Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* A new CBS News/YouGov Battleground Tracker poll found Democrats with a five-point lead over Republicans in the most competitive areas, putting the party on track for a narrow majority after this year’s midterm elections. (Note, this is not a traditional generic-ballot poll, since it focuses only on 64 key districts.)
* On Friday afternoon in Alaska, about a half-hour before the filing deadline, former Sen. Mark Begich (D) launched a gubernatorial campaign. Incumbent Gov. Bill Walker (I) is seeking a second term in what will apparently be a three-way contest.
* In Kansas’ gubernatorial race, Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) raised a few eyebrows while participating in a parade over the weekend: the Republican official rode in a jeep “standing next to what appeared to be a .50 caliber machine gun.”
* Americans for Prosperity, backed by the Koch brothers, is launching a digital ad campaign thanking, among others, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) for co-sponsoring a bill that changes Dodd-Frank in ways conservatives like. Heitkamp, of course, is a Dem facing a competitive re-election campaign in a red state this fall.
* In Massachusetts’ gubernatorial race, the latest WBUR/MassINC poll found incumbent Gov. Charlie Baker (R) with 40-point leads over his likely Democratic challengers, suggesting the governor is a safe bet for a second term.
* The same poll showed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) with comparable leads over the three Republicans vying to take her on in November.
* And campaign watchers shouldn’t forget that tomorrow will be a big day, with primaries in California, Mississippi, Alabama, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota. As we’ll discuss in an upcoming post, California’s “top-two” primary system is facing a big test, including the possibility that Democrats will be locked out entirely in several key races that may decide which party controls the U.S. House in the next Congress.
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."