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Thursday's Campaign Round-Up, 4.17.14

Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
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:
 
* Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), fresh off his official announcement on seeking a second term, was asked yesterday whether he would commit to serving his full term if re-elected. Walker refused to make that commitment.
 
* In Delaware this morning, two-term state Attorney General Beau Biden (D) announced this morning that he would not seek re-election, but will instead run for governor in 2016.
 
* In a reversal, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) announced yesterday he will campaign  in support of Jim Oberweis (R), who's running against Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) this year. Kirk had said the opposite last month.
 
* Though most recent polling in Maine shows Rep. Mike Michaud (D) leading this year's gubernatorial race, the newest statewide poll shows incumbent Gov. Paul LePage (R) with a narrow, one-point advantage. As has been the case, independent Eliot Cutler continues to split the mainstream vote, just as he did in 2010 when LePage was elected to the office with only 38% support.
 
* In North Carolina, Democrats have become more aggressive in targeting Senate hopeful Thom Tillis (R) in advance of the Republican primary. The Senate Majority PAC, which supports incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan (D), is launching a new ad going after improprieties from Tillis' aides.
 
* On a related note, Tillis' principal rival in North Carolina, Greg Brannon, is now accused of plagiarizing an article by a Cato Institute scholar in a recent Facebook post. The Brannon campaign has also been accused on plagiarizing content for its official website.
 
* In New Hampshire, a new WMUR poll shows Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) with big leads over each of her likely Republican challengers.
 
* And in Massachusetts' gubernatorial race, a new University of Massachusetts Amherst poll shows state Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) leading Charlie Baker (R) by 11 points, 45% to 34%. In the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Coakley leads State Treasurer Steve Grossman by an even wider margin.