Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Following a well-received debate performance, Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s presidential campaign reportedly raised $1.1 million in less than a day, which was her best day for online fundraising since her campaign launch. The Minnesota Democrat will, however, still need increased poll support in order to qualify for next month’s primary debate.
* Barack Obama occasionally weighs in on international campaigns, and yesterday, the former Democratic president threw his support behind Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
* The Club for Growth, a far-right advocacy group, is launching a new attack ad targeting Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), accusing him of being a “Democrat secret asset” who is “plotting to take down President Trump with impeachment.” The commercial will reportedly run online and on Fox News in Utah.
* In Kansas, state Sen. Barbara Bollier recently made headlines by leaving the Republican Party and becoming a Democrat, and yesterday she made headlines again: Bollier launched a U.S. Senate campaign, hoping to succeed retiring Sen. Pat Roberts (R). She’ll have a few primary rivals, including former U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom, who entered the race earlier this year.
* Among the notable tidbits in the latest campaign finance filings: Wayne Messam, the mayor of Miramar, Florida, and a largely unknown presidential candidate, raised just $5 in the third quarter of the year. No, that’s not a typo. * Speaking of presidential hopefuls facing long odds, South Carolina’s Mark Sanford, a former congressman and governor, held a press conference in Philadelphia as part of his 2020 kickoff. Only four people were there: the candidate, two of his aides, and one reporter. * And in a sign of the times for the California GOP, Summer Stephan, the San Diego County district attorney, has ended her longtime affiliation with the Republican Party. She’s now an independent.
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
