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:
* In Wisconsin, where Gov. Scott Walker (R) is in a competitive re-election fight, a federal judge ended an investigation into alleged campaign improprieties, only to have that ruling reversed soon after by a federal appeals court.
* New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who also happens to be the current chair of the Republican Governors Association, hadn't made any campaign appearances with GOP candidates since his scandals broke earlier this year. That changed yesterday when Christie traveled to Maine to appear alongside Gov. Paul LePage (R).
* In Kentucky, Senate hopeful Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) launched her first major ad buy of the cycle today, airing a new TV ad touting her work as Kentucky's Secretary of State. The spot specifically references Lundergan Grimes' work improving voting procedures for Kentuckians serving in the military overseas.
* In South Dakota, Republicans are very optimistic about picking up retiring Sen. Tim Johnson's (D) seat, and while that seems likely, it won't necessarily be easy. A new PPP poll shows Mike Rounds (R) with a 10-point lead over Rick Weiland (D), 38% to 28%, though the fact that the Republican is under 40% stands out. Former Sen. Larry Pressler (R) is running as an independent and has 15% support in the poll.
* In Idaho, Main Street PAC, which hopes to reduce the far-right's influence within the Republican Party, is launching a new ad buy in Idaho in support of Rep. Mike Simpson (R). The Club for Growth, among others, is backing Simpson's primary challenger, attorney Bryan Smith.
* And in Alaska, lieutenant governor hopeful Dan Sullivan (R) this week compared union dues to "slavery." Though he initially refused to back down, Sullivan issued a statement yesterday saying he understood "the sensitivity that the term slavery connotes and I apologize if the use of the word offended anyone."