Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Sens.-elect Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) are scheduled to be sworn in tomorrow, as is Sen.-designate Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). Each will be sworn in by Kamala Harris, who will be the new vice president.
* On a related note, once that happens, there will be a 50-50 split in the chamber. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are reportedly working on the details of the power-sharing arrangement, with Schumer succeeding McConnell in the top spot.
* With many leading corporate donors rejecting Republicans’ recent anti-election efforts, NBC News spoke to a leading Republican strategist who described the ramifications of this as “a real serious, potential problem.”
* On a related note, Simon & Shuster recently announced it would no longer publish Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) upcoming book as a result of his anti-election antics. Yesterday, Regnery, a go-to publisher for the right, announced plans to release the senator’s book in May.
* In the state of Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee (D) defeated Loren Culp (R) by more than 13 points, but Culp filed suit anyway, alleging election “anomalies” that did not appear to exist. As the Seattle Times reported, Culp’s lawyer has withdrawn the lawsuit because he faced “a threat of legal sanctions for making meritless claims in a court of law.” * Despite key Democratic victories in statewide races in Arizona a few months ago, the Arizona Republican Party will meet this weekend and “the most pressing items on the agenda will be censuring three moderate Republicans who remain widely popular in Arizona.” A New York Times report added, “While some Republicans nationwide are beginning to edge away from Trumpism, Arizona is a case of loyalists doubling down, potentially dividing the party in fundamental and irreparable ways.” * And in rhetoric reminiscent of the early months of Barack Obama’s presidency, Frank Eathorne, the chairman of the Wyoming Republican Party, told Steve Bannon the other day, “Many of these Western states have the ability to be self-reliant, and we’re keeping eyes on Texas too, and their consideration of possible secession. They have a different state constitution than we do as far as wording, but it’s something we’re all paying attention to.”
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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