Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Missouri, Rep. Ann Wagner (R), Republicans’ top choice to take on Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) next year, announced on Monday she’ll instead seek re-election to the House.
* On a related note, GOP attention is now shifting to Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley (R), just six months into his first term, as a possible McCaskill rival.
* In Virginia, Tom Perriello’s Democratic gubernatorial campaign fell short this year, but the former congressman isn’t walking away from the arena altogether. The Washington Post reports that Perriello is now leading a new political action committee “aimed at ending the GOP’s longtime majority in the commonwealth’s House of Delegates.”
* Nina Turner, who now leads Bernie Sanders’ Our Revolution, was asked in an interview with The Nation last week whether the activist group is “working to bring some unity” to factions in Democratic politics. “No,” Turner replied. “Not really.” Asked if Our Revolution intends to endorse some non-Democratic candidates, Turner added, “You know what, yes. We are open to it.”
* There have already been a handful of closely watched state special elections, and the next one will be in the state of Washington, where a state Senate race will dictate control of the chamber. Party primaries are next month and the special election will be in November. * An interesting observation: “A Smart Politics analysis finds that there have been at least two U.S. Senators who did not seek another term in each of the 52 election cycles since the passage of the 17th Amendment in 1913, but almost all of the 33 lawmakers up for reelection in 2018 have already confirmed they are running.” A handful of incumbents, including North Dakota’s Heidi Heitkamp, have not yet formally announced their intentions, but each are expected to run. * Asked on Monday about a possible presidential campaign, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) replied, “I don’t know what the future’s going to bring. I’m not making predictions, but I want to unleash the fullness of who I am right now, and I want to call out injustice where I see it.”
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
