Today's installment of campaign-related news items that won't necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:
* Going into the Nevada caucuses, Public Policy Polling shows Mitt Romney cruising to an easy win, leading Newt Gingrich by a whopping 25 points.
* Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), one of Congress' higher-profile Blue Dogs, will retire at the end of the year. Shuler has also passed on the North Carolina gubernatorial race.
* In Massachusetts, Sen. Scott Brown (R) has used nearly $10,000 in donor money to pay his daughter to sing at three campaign events. (Candidates' family members usually go to rallies for free.)
* In Missouri, PPP shows Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) struggling in her re-election bid, generating just 43% support in match-ups against her Republican challengers.
* On a related note, President Obama narrowly lost Missouri in 2008, but PPP shows him tied with Romney in a hypothetical race, with each getting 45% support.
* In Hawaii's U.S. Senate race, Democrat Maizie Hirono is using criticism of George W. Bush in her television ads.
* In Montana's closely-watched Senate race, Public Opinion Strategies shows Rep. Denny Rehberg (R) leading incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D) by three, 46% to 43%.
* And in Michigan, the latest EPIC/MRA poll former Rep. Pete Hoekstra with a big lead in the Republicans' U.S. Senate primary. The winner will face Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) in November.