Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* With just five days remaining before Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial primary runoff, Donald Trump has thrown his support behind Secretary of State Brian Kemp. Much of the party establishment prefers Casey Cagle, Georgia’s current lieutenant governor.
* Former First Lady Michelle Obama has reportedly agreed to play a prominent role in a non-partisan voter registration initiative in the coming months.
* In a newly unearthed recording, Rep. Jason Lewis (R-Minn.) used misogynistic language during his radio show, wondering aloud why he shouldn’t be able to call women “sluts.” Lewis, running in a competitive Minneapolis-area district, also defended Rush Limbaugh’s criticisms of Sandra Fluke over the issue of health plans covering contraception. The on-air comments pre-date the Republican’s congressional career.
* Are Republicans concerned about Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s (R) re-election chances? The Republican Governors Association is launching some new attack ads targeting two of the top Democratic contenders.
* Speaking of Arizona, while much of the GOP establishment is backing Rep. Martha McSally (R) in this year’s Senate race, former state Sen. Kelli Ward (R) picked up her first congressional endorsement yesterday from far-right Rep. Paul Gosar (R). The primary is Aug. 28. * After appearing on Alex Jones’ radio show, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) conceded this week that he’d made a mistake. The far-right congressman, and close Trump ally, said that a member of Congress “should not grace that platform and legitimize it.” * And House Democrats unveiled a new campaign slogan for the 2018 cycle: “For the People.” This apparently replaces the “Better Deal” message House Dems had previously pushed.
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
