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

* In a move many seniors might now like, Nikki Haley kicked off her Republican presidential campaign by calling for “mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.”

* Speaking of Haley, last year, the South Carolinian campaigned in New Hampshire for GOP Senate hopeful Don Bolduc. Today, she’ll return to the Granite State and pick up an endorsement from the failed candidate and far-right election denier.

* Donald Trump, meanwhile, issued a statement yesterday saying he chose Haley to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in order to elevate her then-lieutenant governor, Republican Henry McMaster, to the governor’s office. The former president described this as “a favor” to South Carolinians.

* What did Trump’s and Haley’s kickoff speeches have in common? Neither Republican mentioned abortion.

* In California, Rep. Barbara Lee hasn’t formally launched her Senate campaign, but the Democratic congresswoman has now filed the paperwork for her statewide bid.

* A new national Quinnipiac University poll found Trump leading Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 42% to 36%, in the race for the Republicans’ presidential nomination. Haley was third in the survey results with 5%, followed by former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who each had 4% support.

* Daily Kos published the results this week of some fascinating research: “Even though Democrats retained the Senate — and expanded their majority — in 2022, the results nonetheless marked the continuation of an unwelcome trend: Our new data shows that Senate Republicans last won more votes or represented more Americans than Democrats in 1998, but the GOP has controlled the upper chamber fully half the time since then nonetheless.”