Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The number of states with early voting underway will expand by two tomorrow, with Nevada and New Mexico joining the list. Both states are home to several key contests, including open gubernatorial races and two U.S. Senate races.
* On a related note, early voting appears to be off to a fast start in Virginia.
* In Texas’ U.S. Senate race, Beto O’Rourke (D) has shifted his strategy a bit, launching his first negative ads against Ted Cruz (R). There are three new spots, and each criticizes the incumbent senator on a different issue: education, health care, and immigration.
* In related news, Donald Trump’s upcoming event in Texas has been moved from one mid-size venue to a slightly larger mid-size venue. The president had previously promised to campaign with Cruz at “the biggest stadium in Texas” he could find. Evidently, there wasn’t enough demand for Trump to keep that promise.
* And before we move on from the Texas race, Beto O’Rourke addressed rumors last night about a possible presidential bid. “The answer is no,” the Texan said, adding, “I promise to you, and most importantly, to the people of Texas, that I’ll serve every single day of a six-year term in the United States Senate and I won’t leave this state to go run for president.” * I’m skeptical of the idea that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has a meaningful national following, but the Republican National Committee has launched a national tour for the South Carolina senator, dispatching him to campaign for the party’s gubernatorial and congressional candidates in 12 states. * No longer concerned about his election plans in Utah, Senate hopeful Mitt Romney has begun campaigning in other states, raising money for GOP candidates in a variety of other states. * And if you feel like you’ve come across a lot of racist campaign advertising this year, it’s not your imagination. HuffPost did a nice job compiling some of the most brazen examples.
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
