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Thursday's Campaign Round-Up, 8.13.15

Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
 
* In Iowa, the new CNN poll shows Donald Trump leading the Republican presidential field with 22% support, followed by Ben Carson at 14%. No other candidate reaches double digits, though Scott Walker is third with 9% and Ted Cruz is fourth with 8%.
 
* CNN also polled Iowa Democrats and found Hillary Clinton ahead with 50%, followed by Bernie Sanders with 31%, and Vice President Biden with 12%.
 
* Rand Paul's offensive against Trump continued yesterday, with the senator's campaign unveiling a new attack video that basically characterizes Trump as a Democrat.
 
* Trump responded with a lengthy statement mocking the Kentucky Republican, ridiculing his golf game, and encouraging him to drop out of the presidential race.
 
* Jeb Bush had an awkward town-hall event in Nevada yesterday, telling a Filipino immigrant he opposes an immigration policy based on family reunification. The event ended with Black Lives Matter protesters clashing with Bush supporters.
 
* More than half of New Jersey voters want Chris Christie to resign as governor while he runs for president.
 
* In Missouri, PPP found Sen. Roy Blunt (R) with an ugly 30% approval rating. In a hypothetical general election, he leads his largely unknown Democratic challenger, Jason Kander, by just five points, 40% to 35%.
 
* The same poll shows a wide-open gubernatorial race in Missouri, with Peter Kinder (R) leading Chris Koster (D) by just three, 40% to 37%. Koster, however, leads the rest of the GOP field in 2016 match-ups.
 
* Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), on the presidential campaign trail in New Hampshire yesterday, was asked for his views on campaign-finance reform. "I don't know what I believe the answer is, but I will tell you if I win I will think the system works pretty well. And if I don't win, I'm going to blame it on the system," the governor replied.
 
* And according to federal prosecutors, a former campaign official for Mitch McConnell and David Vitter diverted "more than $1 million into his own accounts to pay for a lavish lifestyle of vacation homes, luxury vehicles and jewelry."