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Monday's Campaign Round-Up, 5.22.17

Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.* I'll have more on this a little later today: "The Supreme Court ruled Monday that racial considerations pervaded the way North Carolina lawmakers drew congressional maps after the 2010 Census in order to maximize Republicans' advantage."* Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) traveled to Montana yesterday to campaign in support of Rob Quist, the Democratic candidate in the state's congressional special election. The vote is this Thursday. "The eyes of the country, actually eyes all over the world, are on the great state of Montana," Sanders told a sizable crowd.* On a related note, Quist's closing message goes after the Republican health care plan for gutting protections for those with pre-existing conditions, while delivering a tax cut for the wealthy.* In Virginia, one of only two states to host gubernatorial elections this year, the latest Washington Post/George Mason poll shows both of the Democratic candidates -- Ralph Northam and Tom Perriello -- with double-digit leads over the likely Republican nominee, Ed Gillespie. According to the survey, Perriello leads Gillespie in a hypothetical match-up by 13 points, while Northam is up by 11 points.* In an interesting sign of the times, Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), who represents a district Donald Trump lost badly, wants it to be known he was the first congressional Republican to publicly broach the subject of presidential impeachment.* In California yesterday, state Democrats apparently elected state party vice chairman Eric Bauman to serve as the new chairman, edging out Kimberly Ellis, a Bernie Sanders supporter from the Bay Area,  Ellis, however, has not conceded the race, and has "been in touch with attorneys."* The filing deadline has now passed in Alabama for running in Alabama's U.S. Senate special election. A total of 11 Republicans and 8 Democrats will vie for the seat currently held by appointed Sen. Luther Strange (R).

* And in Illinois, Gov. Bruce Rauner's (R) re-election campaign last week received a $20 million contribution from billionaire hedge fund founder Ken Griffin. How such political donations are legal simply baffles me.