Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Tennessee yesterday, a Republican won a state Senate special election by three points, which wouldn’t be especially notable except this is a district Donald Trump carried last year by 46 points.
* The new NBC News//Wall Street Journal poll shows Democrats leading Republicans on nearly every major policy area, including the economy. It’s the first time in nearly five years that Dems have led on this issue.
* The same poll found just 36% of Americans say that they will “definitely” or “probably” vote for Trump if he seeks a second term in 2020. Last year, the president won about 46% of the vote, en route to losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million ballots.
* In the latest Quinnipiac poll, released yesterday, Democrats have a 15-point advantage over Republicans on the generic House ballot and a 16-point advantage over Republicans on the generic Senate ballot. Among self-identified independents, the Democratic lead is 25 points.
* With Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) ailing, Gov. Doug Ducey (R) told the Arizona Republic yesterday he disapproves of those individuals and their surrogates jockeying behind the scenes for a potential appointment in the event McCain is no longer able to serve. “To the politicians out there that have been openly lobbying for this position, they basically disqualified themselves for showing their true character,” the governor said. * The Colorado Democratic Party announced this week that it’s changed the name of the annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. It will now be called the Obama Dinner. The first Obama Dinner is scheduled for February. * And in Kansas’ gubernatorial race, the Democratic primary field is getting a little crowded. State Sen. Laura Kelly kicked off her statewide bid the other day, and she’ll compete for the Democratic nomination with House Minority Leader Jim Ward, former state Agriculture Secretary Josh Svaty, and former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer.
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
