Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

* Despite his own troubled history on the issue, Donald Trump’s campaign launched a new ad this week targeting former Ambassador Nikki Haley for wanting to raise the retirement age for Social Security.

* President Joe Biden won’t be in Iowa ahead of next week’s caucuses, but the Democratic incumbent’s political operation is deploying some surrogates to the Hawkeye State. Leading the way will be two Midwesterners: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota.

* In Maryland, Carlos Ayala resigned this week as a Republican member of the state board of elections. The move made sense: Federal authorities arrested Ayala on Tuesday in connection with his alleged role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

* Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sparked a new controversy this week when he suggested during a primary debate that he would support the “mass removal of Palestinians” from Gaza if Israeli officials decide “they need to do that.”

* In Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds has an official Twitter account with nearly 74,000 followers, but the Republican governor apparently maintained a separate, unpublicized account that she used to share candid opinions. Trump was among Reynolds’ targets.

* Former Gov. Larry Hogan recently stepped down from the leadership of the No Labels operation, fueling speculation that the Maryland Republican might be considered for the group’s presidential ticket in the fall.

* And in related news, NBC News reported that No Labels has also “actively engaged with” allies of former Gov. Chris Christie, who abandoned his Republican presidential candidacy this week.