Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In a sign of the times, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley (R), poised to kick off a U.S. Senate campaign, “quietly reached out” to Steve Bannon last week, apparently hoping to curry favor with the influential far-right figure.
* The 2018 midterms are still a year away, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched its first media campaign of the cycle, making a six-figure ad buy in support of this spot. Note that the focus is on Paul Ryan and health care, not Donald Trump.
* On a related note, the DCCC is launching this minute-long radio ad in 11 congressional districts, also focusing on health care.
* In Maryland, the latest Mason-Dixon poll shows Gov. Larry Hogan with a strong 61% approval rating, but in hypothetical match-ups against likely Democratic challengers, the same poll shows the incumbent with relatively modest leads, including a seven-point advantage over Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker (D).
* Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) announced yesterday she’d like to see House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) step down and make way for “a new generation of leaders.” * Remember Tennessee state Sen. Mark Green, Donald Trump’s failed far-right Army Secretary? Green is now running for Congress, and he picked up an endorsement yesterday from the Club for Growth. * And in Virginia, Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) can’t run for re-election, but he’s investing heavily in Democratic candidates in the commonwealth. Politico reported the other day that McAuliffe is transferring another $100,000 to the party’s efforts, which will push his contributions and fundraising “past the $1 million mark for his state’s Democratic candidates.”
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
