Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* After Tennessee Republicans drew up a district map designed in part to end his career, Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper announced his retirement. “I explored every possible way, including lawsuits, to stop the gerrymandering and to win one of the three new congressional districts that now divide Nashville,” Cooper said in a statement. “There’s no way, at least for me in this election cycle, but there may be a path for other worthy candidates.”
* In Texas, where Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar saw the FBI raid his home last week, the incumbent congressman announced yesterday that he’s running for re-election anyway. Cuellar will, however, still have to face a competitive primary contest in March.
* Though there have been some questions about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s future career plans, the California Democrat quashed retirement rumors yesterday and said she will seek re-election in the fall. Whether she intends to run for Speaker again remains unclear.
* After a difficult primary defeat last year in a congressional special election, former state Sen. Nina Turner has announced plans for a rematch in Ohio: Turner will face off again against Democratic Rep. Shontel Brown in their Cleveland-area district.
* Not quite two weeks into his tenure, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia said yesterday he plans to replace Chris Piper as the commissioner of the Department of Elections once Piper’s term ends this summer. * For those keeping an eye on generic congressional ballot polling, Monmouth University noted in its new report, “The public is almost evenly split between saying they would rather see the Republicans (35%) or the Democrats (33%) in control of Congress. However, pushing those who initially say party control does not matter on which direction they lean adds 15% to the GOP column versus a smaller 10% for the Democrats.” * And a group of lawyers are trying to disqualify Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina from running for re-election, claiming he’s an “insurrectionist” under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
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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