Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.), a member of the House Oversight Committee, has called for an emergency hearing to examine allegations of election fraud in North Carolina’s 9th congressional district. “Real election fraud is playing out right before us,” the Virginia Dem told the Washington Post.
* In the Alaska state House race we’ve been watching, the latest recount found the Republican candidate ahead by a single vote, and the Democrat in the race appears poised to take the issue to the courts.
* Nancy Pelosi moved a little closer to reclaiming the House Speaker’s gavel yesterday when Rep.-elect Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), who voted against Pelosi in last week’s caucus meeting, announced plans to vote for her on the House floor next month.
* It was extremely close, but state lawmakers in New Hampshire yesterday re-elected Bill Gardner (D) to serve as secretary of state for another term. It’s a position Gardner has held for 42 years.
* Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser became the latest Republican to say he won’t run for governor in Louisiana next year, though incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) isn’t going to run unopposed. Rep. Ralph Abraham (R), a relatively low-profile two-term congressman, announced this morning that he’s going to take on Edwards in 2019. * Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions could try to reclaim his old Senate seat next year, but the Alabama Republican spoke to Politico yesterday and didn’t sound especially interested. * Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) seemed to suggest at an event this week that Gov. Steve Bullock (D) would take on Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) in 2020, but yesterday, Tester walked it back, explaining that he misheard the question. * And former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) made it official overnight, publishing a piece on Facebook explaining that he will not run for president in 2020.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past." Recommended
