Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* At a rally last month in Ohio, Donald Trump seemed to mock his own Republican Senate candidate, telling attendees that J.D. Vance “is kissing my ass [because] he wants my support so bad.” In a debate last night, Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan referenced the line, declaring, “I don’t kiss anyone’s ass like him. … Ohio needs an ass kicker, not an ass kisser.”
* In a rare survey out of Colorado, a new Marist poll found incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet leading Republican Joe O’Dea, 48% to 41%. Some GOP money has poured into this race, hoping to keep it competitive.
* On a related note, Republican state Rep. Ron Hanks, whom O’Dea defeated in a GOP Senate primary, has thrown his support behind Libertarian Brian Peotter in the Colorado race.
* Speaking of the Rocky Mountain State, the same Marist poll found incumbent Democratic Gov. Jared Polis with an even bigger lead over Republican Heidi Ganahl, 54% to 36%.
* Two years ago, Trump lost Rhode Island by 21 points. Would many of those same voters help create a far-right House GOP majority now? It’s a distinct possibility: A new Boston Globe/Suffolk University survey in Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District found Republican Allan Fung with an 8-point lead over Democrat Seth Magaziner.
* In Utah, the latest Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll found a surprisingly competitive U.S. Senate race, with Republican incumbent Sen. Mike Lee leading independent Evan McMullin by just 4 points, 41% to 37%. * The deadline to register to vote in Georgia is today. * In Oklahoma’s surprisingly competitive gubernatorial race, Democrat Joy Hofmeister picked up a boost this week when leaders of Oklahoma’s five largest Native American tribes endorsed her candidacy. The Five Tribes said in a statement that the contest is “the most important in generations for all Oklahomans.” * And while there were some hints months ago that Iowa’s U.S. Senate race might be worth watching, the latest Emerson poll found incumbent Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley ahead of Democrat Mike Franken by double digits, 49% to 38%.
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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