Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Randolph County in Georgia became the focus of national news this week due to a proposal to close most of its polling places ahead of this year’s elections — a move that would have disproportionately affected African Americans. This morning, as the NBC affiliate in Atlanta reported, Randolph County officials voted to keep open the polling precincts in question. The vote was unanimous.
* After being indicted for allegedly misusing campaign funds, Rep. Duncan Hunter’s (R-Calif.) is now using campaign funds to pay for his legal defense.
* In Connecticut’s open gubernatorial race, the latest Quinnipiac poll found Ned Lamont (D) with a double-digit lead over Bob Stefanowski (R), 53% to 37%, in a head-to-head match-up. Once third- and fourth-party candidates are added to the mix, Lamont’s advantage slips to 13 points.
* In Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race, the new NBC/Marist poll shows Sen. Bob Casey (D) in pretty good shape over Rep. Lou Barletta (R), with the incumbent ahead 53% to 38%.
* The same poll offered similarly good news for Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D), who leads Scott Wagner (R) in the poll, 54% to 40%. * Speaking of Wagner, the Pennsylvania Republican told a voter earlier this week that he couldn’t say how he’d respond to a bill to restrict marriage rights for same-sex couples. The next day, Wagner’s campaign clarified that he’d leave existing laws in place. * And Donald Trump is apparently convinced he came up with the campaign phrase, “Promises made, promises kept.” Putting aside the many promises this president has already broken, the phrase existed in campaign politics long before Trump’s term.
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
