Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Georgia’s congressional special election, where early voting is underway, nearly 8,000 voters have been added to the district’s voting rolls. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “The total includes two types of voter: the newly registered, plus so-called ‘transfer’ applications — already registered Georgia voters who moved into the district after March 20, when the registration period originally closed.”
* On a related note, the NRCC has launched a new attack ad against Jon Ossoff (D) in Georgia, blasting him for supporting the popular and successful Iran nuclear deal.
* In Alabama, appointed Sen. Luther Strange (R), running in a special election to keep his seat, launched a new ad this week that tells voters he has “the guts to take our conservative fight to Obama.” The last time I checked, Barack Obama left office in January, the month before Strange reached Capitol Hill.
* On a related note, Strange, facing several Republican primary challengers, has picked up the NRA’s endorsement.
* More than 200 days after last fall’s presidential election, Donald Trump went after his former rival once again on Twitter last night, whining about “Crooked Hillary Clinton,” whom he insisted was “a terrible candidate.” It’s been nearly two months since Trump declared, “The election is over!” * Last year, Trump became the first Republican to carry Michigan since the ’80s, but an EPIC-MRA poll released this week showed Trump’s favorability rating in the state dropping to just 37%. * And less than a week before the gubernatorial races in New Jersey, former Vice President Joe Biden traveled to the Garden State over the weekend to throw his support behind former Ambassador Phil Murphy, widely seen as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.
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
