Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has been declared the winner, and his margin of victory is growing, but Republican Jack Ciattarelli announced late yesterday that he’s not yet ready to concede.
* Speaking of the Garden State, Republican state Sen.-elect Edward Durr, who managed to defeat a powerful Democratic incumbent after spending $150 on his campaign, is generating media scrutiny for the first time. Durr, a New Jersey truck driver with no political experience, reportedly has a history of publishing offensive content to social media, including anti-Muslim tweets.
* On a related note, while Republican vote totals in New Jersey have generated considerable national attention, the Democratic majority in the state Senate is projected to shrink from 25 members to 24 members.
* The Justice Department is suing Texas over the state’s new voter-suppression law, alleging that the Republican-imposed restrictions violate the Civil Rights Act and what remains of the Voting Rights Act.
* In Arizona, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Kari Lake is already controversial, but CNN reported yesterday that the Trump-backed candidate has now “embraced fringe far-right figures in her campaign events, including publicly thanking a Nazi sympathizer for his support and appearing with figures linked to the QAnon conspiracy.”
* In Atlanta’s mayoral race, City Council President Felicia Moore and City Councilman Andre Dickens have advanced to a Nov. 30 runoff election. To the surprise of many, former Mayor Kasim Reed’s comeback bid fell short, finishing third in the crowded field. * On Capitol Hill yesterday, Democratic Rep. Shontel Brown and Republican Rep. Mike Carey, both of Ohio, were sworn in as Congress’ newest representatives. As of today, the U.S. House is down to only one vacancy: Florida’s 20th, which has been vacant since the late Rep. Alcee Hasting died earlier this year. * Pollsters picked up on the highly competitive gubernatorial race in Virginia, but not the unexpectedly close contest in New Jersey. Yesterday, Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, wrote an op-ed that not only expressed regret, but also questioned the utility of future election polling. * Remember former Republican Rep. Vito Fossella? Whose “family values” congressional career was derailed when the public learned he had a secret second family, which was exposed after a DUI? This year, he ran to be the next borough president of Staten Island — and he won.
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."
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