Senate Updates: Portman Announces In Ohio; Lynch Won't Run In N.H.

Here's the latest on some Senate seats:

Florida: Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) has become the first candidate to officially declare for the seat being vacated by Republican Mel Martinez. Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R) took himself out of the running on Jan. 6.

Illinois: Roland Burris (D) will be sworn in as the junior senator from Ilinois tomorrow at 2 p.m. Eastern time. There's nothing more to say on this one. But wow. (Previous Junkie post on Burris here.)

Minnesota: Al Franken (D), who continues to hold a 225-vote lead, has gone to the state Supreme Court to force Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie to certify his victory over Norm Coleman. Both state officials turned Franken down on Monday, saying that Coleman is still fighting the apparent result and the legal process needs to be played out.

New Hampshire: Tom Fahey of the N.H. Union Leader reports that Gov. John Lynch, the state's most popular Democrat, announced today he will not challenge Sen. Judd Gregg (R) next year.

Lynch ... acknowledged speculation in political circles that he might challenge ... Gregg. He said he plans to focus on budget issues here in New Hampshire.

"I can tell you that although I don't know what I'll be doing in 2010, I'm not going to run for the United States Senate. So, that shouldn't be a distraction as I continue to work on the budget."

Lynch made the statement before taking questions from reporters at a brief press conference today.

He has just begun his third two-year term as governor, on the strength of a landslide victory at the polls. He and his staff are struggling to close both a $90 million budget deficit this year, and a revenue gap of as much as $500 million over the next two years.

Lynch declined to say whether he will seek a fourth term as governor, referring again to his focus on budget issues and the state economy.

Gregg announced in November that he plans to run for election to a fourth term in the Senate.

New York: A Quinnipiac University poll released today shows that New Yorkers "have cooled" on Caroline Kennedy and "more voters now prefer" state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo over the former first daughter by 31-24 percent. This is for the seat that Hillary Clinton will relinquish once she is confirmed as secretary of state. Three members of Congress are well behind in the poll: Carolyn Maloney of Manhattan has 6 percent, Kirsten Gillibrand from upstate has 5 percent, and Steve Israel from Long Island 2 percent. Eighteen percent suggested someone else, and 14 percent were undecided.

(To paraphrase an old expression, the only poll that matters is Gov. David Paterson [D]. He will select Clinton's successor.)

Kenneth Lovett and Glenn Blain of the New York Daily News report today that Paterson interviewed Cuomo for the job last month. That ordinarily should not sound surprising; Cuomo's name has been mentioned as a possible Clinton Senate replacement from Day 1. But this is the first confirmation that Cuomo has taken a step to get the appointment.

Previous Junkie posting on the New York race here.

Ohio: Rob Portman, the former congressman, Bush trade rep and OMB chief, announced his candidacy today for the Senate seat being vacated by fellow Republican George Voinovich.

"Just as it was an honor to serve the people of Southern Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years, so it would be an honor to serve all Ohioans in the U.S. Senate. At a difficult time in our state and national economy, I believe I can make a positive difference in the lives of people throughout Ohio."

Portman seems to be the early favorite for the GOP, but of course it is early. Among the Democrats mentioned as potential candidates are Lt. Governor Lee Fisher and Rep. Tim Ryan.