Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg considered a statewide campaign in Michigan next year, but he ultimately decided against it. “I care deeply about the outcome of both races, but I have decided against competing in either,” he wrote via Substack. “My party has a deep and talented bench here in Michigan, and I am certain that we will nominate an outstanding candidate for each office.”
* With fewer than three weeks remaining before Wisconsin’s closely watched state Supreme Court election, Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel met for their only pre-election debate. The outcome of this contest will determine the court’s ideological balance going forward.
* In New Hampshire, as Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen prepares to end her lengthy career, both of the state’s Democratic U.S. House members, Reps. Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander, are reportedly considering 2026 candidacies. If elected, Pappas would become the Senate’s first and only openly gay man.
* On a related note, New Hampshire’s former Republican governor, Chris Sununu, had previously ruled out a Senate campaign, but this week, he said he’s open to the possibility. Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who’s already lost one race in the Granite State, is being unsubtle about his interest in the 2026 contest.
* During an appearance at an annual “Friends of Ireland” luncheon on Capitol Hill, Donald Trump made the latest in a series of comments about running for a third term, which is prohibited under the Constitution. * Following up on a story from earlier in the week, the final vote tallies from Iowa’s latest state House special election are in, and Republican candidate Blaine Watkins ended up winning by 3.3 points in a low-turnout affair. Trump won this district by more than 24 points in November. * And as GOP leaders explicitly advise their members to avoid town hall meetings, a growing number of Democrats, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are taking steps to fill the gaps, organizing town halls in Republican-led districts.
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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