Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Arizona’s U.S. Senate race, Mark Kelly (D) reportedly raised $1.1 million in his first 24 hours as a candidate. That’s quite impressive, and it’s the sort of haul that may give pause to his possible primary rivals.
* Believe it or not, we’re only about four months away from the first debate for the Democratic presidential candidates, and with a field that’s likely to be enormous, the DNC is going to have to establish a qualifying threshold. DNC Chairman Tom Perez will reportedly unveil the standards today or tomorrow.
* On a related note, the Democrats’ 2020 field is not yet historic in its size, but it is without precedent in its timing: we’ve never seen quite so many candidates announce this early in the year before the election.
* Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) reportedly met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) about possibly taking on incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) next year. According to Politico, O’Rourke, who’s considering a presidential campaign, hasn’t ruled out a possible Senate bid.
* Despite the recent controversy over her ancestral claims, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) made a surprise appearance this week at the National Indian Women’s “Supporting Each Other” lunch. The Democratic presidential hopeful was welcomed with a standing ovation. * In Georgia this week, there was a state House special election to replace a former Republican lawmaker. The seat will remain in GOP hands: two Republicans advanced to a runoff election. * In related news, there was also a state House special election in Texas this week, and in the race to replace a former Democratic lawmaker, a Dem and a Republican advanced to a runoff. This is in a district that Hillary Clinton carried by 28 points. * And speaking of special elections, in Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district, where Rep. Tom Marino (R) recently announced his resignation, Democratic Party officials have chosen Marc Friedenberg, a local college professor, as their candidate. The Republican nominee is not yet clear. The election is May 21.
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
