Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Last summer, New York’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, announced that Brian Benjamin would be her lieutenant governor and 2022 running mate. This morning, Benjamin was arrested on charges related to a campaign finance fraud investigation.
* In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis demanded control over the redistricting process so that he could help eliminate some districts with a large percentage of Black voters. Yesterday, the GOP-led legislators relented and effectively handed their power over to the governor.
* According to a new Politico report, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised $52.4 million in the first quarter of 2022, including $21.3 million in March, both of which are DCCC records for the specific time periods. For comparison purposes, note that the National Republican Congressional Committee raised $40.9 million in the first quarter and $19.4 million in March.
* In Nevada, a new Suffolk University/Reno Gazette Journal poll found incumbent Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto narrowly trailing both of her Republican rivals. Adam Laxalt leads the incumbent by three points in the survey, while Sam Brown leads Cortez Masto by one point.
* On a related note, the same poll offered a mixed bag for Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, who leads two of his GOP challengers, trails two others, and ties with another. * In North Carolina’s Republican U.S. Senate primary, the latest WRAL News poll found Rep. Ted Budd climbing out in front of the field with 33 percent support, fueled by backing from Club for Growth Action and Donald Trump. Former Gov. Pat McCrory was second in the survey with 23 percent, followed by Rep. Mark Walker with 7 percent. * And in Hawaii, a Honolulu Civil Beat report noted that Democratic Rep. Kai Kahele has missed nearly every roll call vote in the House chamber in 2022, voting instead by proxy. The same article added that the freshman congressman “continues to work as a Hawaiian Airlines pilot.” Kahele’s office confirmed that he pilots “occasional” flights to maintain his certification and active status.
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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