According to the Houston Chronicle, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, “is running as if his opponent is the national Democratic Party,” and not Democratic state Rep. Rick Noriega of Houston. “Since late last year, Cornyn has avoided directly engaging Noriega as much as possible,” the newspaper reports. “Any negative critiques of Noriega and his politics come from Cornyn’s campaign manager and campaign spokesman.” Because Cornyn is favored to retain his seat — and has $9 million in his campaign account, compared to Noriega’s $900,000 — the senator can focus on “moving up in the Senate Republican leadership next year and perhaps take over as the head of the GOP senators’ fundraising arm, the National Republican Senatorial Committee,” according to the Chronicle. Last week he donated $250,000 of his re-election money to the committee.

The Detroit Free Pressreports that independent Jack Kevorkian told audience members at a town-hall meeting Friday that they were “sheep-like” and “enslaved.” “You don’t want to admit it because you’re walking around free, eating good dinners,” Kevorkian told the crowd in Birmingham, Mich. “As long as you’re comfortable, you’re controllable.” The assisted-suicide advocate says he is running for Michigan’s 9th District House seat because he wants to educate and inform the public. His top campaign issue, according to the newspaper, is pushing the Ninth Amendment, which protects rights not explicitly specified elsewhere in the Constitution. Eight-term incumbent Republican Joe Knollenberg and Democrat Gary Peters are the top-tier candidates in the race.