Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The U.S. Supreme Court this morning “threw out a challenge” to Michigan’s gerrymandered legislative map. As Reuters reported, the high court’s action “voided an order in April by a three-judge panel to rework 34 districts in the state legislature and U.S. House of Representatives whose boundaries were crafted purely to advantage Republicans.”
* A new Suffolk/USA Today poll of Iowa Democrats shows a competitive presidential nominating contest, with Joe Biden narrowly leading Elizabeth Warren, 18% to 17%, with Pete Buttigieg not far behind with 13%. Bernie Sanders slipped to fourth in this poll, with 9% support.
* Also of interest, Amy Klobuchar was at 3% in the poll — she’s tied for fifth place — which I think will help move the Minnesota Democrat closer to qualifying for next month’s presidential primary debate.
* Speaking of Minnesota, a new Star Tribune poll found Donald Trump trailing each of the top Democratic contenders in 2020 match-ups. Despite the president’s recent insistence that he expects to win Minnesota next year, the poll showed him trailing Warren by nine points, Biden by 12 points, and Klobuchar by 17 points.
* On the heels of Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) suggesting he’d consider supporting Trump’s impeachment, the Florida Republican announced he’ll retire after just two terms in the U.S. House.
* The day after acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said, “Get over it” after acknowledging the White House’s quid-pro-quo scheme with Ukraine, Trump’s re-election campaign began selling t-shirts with the same phrase. * Julian Castro’s presidential campaign announced this morning that the former House secretary will end his presidential bid without an additional $800,000 in donations over the next 10 days. Of course, even if the Texas Democrat gets the money, he’s still not yet close to meeting the polling threshold for next month’s primary debate. * Bernie Sanders returned to the campaign trail over the weekend, holding a massive rally in New York alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). It was his first such event since the Vermont senator’s heart attack earlier this month. * And Hillary Clinton suggested late last week that Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), a 2020 presidential candidate, would receive Russian support for running as a third-party candidate next year. The congresswoman responded by blasting Clinton as corrupt and “the queen of warmongers.” Gabbard also appeared on Friday night on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program to respond to the Democratic Party’s 2016 nominee.
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." Recommended
