Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In New Hampshire, the latest Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll showed a very competitive contest featuring four candidates within four points of one another. Bernie Sanders is out in front with 16%, followed by Elizabeth Warren at 14%, Pete Buttigieg at 13%, and Joe Biden at 12%.
* On a related note, the same poll found Tulsi Gabbard, fueled in large part by support from non-Democratic voters, at 6% in New Hampshire, while Andrew Yang was at 4%. The results move both of them closer to qualifying for the party's December primary debate.
* In a significant staffing development, Vanessa Cárdenas, who oversaw outreach to Latino, African-American, and women's groups for Joe Biden's presidential campaign, has stepped down from the former vice president's operation.
* A federal judge in Michigan yesterday rejected a Republican argument and cleared the way for a new redistricting commission to advance. Last fall, Michigan voters easily approved a ballot measure to create the commission as a way to counteract gerrymandering.
* John Gray, the chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party, confirmed yesterday that Sen. Tom Cotton (R) will not have a Democratic rival next year. Josh Mahony was supposed to be the party's U.S. Senate candidate, but he withdrew from the race a few hours after the state's filing deadline had passed and has reportedly "ceased communication with party leaders." (Notable footnote from recent history: in 2008, when Democrat Mark Pryor ran for re-election to this same seat, he ran without a Republican opponent.)
* It appears former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's extensive financial support for Republican candidates in recent years hasn't gone unnoticed as he moves forward with his 2020 Democratic presidential campaign.
* In Pennsylvania last week, state Sen. John Yudichak switched his party affiliation from Democratic to independent, and he'll now caucus with the chamber's Republican majority. This, among other things, decreases the odds of Dems flipping the chamber next year.
* And House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) unveiled a new ad yesterday that appeared designed to defend Donald Trump's record. In what appears to be an unfortunate-but-amusing accident, McCarthy's ad features stock footage from Russia.