Friday's Campaign Round-Up, 5.5.17

Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.* This is exactly the shift GOP leaders should've seen coming: "Cook Political Report on Friday morning changed its ratings for 20 House seats, predicting that Democrats' odds of winning those districts has increased now that House Republicans passed a bill to repeal Obamacare."* On a related note, the GOP plan is so controversial that in Montana's congressional special election, Republican Greg Gianforte -- running in a state Donald Trump won by 20 points -- is awfully reluctant to endorse it.* This is the outcome Democrats were hoping for: "A federal court on Thursday ordered Georgia officials to extend the voter registration deadline through at least May 21 to be eligible to vote in the special election runoff in Georgia's sixth congressional district between Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff."* On a related note, Ossoff's new ad appears designed to reach local voters beyond the Democratic base, which makes sense given the Republican advantage in the district. Ossoff stresses deficit reduction as a priority, for example, which is rarely a progressive goal.* Hillary Clinton is reportedly planning to create a political action committee, which would "look to fund and invest in groups that have impressed her since her 2016 election loss."* Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, is leaving the D.C. lobbying firm he created after the 2016 election.* National Democrats believe Sen. Jeff Flake (R) may be vulnerable in Arizona next year, but the challenge is finding a top-tier contender to take him on. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D) announced this week she's passing on the Senate race and running for re-election to the House instead.* And three-and-a-half years before the next presidential election, some pro-Trump super PACs have already spent more than $1 million in support of the Republican president. Trump's re-election campaign is making investments of its own, including spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent to Trump's office building in New York.