Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Alabama’s Senate Republican primary, Rep. Mo Brooks (R) is no longer neutral: the far-right congressman endorsed Roy Moore over the weekend. Appointed Sen. Luther Strange (R) was hoping Brooks would stay on the sidelines.
* On a related note, following through on a promise, Donald Trump will campaign in Alabama on Saturday in support of Strange’s candidacy. The GOP primary runoff is Sept. 26, which is a week from tomorrow.
* In Michigan, the president has thrown his support behind state Attorney General Bill Schuette’s (R) 2018 gubernatorial campaign. (Trump tweeted his endorsement over the weekend, spelled Schuette’s name wrong, then tweeted a new endorsement about 12 hours later.)
* Lawmakers in California are moving forward with state legislation that would require presidential candidates to release five years’ worth of tax returns in order to qualify for the statewide ballot. The measure passed the state Assembly late last week.
* Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D), one of the highest profile politicians in the state, announced Friday that she won’t seek re-election to her current post next year, setting off intense speculation about her career plans. * In New Jersey, we don’t yet know how Sen. Bob Menendez (D) will fare in his corruption trial, but many of his constituents have apparently seen enough: the latest Quinnipiac poll shows 50% of Garden State voters believe the senator does not deserve another term, while 20% believe he does. * And now that he’s been released from a federal penitentiary, former Rep. Michael Grimm (R) is reportedly launching another congressional campaign in New York, hoping to get his old job back. This will require Grimm to take on current Rep. Dan Donovan in a Republican primary next year.
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
