Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In an hour-long interview with the Washington Post yesterday, Donald Trump sketched out his plans for the second phase of his Republican presidential campaign. It includes "television ads with a media firm that is new to politics," events with his wife and daughter to focus on "women’s health issues," the publication of a new book, the release of policy proposals, and a deeper political organization "far beyond the early states."
* How concerned is Jeb Bush's campaign operation? NBC News reported this morning that Jeb's Right to Rise super PAC is currently "saturating the airwaves in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina," spending $1.9 million just this week in support of the former governor. No other candidate is close to this level of spending.
* Following a very rough 2012 cycle, Gallup isn't planning to conduct any polls "for the presidential primary horse race this cycle." The longtime pollster "won't commit to tracking the general election next year," either.
* Ted Cruz's ground game actually sounds pretty serious: "For every county in the first four voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, the Cruz campaign has locked down county chairs in charge of not just lending their names to the campaign, but of spearheading outreach and organizing efforts."
* Jeb Bush's campaign released a video this week, boasting that his tax plan would save the typical middle-class household about $2,000 a year. In an interesting companion video, American Bridge 21st Century showed how much greater the benefits will be for Bush himself and others in his tax bracket.
* And in the latest 2016 poll in Texas, Donald Trump leads the GOP field with 21%, though Ted Cruz isn't far behind at 16%. Ben Carson and Jeb Bush also reached double digits, with support of 12% and 10%, respectively.