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:
* In New Jersey, which will hold its gubernatorial race later this year, a new Quinnipiac poll shows incumbent Gov. Chris Christie (R) cruising past his Democratic challengers, and 68% of the state's voters believe he deserves re-election.
* On a related note, the same poll found that among New Jersey Democrats, Newark Mayor Cory Booker would enjoy a sizeable advantage over incumbent Sen. Frank Lautenberg, 51% to 30%, if the two were to meet in a primary.
* Lautenberg talking about giving Booker a "spanking" for being "disrespectful" probably won't help.
* In Minnesota, Public Policy Polling's latest survey shows Sen. Al Franken (D) looking fairly strong in advance of his re-election bid, including a 52% approval rating.
* In Maine, PPP found most of the state's voters disapprove of far-right Gov. Paul LePage (R), but in a three-way race in which Democrats and independents split the mainstream vote, LePage may yet win a second term. In a head-to-head match-up against a Democrat, the governor trails by double digits.
* Speaking of Maine, is there any chance Sen. Susan Collins (R) will face a credible challenge in 2014? Apparently not.
* More than a few political reporters noted that Vice President Biden invited some New Hampshire and Iowa guests to his inaugural events, which probably wasn't a coincidence.
* And in Massachusetts, Democratic Lt. Gov. Tim Murray will not run for governor in 2014. State Treasurer Steve Grossman appears likely to run, especially with Murray out of the race.