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:
* In a bit of a surprise, Public Policy Polling shows Mitt Romney taking the lead in the state of Washington, leading Rick Santorum among Republicans, 37% to 32%.
* In Ohio's closely-watched GOP presidential primary, a new poll from Quinnipiac shows Santorum hanging on to a narrow lead. He's ahead of Romney in the polls, 35% to 31%.
* The Santorum campaign doesn't have much of a staff, but it made a key hire this week: it now has a delegate strategist.
* Markos Moulitsas' "Operation Hilarity" isn't over -- it's expanding to include Super Tuesday states.
* In Maine, Rep. Mike Michaud (D) has announced he isn't running for the U.S. Senate, which makes Rep. Chellie Pingree's (D) campaign that much more likely.
* Newt Gingrich hasn't had much in the way of good news lately, but he appears well positioned to win the primary in his former home state of Georgia.
* Speaking of Gingrich, though the former House Speaker has generally focused his fire on Romney, in advance of Super Tuesday, he's pushing anti-Santorum robocalls in Tennessee and Oklahoma.
* Wrapping up a long Capitol Hill career that began in 1976, Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) will retire at the end of the year.
* Literally just one day after kicking off his comeback campaign in Nebraska, former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D) is already the target of a Republican attack ad.
* And in Missouri, thanks to redistricting, Democratic Reps. Russ Carnahan and William Lacy Clay will be facing off against one another this year.
