Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In New Jersey, one of only two states holding gubernatorial races this year, the latest Quinnipiac poll shows former Ambassador Phil Murphy (D) with a huge lead over Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (R), 55% to 26%, though much of the state’s electorate does not yet have a preference.
* The same poll found New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) with a ridiculous 15% approval rating among his own constituents. It’s the lowest level of support Quinnipiac has found for any governor of any state in decades.
* Two years ago in Virginia, Democrats ran candidates in just 56 of the House of Delegates’ 100 legislative districts. This year, that number will be 87.
* In Gallup’s daily tracking poll, Donald Trump’s disapproval rating reached 60% this week, the worst number of his presidency to date. Since Watergate, only two presidents have ever reached 60% disapproval in Gallup surveys: Trump and George W. Bush. The latter was in his second term when his support crashed; the former reached this threshold after five months.
* Similarly, a new Associated Press poll found 64% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s job performance, and 65% believe the president doesn’t respect the nation’s “democratic institutions and traditions.” * In Illinois, J.B. Pritzker is solidifying his position as the Democrats’ top choice in next year’s gubernatorial primary, picking up a very early endorsement from the Illinois AFL-CIO. The Democratic primary isn’t until March 2018, which is still nine months away. * And Virginia’s Corey Stewart, fresh off his far-better-than-expected performance in this week’s Republican gubernatorial primary, is now eyeing a U.S. Senate race next year against incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine (D),
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
