Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Though she added some caveats, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) yesterday extended congratulatory wishes to President-elect Joe Biden. As of this morning, only four of the Senate’s 53 Republicans have acknowledged the Democrat’s victory.
* On a related note, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) appeared on CNN this morning and said some of his Republican colleagues have told him privately to convey their well-wishes to Biden, though they can’t “say that publicly yet.”
* Jason Miller, a leading figure in Donald Trump’s political operation, said yesterday that the word “concession” is “not even in our vocabulary right now.”
* The outgoing president is reportedly preparing to launch a leadership PAC, perhaps as early as this month. NBC News’ report on this added, “This would allow Trump to raise money once he leaves office as an intermediary vehicle and as he contemplates a potential 2024 run. Funds raised could pay for his travel and political consultants over the next few years, for example.”
* On a related note, the Trump campaign reportedly sent 23 fundraising emails yesterday, with over-the-top messages about “illegal” ballots. The Dallas Morning News‘ Todd Gillman noted, “The fine print says 60% of donations go to ‘retirement of general election debt,’” which reinforces concerns that Team Trump isn’t conceding at least in part because it wants to keep collecting money from the president’s followers.
* Speaking of fundraising, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) launched a fundraising campaign over the weekend, seeking contributions to “help us bring it home” for Trump. The Associated Press noticed, however, that “the donations are set to flow into her own re-election account.” * Following an unexpectedly difficult cycle for House Democrats, Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) announced yesterday that she will not seek another term as chair of the DCCC. Among those who hope to replace her: Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.), the current chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ BOLD PAC. * Every official who served as Homeland Security secretary before the Trump administration endorsed a joint statement yesterday, making the case that the 2020 elections were fair and that Team Trump’s assorted lawsuits “cannot and must not prevent the transition process from beginning.” * And on a related note, Georgia’s statewide voting system implementation manager, Gabriel Sterling, said yesterday that there was no widespread electoral fraud in his state, which is clearly not what Republicans want to believe.
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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