What a month it’s been for good old John McCain. If you’re like me, you have been following his rather dramatic fall from grace and man has it been a wild ride for the former maverick Senator.

Well, I was out at lunch today and it dawned on me – yes, McCain appears to be down and out, but remember, the media, along with primary activists love a good comeback story.

You may be asking yourself, why did this hit me at lunch?

I was at the food court grabbing a quick bite and you know the food court scene – there are so many choices and plenty of samples being handed out. Then I got to thinking, wow, this is kind of like the presidential campaign. Here I was – contemplating sushi, Greek, Chinese, and Indian – taking little bites of each to decide if I was ready to choose something a little different, something off the beaten path…but no, in the end, I went with my original choice, the “safe” choice – a hearty burrito.

John McCain could be like that burrito. Iowa and New Hampshire voters are perusing the food court and they are tasting samples, but in the end, they might return right back where they started, for some comfort food. That comfort food – John McCain.

I guess only time will tell. (Oh, and by the way, the burrito was really disappointing)

Political Wire has some new polls up today that you should take a look at. It looks good for Democrats.

Democrats Winning Key Races
A series of Reuters/Zogby tracking polls shows very good news for Democrats. Of those races surveyed, Democrats hold leads in races for 11 out of 15 key Republican-held House seats.

Highlights:

* In IL-6, Tammy Duckworth (D) edges Peter Roskar (R), 43% to 38%, in the race to replace retiring Rep. Henry Hyde(R-IL).

* In OH-18, Zack Space (D) leads Joy Padgett (R), 45% to 36%, in the race to replace Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH).

* In CT-4, Diane Farrell is beating Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT), 46% to 41%.

* In CO-7, Ed Perlmutter (D) leads Rick O’Donnell (R), 45% to 34%, to replace Rep. Bob Beauprez (R-CO), who is running for governor of Colorado.

* In IN-9, Baron Hill (D) is beating Rep. Mike Sodrel (R-IN), 46% to 38%.

* In IN-2, Joe Donnelly is ahead of Rep. Chris Chocola (R-IN), 49% to 39%.

Remember, Election Day is still over 30 days day away. Anything can happen. If you’re fed up and want change, go volunteer for your local Representative today.

A new poll out today shows a close race in the New Jersey Senate contest. Things are tied up.

Tommy Kean Jr. is not a good candidate, it just so happens that his father was a decent man and by luck of the draw, he got the same name. The voters are confused, they think they’re voting for Tom Kean, not his little boy, Tommy.

Senator Robert Menendez is a good candidate. He will win this race. DoubleSpeak will be be in New Jersey this weekend. We’ll be talking about this race, as well as other important races in the state. Stay tuned.

From Political Wire:

In Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race, the latest Research 2000 Wisconsin Poll shows Gov. Jim Doyle (D) beating Rep. Mark Green (R-WI), 49% to 41%.

Mark Green is just too extreme to be Governor.

Sen. Joe Lieberman’s (D, maybe R - CT) post-primary lead over Ned Lamont is shrinking.

From Reuters:

U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s lead over anti-war challenger Ned Lamont has narrowed to a razor-thin margin, two polls showed on Wednesday.

The 2000 vice presidential candidate lost the Democratic primary vote in Connecticut to Lamont this month, but is running for re-election as an independent in a contest that has exposed deep divisions over the unpopular Iraq war.

An American Research Group poll conducted Thursday through Monday said the race was a statistical tie, putting Lieberman’s support among 790 likely voters at 44 percent versus 42 percent for Lamont, a political novice and wealthy cable TV executive.

Republican Alan Schlesinger, a former state legislator, had 3 percent. The poll had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

It seems that even with all the “Joementum” in the world, Joe Lieberman is falling further and further behind to anti-war Democrat Ned Lamont.

From the Quinnipiac University poll:

Ned Lamont, a millionaire businessman and opponent of the U.S. military presence in Iraq, now leads rival Lieberman by 54 percent to 41 percent among those likely to vote in the August 8 primary, the Quinnipiac University poll found.

“The incumbent has just five days to turn this race around, but never count out a veteran with his experience,” said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz.

The poll found that 65 percent of Lamont supporters said their vote would primarily be against Lieberman, with his support for the war in Iraq their primary objection.

Lieberman has said that he will run as an independent if denied the Democratic nomination. Previous polls have shown him likely to win the November election if he runs as an independent.

Will this be a “Joevember” to remember?

Robert P. Casey, the man vying to defeat Radical Rick Santorum (R-PA) this fall is leading in the polls 50% to 40%. This information comes from a new Strategic Vision poll that was released today.

As a side note, last night while driving to a concert in Northern Virginia, I found myself eye-to-eye with Radical Rick Santorum in traffic on I-66 W. He was driving himself in a beige SUV with a Rick Santorum sticker. I knew it was him, because really…who else in America would actually promote the candidacy of Radical Rick, besides Radical Rick? He is one scary looking radical airhead.

A recent Badger Poll done by the University of Wisconsin’s Survey Center shows incumbent Democratic Governor Jim Doyle leading his Republican challenger Congressman Mark Green by a margin of 49% to 36%.

Don’t buy it. Aside from the obvious methodological problems, there is no chance Jim Doyle has a double-digit lead in this race. Polls that show Doyle and Green neck-and-neck are likely much more accurate.

Jim Doyle struggles from the (incorrect) perception that he has accomplished little during his tenure. He lacks charisma and charm, and while conservatives hate him, liberals have mixed feelings at best when it comes to their fearless leader. This one will go down to the wire and probably hinge on turn out. Wisconsin will be in for a rough ride if Doyle loses. The state legislature is currently dominated by the fundamentalist wing of the Republican Party, although Democrats have a real shot at retaking the Senate. Here’s hoping this poll is more accurate than not.

An often overlooked race in the Democratic Party’s battle to win back control of Congress, the Rhode Island Senate race continues to get more interesting. Rhode Island Secretary of State Matt Brown (D) dropped out of the race this April, leaving former Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse (D) as the presumptive nominee to battle Lincoln Chafee in the general election. While Chafee is considered a moderate in the GOP, Rhode Island is a decidedly blue state that seems poised to go bluer this cycle.

A new Brown University poll out today shows Whitehouse leading Chafee for the first time in the race. Via PW.

If the general election is held today, 38 percent say they will vote for Sheldon Whitehouse, 37 percent support Senator Chafee, and 25 percent are undecided (compared to Chafee’s lead of 40 to 34 percent in February).

If the Republican nominee is Mayor Laffey, Whitehouse is ahead by 55 to 25 percent (up from the 44 to 29 percent Whitehouse had in February).

This is an absolutely essential pickup for the Dems in ‘06 if we want to retake the Senate. You can help by volunteering or contributing.