Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The latest statewide poll in Alabama’s U.S. Senate special election shows Roy Moore (R) in the lead, 49% to 44%, over Doug Jones (D). The election is Dec. 12, which is less than two weeks away.
* AL.com published an open letter today from Leigh Corfmann, one of Moore’s accusers, directed at the right-wing candidate. “What you did to me when I was 14-years old should be revolting to every person of good morals,” she wrote. “But now you are attacking my honesty and integrity. Where does your immorality end?”
* Moore’s campaign touted support yesterday from a super PAC that Team Moore said was founded by “seasoned campaign veterans” who helped elect Donald Trump, In reality, the entity “was founded just weeks ago by a 24-year-old aspiring political operative who acknowledged to NBC News Tuesday that he’s trying to disassociate himself from white nationalist organizations he appeared to have affiliated with in the past.”
* As expected, Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) announced he’s retiring at the end of this Congress. Though the Illinois Democrat left open the door to other possible campaigns, he added yesterday that he isn’t going to run for governor or in the next mayoral race in Chicago. * Though the 2016 presidential election was over a year ago, Trump again last night went after “Crooked Hillary” and demanded further investigation of her emails. * And now that he’s been released from prison, former Massey Energy chief Don Blankenship is apparently launching a Republican U.S. Senate campaign in West Virginia. He hopes to take on incumbent Sen. Joe Manchin (D) next fall.
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
