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Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Nevada, former Sen. Dean Heller joined a growing field of Republican gubernatorial candidates yesterday. It will be a comeback attempt for the former GOP senator: Heller lost a re-election campaign in 2018.
* Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman released a new video yesterday, trying to assure the public that the partisan election "investigation" he's helping lead will be legitimate. Gableman neglected to mention his recent "Stop the Steal" activism and his role as a purveyor of ridiculous anti-election conspiracy theories.
* Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan has tested positive for Covid-19, despite having been vaccinated. This isn't expected to affect the Ohio Democrat's U.S. Senate campaign.
* Speaking of the Buckeye State, Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan launched a Republican U.S. Senate campaign yesterday, and he's trying something different to stand out in the crowded GOP primary: Dolan isn't presenting himself as a Donald Trump acolyte.
* In related news, the former president lashed out at Dolan yesterday, holding him responsible for the Cleveland Indians baseball team changing its name. The state senator's family owns the franchise.
* The latest Dallas Morning News/University of Texas poll found Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's approval rating down to 45 percent. The same survey showed 54 percent of Texans agreeing that the Lone Star State is on the wrong track.
* And on a related note, The New York Times reported this week that former Rep. Beto O'Rourke has been "making calls to Democratic leaders across Texas to inform them that he is seriously considering" a 2022 gubernatorial campaign. O'Rourke ran a very competitive 2018 campaign against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, before launching an ill-fated presidential run in 2020.