Interesting article...thanks for posting it.
I started seeing mentions of Brett Kavanaugh almost immediately after the announcement of Kennedy’s retirement, which suggests he’s campaigning for the position.
Not necessarily. The Trump people had prepared a list of 25 people for potential SCOTUS appointments way back before Trump was sworn in, knowing that they would have Scalia's seat to fill immediately. Gorsuch was nominated and confirmed. Aside from that, the list hasn't changed, as far as I know. Kavanaugh was on it before and is still on it now.
What you heard are repetitions of same of the names on the original list.
Kavanaugh is on the DC Court, which is considered ideal for training SC justices.
No one from the North East down through Virginia, or who has an Ivy League law degree, should be considered at all.