Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In a campaign rally in Virginia last night in support of Ralph Northam, former President Barack Obama told a crowd in Richmond, “We need you to take this seriously. Our democracy is at stake. Elections matter. Voting matters. You can’t take anything for granted. You can’t sit this one out.”
* As some Republican incumbents fret over possible even-further-to-the-right primary rivals, Donald Trump has reportedly assured three Republican senators — Nebraska’s Deb Fischer, Mississippi’s Roger Wicker, and Wyoming’s John Barrasso — that he’ll support their re-election bids.
* On a related note, though Deb Fischer is not seen as a vulnerable incumbent, Steve Bannon has reportedly been in contact with former state Treasurer Shane Osborn about a possible GOP primary.
* In the wake of Trump repeatedly disparaging U.S. intelligence professionals, a variety of former CIA officials have decided to run for Congress as Democrats.
* Following up on an item from the other day, Tom Steyer, a progressive California billionaire, has launched a new television ad, pressing Democratic candidate to “take a stand” on Donald Trump’s impeachment. The size of the ad buy in support of the commercial is not yet clear, but the Washington Post reports the TV spot “will be supplemented by a seven-figure social media buy.” * Speaking of new ads, the far-right Club for Growth launched its new ad campaign this week in support of a Republican tax plan that, at least for now, doesn’t exist. * And in Miami, Republican congressional candidate Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera is raising a few eyebrows over her belief that she’s been on a spaceship with extraterrestrials. Aguilera hopes to replace retiring Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), whose district has been shifting to the left in recent years.
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
