Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In a bit of a surprise, Sen. Susan Collins (R) announced this morning that she’s remaining in the Senate and will not run for governor in Maine next year. All things considered, this makes sense: she’d probably struggle in a GOP primary, and is likely to have more power and influence on Capitol Hill.
* In California, on the heels of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) announcing she’ll seek another term in California next year, state Senate President Kevin de Leon (D) is reportedly launching a campaign of his own. (Note, California has a jungle primary with all of the candidates from different parties competing on the same ballot, not a traditional intra-party primary.)
* In Alabama’s Senate special election, the latest statewide poll shows Roy Moore (R) with an eight-point advantage over Doug Jones (D), 49% to 41%. This is very much in line with the other recent surveys in the state.
* On a related note, Moore’s campaign isn’t pleased with reports about the generous salaries he accepted from the non-profit group he helped create, but his aides aren’t denying the accuracy of the reports. * In Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) will apparently face a Republican primary rival ahead of next year’s election. This week, gun-range owner Jan Morgan, a Fox News contributor, formed an exploratory committee, and denounced the GOP incumbent as insufficiently right-wing. * And in Illinois yesterday, the field of Democratic gubernatorial candidates shrunk a bit. Ameya Pawar, a Chicago alderman and generally seen as a rising star in the party, ended his campaign, citing insufficient fundraising. Billionaire J.B. Pritzker appears to be the Democratic frontrunner, while incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) gets ready to seek a second term.
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
