Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Georgia, Stacey Abrams (D) is still exploring every possible avenue to force a gubernatorial runoff election against Brian Kemp (R).
* As of this morning, Democrats are ahead in the popular vote for 2018 U.S. House races by 6.7%. As votes continue to be tallied, it’s generally expected that this number will continue to inch higher.
* Though it looks like Yvette Herrell (R) narrowly lost her congressional election in New Mexico, she appeared on Fox News over the weekend, said she won’t concede, and alleged voter fraud. The Republican has not offered evidence to support the claim.
* It wasn’t long ago when Republicans saw Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) as highly vulnerable in Wisconsin and spent heavily to bring her down. The incumbent senator won anyway by nearly 11 points, giving her “the highest vote percentage of any candidate for governor or senator in Wisconsin” in 12 years.
* The elections were apparently quite profitable for Donald Trump. CNN reported, “Campaigns and PACs spent at least $3.2 million at Trump-owned and branded properties throughout the two-year midterm election cycle, a CNN analysis of Federal Election Commission filings shows. And the total could rise after post-election financial reports are published by the commission.” * The U.S. House race in Maine’s 2nd congressional district hasn’t yet been called, but thanks to the state’s ranked-choice voting system, Jared Golden (D) appears to be favored over incumbent Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R). Don’t be too surprised if the Republican goes to court to challenge the results. * The race for DCCC chair is likely to be very competitive in the coming months. Reps. Cheri Bustos (Ill.), Suzan DelBene (Wash.), Denny Heck (Wash.), and Sean Patrick Maloney (N.Y.) have all thrown their hats in the ring. * Why did Kris Kobach (R) lose his gubernatorial campaign in Kansas? The Kansas City Star reported, “Interviews with more than a dozen Republican strategists and officials paint a picture of a candidate who refused to listen to advice, was unwilling to put energy into fundraising and failed to set up a basic ‘get out the vote’ operation.”
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
