* Under pressure from Donald Trump, former state Rep. Vernon Jones ended his Republican gubernatorial campaign in Georgia yesterday, announcing that he will instead run for Congress. Jones also endorsed former Sen. David Perdue in his primary race against incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp.
* In Kansas, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a gerrymandered congressional map approved by Republican legislators, and today, a veto-override effort fell short. The GOP-led state Senate has vowed to try again.
* In related news, the Ohio Supreme Court has again rejected Republican state lawmakers’ legislative map, which means mapmakers will have to start over.
* In Nebraska, indicted Rep. Jeff Fortenberry is facing a Republican primary challenge from state Sen. Mike Flood, who’s launched a campaign ad reminding local voters that the incumbent congressman is currently “facing felony criminal charges.”
* Four years after Katie Arrington defeated then-Rep. Mark Sanford in a Republican primary, before losing to former Rep. Joe Cunningham in the general election, the South Carolinian is trying again. This morning, Arrington announced that she’s running another GOP primary campaign against an incumbent, this time taking on Rep. Nancy Mace. * The latest SurveyUSA poll in Minnesota found Democratic Gov. Tim Walz leading each of his possible Republican rivals in hypothetical match-ups, though by modest margins. Former state Sen. Scott Jensen fared the best, trailing the incumbent governor by only three points. * And in South Dakota, Republican Gov. Kristi Noem is generally seen as a favorite to win re-election, but the controversial governor will have some competition: State House Minority Leader Jamie Smith has kicked off a Democratic gubernatorial bid.
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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