Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* NBC News this morning called Arizona’s U.S. Senate race this morning, declaring Mark Kelly (D) the winner over appointed Sen. Martha McSally (R). This brings the total number of Senate Dems headed into the next Congress to 48, with four contests not yet called.
* While aides on the Biden/Harris campaign were previously told this week to keep their heads down, ignore the news, and focus on the work, this morning they were told, “This is the moment when you should be watching the news. They did the work, now enjoy this moment.” That said, it’s worth emphasizing that the presidential race has not yet been called.
* Larry Kudlow, the director of the White House National Economic Council, told CNBC this morning, “I think there will be a peaceful transfer of power…. This is the greatest country in the world and we abide by the rule of law, as will the president.” To date, Donald Trump has no comparable commitment, at least not publicly.
* The Trump campaign sent out a fundraising appeal this morning to donors, ostensibly written by Vice President Mike Pence. It read in part, “Democrats have made it clear that they’d rather destroy our Nation than have four more years of our President’s incredible leadership.” No, really, that’s what it said.
* Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) told reporters this morning that he expects there will be a recount in his state, which did not come as a surprise given the apparently narrow margins in the state.
* Speaking of Georgia, we don’t yet know for certain whether Sen. David Perdue’s (R) re-election bid is headed for a January runoff, but American Bridge, a super PAC affiliated with Democratic politics, launched a new attack ad targeting the Republican incumbent yesterday. * On a related note, the Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group, announced plans to invest $4 million in the hopes of propelling both David Perdue and appointed incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) in Georgia ahead of the Jan. 5 runoff election. * To no one’s surprise, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced this morning that she intends to run for another two-year term. Whether she’ll face serious opposition within the conference in the wake of disappointing setbacks in this year’s elections is unclear. * And while we wait for the presidential race to be called, I’d just remind folks that if Biden prevails, one of the fiercest campaigns in the country will be in California, where it would fall to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to choose a successor to Sen. Kamala Harris (D), who may soon become vice president.
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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