Campaign Diaries

If I had told you last Sunday that a Republican Governor would resign within the next few days, who would not have guessed Mark Sanford? But the South Carolinian managed to survive, and he can now hope that we will be distracted away to Sarah Palin’s stunning Friday afternoon announcement. Once again the undisputed center of American politics, Alaska’s 2010 cycle just got more interesting: Not only will the state get a new governor, but we will get to witness the particularly brutal tradition that is the Alaskan Republican primary. If 2006 and 2008 are any indication, Sean Parnell and his many rivals could have quite a rough ride.

A second prominent storyline this week has been two Democrats’ decisive steps towards a Senate run. In Pennsylvania, Rep. Joe Sestak all but declared his candidacy against Arlen Specter. In Illinois, Cheryle Jackson formed an exploratory committee, adding a layer of intrigue in the confusing race for Barack Obama’s former seat and keeping alive the hope that there will be at least one African-American Senator in the 112th Congress. On the Republican side, major news came from New Hampshire as former Senator John Sununu and former Governor Stephen Merrill both ruled out running for Senate, leaving the GOP with a small field of potential contenders.

But just like last week, most of the action occurred in gubernatorial races. Less prominent than the continuing drama in South Carolina and in Alaska, other developments are still important. In Rhode Island, LG Elizabeth Roberts unexpectedly ruled out a run; she is the second Democrat to do so, along with Providence Mayor David Cicilline. In Wisconsin, former GOP Rep. Mark Neumann finally made official a gubernatorial bid he had all but announced in April; he’ll face a tough primary. In Alabama, finally, Supreme Court Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb’s exit probably means that no one will disrupt the primary between Rep. Artur Davis and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks.

As always, I list all the changes I have logged in during the week to the “retirement watch” and recruitment pages. Written in red are those politicians who announced their definite plans rather than simply expressed interest or stroke speculation.

First, updates to Retirement Watch:

Second, updates to the Senate recruitment page:

Third, updates to gubernatorial recruitment: