Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Despite polling from a few months ago showing the incumbent likely to lose, Hawaii Gov. David Ige won his Democratic primary against Rep. Colleen Hanabusa by seven points on Saturday.
* In the multi-candidate Democratic primary in Hawaii’s 1st congressional district, former Rep. Ed Case prevailed and is heavily favored to return to Capitol Hill in January. Kaniela Ing, who received a high-profile endorsement from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, finished a distant fourth.
* Tomorrow will be a fairly busy day for election watchers, with statewide primaries in four states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Vermont.
* In Kansas’ still unresolved Republican gubernatorial primary, Secretary of State Kris Koback leads incumbent Gov. Jeff Colyer by 110 votes, though officials are scheduled to begin tallying provisional ballots today.
* On a related note, Colyer, who has already accused Kobach of irregularities, has hired outside legal counsel, signaling what’s likely to be a contentious process.
* Ahead of tomorrow’s primary election in Minnesota, Rep. Keith Ellison (D), who’s running for state attorney general, is denying allegations that he abused a former girlfriend. The accuser, Karen Monahan, has suggested she has video proof, but at this point, nothing has been released, and the congressman denies the video’s existence. * In Maine, the latest Suffolk University found Sen. Susan Collins’ (R) approval rating dropping to 49%, which for her is quite low. For context, note that Collins won re-election four years ago with more than 68% of the vote. * A Missouri Scout poll of the state’s closely watched Senate race found Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) and state Attorney General Josh Hawley (R) tied at 47% each. * And in Arizona’s U.S. Senate race, Politico reports that Republican officials are worried about the contest slipping away, and they want Donald Trump to endorse Rep. Martha McSally, whom they perceive as more electable than her more right-wing primary rivals. Primary Day in Arizona is Aug. 28.
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
