Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* As Rachel noted on last night’s show, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) announced he’s retiring at the end of the year, creating a key pick-up opportunity for Democrats in the midterm elections.
* Former Sherriff Joe Arpaio (R) has reportedly decided to launch a U.S. Senate campaign in Arizona, hoping to replace retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R). Arpaio, you’ll recall, received a highly controversial presidential pardon from Donald Trump last summer.
* On a related note, though Rep. Martha McSally (R) has not officially announced her plans, she reportedly told congressional colleagues yesterday that she, too, is running for Arizona’s open U.S. Senate seat.
* Following some failed presidential bids, former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D) has decided to seek elected office again, this time running for governor in his native Ohio. This week, he ended his role as a paid Fox News contributor, in preparation for a formal campaign kickoff.
* Conor Lamb (D), who’s running a surprisingly competitive special-election race in Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district, confirmed this week that he wants House Democrats to replace Nancy Pelosi as the party leader in the chamber. * In Kentucky, state House Speaker Jeff Hoover (R) announced yesterday that he’s stepping down from his leadership post in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal. The Republican added, however, that he intends to remain in the state House. * And in Vermont, a grand jury investigation into Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I) wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders, and her work at Burlington College, appears to be progressing. Jane O’Meara Sanders currently plays a leadership role in Our Revolution, an organization created in the wake of the independent senator’s presidential campaign.
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
