Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The latest Politico/Morning Consult poll shows Democrats with a seven-point advantage over Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, which is the Dems’ largest advantage “since the poll began asking the question this past spring.”
* Speaking of polling, FiveThirtyEight yesterday found Donald Trump’s approval rating reaching an all-time low (37.8%) and his disapproval reaching an all-time high (56.7%).
* When the Heritage Foundation chose its most recent president, it persuaded Jim DeMint to give up his Senate seat and join the conservative think tank. With DeMint out, Heritage reportedly tried to do something similar with Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), who declined the overtures.
* House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is making his first trip to Idaho, but locals will have to pay between $1,000 and $10,000 to see him. The Idaho Statesman reports that the Republican leader’s visit, which is still a few weeks away, “is presented by Team Ryan, a joint fundraising committee that includes Ryan for Congress, Ryan’s PAC Prosperity for Action and the National Republican Congressional Committee.”
* Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) allegedly made an improper contribution to his 2018 gubernatorial campaign. The finding comes by way of Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R), who also happens to be one Renacci’s rivals for the GOP nomination. * As part of a broader Democratic push to recruit military veterans to run for Congress, Amy McGrath, a 20-year Marine vet and a retired combat fighter pilot, unveiled a very impressive campaign launch video yesterday in Kentucky’s 6th congressional district. She hopes to take on incumbent Rep. Andy Barr (R) next year. * And in Utah, a new poll from the Salt Lake Tribune and the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics found that 78% of Utahns want Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to retire next year. The longtime incumbent, by all accounts, intends to run for another term anyway.
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
