Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In his new interview with NBC News, Senate hopeful Herschel Walker acknowledged that he sent a $700 check to a woman who said he paid for her abortion, but the Georgia Republican insisted that he has no idea what the money was used for.
* Though it seems hard to believe, the latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll found Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley ahead by just 3 points over Democratic challenger Mike Franken, 46% to 43%. Over the summer, the same pollster found the 89-year-old incumbent ahead by 8 points.
* Speaking of the Hawkeye State, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds appears to be in a stronger position than Grassley: The same poll found the incumbent Republican with a 17-point advantage over Democrat Deidre DeJear, 52% to 35%.
* The latest New York Times/Siena College poll showed Republicans leading Democrats on the generic ballot, 49% to 45%, among likely voters. The latest Fox News poll, meanwhile, found Democrats ahead among registered voters, 44% to 41%, while the GOP led among those certain to vote, 47% to 46%.
* Barack Obama hasn’t hit the campaign trail much lately, but with 22 days remaining before Election Day, the former Democratic president has scheduled events in Wisconsin, Georgia and Michigan. * Jason Van Tatenhove, a former spokesperson for the right-wing Oath Keepers group, is helping make the case against Mark Finchem, a radical election denier and Republican candidate for secretary of state in Arizona. In a new ad released by the Arizona Democratic Party, Van Tatenhove says about the GOP nominee, who has previously described himself as a member of the Oath Keepers: “It would be insane to put Mark Finchem in charge of tallying the votes.” * In Utah’s U.S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Sen. Mike Lee raised a few eyebrows last week when he publicly pleaded with fellow Republican Sen. Mitt Romney to endorse Lee’s re-election bid. The appeal reportedly “annoyed” Romney’s team, and Romney remains neutral in the race. * On a related note, Lee’s independent challenger, Evan McMullin, re-emphasized on NBC’s “Meet the Press” yesterday that he wouldn’t align himself with either party if elected. “I will maintain my independence,” McMullin said. “I will not caucus with either side.” I’m not altogether sure how that would work as a practical matter — it’s up to party leaders to make committee assignments — but it appears the Senate hopeful wants to break new ground.
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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