Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* A national Quinnipiac poll, released yesterday, found Democrats leading Republicans on the generic congressional ballot by 12 points, 51% to 39%, up from a nine-point advantage a month ago. The average of all recent polling puts the Dems’ lead closer to eight points.
* On a related note, a new NBC News/Marist poll surveyed voters in three Midwestern states, and found Democrats with a generic-ballot lead of nine points in Michigan, 12 points in Minnesota, and eight points in Wisconsin.
* In Ohio’s gubernatorial race, Richard Cordray (D) picked up a big endorsement this week, receiving the support of the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio.
* On a related note, Gov. John Kasich (R) this morning threw his support behind Troy Balderson, the Republican nominee in the upcoming congressional special election in Ohio’s 12th congressional district. The race is Aug. 7, though early voting started a few days ago.
* As a rule, incumbent senators favored to win try to avoid debating their challengers, which made it notable when Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) this week offered to participate in five debates with Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas). There is, however, a catch: Cruz wants all the debates held on Friday nights — and if you’re familiar with the Friday-night-news-dump dynamic, you know why this is far from ideal. * In Michigan’s gubernatorial race, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) yesterday threw his support behind former Detroit health department director Abdul El-Sayed (D). The Detroit News noted that El-Sayed is “running third in recent polls of the Democratic gubernatorial field.” Primary Day is Aug. 7, which is less than two weeks away. * And a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California shows incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) leading state Sen. Kevin de León (D) in this year’s general election, 46% to 24%. In the Golden State’s gubernatorial race, the same poll shows Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) with an even larger lead over John Cox (R), 55% to 31%.
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
