Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Confirming months of rumors, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D) kicked off her 2022 gubernatorial campaign this morning, vowing to “deliver transparency, accountability, and results for Arizonans.” Hobbs hopes to succeed incumbent Gov. Doug Ducey (R), who can’t seek a third term.
* On a related note, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) formally launched her gubernatorial candidacy yesterday, with a message focused on combatting corruption in the state. If she defeats incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Fried will be the first Democratic governor Florida has elected since 1994.
* After Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) delivered his party’s response to President Biden’s national address in April, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the remarks represented “the future of the Republican Party.” Yesterday, the Republican National Committee released a new television ad based on the South Carolinian’s speech.
* In case there were any doubts, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) announced yesterday he’ll seek a second term in 2022. The Louisiana Republican — one of eight GOP senators who voted not to certify Biden’s 2020 victory — kicked off his re-election bid in a video that avoided any reference to substantive policies.
* On a related note, Donald Trump quickly threw his support behind Kennedy, while calling his Louisiana colleague, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R), “stupid.” * Speaking of endorsements from the former president, Trump also endorsed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who’s running for re-election next year, and who’s also facing a Republican primary rival. * And the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported yesterday, in reference to Georgia’s new voter-suppression law, “Over 272,000 registered voters don’t have a driver’s license or state ID on file with election officials, meaning they’d have to submit additional documents to vote by mail under Georgia’s new voting law, state election records show. The ID requirements disproportionately affect Black voters, who are much less likely than white voters to have ID numbers matched to their voter registrations, according to election data.”
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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