Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* After more than 20 years on Capitol Hill, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul has decided his current term will be his last in Congress. The Texas congressman chaired both the House Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs committees.
* On a related note, McCaul’s announcement came just a few days after one of his fellow Texas Republicans, Rep. Morgan Luttrell, said he won’t seek a third term next year.
* With just seven weeks remaining before Virginia’s closely watched gubernatorial race, Republican Lt. Gov Winsome Earle-Sears still wants Donald Trump’s endorsement. The president still hasn’t given her one.
* And speaking of this year’s gubernatorial contests, Restore New Jersey, a super PAC aligned with the Republican Governors Association, is launching a $1 million ad buy in support of Jack Ciattarelli, but that’s far less than Democrats are investing in support of Rep. Mikie Sherrill.
* As Missouri Republicans wrap up their work on a Trump-inspired gerrymandered map, The Hill reported that Democrats “may be able to send the issue to Missouri voters as a veto referendum for them to decide whether the map should be used.” * On a related note, an analysis from the Cook Political Report found that Republicans were poised for a net gain of between five and eight additional U.S. House seats in the 2026 elections as a direct result of mid-decade redistricting, making the Democratic effort to reclaim a majority even more difficult, months before a single ballot is cast. * In Colorado, where former Rep. Yadira Caraveo narrowly lost a re-election bid last fall, the Democratic Party was gearing up for a rematch against Republican Rep. Gabe Evans, but Caraveo ended her comeback bid last week, claiming she faced “very strong resistance” as a result of her difficulties with mental illness.
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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