Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Donald Trump’s campaign paid millions of dollars for a partial recount of Wisconsin’s presidential election results. The result: Joe Biden’s lead actually grew a little.
* The day after Thanksgiving, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals smacked down one of the Trump campaign’s big cases in Pennsylvania. In an opinion written by a Trump-appointed judge, the appellate bench ruled, “Calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here.” The ruling added, “Voters, not lawyers, choose the president. Ballots, not briefs, decide elections.”
* On a related note, a group of pro-Trump Republicans in Pennsylvania, led by Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), filed an election challenge that tried to invalidate millions of mail-in votes. On Saturday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out the case.
* Voters in Georgia’s 5th congressional district will today decide who fills the remainder of the late John Lewis’ (D) term. Today’s runoff will be between Kwanza Hall, a former Atlanta city councilman, and Robert Franklin, president emeritus of Morehouse College. The winner will only serve for about a month: Rep.-elect Nikema Williams (D) was elected to serve a full term, which will begin on Jan. 3.
* Speaking of Georgia, Trump lashed out at Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) on Thanksgiving, calling him “an enemy of the people.” Yesterday, the outgoing president also targeted Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), telling Fox News, “The governor’s done nothing. He’s done absolutely nothing. I’m ashamed that I endorsed him.” * Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel on Saturday faced skeptical GOP voters in Georgia who fear the upcoming Senate runoffs have been rigged against them. A day later, Trump fed those conspiracy theories during a Fox News appearance, telling viewers, “Look at the election you have coming up [in Georgia] right now. You’re using the same garbage machinery, Dominion.” * North Carolina venture capitalist Fred Eshelman donated millions to a group called True the Vote in the hopes of uncovering voter fraud and helping Trump’s post-election scheme. Now, Eshelman is headed to court, trying to get his money back. * And while Joe Biden appears to have won California by nearly 30 points, a Politico analysis found that in down-ballot contests, 2020 was “the best year for Republicans in California in more than a decade.”
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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