Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Asked about his presidential campaign in the coming months, Donald Trump told the Washington Post, "I will never leave the race." Pressed further, Trump waved his arm over his head, as if to clear away everything and remove all doubt, and added, "I. Will. Never. Leave. This. Race."
* National Review reports today that many Iowa Republicans don't believe Marco Rubio is serious about the state. "It doesn't seem like he really wants to win Iowa," said Craig Robinson, the state GOP's former executive director, who is now editor of The Iowa Republican. "Of all the campaigns, he's probably done the least of getting around the state."
* In the new USA Today/Suffolk poll, Hillary Clinton's national lead over Bernie Sanders has grown a bit to 56% to 29%, which means she now enjoys nearly a two-to-one advantage.
* In North Carolina, a new PPP survey of Republican voters shows Donald Trump leading the GOP presidential field with 33%, followed by Ted Cruz at 16%. Ben Carson and Marco Rubio are tied for third with 14% each.
* On a related note, the same poll found that North Carolina Democrats are supporting Clinton over Sanders, 60% to 21%. Note that in this poll, Martin O'Malley is up to 10%, which makes this one of the better polls for the former governor in recent memory.
* A top former aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, George Birnbaum, has agreed to join Ben Carson's campaign as a foreign policy adviser.
* Fox Business Network announced that its next debate for the Republican presidential candidates will be held on Thursday, January 14, which is just two days after President Obama's final State of the Union address.
* And speaking of looking ahead, FAMiLY Leader, a prominent group of social conservatives in Iowa, will announce its presidential endorsement at a press conference tomorrow. Ted Cruz is considered the frontrunner for the organization's backing.