Today\u2019s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.<\/p>\n
* Rep. Darrell Issa first retired in 2018, only to launch a successful comeback effort in 2020. Late last week, the California Republican announced that he\u2019s retiring again<\/a>.<\/p>\n * Speaking of California Republicans, facing a newly redrawn district, Rep. Kevin Kiley announced Friday that he\u2019s running for re-election as an independent<\/a>, instead of as a GOP incumbent. Kiley added that he \u201cwill not have a party affiliation \u2026 as an officeholder,\u201d though he\u2019d still have to caucus with one party or the other.<\/p>\n * In Utah, Republican Rep. Burgess Owens also announced his retirement<\/a> last week, helping the state GOP avoid a member-vs-member primary under Utah\u2019s new district map.<\/p>\n * Early voting began late last week in Virginia<\/a>, where voters will decide whether to advance a newly redrawn congressional district map that would benefit Democrats. Election Day is April 21.<\/p>\n * On a related note, the day before early voting began in the commonwealth, Barack Obama endorsed<\/a> the initiative and released a video touting its merits.<\/p>\n * Donald Trump announced<\/a> last week that he intends to make an endorsement in Texas\u2019 Republican U.S. Senate primary runoff. Though he didn\u2019t say whether he\u2019d back incumbent Sen. John Cornyn or state Attorney General Ken Paxton, the president did add that he\u2019ll be \u201casking the candidate that I don\u2019t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE!\u201d<\/p>\n * In North Carolina, Nida Allam, a 32-year-old progressive commissioner in Durham County, conceded<\/a> her Democratic primary race against incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee after a hard-fought primary.<\/p>\n * And while this might seem difficult to believe, Lev Parnas, whose name is probably familiar to Maddow Show viewers<\/a>, announced last week that he\u2019s launching a Democratic primary<\/a> campaign in Miami. Parnas joins a growing primary field hoping to take on Republican Rep. Mar\u00eda Elvira Salazar in the fall.<\/p>\n The post Monday\u2019s Campaign Round-Up, 3.9.26: California\u2019s Issa joins the retirement parade<\/a> appeared first on MS NOW<\/a>.<\/p>\n