Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Voters in San Francisco yesterday ousted Chesa Boudin, the city’s district attorney, as part of a successful recall effort. Mayor London Breed will appoint a temporary successor to fill the DA’s office until a new election can be held.
* In Mississippi’s 4th congressional district, incumbent Rep. Steven Palazzo finished first in his Republican primary, but the congressman facing ethics allegations finished with only 32 percent support and will now advance to a runoff election.
* In a bit of a surprise, retired Navy Admiral Mike Franken easily defeated former Rep. Abby Finkenauer in Iowa’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, and he’ll face incumbent Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley in November.
* In Buffalo, Republican congressional hopeful Carl Paladino apparently promoted a crackpot conspiracy theory on Facebook, sharing a post which claimed recent mass shootings were false flag operations. Paladino has already been endorsed by House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, who represents a nearby district in upstate New York.
* In Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race, there’s been some public discussion this week about Mehmet Oz still being registered to vote in New Jersey. It turns out, when the Republican registered in Pennsylvania in late 2020, he didn’t cancel his old registration. As for his residence, he doesn’t yet own a home in the Keystone State, so he’s living in his in-laws’ house.
* As for Oz’s Democratic rival, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s health issues continue to keep him off the campaign trail, but his political operation has launched a new television advertising campaign.
* How bothered is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with fellow New York Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney? Yesterday, she endorsed the congressman’s progressive primary rival, state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi. The dispute stems from Maloney’s willingness to run against Rep. Mondaire Jones after a New York court redrew the state’s district lines.
