Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* When it comes to partisan gerrymandering, Republican officials in Florida are moving forward with plans for a mid-decade redistricting scheme, but GOP officials in New Hampshire are not.
* Looking ahead to next year’s midterm elections, the latest CNBC poll found the Democratic advantage over Republicans growing from two points in April to five points now.
* With 12 weeks remaining before Virginia’s gubernatorial race, a Republican-aligned super PAC recently launched an ad claiming that Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears “fought for our freedom overseas.” That’s not quite right: The Republican lieutenant governor served in the Marine Corps as a diesel mechanic in the 1980s, but she wasn’t deployed to any foreign battlefields.
* In South Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham was facing two credible primary rivals, but now he’s down to one: André Bauer, the state’s former lieutenant governor, ended his candidacy late last week. Paul Dans, the architect of the conservative Project 2025 blueprint, is now the incumbent senator’s principal rival.
* Speaking of Senate candidates dropping out, Michigan’s crowded Democratic field because a little less crowded Friday, with former state House Speaker Joe Tate announcing that he’s exiting the race. Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and public health official Abdul El-Sayed are considered the top contenders in next year’s Democratic primary. * In related news, in North Carolina’s Senate race, Andy Nilsson was seeking the Republican nomination, but after Donald Trump endorsed Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley’s candidacy, Nilsson pulled the plug on his statewide campaign. * In California, a whole lot of Democrats are vying for the right to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, but his lieutenant governor, Eleni Kounalakis, won’t be one of them: On Friday, she dropped out of the race, announcing that she will instead run for state treasurer next year. * And on Capitol Hill, the race among Senate Democrats to replace retiring Minority Whip Dick Durbin appears to be effectively over: Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii has locked up Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s support, vastly improving his odds of success.
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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