Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Arizona’s closely watched gubernatorial race, outgoing Republican Gov. Doug Ducey this morning endorsed Karrin Taylor Robson as his preferred successor. Robson, a former Arizona Board of Regent, is facing off against Kari Lake, a former Phoenix news anchor, who’s backed by Donald Trump and the far-right.
* Ryan Kelley — by some measures, the frontrunner for Michigan’s GOP gubernatorial nomination — pleaded not guilty this morning on charges related to his Jan. 6 efforts.
* On a related note, Kelley and his rivals in Michigan met last night for a televised primary debate. Each of the gubernatorial contenders stressed their loyalties to Donald Trump.
* Two weeks ago, Republicans launched a new project in Missouri, called Show Me Values, kicking off an effort to derail disgraced former Gov. Eric Greitens’ U.S. Senate campaign. The group’s first ad, which quotes an affidavit from one of his ex-wives, began airing this week.
* Incumbent Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is still ahead in the latest University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll, but the Republican’s advantage is not overwhelming: The governor leads former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, 45 percent to 39 percent. * In the wake of the mass shooting in Highland Park, Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey is facing new questions about his record: As NBC News reported, the state senator previously “held a campaign fundraising event at which he raffled off a Smith & Wesson AR-15, a weapon nearly identical to the type used in the Fourth of July parade massacre here this week.” * With Republican Sen. Tim Scott facing a re-election bid this fall, it’s not surprising that he’s launching expansive advertising campaigns. What is surprising is that the South Carolinian is airing ads in Nevada and Georgia — home to far more competitive Senate races — as Scott tries to raise his profile ahead of a likely national campaign in the near future.
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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