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Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Iowa Republicans apparently didn’t realize that they scheduled their 2024 presidential caucuses for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
* Abandoning the precedent set by recent chairs of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Sen. Steve Daines has freely handed out endorsements to candidates he sees as stronger contenders than their less electable rivals.
* In the state of Washington, former Republican Rep. Dave Reichert, who left Capitol Hill four years ago, is coming out of retirement and running for governor. If successful, the former congressman would become the state’s first GOP governor since John Spellman left office in early 1985.
* Former Ambassador Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign and affiliated committees raised $7.3 million in the second quarter. A super PAC supporting her candidacy, however, has raised $18.7 million so far this year, which should help boost the South Carolina Republican’s candidacy.
* Gov. Doug Burgum realizes that it won’t be easy to qualify for the next Republican presidential debate because, among other things, he’ll need at least 40,000 individual donors. With this in mind, the North Dakotan has begun offering $20 gift cards to the first 50,000 people who donate at least $1 to his campaign.
* And speaking of strange fundraising tactics, NBC News reported that GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign “is launching a new fundraising initiative that will see the campaign give donors 10% of the total amount of money they raise.”
* In Montana, Tim Sheehy’s Republican U.S. Senate campaign became the latest operation to get caught using stock images that have nothing to do with their home state. Business Insider reported that on the “Issues” section of his campaign website, Sheehy featured a green pasture in Kentucky, which disappeared soon after.
* And in the Sunshine State, the latest poll from Florida Atlantic University found Donald Trump leading Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 50% to 30%, in their race for the Republicans’ 2024 presidential nomination.