Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Last week, the National Republican Congressional Committee published an online item that called Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York an “illegal immigrant.” After an uproar, the House GOP’s campaign arm deleted its tweet, though the Congressional Hispanic Caucus said in a statement, “We demand a retraction and an apology, not a mulligan.”
* Speaking of the NRCC, its current chairman, Republican Rep. Richard Hudson, told The Associated Press that he has high expectations about the 2026 midterm elections. The North Carolinian is optimistic, he told the AP, because voters like Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. (There’s ample evidence to the contrary.)
* Though there was some question about whether Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs would run for a second term, the Arizona Democrat is, in fact, running for re-election, though she said she’s expecting another “nail-biter” next year. The incumbent won three years ago by less than one percentage point.
* In another setback for those who monitor public opinion research, Monmouth University’s highly respected polling institute is closing its doors.
* While Utah has operated a problem-free vote-by-mail system for years, Republican officials are overhauling its model, and voters will no longer automatically receive ballots through the mail. What’s more, as an Associated Press report noted, starting in 2029, Utahans who vote in person would need to produce identification that they haven’t had to show before. * Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont continues to hold public events in competitive areas, and continues to draw sizable crowds in between election cycles. The senator’s latest event was in Warren, Michigan, where the AP noted that the turnout was so strong, some attendees “did not fit inside the high school’s gym or two overflow rooms.” * And in California, former Vice President Kamala Harris is still eyeing a possible gubernatorial campaign in 2026, and NBC News reported that the Democrat will formally announce her plans by the end of this summer.
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."
Latest Post
Recommended
