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Tuesday's Campaign Round-Up, 11.13.18

Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

* In Georgia's gubernatorial race, a federal judge last night ordered election officials to "review thousands of provisional ballots that haven't been counted in Georgia's close election for governor." The same order directed officials to create "a hotline for voters to check if their provisional ballots were counted, a review of voter registrations, and updated reports from the state government about why many voters were required to use provisional ballots."

* In Maine, incumbent Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R), who appears likely to lose under the state's ranked-choice voting system, this morning filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of that system. I don't know whether his litigation will succeed, but it doesn't look great when a member of Congress challenges the rules of an election after voters have already cast their ballots.

* In Mississippi, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) refused yesterday to answer reporters' questions about her "public hanging" joke. The state's U.S. Senate runoff election is two weeks from today.

* As of this morning, the Democratic lead in the U.S. House popular vote stood at 6.8%, though it's still expected to inch higher. For comparison purposes, note that in 2010 -- which was widely seen as a GOP "wave" cycle -- Republicans won the U.S. House popular vote by 6.6%.

* There is a small contingent of House Democrats who'd like to prevent Nancy Pelosi from reclaiming her post as Speaker of the House. However, these Dems do not have, and seem unlikely to get, a rival to challenge Pelosi for the gavel.

* Before his re-election in Ohio last week, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) said he had no interest in a 2020 presidential campaign. Yesterday, however, he told the Columbus Dispatch that he's heard "sort of a crescendo" of interest in the idea, so he's "thinking about it."

* And fresh off his failed re-election bid, Rep. Jason Lewis (R-Minn.) wrote an op-ed blaming his defeat on John McCain's opposition to the Republican health care plan last year. This really does not make any sense.