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 a tragic development, Missouri's State Auditor, 54-year-old Tom Schweich, died yesterday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Schweich was widely seen as a top contender in Missouri's gubernatorial race next year.
* Asked yesterday for his views on net neutrality, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) punted, saying only, "I think on that ... the guiding principle should be freedom." By all appearances, the governor did not seem to know what net neutrality is.
* Hillary Clinton hasn't officially announced her 2016 plans, but her campaign operation has begun to fill key staffing positions. A former congressional aide, Amanda Renteria, who ran an unsuccessful congressional campaign last year, will reportedly be Clinton's political director.
* It's not just CPAC week for Republicans; the Club For Growth's annual winter conference is also being held this week. Among the likely presidential candidates who'll reportedly appear at the closed-door event: Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. Mike Pence, and Gov. Bobby Jindal.
* Just two days after saying he might run for the Senate in 2016, former Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) brought some clarity to his plans this morning. "In response to various questions: I will not be running for the U.S. Senate in 2016," Akin said in a statement.
* How much does Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) hate his likely successor, Sen. David Vitter (R)? Asked about their relationship, the governor told a reporter this week, "If you turn [your recorder] off, I'll tell you what I really think about him."
* Kentucky's Matt Bevin (R), fresh off his failed U.S. Senate campaign, is now running for governor of the Bluegrass State. The Republican vowed this week that, if elected, he would scrap Medicaid expansion and kick 400,000 Kentucky residents off their health care coverage.