Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* An interesting observation from Politico: barring any radical election surprises, the number of pro-choice Republicans in the U.S. House next year will fall to zero.
* New Jersey’s 11th congressional district is considered a key pick-up opportunity for Democrats, and the latest Monmouth University poll found Mikie Sherrill (D) with a narrow lead over Jay Webber (R), 40% to 38%. The seat is currently held by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R), who’s retiring.
* Are Donald Trump’s tariffs a possible campaign issue for Dems? In Tennessee’s U.S. Senate race, former Gov. Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) launched a new ad this week, highlighting the adverse impact the president’s tariffs will have on Jack Daniel’s, a major exporter in the state.
* The Democratic National Committee’s lengthy debate over the role of “superdelegates” was apparently resolved yesterday, and going forward, these unpledged delegates will only be able to help choose the party’s presidential nominee on a second ballot at the convention.
* Primaries this week in Oklahoma were the first contests since the state’s labor dispute with public-school teachers, and the AP reported, “At least six Republican incumbents were bounced from office during Oklahoma’s primary election, including several who were targeted by pro-education groups.” * On a related note, voters in Oklahoma — by some measures, the nation’s reddest red state — also approved a medical marijuana bill this week. Oklahoma is now “the 30th in the nation to permit the use of marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation.” * The North Carolina Republican Party this week withdrew its support for Russell Walker, a GOP state House nominee, over a racist website Walker has written for. * And at his rally in North Dakota last night, without a hint of irony, Donald Trump told supporters, in reference to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 defeat, “When is she going to get over it? When does she get over it?”
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
