By
Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Ohio's U.S. Senate race, Republican Josh Mandel has made anti-refugee messages a key part of his 2022 message. What the far-right candidate hasn't mentioned is that he is the "the grandson of refugees from Europe who settled in the Cleveland area with the aid of at least two resettlement organizations."
* It's still unclear whether Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley will run for re-election next year at the age of 89, but if he does, the incumbent will apparently be a heavy favorite: The latest Des Moines Register poll shows Grassley leading former Democratic Rep. Abby Finkenauer, 55 percent to 37 percent.
* With only six weeks remaining in New Jersey's gubernatorial race, a new Monmouth poll shows incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy with a double-digit advantage over Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli, 51 percent to 38 percent.
* Though the outcome is already clear, votes are still being tallied in California's gubernatorial recall election, and as things stand, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is still on track to win with roughly 62% support, which will be in line with his 2018 election victory.
* NBC News reported this morning that Senate Democrats are "accelerating their 2022 midterm election efforts with a $30 million field organizing push targeting nine states that will help determine control of the chamber." The party's initiative is called the Defend the Majority program.
* It may seem hard to believe, but former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage will reportedly announce today that he's running to reclaim his old job, hoping to unseat incumbent Democratic Gov. Janet Mills next year.
* And in Wyoming, where Donald Trump is desperate to end Rep. Liz Cheney's career by way of a Republican primary, former President George W. Bush has announced plans to headline a fundraiser next month for the incumbent GOP congresswoman.