Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Florida’s gubernatorial race, the conventional wisdom has long held that Rep. Byron Donalds was the prohibitive favorite for the Republican nomination, but the congressman is no longer running unopposed: James Fishback, a 30-year-old CEO for an investment firm, who lives in Florida’s rural Panhandle region, launched a statewide campaign this week.
* As expected, former Sen. Doug Jones announced a Democratic gubernatorial campaign in Alabama, setting up a rematch of sorts against Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who defeated him in a 2020 Senate race.
* With New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill poised to take office, the incumbent governor, Phil Murphy, has scheduled an April 16 special election to fill the Democrat’s vacancy. With local primary elections scheduled for Feb. 5, almost a dozen Democrats have already started campaigns to succeed Sherrill.
* In Massachusetts, where Rep. Seth Moulton is challenging incumbent Sen. Ed Markey in a Democratic primary, a poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center found Markey with a 9-point advantage, though more than a third of respondents said they’re still undecided.
* The latest national Marquette Law School Poll found Democrats with a 5-point advantage over Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, but among Americans who say they’re certain to vote in next year’s midterm elections, the Democratic advantage is 9 points.
* The Democrats’ 2028 presidential primaries are still on the horizon, but party officials are pursuing reforms to the existing process, including the introduction of ranked-choice voting in upcoming primaries.
* While the latest fundraising tallies offered a mixed bag for the parties — Senate Republicans fared well, but so did House Democrats — it was of interest to learn the Democratic National Committee took out a $15 million loan ahead of the Virginia and New Jersey elections held earlier this month.
