Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Ten contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination will debate tonight in Houston. Unlike the first two rounds of debates, there will be only one event this week.
* Ahead of the debate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) picked up a notable congressional endorsement: Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) threw his backing behind the California senator. Harris now has more endorsements from U.S. House Democrats than any other 2020 candidate.
* The latest national CNN poll found Joe Biden leading the Democratic field with 24%, followed by Elizabeth Warren at 18% and Bernie Sanders at 17%. As is usually the case, the only other contenders above 5% are Harris at 8% and Pete Buttigieg at 6%.
* Though most recent polling shows Biden ahead in New Hampshire, the latest Franklin Pierce University-Boston Herald poll found Sanders with a significant lead over Biden in the nation’s first primary state, 29% to 21%.
* Speaking of the Granite State, former Trump campaign chair Corey Lewandowski is reportedly planning a Republican U.S. Senate campaign in New Hampshire next year, and an Emerson poll this week showed him leading retired Army Gen. Don Bolduc in a GOP primary. * In North Carolina, Sen. Thom Tillis (R) must be at least a little concerned about his re-election prospects, since his campaign just made a $2.2 million ad buy. Tillis is facing a primary challenge from Garland Tucker, a wealthy first-time candidate. * Montana’s state law restricting political robocalls was struck down yesterday by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. “[P]rohibiting political robocalls strikes at the heart of the First Amendment, as well as disproportionately disadvantages political candidates with fewer resources,” the unanimous three-judge panel ruled.
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
