Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* On the eve of Alabama’s Republican Senate primary runoff, Roy Moore last night headlined a rally and brandished a handgun to demonstrate his conservative bona fides. A few hours north, Vice President Mike Pence was headlining a rally for Moore’s rival, appointed Sen. Luther Strange.
* On a related note, Moore defended himself yesterday against the NRA, which is supporting Strange. The pushback came after the right-wing group invested nearly $1 million in anti-Moore attack ads in Alabama.
* Donald Trump, who’s been a prominent cheerleader for Strange, said this morning that the appointed senator’s support “has been shooting up” thanks to the president’s endorsement — because according to Trump, everything at all times is about Trump.
* New Jersey’s gubernatorial race is seven weeks from today, and a new USA Today/Suffolk poll shows Phil Murphy (D) with a big lead over Kim Guadagno (R), 45% to 27%, among likely voters. The same poll found Gov. Chris Christie (R) with a 16% approval rating among his constituents.
* Despite the oddity of a sitting vice president having his own political operation, Mike Pence’s Great America Committee reportedly raised money over the summer from “at least three dozen corporate PACs,” according to Politico. * Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) — remember him? — is apparently still in Congress, and yesterday he called on Arizona voters to recall Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) so that Republicans can more easily pass a regressive heath care plan. * Soon after Trump used his Twitter account to promote a six-minute video showing instances in which McCain endorsed repealing the ACA. It’s unclear who compiled this clip collection, but it looks like it might’ve been a White House project targeting an ostensible Republican ally.
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
