Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In North Carolina, a federal three-judge panel ruled yesterday that state lawmakers will have to draw new General Assembly district boundaries this fall, for use in elections in November 2018. A request for special elections in advance was rejected.
* Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap (D) said yesterday’s he’s “unlikely to release any state voter registration data” to Donald Trump’s voting commission, which is notable in large part because Dunlap is a member of Trump’s commission.
* Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), who’s developed a reputation as a GOP hardliner on immigration, is gearing up to take on incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D) in Pennsylvania next year.
* In a bit of a surprise, Rep. Jimmy Duncan (R-Tenn.) announced yesterday he’s retiring at the end of this term after three decades in Congress. Given the leanings of Tennessee’s 2nd congressional district, the seat is expected to remain in Republican hands. (A Democrat hasn’t represented this district since the 1850s.)
* The DCCC has decided not to impose an abortion-rights litmus test on prospective 2018 candidates, which means the party is prepared to support at least some congressional candidates who are not pro-choice. * The National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which is being chaired by former Attorney General Eric Holder, has raised $10.8 million, from a total of 10,000 donors. Politico noted that total “is split between its various entities: a federal PAC, plus 501c3 and 501c4 entities that house much of its structural work.” * And in Wisconsin, in case there were any lingering doubts, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke has confirmed he won’t be a candidate against Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) next year. “I want to put this to a rest because it’s becoming a distraction,” he told a local radio station. “No, I’m not running for Senate.”
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
