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Monday's Campaign Round-Up, 8.11.14

Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
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:
 
* Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) was crushed in a Democratic primary over the weekend, losing by about 35 points to state Sen. David Ige. Ige will take on Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona (R) in the fall.
 
* On a related note, Hawaii held a Democratic U.S. Senate primary the same day and preliminary results showed appointed incumbent Sen. Brian Schatz narrowly leading Rep. Colleen Hanabusa. Complicating matters is hurricane damage -- two voting precincts were closed during balloting -- and affected voters will still be able to participate.
 
* In Montana, where Democrats need a U.S. Senate candidate, party officials and activists will gather this Saturday, Aug. 16, to pick a replacement for appointed Sen. John Walsh (D), who bowed out last week. Rep. Steve Daines (R) is now the heavy favorite to win the seat.
 
* In Connecticut's very competitive gubernatorial race, Republican Tom Foley refuses to give his opinion on gun-safety reforms approved after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary. "I don't have the staff available to prepare an alternative bill and we're talking about something that happened several years ago," he said while avoiding the subject last week. "I'm looking down the road. I'm looking ahead. I'm looking at jobs and the economy. I'm not governor and I wasn't governor at the time."
 
* In Texas, state Sen. Wendy Davis (D), hoping to make up ground in her gubernatorial race, has released a very aggressive new ad, hitting state Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) for a dissenting vote he cast in 1998 while on the Texas Supreme Court.
 
* Both parties are starting to take Iowa's U.S. Senate race more seriously, and late last week, the National Republican Senatorial Committee reserved $1.9 million worth of TV airtime to give far-right state Sen. Joni Ernst (R) a boost.
 
* Though her margins have varied quite a bit, Martha Coakley (D) has consistently led Charlie Baker (R) in Massachusetts' gubernatorial race, and the new Boston Globe poll shows her up by 11, 42% to 31%.
 
* And though we don't yet know whether the Iowa Republican Straw Poll will continue to exist, if it survives, the event will be held just a year from now.