Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The latest national Gallup poll found the Democratic Party’s favorability rating sinking to new depths — but the same data showed a growing number of Americans identifying with Democrats, leaving the party with its largest affiliation advantage in years.
* In Georgia, the Republicans’ U.S. Senate primary field just became a little more crowded: Derek Dooley, a former college football coach, has thrown his hat into the ring, hoping to take on incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in next year’s midterms.
* In South Carolina, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace surprised absolutely no one when she announced that she’s running for governor, joining a crowded GOP primary field.
* Donald Trump can’t run for a third term, but the super PAC affiliated with the president’s political operation raised a whopping $177 million in the first half of 2025. As an NBC News report noted, “Even in an era of overflowing money in politics, the massive sum sticks out. It is a sign that Trump’s political operation will continue to wield major influence even though Trump himself is barred by term limits from running for president again.”
* Remember when Elon Musk vowed to create a new political party because he was so outraged by the GOP’s domestic policy megabill? The week before the vote on the bill, the billionaire made a pair of $5 million donations to the main super PACs backing House and Senate Republicans, in addition to another $5 million contribution to Trump’s main super PAC. What’s more, Building America’s Future, a dark-money group that has been supported by Musk, is now running ads touting the right-wing package that Musk used to condemn as “a disgusting abomination.”
* Democratic Rep. Danny Davis of Illinois has joined the ranks of retiring members, announcing late last week that his current term will be his last. The congressman, 83, was first elected to the House in 1996. * In North Carolina, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley formally kicked off his U.S. Senate bid last week. Soon after, the former oil company lobbyist received a hearty endorsement from Trump. * As for the RNC’s new leadership team, the president also announced that he’s backing Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters to succeed Whatley as the party’s next chairman. * And while August is generally a slow month for elections, Bolts Magazine has put together a list of races worth watching this month.
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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