Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” yesterday that her office has been targeted with “phishing emails” that were reported to proper authorities. She did not specify if the cyber-threats originated in Russia.
* Ahead of Thursday’s primaries in Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam (R) asked the White House to remain neutral in the race to replace him. Vice President Mike Pence nevertheless announced his support for Rep. Diane Black (R) late last week.
* Donald Trump late last week announced several new presidential endorsements, including John James in Michigan’s U.S. Senate primary, Troy Balderson in Ohio’s congressional special election, and Rep. David Kustoff who’s facing a primary rival in Tennessee.
* San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, who last year became a prominent target for Trump criticism, is endorsing Sen. Bill Nelson’s (D) re-election bid in Florida.
* In related news, however, the Washington Post reported the other day that many of the Puerto Ricans who fled to Florida after Hurricane Maria have not registered to vote in this year’s Florida elections. * Trump posed for a photograph with former Arizona state Sen. Kelli Ward (R) last year, but he reportedly asked her not to share it. Ward, a 2018 Senate contender, is nevertheless using the image in campaign materials. * In Florida’s gubernatorial race, the latest Mason-Dixon poll shows Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Gwen Graham as the frontrunners in their respective primaries. DeSantis was once considered a longshot, but he’s vaulted to the front of the GOP pack thanks to Trump’s backing. * And if you noticed a bunch of political tweets over the weekend related to Bigfoot, it’s because Denver Riggleman, the new Republican congressional candidate in Virginia’s 5th congressional district, apparently has an issue involving the mythical creature.
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
