Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* A fascinating catch from the New York Times: “Nearly a year out from the [midterm elections], Democratic candidates have filed in all but 20 House districts held by Republicans. By comparison, Democrats in 80 districts do not have a Republican opponent for their seat.”
* The editorial board of the Salt Lake Tribune over the holiday weekend called out Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) for his “utter lack of integrity that rises from his unquenchable thirst for power.” The newspaper went on to urge the longtime Utah senator not to seek yet another term in 2018.
* It took a little longer than expected, but Mary Norwood (I) last week conceded Atlanta’s mayoral election to Keisha Lance Bottoms (D).
* Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, a member of Donald Trump’s election commission, sued the panel in the hopes of accessing its records. Friday night, a federal district court judge ruled in Dunlap’s favor. * Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-N.J.) recent corruption trial ended in a hung jury, but Republicans have nevertheless struggled to recruit a top-tier challenger willing to run against him in 2018. * The Trump Make America Great Again Committee, an extension of the RNC, released an unintentionally amusing “poll” late last week, inviting supporters to rate Barack Obama’s and Donald Trump’s first years in office. For Obama, the available options ranged from “great” to “poor.” For Trump, they ranged from “great” to “okay.”
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
