Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Prominent surrogates from Donald Trump’s campaign, including his campaign manager and both of his adult sons, peddled allegations this morning that the Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses have been “rigged.” There’s no evidence to support this, the rhetoric reinforces concerns about Republicans trying to undermine public confidence in the electoral system.
* New Hampshire’s presidential primary is a week from today, and the latest Boston Globe/WBZ-TV/Suffolk University poll found Bernie Sanders leading Joe Biden, 24% to 18%. Elizabeth Warren was third with 13%, followed by Pete Buttigieg at 11%.
* Speaking of the Granite State, four-term Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess (D) announced this morning that he’s supporting Buttigieg’s candidacy.
* A new Gallup poll shows Donald Trump’s approval rating reaching 49%, which is the strongest support he’s seen in this poll since taking office three years ago. The increase was fueled in part by an increase in support from self-identified Republican voters, whose approval for the president is now up to 94%.
* Late last week, the DNC unveiled new debate standards for the upcoming event in Nevada, and for the first time, the donor threshold has been eliminated. This vastly increases the likelihood that Michael Bloomberg, who isn’t accepting contributions, will be invited onto the stage. * In a fascinating sign of the times, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), facing a primary challenge in Kentucky this year, bought television airtime on Fox News over the weekend, with commercials that would only air in south Florida. The unsubtle point: the GOP incumbent hoped to get Trump’s attention during his latest trip to Mar-a-Lago. * In Georgia, Democrats have wasted little time throwing support behind the Rev. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor at Martin Luther King Jr.’s Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, who kicked off his U.S. Senate campaign last week. The DSCC has already endorsed Warnock, as has former gubernatorial hopeful Stacey Abrams.
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
