Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Alabama is holding its primary runoff elections today, and the race to watch is Rep. Martha Roby’s (R) contest against former Rep. Bobby Bright. Roby, having received endorsements from Donald Trump and Mike Pence, is expected to prevail.
* Speaking of primary runoffs, Georgia Republicans will choose their gubernatorial candidate a week from today, and a poll from the University of Georgia found Secretary of State Brian Kemp narrowly leading Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, 44% to 41%.
* I’m still looking into the details, but it looks like Trump’s Treasury Department announced this morning that some politically active non-profit organizations will no longer have to disclose some of their contributors.
* California’s 48th congressional district is expected to be one of this year’s most important U.S. House races, and a new poll from Monmouth University helps explain why: Harley Rouda (D) leads incumbent Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R), 46% to 43%. This is a district Mitt Romney carried easily in 2012, but which Hillary Clinton narrowly won two years ago.
* The next congressional special election will be held in Ohio’s 12th congressional district three weeks from today, and the winner will fill the vacancy left by former Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R). The Washington Post reports today that Troy Balderson, a longtime Republican state legislator, is favored ,but Democrats are starting to get their hopes up about Danny O’Connor’s chances. * Ahead of Arizona’s Republican Senate primary in late August, conservative megadonor Robert Mercer is investing $500,000 in support of a super PAC backing Kelli Ward. * And Charlotte, N.C., will host the Republicans’ 2020 national convention, though some local officials clearly aren’t thrilled about it.
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
