Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* I’d take this with a big grain of salt, but the National Republican Senatorial Committee released a poll out of Alabama yesterday showing Roy Moore (R) trailing Doug Jones (D) by 12 points. It’s worth noting for context that the NRSC desperately wishes Moore would go away.
* In a sign of the times, Moore’s campaign website yesterday took down its list of endorsements.
* The Washington Post‘s Greg Sargent has a good piece today noting that the controversy surrounding Moore is starting to affect statewide races outside of Alabama.
* Now that Richard Cordray is stepping down as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, it appears to be a foregone conclusion that he’ll launch a Democratic gubernatorial campaign in Ohio, where Cordray served in a variety of offices, including state attorney general.
* Speaking of Ohio, state Rep. Wes Goodman (R), considered a rising star in GOP politics and a possible successor to U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R) in the future, resigned this week after party leaders confronted him about unspecified “inappropriate behavior.” * As Democratic officials continue to make plans for the next presidential election cycle, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), the party’s most recent vice presidential nominee, called this week for the end of superdelegates. * In Pennsylvania, state House Speaker Mike Turzai (R), who’s considered statewide races in recent cycles without following through, has decided to take on incumbent Gov. Tom Wolf (D) next year. Turzai is perhaps best known nationally for controversial comments he made in 2012 about Pennsylvania’s voter-ID law and its benefits for the Republican Party. * And former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s (D) 2016 presidential campaign didn’t fare well, but that hasn’t stopped his ongoing efforts. O’Malley is launching a new political organization, called the Win Back Your State PAC, intended to boost local Democratic candidates.
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
