Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Ahead of Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Arizona next week, the president touted Sen. Jeff Flake’s Republican primary rival, Kelli Ward, this morning. Mocking the incumbent senator, Trump called the Arizonan “Flake Jeff Flake” and said the GOP lawmaker is “toxic.” (Wouldn’t it make more grammatical sense to call him “Flaky Jeff Flake”?)
* Also before 7 a.m. this morning, the president lashed out at another senator from his own party, blasting Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for criticizing Trump’s reaction to Charlottesville. “He just can’t forget his election trouncing,” the president said of Graham. “The people of South Carolina will remember!”
* Though it’s unlikely the White House will care, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton (D) hopes Trump will postpone next week’s event. “I am disappointed that President Trump has chosen to hold a campaign rally as our nation is still healing from the tragic events in Charlottesville,” Stanton said in a statement. “It is my hope that more sound judgment prevails and that he delays his visit.”
* Hot on the heels of his third-place finish in Alabama’s Senate special-election primary, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) announced he’s running for re-election to the House next year. The far-right congressman has not yet endorsed either of the Republicans in the Senate race. * Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, has apparently landed a new gig: the former CNN pundit is joining a pro-Trump super PAC called America First Action, where he’ll serve as a senior adviser. * And in North Dakota, where Republicans see Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D) as one of their top 2018 targets, state Sen. Tom Campbell (R) confirmed yesterday he’s throwing his hat in the ring. “I continue to want to partner up with Trump,” Campbell said. “I like his agenda.” Trump won North Dakota last fall by nearly 36 percentage points.
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
