Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* With Republican Gov. Chris Sununu passing on New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate race, the GOP’s focus quickly turned to former Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte — who’s also not interested in running.
* In Arkansas’ gubernatorial race, former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ path to success just got a little clearer: Leslie Rutledge, the state’s Republican attorney general, has ended her candidacy.
* Donald Trump yesterday threw his support behind Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin and her Republican primary campaign against incumbent Gov. Brad Little. The far-right lieutenant governor has argued that Little has taken the pandemic too seriously.
* On the other hand, the former president is lashing out at former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a former ally, who recently encouraged Republicans to move beyond Trump’s baseless claim about the 2020 election. “Everybody remembers that Chris left New Jersey with a less than 9% approval rating — a record low, and they didn’t want to hear this from him!” the former president said in a written statement.
* In Texas’ 15th congressional district, Republican Monica De La Cruz is considered a rising star in her party. The Washington Post reported yesterday, however, that the GOP hopeful “was accused last month by her estranged husband in court documents of ‘cruel and aggressive conduct’ toward his 14-year-old daughter, including verbal abuse and pinching the child to stop her from crying.” * It seems hard to believe, but Rep. Louis Gohmert is reportedly eyeing the already crowded GOP primary in Texas’ attorney general race. Referring to Ken Paxton and his many scandals, the Republican congressman said yesterday, “We’ve got to have an attorney general that’s undistracted by moral and legal issues of his own and who can get elected a year from now.” * And speaking of candidacies that seem hard to believe, Dr. Mehmet Oz, a controversial TV personality, is reportedly considering a Republican U.S. Senate campaign in Pennsylvania, where incumbent Republican Sen. Pat Toomey is retiring.
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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