Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* As if the rationale behind Donald Trump’s Oval Office address weren’t already suspect, the Trump campaign sent a fundraising appeal to donors ahead of the speech, focused entirely on the president’s proposed border wall, and asking supporters to help the campaign raise $500,000 in one day.
* On a related note, just minutes after the Oval Office address wrapped up, the Trump campaign sent out a second fundraising appeal, urging supporters to “donate to the Official Secure The Border Fund NOW.”
* Tom Steyer, a progressive billionaire philanthropist and environmentalist, has scheduled a press conference — in Iowa — for this afternoon, where he’ll apparently discuss his future political plans. There have been rumors for quite a while about Steyer possibly launching a Democratic presidential campaign, despite never having served in elected office.
* There was a state Senate special election in Virginia last night in a district left vacant after Jennifer Wexton (D) was elected to Congress. Del. Jennifer Boysko (D) won yesterday by nearly 40 points.
* When West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice sought his current office in 2016, he ran as a Democrat who only intended to serve one term. Justice is now a Republican, and as the Charleston Gazette Mail reports, he’s seeking a second term.
* In North Carolina’s 9th congressional district, Mark Harris (R) yesterday told WSOC in Charlotte that Donald Trump has conveyed a message to him, encouraging the Republican to “keep fighting” despite widespread allegations of election fraud. * Though most new U.S. senators were sworn in last week, Florida’s Rick Scott (R) waited until the official end of his gubernatorial term and was sworn in yesterday. On his first day as a new senator, the Florida Republican reportedly hosted a “lavish” fundraiser in D.C. * Speaking of the Sunshine State, thanks to the recently passed Amendment 4, former felons have begun registering to vote in Florida for the first time. * And in Virginia, Republicans asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block a new House of Delegates map ahead of this year’s state legislative elections. Yesterday, the high court declined to intervene.
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
