Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* As Sen. Joe Manchin weighs his 2024 options, the conservative Democrat told a local media outlet this morning that he’s “thinking seriously” about becoming an independent. The incumbent, who’s current term ends next year, added, “I’ve been thinking seriously about that for quite some time.”
* President Joe Biden has picked up new endorsements from many of the nation’s most prominent gun safety groups. As part of a coordinated rollout, the Democratic incumbent can now claim the support of Brady and its youth-led arm, Team Enough; Community Justice Action Fund; Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action; and Giffords.
* With just 12 days remaining before the first debate for Republican presidential hopefuls, Donald Trump declared last night that he doesn’t intend to sign a loyalty pledge. The Republican National Committee has said candidates who intend to participate in the debate must formally vow to support the party’s eventual nominee.
* In related news, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of eight candidates who’ve qualified for the debate, signed the RNC’s loyalty pledge this week.
* Frank LaRose, Ohio’s Republican secretary of state, took the lead in championing the controversial Issue 1. Now that voters have easily rejected the measure, LaRose’s critics are using the results to make the case against his U.S. Senate candidacy. * Ahead of Donald Trump’s possible indictment in Georgia, the former president’s 2024 campaign has launched a new television ad in the Atlanta area, attacking Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. * For months, it looked like South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was gearing up for a presidential campaign, including making stops in Iowa and New Hampshire. So what happened? “The fact is, none of [the candidates in the GOP field] can win as long as Trump’s in the race. And that’s just the facts,” the Republican said on Fox News yesterday. “So why run if you can’t win?” * And in case the Republicans’ U.S. Senate field in Nevada wasn’t already crowded enough, Air Force veteran Tony Grady, threw his hat into the ring this week. Others in the field include failed secretary of state candidates Jim Marchant, failed Senate candidate Sam Brown, and Jeff Gunter, a former Trump-appointed U.S. ambassador to Iceland.
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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