Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Louisiana will hold its first round of balloting tomorrow in its gubernatorial race, and Donald Trump will visit the state tonight to rally the Republican troops. Incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) is expected to outpace his GOP rivals, and if Edwards tops the 50% threshold tomorrow, there will be no second round of voting next month.
* Speaking of presidential travel, Trump was in Minneapolis last night for an unusually long campaign rally, at which he attacked all kinds of foes, targeting Joe Biden with particular zeal.
* Former Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) was planning a comeback next year, but now that he appears to be “Congressman-1” in the indictment of Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman — Rudy Giuliani’s associates who were arrested this week — the Texan’s political future is again in doubt.
* On a related note, many of the Republicans who received contributions from Parnas and Fruman are scrambling to either give the money back or donate it to charity.
* While most national Democratic presidential primary polls show Joe Biden’s lead over Elizabeth Warren disappearing, Fox News’ latest national poll shows the former vice president leading the Massachusetts senator, 32% to 22%. Bernie Sanders is third in the poll with 17%. (Also of interest, Beto O’Rourke reached 3% in the Fox poll, which moves him a little closer to qualifying for the party’s November primary debate.) * As for the general election, Fox’s poll found Biden and Warren leading Trump by 10 points each, while Sanders leads the president in a hypothetical match-up by nine points. * Forty-five years ago, Rep. Larry Hogan Sr. (R-Md.) was the first Republican on the House Judiciary Committee to vote to impeach Richard Nixon. Yesterday, his son, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Jr. (R), announced his support for Congress’ impeachment inquiry into Trump. * And in a bit of a surprise, House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) announced yesterday that she’ll retire at the end of this Congress. Her district, which Hillary Clinton carried by 20 points, is expected to remain in Democratic hands.
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
