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Thursday's campaign round-up

Campaign-related news items that won't necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers

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 Virginia's gubernatorial race, Planned Parenthood Votes has just made a major, $1 million ad buy, shining a spotlight on Ken Cuccinelli's views on women's health. Simultaneously, Planned Parenthood Action Fund is launching a direct-mail campaign intended to reach 155,000 Virginia households.

* On a related note, Terry McAuliffe, Cuccinelli's Democratic rival, has a new ad tying the Republican gubernatorial candidate to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Note that the government shutdown won't do Cuccinelli any favors in Virginia -- home to a lot of government workers, veterans, and contractors.

* In Montana, Democrats have struggled to find a top-tier U.S. Senate candidate for 2014, but that's changed rather dramatically. Lt. Gov. John Walsh (D), a former Montana National Guard commander, is poised to kick off his campaign, and will almost certainly take on Rep. Steve Daines (R) in the open-seat contest.

* In Pennsylvania, a new statewide poll shows Gov. Tom Corbett (R) continuing to lose public support in advance of his re-election bid. His approval rating now stands at a woeful 33%.

* And in Iowa, state Sen. Kent Sorenson (R) was forced to resign yesterday, following accusations he violated state ethics rules by indirectly accepting money from Michele Bachmann's 2012 presidential campaign.