Short Stuff

Dubuque = Center Of The Universe Saturday. Not just about Iowa; about Wisconsin, too.

Does widower John Ward's entry into the Senate 22 race clear the GOP field? If the bereaved is talking politics, it definitely takes the lid off for anyone else to get in.

National worst case scenario silver lining for Democrats: the US Senate. You can thank Republican primary voters in Indiana, Missouri, and maybe even... Nebraska?!? for that. (And 2010 primary voters in Nevada and Delaware.)

Early voting still hot in Johnson County; sometime late today or early tomorrow we pass the final grand total of requests from 2008. 1000 to 1200 voters a day ain't bad. But day by day this week, the numbers are noticeably down from the same days in 2008, almost 600 less yesterday.

Part of that is fewer sites each day, which will be VERY noticeable this weekend when there's not a second Hy-Vee day like there was in 2008. But my gut check is that much of it is the Already Voted factor. Way back in September, the first day numbers almost tripled, which leaves that many fewer people to vote in the last week. Multiply that by five weeks, and well over half of registered Democrats here have already voted.

And if you haven't: best bet is IN PERSON. Tomorrow at 5 is the deadline for vote by mail requests, but you're taking a chance there.