Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* This case out of Wisconsin will likely be very important: “The Supreme Court declared Monday that it will consider whether gerrymandered election maps favoring one political party over another violate the Constitution, a potentially fundamental change in the way American elections are conducted.”
* While most national Democrats are not heading to Georgia to help Jon Ossoff’s (D) special-election campaign — it’s a Republican-friendly district — he is getting help from a congressman from the neighboring district: civil-rights icon, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.).
* On a related note, Karen Handel (R), Ossoff’s opponent in tomorrow’s election, has reiterated her opposition to allowing same-sex couples to adopt children.
* Despite his historically low approval rating, Donald Trump continues to look for evidence of his popularity, and over the weekend, he found an outlier poll to cherry-pick.
* After last year’s elections, Republican voters’ satisfaction with the nation’s direction jumped. In recent weeks, however, Gallup has found GOP voters’ attitudes have soured considerably.
* Adding to Josh Mandel’s troubles ahead of his U.S. Senate campaign next year, Ohio’s Republican state Treasurer, Josh Mandel, “submitted a financial disclosure statement that reveals that every work trip he took last year was at least in some part related to politics.” Mandel has previously been accused of using public resources to advance his electoral ambitions. * The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised more than $9.3 million in May, a record for the party compared to any previous May. Their Republican counterparts, despite being in the majority, reportedly raised $6.5 million over the same period. * With Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R) poised to resign, Utah Republicans over the weekend narrowed the field of candidates who’ll run in a special-election primary to replace him. Among the finalists are state Rep. Chris Herrod and Provo Mayor John Curtis. * And with Alabama’s U.S. Senate special election coming up, the Republican establishment is starting to invest in appointed Sen. Luther Strange (R). AL.com reports that “two groups connected to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have bought a combined $2.4 million in ads buys blanketing Alabama television and radio stations with ads supporting” Strange.
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
