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:
* For the second time this week, Marco Rubio leads the Republicans’ presidential field in a national poll. The new Fox News survey shows the Florida senator in front with 13%, followed by Scott Walker at 12% and Rand Paul at 10%. Jeb Bush is close behind at 9%.
* The same poll found Hillary Clinton with modest leads over each of the leading GOP contenders. Among Democrats, there’s suddenly little appetite for a competitive primary: 71% of Dems say they’re “satisfied with the field of Democratic candidates.”
* Before Republican presidential hopefuls compete for voters’ support, they must first compete for billionaires’ support. Rubio has reportedly taken the lead in winning over casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.
* On a related note, Rubio participated in a conference call yesterday with the Koch brothers’ AFP, which is trying to rally opposition to the Export-Import Bank.
* Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) has not yet launched a presidential campaign, but he’s already making jabs at potential rivals, saying yesterday that Jeb Bush will raise a lot of money, but “we’ll see if he can buy a lot of love.”
* Mike Huckabee is also making an issue of Jeb’s fundraising. “Will I have the same amount that somebody like Bush would have? Probably not. I do not have the family rolodex,” the former Arkansas governor said this week.
* Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is headed back overseas, scheduling a trip to Israel next month. The unannounced presidential candidate apparently considers this a “listening tour,” on which he will not answer reporters’ questions.
* And on Capitol Hill, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) believes he has the support necessary to remain in his current #2 slot in the next Congress. There have been rumors about Durbin facing a challenge from Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."