Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Louisiana’s 2nd congressional district, Troy Carter (D) defeated Karen Carter Peterson (D) by about 10 points in Saturday’s special election, and he’ll soon fill the vacancy left by former Rep. Cedric Richmond (D), who now works in the White House. Once Carter is sworn in, the House Democratic conference will return to 219 members in the narrowly divided chamber.
* To the surprise of no one, Rep. Tim Ryan (D) launched a U.S. Senate campaign in Ohio this morning. With Amy Acton bowing out of the race, Ryan is generally seen as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Rob Portman (R).
* Former Rep. Doug Collins (R) unexpectedly announced this morning that he will not be a candidate for statewide office in Georgia next year, issuing a written statement that read in part, “Goodbye for now.” Collins, who came up short in a U.S. Senate campaign last year, was widely seen as a top GOP contender in 2022.
* As expected, former Rep. Joe Cunningham (D) formally kicked off his gubernatorial campaign in South Carolina this morning. If the former congressman, who came up short in his 2020 re-election bid, wins his party’s nomination, Cunningham will face incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster (R) in 2022.
* Late last week in Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly (D) vetoed two Republican-backed bill related to voting and elections. Veto overrides in the state’s GOP-dominated state legislature are a distinct possibility. * The Democratic National Committee, which has been focusing quite heavily in recent months on billboards, today unveiled a new billboard campaign celebrating the first 100 days of Joe Biden’s presidency. The new signs will be up for a week in 20 states. * And in Texas’ congressional special election, Dan Rodimer (R) has faced some pushback from Team Trump after suggesting he’s received an endorsement from the former president. While it’s true that Donald Trump backed Rodimer’s failed congressional campaign in Nevada last year, the former president has not yet endorsed anyone in Texas’ 6th congressional district. The first round of balloting will be this Saturday, followed by a May 24 runoff if no one reaches 50% of the vote.
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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