Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Wisconsin, where Gov. Scott Walker (R) has refused to call special elections to fill state legislative vacancies, a state judge ruled yesterday the governor no longer has a choice. The case was brought by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and an affiliate of the group he leads, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.
* In Arizona’s closely watched U.S. Senate race, the latest Public Policy Polling survey found Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D) ahead by five points over Rep. Martha McSally (R), 46% to 41%.
* On a related note, in Wisconsin, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) has been targeted with an aggressive round of attack ads by conservative groups, but PPP found her with leads of about 12 points in hypothetical general election match-ups over her likely Republican challengers.
* In Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker (R) appears to be a pretty safe bet for a second term: a new WBUR poll shows him with big leads over each of his would-be Democratic opponents. Former Newton Mayor Setti Warren (D) comes closest, and he trails Baker in this poll by 34 points.
* As if Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) doesn’t already have enough problems, the Federal Election Commission contacted his campaign committee this week about potentially illegal contributions he received in 2017. The FEC sent the letter to Nunes’ campaign treasurer, who also happens to be his mother. * Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) is heavily favored in Utah’s U.S. Senate race this year, but he’s not running unopposed. State Rep. Mike Kennedy kicked off his Republican primary bid this week. * And the Pew Research Center published an interesting new polling report this week, which found that Democrats now enjoy a 27-point lead over Republicans among Millennial voters. As recently as 2014, the Dems’ advantage with these same voters was 16 points.
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
