Sen. Mary Landrieu could be in trouble next year, a recent poll conducted for her opponent suggested. But if Democrat-turned-Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy makes it through the primary and beats the two-term incumbent, at least Landrieu could have a soft landing, as CQPolitics suggests today.

Landrieu, whose home was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina, might be out of a job just as a vacancy at the Department of Homeland Security opens up. Landrieu has worked with government agencies to get disaster relief for her state, and her experience as chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Disaster Recovery Subcommittee would give her a nice platform from which to jump to the DHS job.

Other candidates CQ floats for the spot (never too early to play the guessing game): James Lee Witt, Bill Clinton's FEMA director, Govs. Janet Napolitano, thanks to her border security experience, and Kathleen Sebelius, who won kudos for her response to a deadly tornado. Former New York City Police Commissioners Bill Bratton and Ray Kelly, retired General Wes Clark and Reps. Bennie Thompson, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Jane Harman, who has long served on the House Intelligence Committee, are also mentioned.

In other Senate news, the Oregon AFL-CIO is meeting today and may make an endorsement in that state's Senate race. State House Speaker Jeff Merkley looks like the favorite for the nod -- he's already won backing from AFSCME -- and though he faces a primary against Portland Democratic activist Steve Novick, Merkley presided over a legislative session that delivered for labor, the Oregonian reported.

The nod, though, is a blow to the candidate Merkley and Novick are aiming to knock off. In 2002, the state's AFL-CIO stayed neutral in the contest between Smith and then-Secretary of State Bill Bradbury. It's not all bad news for Smith, though: The International Association of Fire Fighters is sticking with the incumbent. Merkley needs two-thirds of the union's political council to support him in order to get an endorsement.

A recent poll taken for the Portland Oregonian and KGW, out over the weekend, shows that while Merkley or Novick might start out behind Smith in name recognition, they don't have far to go. Just 60% of Oregonians knew enough about Smith to rate him -- he scored well, with 40% viewing him favorably and 20% unfavorably. Smith's seat-mate, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, is slightly more popular, at 45% to 19%.

Merkley's state legislature is viewed favorably by just 33% of respondents, while 30% see the body in an unfavorable light.