Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The first quarter of 2019 ended yesterday, which means we’ll soon start seeing presidential candidates’ fundraising totals. Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg got the ball rolling this morning, announcing that he raised more than $7 million since launching his presidential bid — a total that will reinforce impressions that he’s an actual contender.
* Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) hasn’t yet released her first-quarter haul, but her strategy — deliberately steering clear of high-dollar fundraising events — apparently led to “the resignation of her finance director, Michael Pratt, who strenuously objected to the idea.”
* Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, meanwhile, is trying to raise funds by offering supporters t-shirts featuring House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) with a pencil for a neck, echoing the president’s schoolyard taunts.
* Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) formally kicked off his presidential campaign with an event in his hometown of El Paso on Saturday morning.
* Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive whom Trump appointed to lead the Small Business Administration, stepped down from her cabinet-level post last week, and will reportedly now chair a pro-Trump super PAC, America First Action. * Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) kicked off his re-election campaign in South Carolina over the weekend, promising voters he’ll remain “a good ally” and a “partner” to the Trump White House. Vice President Mike Pence was on hand for the event. * Looking ahead to the 2020 race, former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said a Democrat should be elected. Asked, “Are you willing to lose a cycle for the Republican Party because of the principles that you’re arguing?” Flake responded, “Oh, yes. Yes. You sacrifice a generation.” * And Louisiana held three state legislative special elections over the weekend. Democratic candidates won two state House races, including the most competitive of the three contests, while a Republican won the other. No seats switched party hands, and GOP control of the chamber remains dominant.
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
