Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) argued yesterday that she intends to pursue a Medicare-for-All plan if elected president, but she won’t support a “middle-class tax hike” to pay for it. Her financing model isn’t yet clear.
* In February, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he’d “ruled out” the possibility of running for Kansas’ open U.S. Senate seat next year. Yesterday, however, in response to a question about his possible campaign plans, Pompeo said he “leaves open the possibility” of a new professional path.
* We’re still about two weeks out from the next round of Democratic presidential primary debates, but yesterday, CNN announced the 20 candidates who’ll participate. The list is similar to the line-up from the first debates, except Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is out and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) is in.
* Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci was scheduled to speak at the Palm Beach County Republican Party’s annual fundraising event, but after he offered some mild criticisms of Donald Trump’s recent racist tweets, the GOP disinvited him.
* On a related note, Arizona Republican Chairwoman Kelli Ward realizes that appointed Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) occasionally disagrees with Trump, but Ward wants McSally to “just be quiet” about it. * In Alabama’s U.S. Senate race, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill complained this week that Americans’ interest in “homosexual activities” has contributed to what he sees as the country’s moral decline. The GOP official was apparently bothered by, among other things, coverage of the U.S. Women’s National Team’s World Cup victory. * And speaking of controversial U.S. Senate candidates, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) sat down with CNN’s Chris Cuomo this week, and the host asked whether Kobach would continue to support Trump’s re-election if the president literally declared, “I am a racist.” The Kansan struggled with the question for a surprisingly long time.
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
