Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* It’s a big day for early voting, with several states accepting ballots today: Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. Residents of the District of Columbia can also cast in-person absentee ballots starting today.
* The Nevada Independent‘s Jon Ralston published several tweets over the weekend on early voting in Nevada, which is apparently off to a very strong start. He added that the preliminary numbers looked encouraging for Democrats.
* The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found Democrats leading Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, 50% to 41%, among likely voters. The nine-point advantage for Dems is up slightly from the eight-point lead they had a month ago. Also of interest: the Democratic lead is stronger among likely voters than registered voters, pointing to a possible enthusiasm edge.
* Though American presidents rarely try to intimidate voters in their own country about participating in elections, Donald Trump wrote on Twitter over the weekend, “All levels of government and Law Enforcement are watching carefully for VOTER FRAUD, including during EARLY VOTING. Cheat at your own peril. Violators will be subject to maximum penalties, both civil and criminal!”
* In Florida’s closely watched U.S. Senate race, a new CNN poll found incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson (D) with a modest lead over Gov. Rick Scott (R), 50% to 45%, among likely voters.
* On a related note, that same CNN poll found Andrew Gillum (D) with a surprisingly large lead over Rick DeSantis (R) in Florida’s gubernatorial race, 54% to 42%. * In Missouri’s closely watched U.S. Senate race, both the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the New York Times took separate looks at Josh Hawley’s (R) tenure as state attorney general, and both painted an unflattering portrait, including criticisms from state judges over his office’s work. * Speaking of the Show-Me State, the Missouri Republican Party acknowledged late Friday that it “sent mailers to 10,000 voters across the state with false information about when their absentee ballots are due.” * And in West Virginia’s U.S. Senate race, Don Blankenship has grudgingly thrown his support behind his former Republican rival, Patrick Morrisey, though as part of the endorsement, the coal baron described his party’s nominee as “a lying New Jersey opiate drug lobbyist.”
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
