With the August recess approaching, and the president urging Congress to “keep working” on health care even during the break, this spot will be watching the developments in health-care-world a great deal in the coming week. But there are a few interesting campaign-related developments in recent days, worth noting before we get hip-deep in blue dogs, blue crosses, blue shields, and code blues . . .

CQ: “CQ Politics’ election analysts found 100 congressional districts with races where either major party stands a chance of winning the seat. That includes three true tossup seats, many districts that are only slightly competitive and some highly competitive. Of the 100 races worth closely watching, Democrats are defending 59 of the seats.”

In New Jersey: “Corzine has sought to refocus attention on his efforts to rebuild the state’s struggling economy. The campaign posted a letter on its Web site Friday from President Barack Obama. ‘Jon has set New Jersey in the right direction,’ the president wrote. A White House aide said it wasn’t sent to soften the blow of the corruption arrests.”

In Illinois, experience is now optional: “First-term state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias today firmly affixed his candidacy for the U.S. Senate to President Barack Obama, contending a new generation of leadership in the mold of the man he considers a mentor will outweigh any taint of scandal surrounding Obama’s former Senate seat. Asked by reporters whether someone with little more than two years in public office was qualified to sit as a senator, Giannoulias, 33, said ‘they said the same thing about Barack Obama.’ Obama spent eight years in the state Senate and two years in the U.S. Senate before winning the White House.”