Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* For those following the election drama in Alaska, where a tied state House race will decide control of the chamber, there will be a third recount today. A court fight will likely soon follow.
* Despite significant Republican losses nationwide in this year’s midterm elections, Donald Trump has asked Ronna McDaniel to stay on as chair of the Republican National Committee for another two years.
* In the last contested fight for House Democratic leadership posts, the party elected Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) to lead the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. There was a four-way contest for the position.
* Nancy Pelosi took one step closer to reclaiming the House Speaker’s gavel yesterday, when Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) said he’s likely to support her. “We’re pretty much there,” he told The Hill. “Some details need to be cleared up, but I think that we’re in a good place. And I think she would agree with that.” Lynch was one of 16 House Dems to sign a recent letter vowing to oppose Pelosi.
* Will Sen. John Kennedy (R) leave Capitol Hill and run for governor in Louisiana next year? He said he’d let everyone know “by Monday.” * An interesting tidbit from the HuffPost about Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who’ll be interviewed by Rachel on the show tonight, and his campaign strategy: “Tester’s campaign hired 18 organizers across the state’s seven reservations and opened a field office in Wolf Point, on the Fort Peck Reservation — the first campaign office for a statewide campaign on a reservation since Barack Obama’s attempt to win the state in 2008. They talked to 7,500 reservation residents and registered more than 1,000 voters. The result? Montana’s reservations were among the few places in America where turnout in 2018 topped 2016 turnout.” * And speaking of Montana, is there any chance Gov. Steve Bullock (D) might take on Sen. Steve Daines (R) In 2020? Bullock said this week, “I’ve said earlier that really doesn’t interest me. But — well, no. I won’t even say ‘but.’”
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
