Note to readers: I’m helping deal with a continuing family medical crisis, so please bear with occasional lapses and/or light blogging. We’ll bring in a guest blogger if I get too distracted. Thanks, and in the meantime, here’s some additional reading material:

* New Marist poll in Ohio shows Obama up 48-42 (RVs with leaners included) and with a slight advantage in voter enthusiasm. Portman on ticket with Mitt barely moves the needle.

* Santorum joins right-wing parade backing Cruz over Dewhurst in TX Republican Senate primary.

* AP sees competitive Senate race developing in ND, earlier thought to be easy GOP pickup.

* PPP survey of Maryland provides another data point for shift in African-American opinion in favor of same-sex marriage.

* Whoa! 1968 “Wallace for President stationary resurfaces on support letter for fiery anti-Muslim Republican running for Orange County (CA) Supervisor. I’d suspect an agent provocateur on this one.

And in non-political news:

* U.S. just fails to make Top 10 Happiest Countries list. We were mainly beaten out by those secular-socialist Europeans.

Back to blogging when I can.

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Ed Kilgore is a political columnist for New York and managing editor at the Democratic Strategist website. He was a contributing writer at the Washington Monthly from January 2012 until November 2015, and was the principal contributor to the Political Animal blog.