Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Kansas’ Republican-led legislature created a gerrymandered map designed to defeat the state’s only Democratic member of Congress: Rep. Sharice Davids. Yesterday, the Kansas Supreme Court upheld the partisan map, delivering the outcome the GOP was counting on.
* Last month, an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found Republicans with three-point advantage over Democrats in the generic congressional ballot. This morning, however, the same poll found a rebound for the incumbent majority: Democrats now lead Republicans, 47 percent to 42 percent.
* In Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. Senate primary, two of the top three contenders — including Mehmet Oz, who’s currently ahead — pointed to Fox News’ Sean Hannity as a key figure who helped shape the race.
* On a related note, no one can say for sure who’ll finish on top in the GOP race in the Keystone State, but Republican insiders were reportedly “breathing a sigh of relief“ after seeing right-wing commentator Kathy Barnette finish a distant third.
* With less than a week remaining in Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial primary, the race appears to be on track to be a blowout: The latest Fox News poll found Gov. Brian Kemp leading former Sen. David Perdue, 60 percent to 28 percent. Two months ago, the incumbent governor led by a far more modest 11 points.
* There was some chatter on Capitol Hill that Rep. Jim Jordan might challenge House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for the House Speaker’s gavel next year — in the event of a GOP majority, of course — but the Ohio Republican said this week that he would support McCarthy’s bid.
* In the wake of North Carolina’s Republican U.S. Senate primary, Pat McCrory has not seemed especially eager to let bygones by bygones: After an ugly contest, the former governor balked when asked about endorsing Rep. Ted Budd, who easily won the GOP nomination.
* Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio still has ambitions, though they’ve been difficult to keep track of. He wanted, for example, to run for president. He also considered a gubernatorial campaign. He also considered a congressional campaign in New York’s 10th district. Yesterday, de Blasio launched a congressional exploratory committee in New York’s newly redrawn 11th district.
