Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* While Gov. Ron DeSantis hasn’t said much about Donald Trump’s possible indictment, the Florida Republican told reporters this morning, “[L]ook, I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair. I just — I can’t speak to that.” DeSantis also complained about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, saying the word “Soros” over and over again.
* Speaking of the GOP governor, in his memoir, DeSantis conceded he was raised “geographically” in Tampa Bay, but he added, “[C]ulturally, my upbringing reflected the working-class communities in western Pennsylvania and northeast Ohio.” I don’t think he was kidding.
* In Wisconsin, Priorities USA, a prominent super PAC aligned with Democratic politics, has launched a $140,000 ad campaign in the state’s closely watched state Supreme Court race. Election Day in the Badger State is two weeks from tomorrow. Everytown for Gun Safety, meanwhile, is investing $500,000 in an ad campaign of its own.
* On a related note, former state Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly, the Republicans’ choice in the April 4 election, began airing his first television ad late last week.
* Speaking of elections that are just two weeks away, in Chicago’s mayoral race, Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García has thrown his support behind Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson. This is notable in large part because García ran a competitive fourth in the first round of balloting. * As part of her ongoing efforts to pretend she didn’t lose last fall, Arizona’s Kari Lake, the failed Republican gubernatorial candidate, is now pointing to a dubious Rasmussen poll as proof that she secretly won, despite what the election results showed. * And while we don’t yet know for sure whether he’ll be indicted this week, Donald Trump is still planning to hold a campaign rally on Saturday in Waco, Texas. In case this isn’t obvious, as the former president sends inflammatory signals to his base, we’re approaching the 30th anniversary of the Waco standoff, and it seems like a safe bet some of the Republican’s more radical followers will see the location as symbolically significant.
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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