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Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In a bit of a surprise, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has decided not to run for a third term, despite high approval ratings. State Attorney General Maura Healey appears likely to be a top Democratic contender for the office.
* Dr. Mehmet Oz, a physician and controversial television personality, kicked off a Republican U.S. Senate campaign in Pennsylvania yesterday. The Ohio-born Oz currently lives in New Jersey and has a home in Florida.
* Speaking of the Keystone State, Al Schmidt, the only Republican on Philadelphia’s election board, announced yesterday that he's resigning in January. Schmidt rose to national prominence after defending the integrity of the 2020 presidential vote, which led to condemnations from Donald Trump and death threats from right-wing extremists.
* In a 4-3 ruling yesterday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court sided with Republicans in a key redistricting case.
* Atlanta City Councilman Andre Dickens won yesterday's mayoral runoff election, defeating the council’s current president, Felicia Moore, despite the fact that Moore finished first in November's balloting.
* The Republican minority in Oregon's state House this week chose Vikki Breese-Iverson as its new leader, which is notable in large part because Breese-Iverson is one of many GOP officials who've tried to undermine public confidence in the 2020 election results. She, among other things, endorsed "audits" of every state's election results, while also calling on Oregon to endorse a Republican lawsuit challenging the election results in swing states that Donald Trump lost.
* And in northeastern Massachusetts, a state House seat in Essex Country was held by Republicans for 163 years. Yesterday, local voters elected Democrat Jamie Belsito to the seat.