Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The New York Times reported over the weekend that the Republican National Committee recently commissioned its own survey of 17 states, and party officials were “taken aback” by the data showing Donald Trump “struggling in the Electoral College battlegrounds and likely to lose without signs of an economic rebound this fall.”
* There wasn’t any doubt about Nancy Pelosi’s 2020 preferences, but as Democrats consolidate support behind Joe Biden, the House Speaker formally threw her support behind the former vice president this morning.
* Pelosi also spoke to MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle this morning about her party’s emphasis on postal balloting. Referring to the next economic aid package, the Democratic leaders said, “In this next bill, we will be supporting vote by mail in a very important way — we think it’s a health issue at this point.”
* Though Texas isn’t generally seen as a realistic 2020 battleground, the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll found Trump leading Biden by just five points, 49% to 44%. Four years ago, the Republican ticket won the Lone Star State by nine points.
* Georgia’s Stacey Abrams made a couple of Sunday show appearances yesterday and made little effort to hide her interest in the Democratic vice presidential nomination. “As a young black girl growing up in Mississippi, I learned that if I didn’t speak up for myself, no one else would,” she told NBC News’ Chuck Todd. “So my mission is to say out loud, if I’m asked the question, ‘Yes, I would be willing to serve.’” * We’re still a couple of years away from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) re-election campaign, but the latest Siena poll suggests the Democratic incumbent enjoys broad support statewide: his approval rating among New Yorkers is up to 71%. * And the Washington Post had an interesting analysis the other day, noting that Biden appears to be making significant inroads with older voters — a constituency that helped put Trump over the top in 2016.
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."
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