 percent. The margin of error is 3 points and the poll included adults, not just voters.

Deeds, a state senator, received 42 percent in the poll, which surveyed 535 likely voters from Friday through Sunday. He is well ahead of former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe (30 percent) and former state Rep. Brian Moran (21 percent).

The poll said that Deeds over the past two months has more than tripled his support, from 12 percent to 40 percent, in the populous northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., the home base of both McAuliffe and Moran. Deeds is from a rural county on the West Virginia border.

Reps. Nydia M. Velazquez and Edolphus Towns endorsed appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's bid for the Democratic Party's 2010 Senate nomination in New York, narrowing the field of potential endorsements for a possible rival.

In particular, Velazquez's endorsement is important because Gillibrand has been criticized by Latino officials for her voting record on immigration issues when she represented a swing district in upstate New York in the House of Representatives.

Velazquez is the only Hispanic woman ever to chair a full committee in the House. Towns, who was first elected in 1982, represents a black-majority district in Brooklyn.

Jan Schakowsky (Getty)

Schakowsky, a liberal who is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, indicated in a statement that she was disinclined to expend the time and energy needed to do the "massive amounts of fundraising required by a serious Senate bid."

"I feel confident that I could raise the $10 million dollars needed for a primary race - and the $16 million plus needed for a general election campaign - but to do it I would have to become a telemarketer five to six hours each day," Schakowsky said.

Steve Pearce

Now district Republican activists are waiting to hear whether ex-Rep. Steve Pearce -- the losing Republican nominee in the 2008 U.S. Senate race -- will seek a political comeback by trying to reclaim his old 2nd District House seat.

Pearce, who first won the 2nd District seat in 2002 and held it for six years, says they won't have to wait much longer. He told CQ Politics in a phone interview Friday that he is likely to have an announcement by the end of this month about what, if any, 2010 political plans he has.

Boosted by undecided voters breaking for him, Deeds clocks in at 40 percent to McAuliffe's 26 percent and Moran's 24 percent, with 10 percent still not having made a choice. The margin of error is 3 points.

Leonard Boswell (Getty)

Very patiently.

Mahaffey, who lost an open-seat race to Boswell in 1996, told CQ Politics that he is thinking of giving it another go next year -- 14 years after their original showdown.

Mahaffey said he plans to make a decision about the 2010 race by Labor Day.

Debbie Wasserman Shultz (Getty)

In the most recent filing for her leadership committee, the DWS (Democrats Win Seats)-PAC reported $15,500 in disbursements for May. Every dollar went to Democrats in Wasserman Schultz' home state: Reps. Allen Boyd of the 2nd District, Alan Grayson of the 8th District, and Suzanne M. Kosmas of the 24th and Democratic candidates Lori Edwards, who is running for the 12th District, and Charlie Justice, who is vying for Republican Rep. C.W. Bill Young's 10th District seat.

Wasserman Schultz is the vice chair of the Democrats' House campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Despite abandoning his own 2010 re-election bid earlier this week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty maintains that the Republican party as a whole needs to focus on next year's elections rather than look ahead to 2012.

"We need to make sure that we have ideas that matter, that help people ,that are consistent with values and principles," he said in an interview with the Ripon Forum, a publication of the Republican policy group the Ripon Society. "So nobody should be looking ahead to 2012."

And Pawlenty has plenty of advice for what type of ideas the party should embrace.

Americans who favor allowing openly gay men and lesbian women to service in the military has risen from 63 percent in 2004 to 69 percent, according to a Gallup poll conducted May 7-10.

Gallup said that while liberals and Democrats provide the most support for that view, the biggest increase has been among conservatives - who have gone from 46 percent in favor to 58 percent - and people who identify themselves as weekly churchgoers, whose support has risen from 49 percent to 60 percent.

Ann McLane Kuster

"I'm an activist, not a career politician. I think great ideas start right here in New Hampshire, not in Washington," Kuster said in her video announcement. Her announcement made her the first major Democrat to enter the race to succeed Democratic Rep. Paul W. Hodes, who is running for the Senate in 2010.

Kuster emphasized her commitment to make quality healthcare afforable, protect abortion rights, and increase New Hampshire's involvement in the alternative energy industry.

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd is jumping on the Web 2.0 bandwagon, perhaps hoping some fresh modes of outreach will help him re-connect with Connecticut voters.

"Today is an opportunity for me to tell you why this is important, and to invite your attention and ideas to this discussion and debate," Dodd says in the video, directing viewers to the "YouTube Senate Hub" to record their views.

In a sign of Republican concern over Sen. Richard Burr's re-election chances, Burr's friend and Senate colleague, John McCain, is now running Google ads pumping the North Carolina freshman.

As first spotted by the Charlotte News and Observer, a Google search of "Richard Burr" brings up a sponsored link from McCain's Country First political action committee -- "Richard Burr NC Senator," it reads, followed by "Join John McCain's Country First to Support Candidates like Burr!"

The link leads to the PAC's Supported Candidates page.

Dick Cheney (Getty)

Fifty percent view Pelosi unfavorably compared to 34 percent who have a positive view of her, while Cheney is viewed unfavorably by 54 percent and favorably by 37 percent. Pelosi's favorable-to-unfavorable ratio was about even six months ago; Cheney's, while still negative, improved from March when 63 percent viewed him unfavorably.

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is continuing to pile up endorsements for her 2010 campaign, and the latest -- from Rev. Al Sharpton and Rep. Gregory W. Meeks -- show she is consolidating support in New York City circles, despite initial skepticism of her there.

Sharpton, the colorful civil rights leader who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, said in a statement that he "was impressed that the day after being selected to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate, [Gillibrand] came down to the House of Justice in Harlem to hear the real concerns of the voiceless."

"I am proud to endorse her today because I believe she will be a strong, passionate advocate for children and families," he said.

The poll, taken June 1-3 of 600 likely voters, has state Sen. Creigh Deeds at 30 percent, former state Rep. Brian Moran at 27 percent and former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe at 26 percent.

The poll said that 17 percent of likely voters are undecided. It also has a sampling margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, so the Democratic race is a toss-up.

Richard Burr (Getty)

But the first-term Republican, who is seen as vulnerable to a challenge in his 2010 re-election contest, had less to say on Thursday about speculation over which Democrat will seek to take him on next year.

"We're on track with what we have planned to raise, and structurally have put the campaign together," said Burr, who reported $1.6 million in cash on hand in his campaign account as of the end of March.

He acknowledged that he has been targeted for defeat by Democratic strategists, saying, "I'm sure with the bounty that the Democratic Senatorial [Campaign] Committee has on my head, I won't go unopposed."

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy will not challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a Democratic primary. McCarthy, a thorn in Gillibrand's side of late, had said she would take on the newly appointed senator in 2010 if no one else did.

But McCarthy has reversed course, citing personal issues.

"I'm not running," she said Thursday afternoon.

That further clears the field for Gillibrand, who has had difficulty coalescing her delegation around her bid. Some other New York lawmakers were rubbed the wrong way by her rapid ascent to the Senate, ordained by Gov. David A. Paterson when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton became secretary of State earlier this year.

Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor arrives on Capitol Hill today to continue her meetings with senators. (Getty)

Forty-five percent of those polled named traits they liked about Sotomayor while 26 percent named traits they disliked.

On the positive side, 20 percent liked her background and experience, 11 percent felt positively about her because of her gender, 9 percent because she is a minority candidate, and 8 percent because of her personal character.

We're a little late on this one, but CNN/Opinion Research released a poll this week showing that there is no clear front runner in the hearts and minds of Republicans for the 2012 nomination.

Twenty-two percent said they'd most likely support former Arkansas Gov. Mick Huckabee, who had his moment during the 2008 GOP primaries before falling by the wayside, while 21 percent each would back Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. The poll was conducted May 14-17 and had a margin of error of 4.5 points. Thirteen percent like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and 6 percent backed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Robin Carnahan, the challenger of the bunch.

All three are in competitive races in Senate Victory 2010 fund created May 28. The fund will benefit Sens. Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut and Michael Bennet of Colorado, and Missouri's Secretary of State, Robin Carnahan, who seeks the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Christopher S. Bond.

Such joint fundraising committees allow candidates to hold single events with contributors writing a single check for multiple candidates, who then split the proceeds with the national committee. But they also create accounting headaches because contribution limits from individuals still apply. For example, if a contributor has already given the maximum $2,400 per election to Dodd, any contribution to the joint committee must be divided among the others.

Pat Grassley

But unlike many political "dynasties," the Grassley duo is not father and son. Rather it is grandfather and grandson. None of the elder Grassley's five children ever delved into politics.

"Maybe it skips a generation," said Pat Grassley, who recently turned 26 years old.

Christie, a former U.S. Attorney, led Corzine 51 to 38 percent in a Rasmussen Reports poll of likely state voters conducted June 3. Christie won the GOP primary race against conservative Steve Lonegan, former mayor of Bogota, on June 2. The margin of error is 4.5 points.

Peter King (Getty)

"I have no problem with this," he said of the appointment Wednesday night on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews. "We as Republicans should hold onto that seat, if we don't it's our fault." McHugh, a nine-term incumbent, represents New York's 23rd District. His appointment precipitates a special election, and there is a chance Democrats can flip the seat, given President Obama's win in the district in the 2008 presidential race.

"I don't think we should be sitting around whining and saying Rahm Emanuel outsmarted us or President Obama outsmarted us," King added. "We should get good candidates, put them up there, and run."

A SurveyUSA poll released yesterday and conducted May 31 - June 2 had McAuliffe at 35 percent, Deeds at 29 percent and Moran at 26 percent with the margin of error being 4.4 points.

"What makes this race even tougher to call is that when undecided voters statewide were prodded to choose one of the three candidates, many were breaking to McAuliffe and, to a lesser extent, Moran," said Suffolk's David Paleologos. "With the remaining undecided at 22 percent, the Deeds lead could be fluid, and the final tally could hinge on last-minute campaign ads, momentum, the weather, and get-out-the-vote efforts from all the candidates."