Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In a surprise announcement, Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan said he’ll retire at the end of his term and forgo a 2026 re-election campaign. The decision creates a competitive open-seat contest in one of the nation’s most competitive battleground states.
* On a related note, soon after Peters announced his electoral plans, Axios reported that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is “taking a serious look” at Michigan’s Senate race. He’s apparently not the only one.
* Speaking of former Cabinet secretaries eyeing statewide office, Deb Haaland, the former interior secretary, has launched a Democratic gubernatorial campaign in New Mexico. If elected, Haaland would be the first Native American woman to serve as governor of any state.
* It’s primary day in couple of Florida congressional districts, and two Republicans backed by Donald Trump are expected to prevail in their respective contests. In both contests, the general election is April 1, and GOP officials are confident about keeping both seats.
* For the first time in decades, there are more voters registered as Republicans in Nevada than Democrats. Last fall, Trump defeated then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the state by roughly 4 points. * While the incumbent president’s party usually loses seats in midterm elections, House Speaker Mike Johnson told his members at a party retreat, “We are going to grow the House majority in 2026.” File this away for future reference. * A sign of the times: Joe Biden’s popular vote margin in 2020 was roughly triple Trump’s popular vote margin in 2024, but recent polling suggest most Americans — and even 1 in 4 Democrats — believe the Republican’s victory was larger.
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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