Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Ken Martin was elected the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee over the weekend, defeating Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. Martin is perhaps best known for leading the state party in Minnesota.
* On a related note, the DNC also elected two new vice chairs: Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta and David Hogg, a survivor of a 2018 school shooting.
* According to a new tally published by The Washington Post, Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual, spent “at least $288 million” to help elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates in the 2024 election cycle. The Post’s analysis is based on the latest Federal Election Commission filings.
* In Michigan, Pete Buttigieg, the former secretary of transportation, has ruled out the possibility of a Democratic gubernatorial campaign in 2026. According to multiple reports, however, Buttigieg is eyeing Michigan’s open U.S. Senate race next year.
* When we last heard from North Carolina’s Mark Robinson, the former lieutenant governor was losing a gubernatorial race, suing CNN, and weighing the possibility of another electoral campaign. As of late last week, however, the far-right Republican has dropped his lawsuit and announced that he does not plan to seek elected office again. * In New Jersey, one of two states holding gubernatorial races this year, the six top Democratic contenders met over the weekend for their first debate. An AP report on the event noted, “The debate covered in-the-weeds state issues, like public school funding and public employee pensions, but also touched on national issues like immigration and transgender rights.” * And in Iowa, Mike Zimmer, a Democrat who unexpectedly won a state legislative special election last week, told Semafor about his experiences on the campaign trail. “The impact of Fox News is just jaw-dropping,” the state senator-elect said, adding: “I don’t think I fully grasped just how strong that propaganda machine is, day in and day out. It’s just incredible.”
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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