Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Georgia’s Republican-led state Senate yesterday approved a measure to make it more difficult for the state’s voters to cast absentee ballots. The bill, which now heads to Georgia’s Republican-led state House, is not expected to be the last GOP effort to restrict voting access in the wake of Democratic victories in the state.
* On a related note, Iowa’s Republican-led state Senate approved a proposal yesterday to shrink Iowa’s early-voting period, reduce the number of hours polls are open on Election Day, and tighten deadlines for returning absentee ballots.
* In keeping with recent trends, the Cass County Republican Party in Michigan yesterday formally censured their local congressman, Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), because he voted to remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) from the House Education Committee.
* In a bit of a surprise, the latest Marist poll in New York found Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) approval rating slipping to 41%. The Democratic incumbent is up for re-election next year.
* The Washington Post reported overnight that President Joe Biden “has shifted the remnants of his campaign operation, including the donor and volunteer network that got him elected and several key staff members, over to the Democratic National Committee as part of a broader effort to build up the party before the 2022 midterm elections and a potential 2024 reelection campaign.” * To no one’s surprise, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) officially announced this morning that she will seek a second term next year. She’s expected to be a Republican target, though for now, there is no clear leading GOP contender for the race. * And in the wake of the late Rep. Ron Wright’s (R-Texas) death, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott (R) yesterday scheduled a special election to fill the vacancy. The filing deadline for prospective candidates is coming right up — they’ll have until March 3, which is a week from today — and early voting will get underway on April 19. Donald Trump won this district last year, but only by three points, so don’t be too surprised if Democrats make an effort to flip this seat.
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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