Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* As Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term as president, his political operation sent out yet another fundraising solicitation. The Republican incumbent, whose political operation is already overflowing with cash, cannot run for re-election.
* At the Republican National Committee, incumbent Chair Michael Whatley is not without intraparty critics but was nevertheless re-elected on Friday to a second term.
* On a related note, Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, formally stepped down last week as the RNC’s co-chair. As expected, party officials replaced her with KC Crosbie.
* Amid chatter about her 2026 plans, Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn confirmed on Fox News over the weekend that she’s “strongly considering” running for governor in Tennessee next year.
* While many California Democrats wait to see whether former Vice President Kamala Harris decides to run for governor next year, Xavier Becerra, who recently wrapped up his tenure as secretary of Health and Human Services, told The New York Times that he’s considering a run for the governor’s office, too. * Politico reported that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s choice to serve as director of national intelligence, brought in over $1.2 million last year as a MAGA surrogate, according to her financial disclosure documents. * And in Louisiana, Sen. Bill Cassidy was considered a GOP senator who might end up opposing Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon nomination. The incumbent, facing the very real possibility of a Republican primary challenge next year, has decided to throw his support behind the unqualified nominee.
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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