Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Virginia yesterday, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe cruised to an easy win in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, prevailing in 95 of the commonwealth's 95 counties.
* On a related note, McAuliffe's Republican opponent, Glenn Youngkin, today released his first general election ad, leaning heavily on criticisms Jennifer Carroll Foy made against McAuliffe during their primary fight. Foy finished second in yesterday's balloting.
* Speaking of 2021 gubernatorial primaries, former state legislator Jack Ciattarelli won the Republican Party's nod in New Jersey to take on incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy (D) in the fall. Election Day is in 21 weeks.
* Confirming earlier reports, Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) this morning formally kicked off her U.S. Senate campaign, hoping to take on incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) next year. Demings, who also served as Orlando's former chief of police, is widely seen as the frontrunner in a crowded Democratic primary.
* Despite weeks of rumors, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) announced this morning that she'll run for re-election in 2022 and will not run for Pennsylvania's open U.S. Senate seat.
* While Democratic officials at the national level explore the possibility of shuffling their presidential nominating calendar -- Iowa's coveted slot is no longer assured -- several key Republican officials indicated this week they plan to leave the party's current calendar unchanged in 2024.
* And Donald Trump this week blamed Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) for the Biden administration's decision to suspend drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and the former president pledged to travel to Alaska "to campaign against her."