Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Over the weekend, Kelli Ward was re-elected as the right-wing chair of the Arizona Republican Party, but in a rather ironic twist, some local Republicans have raised questions about the integrity of the election process. Sergio Arellano, who apparently lost to Ward in a narrow contest, is asking state GOP officials for an audit of the balloting.
* The Senate Conservatives Fund, a political action committee that backs conservative Republicans, has spent nearly $400,000 in recent weeks to help bolster Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) standing. The fact that the PAC found this necessary — 22 months before the next Election Day, 47 months before the end of Hawley’s current term — suggests the Missouri senator suffered politically in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
* Fresh off his narrow re-election victory, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) has agreed to chair the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2022. He faces a daunting challenge: the president’s party usually loses seats in his first midterm cycle, and Dems currently don’t have any seats to spare.
* In Ohio’s open U.S. Senate race, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was seen as a top Republican contender, but he announced yesterday that he will instead seek re-election to his current job, with plans to run for governor in 2026. * Following up on yesterday’s report on state Republican parties moving even further to the right, some prominent Massachusetts GOP members are reportedly pushing to censure Gov. Charlie Baker (R) after the Republican governor endorsed the recent article of impeachment against Donald Trump. * And on a related note, in Vermont, the local chair of the Essex Republicans has launched a petition drive calling for Gov. Phil Scott to leave the Republican Party altogether. The GOP governor has been a frequent Trump critic and conceded that he voted for Joe Biden in November.
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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