Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The latest national Quinnipiac poll shows Donald Trump’s approval rating at 39%, which is awful, but higher than some other recent polling for this president. He’s buoyed by support among Republicans, which now stands at 81%.
* On a related note, Julius Krein, a prominent Trump cheerleader during the campaign, has a new piece in the New York Times explaining why he’s giving up: “It is now clear that my optimism was unfounded. I can’t stand by this disgraceful administration any longer.”
* With only a few months remaining in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, Confederate monuments have become a key dividing line. Ralph Northam (D), a native Virginian, wants the statues moved into museums; Ed Gillespie (R), a transplant from New Jersey, wants to maintain the status quo.
* Efforts to trim Alabama’s voter rolls have become so problematic that Rep. Mo Brooks (R) discovered he was listed as “inactive” when he went to vote for himself in this week’s Senate primary. * In the wake of events in Charlottesville, the Democratic National Committee hopes to take advantage of progressive activists’ heightened passions and direct it into electoral politics. “In addition to calling on Republicans to denounce Trump, the next step is getting people to commit to vote,” DNC chief executive Jess O’Connell told the Washington Post. “This is a galvanizing moment.” * And speaking of Democratic officials, BuzzFeed reports that the party is preparing for the possibility that Vice President Mike Pence will lead the Republican ticket in 2020. Current efforts are reportedly being led by American Bridge 21st Century, a leading super PAC.
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
