Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* After Republican officials in South Carolina cancelled their 2020 presidential primary, as part of a gambit to save Donald Trump from possible embarrassment, some local voters sued. Yesterday, a judge ruled in the state GOP’s favor.
* On a related note, the Hawaii Republican Party is moving forward with plans to scrap its primary, too, joining Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Nevada, and South Carolina.
* In Texas, the latest CNN poll found Joe Biden far ahead in the Democratic presidential primary with 35%. Further back was Bernie Sanders at 15% and Elizabeth Warren at 13%. No other candidate reached double digits, though Pete Buttigieg was close with 9% support.
* The same poll showed Donald Trump leading each of the top Democratic contenders in Texas in hypothetical general-election match-ups, though Biden was close, trailing the president by only one percentage point in the Lone Star State.
* CNN also polled California Democrats — both Texas and California will hold presidential primaries on March 3 (“Super Tuesday”) — and found Biden narrowly leading Sanders in the Golden State, 21% to 20%. Warren wasn’t far behind with 17%, followed by Buttigieg with 9%. * Sandra Diaz and Victorina Morales, two undocumented immigrants who used to work for Trump, joined Joe Biden on the campaign trail this week, and spoke to voters in Nevada. “I’m going to tell you who is Mr. Trump,” Diaz told the crowd. “How he’s a big liar….. He still lies about immigrants. He says we are bad people. And I will stand here and say he lies, because we are good workers and good people.” * Ahead of the special election in California’s 25th congressional district, Democratic leaders continue to rally behind Assemblywoman Christy Smith, who picked up an endorsement from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week. Smith’s principal progressive rival is talk-show host Cenk Uygur, who had a program on MSNBC several years ago. * And former Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced this week that he’ll donate $10 million in defense of House Democrats facing pushback from the right for supporting Trump’s impeachment. This comes on top of the $100 million Bloomberg has reportedly invested, so far, in his Democratic presidential campaign.
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
