Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Alabama’s U.S. Senate race, Doug Jones’ (D) new television ad highlights quotes from three Republicans critical of Roy Moore (R): Ivanka Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.).
* Perhaps unaware of the unpopularity of their party’s tax plan, the National Republican Congressional Committee is launching new ads targeting 25 House Democrats for voting against the GOP legislation.
* Which party will control Virginia’s House of Delegates next year? There’s a reason we don’t yet know.
* In a bit of a surprise, an “all-volunteer group of activists” has successfully collected 400,000 signatures for a 2018 ballot initiative that, if approved, would overhaul redistricting in Michigan and end partisan gerrymandering. As the Associated Press noted, the effort, organizers pulled this off “without having to pay a dime for a signature.”
* How concerned is Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) about his re-election prospects? The California Republican published an op-ed the other day chiding other California Republicans who supported the Republican tax plan.
* The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) has used campaign funds to pay someone to argue with his critics online. * I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that William O’Neil (D) will not be Ohio’s next governor: “An Ohio Supreme Court justice who recently declared his intention to run for governor faced widespread condemnation — and even some calls to resign — after he boasted about his sexual history while defending ‘heterosexual males.’” O’Neil later apologized. * Over the weekend, Donald Trump tweeted, “Crooked Hillary Clinton is the worst (and biggest) loser of all time.” Several hours later, the former Secretary of State suggested the president is “obsessed” with her. * And in Montana, Republican Senate hopeful Troy Downing has reportedly been receiving a tax break on property in California. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle added that the tax exemption “is for homeowners if the home is their primary residence.”
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
