Down in Florida, new GOP polling shows U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris (R) still trailing U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D) by nine points. The data, from Strategic Vision.

If the election were held today for United States Senate, whom would you support, Bill Nelson, the Democrat or Katherine Harris, the Republican?

Bill Nelson 47%
Katherine Harris 38%
Undecided 15%

If Harris can't break 40 percent in a partisan poll, one can only imagine how she would fare in a non-partisan survey.

In South Carolina, the Columbia State's Lee Bandy reports that the Democrats have just lost their number one (and perhaps only) politician on the statewide level.

Inez Tenenbaum is expected to announce today she will not run for a third term as state superintendent of education.

Tenenbaum has scheduled a 3 p.m. news conference to make what was described only as a major campaign announcement.

However, the Lexington Democrat began making phone calls to friends and allies Monday evening to advise them of her decision not to seek re-election.

[...]

Tenenbaum’s future plans were unclear Monday night. She did not return phone calls. However, her decision not to seek re-election removes the Democratic Party’s strongest statewide vote-getter from the ballot.

The Democrats aren't the only ones losing their favored candidates. In Oklahoma (I know it's technically the old Southwest, not the South, but eh...), the AP's Richard Green writes that everyone's favorite conservative African-American Republican has decided to forgo a bid for governor.

Former Congressman J.C. Watts said Tuesday he will not run for governor in Oklahoma next year.

"I have determined that the timing for such an adventure is not right at this point in our lives," he said in a statement.

He said he spent more than two months talking to voters across the state before reaching his decision.

Watts is the second Republican to decide against making the race; Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin has announced she will run for re-election instead of running for governor. Their moves leave the GOP without a proven vote-getter with wide name recognition to challenge Gov. Brad Henry, the popular Democratic incumbent.