Friday’s campaign round-up


* Indiana Rep. Steve Buyer (R) this morning became the 15th House Republican to announce his retirement this term. The decision was likely motivated by serious ethics allegations surrounding Buyer, which he has struggled to explain. Given the district’s history, it’s expected to remain in GOP hands.

* It appears that the Republican National Committee’s “purity resolution” will be scuttled, in favor of a compromise that would “require candidates to commit to a series of conservative positions.”

* Ten months before the midterms, it appears Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is pretty safe. A new Rasmussen poll shows him leading Roxanne Conlin (D), a candidate Dems have been touting, by 28 points.

* In North Carolina, Sen. Richard Burr (R) still looks vulnerable, but a new Rasmussen poll nevertheless shows him with double-digit leads over his top Democratic challengers.

* Republicans in Connecticut have been struggling to find a top-tier gubernatorial candidate for this year’s race, but it appears former Rep. Chris Shays (R), who narrowly lost re-election in 2008, is interested. One small problem: Shays no longer lives in Connecticut.

* It’s still extremely unlikely, but speculation continues about whether Florida Gov. Charlie Crist might switch parties and run for the Senate as a Democrat. As a procedural matter, he would have until April 30, at the latest, to make up his mind.

* Arizona Dems hope Sen. John McCain and former Rep. J.D. Hayworth undermine each other so badly in their primary fight that Rodney Glassman, a Tucson councilman and Air Force JAG Reserve officer, has a shot at winning in November.

* And if former Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.) really does run for the Senate in New York, he’s going to have a tough time living down his record of far-right rhetoric on immigration.

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