Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Though the details are far from clear, Rep. Tom Garrett (R-Va.), a member of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, “abruptly parted ways” this week with his chief of staff, and according to Politico, the Republican congressman is “considering” not seeking re-election this year.
* Iowa gubernatorial hopeful Nate Boulton, often described as a “rising star” in Democratic politics, ended his statewide campaign today following a Des Moines Register report that he groped three women.
* A reporter for the Fresno Bee asked House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) if he intends to hold any public forums or town-hall events during his re-election campaign. “Your paper is a joke to even bring these issues up or raise these issues,” the Republican congressman replied.
* In related news, Nunes’ higher public profile as a sycophantic Trump ally has done wonders for his fundraising: the Washington Examiner reported yesterday that Californian “raised an extraordinary approximate sum of $2.25 million in six weeks,” likely pushing his overall war chest “past $5 million.”
* And speaking of the Golden State, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has long been a proponent of capital punishment, but she told the L.A. Times this week that she’s changed her mind. “It became crystal clear to me that the risk of unequal application is high and its effect on deterrence is low,” the incumbent senator, up for re-election this year, explained. * Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign continues to expand its staff, and this week added veteran GOP strategist Chris Carr, who’ll serve as the campaign’s political director. * And it was another challenging week for Our Revolution, the progressive group that grew out of Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. The organization rallied behind Texas congressional hopefuls Laura Moser and Rick Trevino, but both lost by wide margins in Democratic primaries.
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
