Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* As expected, incumbent Rep. Martha Roby (R) easily won her primary runoff in Alabama yesterday, defeating former Rep. Bobby Bright by 35 points. Also as expected, Donald Trump quickly claimed credit for the results.
* As the Washington Post‘s Greg Sargent noted yesterday, the Democrats’ lead in the generic congressional ballot, according to FiveThirtyEight’s averages of all polling, is now back above 9 points. The Dems’ advantage is currently at its highest level since mid-March.
* We’re still two months away from New York’s gubernatorial primary, but a new Quinnipiac poll suggests Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is likely to prevail: the results showed the incumbent leading Cynthia Nixon, 59% to 23%.
* In a bit of a surprise, former FBI Director James Comey, a long-time Republican, published a tweet last night urging Americans to vote Democratic this year. “All who believe in this country’s values must vote for Democrats this fall,” Comey wrote. “Policy differences don’t matter right now. History has its eyes on us.”
* GOP operative Josh Holmes, a former top aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, told McClatchy News this week that Trump’s condemnations of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe “is doing more to mobilize base voters than any legislative issue we’ve seen.” * Less than a month out from Hawaii’s primaries, a new Honolulu Star-Advertiser Hawaii Poll shows a tightening Democratic gubernatorial race, with Rep. Colleen Hanabusa leading Gov. David Ige by just four points, 44% to 40%. Earlier this year, Hanabusa led by as many as 20 points. * And according to John Rogers, executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee, this year’s congressional races are going to “become about Nancy Pelosi whether these candidates try and run and hide from her or not.” There is some compelling evidence to the contrary.
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
