Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In a bit of a surprise, Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner announced that he won’t seek re-election in the fall. The 36-year-old Kansan has only served two terms, and he was unlikely to have any trouble winning a third.
* Donald Trump’s political operation reportedly raised $1.6 million on Monday, the first day of the former president’s criminal trial. An NBC News report noted that the presumptive GOP nominee’s fundraising appeals have been filled with deceptions and misunderstandings about the legal process.
* Turning Point Action is a prominent far-right group that has amplified bogus claims about irregularities in the 2020 election, which makes it all the more notable that state Rep. Austin Smith, one of the group’s leaders, was accused this week of forging signatures on his nominating petitions. The Arizona Republican resigned from the organization and ended his re-election bid.
* The Nevada Supreme Court ruled this week that a reproductive right ballot question is eligible for the statewide ballot this year.
* Those concerned about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign helping Donald Trump’s candidacy have new reason to worry: The independent conspiracy theorist appears to have qualified for the 2024 ballot in Michigan, one of the nation’s key battleground states. * On a related note, Kennedy’s running mate, a wealthy lawyer and entrepreneur named Nicole Shanahan, appears to have donated $2 million to the campaign after officially joining the ticket. * In Pennsylvania, Republican Senate hopeful Dave McCormick is already facing criticisms over living in a different state. It won’t help matters that The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the super PAC backing McCormick’s candidacy is relying on donors, nearly all of whom live outside of Pennsylvania. * And in Ohio, where there’s some question as to whether or not President Joe Biden will meet the filing deadline for the 2024 ballot, state Attorney General Dave Yost expressed some optimism this week that officials will work something out, though he suggested it would be up to the Democrat’s campaign to find a solution. “They’ve got several months to figure this out,” the Republican lawyer said. “I fully expect them to figure out a way to get their candidate on the ballot.”
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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