Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) on Friday reversed his position and called on the Republican-led legislature to agree to delay the state’s elections, currently scheduled for tomorrow. GOP officials not only refused, they also appealed a lower-court ruling extending a deadline on absentee balloting.
* Joe Biden, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, conceded yesterday that his party may need to have “a virtual convention” in light of the coronavirus pandemic. At least for now, the four-day Democratic gathering is scheduled to begin in Milwaukee on Aug. 17.
* On a related note, a reporter asked Donald Trump on Saturday about back-up plans for the Republican Party’s nominating convention. “We have no contingency plan,” the president replied. “We’re having the convention at the end of August.”
* A new poll from the University of North Florida found Biden leading Trump in the Sunshine State, 46% to 40%.
* Politico and the Washington Post had separate reports over the weekend on Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, each saying that the senator has been advised by some top aides to end his candidacy. * On a related note, Biden told donors at a virtual fundraising event on Friday night that he’d spoken to Sanders and told his rival that he’s moving forward with plans to vet prospective vice presidential candidates. * In a bit of a surprise, Rep. Denny Heck (D-Wash.) filed the paperwork on Friday to run for lieutenant governor. Heck had already announced plans to retire from Congress at the end of the current session. (If Washington Gov. Jay Inslee were to join a Democratic cabinet in 2021, the lieutenant governor’s office would be very much worth having.) * After Trump recently called for Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) to be kicked out of the Republican Party, there was a flurry of new donations in the primary contest in Kentucky’s 4th district, where the incumbent is facing a challenge from lawyer Todd McMurtry. It’s not yet clear whether the president will publicly support Massie’s rival.
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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