As Gov. Chris Christie (R) “prepares to go to Mexico this week for a rare, official trip outside the United States, aides insist that his intent is to deepen New Jersey’s economic ties to Latin America and showcase his commitment to Hispanic voters back at home,” the New York Times reports.

“But at a moment of spiraling global mayhem, from Ukraine to Iraq, Mr. Christie’s trip will double as a closely watched chance to demonstrate a level of acumen and adroitness on foreign policy that has so far eluded him as he weighs a run for the White House.”

“Republicans leaders are convinced that Mr. Obama’s second-term foreign policy — guided by an instinctive reluctance to use force and the mantra ‘don’t do stupid stuff’ — has created an opening for a compelling Republican critique in 2016, and they are eager to find an authoritative statesman to deliver it.”

A new SurveyUSA poll in Minnesota finds Sen. Al Franken (D) well ahead of challenger Mike McFadden (R), 51% to 42%.

In the governor’s race, Gov. Mark Dayton (D) leads challenger Jeff Johnson (R), 49% to 40%.

The Sioux Falls Argus Leader has the fascinating story of how Sen. Karl Mundt (R-SD) suffered a massive stroke in 1969 but would not resign.

“Mundt, the state’s longest serving member in Congress, never would resume his duties as a senator, though he would occupy that office for three more years. His refusal to resign and allow outgoing Republican Gov. Frank Farrar to appoint his replacement before leaving office himself had profound consequences for South Dakota politics that ripple through today.”

“Political observers have speculated on why Mundt stayed, despite urgings from longtime friends, prominent local Republicans and even the Nixon White House. The episode is one of South Dakota’s prominent political mysteries.”

Associated Press: “Election Day is just two months off and the national tab for the 2014 campaign already stands at $1 billion. Before it’s all over, the bill for the first midterm election since both Democrats and Republicans embraced a historic change in campaign finance is likely to grow to $4 billion or more.”

Washington Post: “Happy Labor Day weekend! In politics, this marks the final period of calm before a whirlwind nine weeks leading up to Election Day. It’s also a good time to reflect on the 2014 election cycle so far — full of dramatic twists, turns, unexpected triumphs and bitter disappointments. Sometimes all in the same day.”

“There have also been a handful of unmitigated disasters. We’re talking about the campaigns that failed miserably, after kicking off full of promise, in most cases.”

A new SurveyUSA poll in Kentucky finds Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) strengthening his lead over his challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes (D), 46% to 42%.

“If the president has no strategy, maybe it’s time for a new president.”

— Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), quoted by the Washington Post, on President Obama stating that the administration has no strategy yet for dealing with ISIS.

“With their Senate majority imperiled, Democrats are trying to mobilize African-Americans outraged by the shooting in Ferguson, Mo., to help them retain control of at least one chamber of Congress for President Obama’s final two years in office,” the New York Times reports.

“In black churches and on black talk radio, African-American civic leaders have begun invoking the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, along with conservative calls to impeach Mr. Obama, as they urge black voters to channel their anger by voting Democratic in the midterm elections, in which minority turnout is typically lower.”

“Jesse Benton resigned as Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) campaign manager following reports that he had emerged as a figure in an endorsement scandal during the 2012 Iowa presidential caucus,” the Louisville Courier Journal reports.

“In an emailed statement Friday evening, Benton denied any involvement in the scandal, in which Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson admitted receiving payments from U.S. Rep. Ron Paul’s campaign before switching his endorsement to the congressman. He had previously backed U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann.”

A new Rasmussen survey in Arkansas finds Sen. Mark Pryor (D) barely ahead of challenger Tom Cotton (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 44% to 43%.

A Mississippi judge has tossed out Chris McDaniel’s (R) challenge to that state’s June 24 GOP primary runoff results, ending another chapter in one of the most bitterly contested U.S. Senate primaries in recent memory, CNN reports.

Jackson Clarion Ledger: “McDaniel is taking the long holiday weekend to mull whether he’ll accept defeat from the June 24 GOP U.S. Senate primary, or continue his appeal to the state’s high court.”