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Friday's Campaign Round-Up, 7.16.21

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

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

* There's apparently a new election conspiracy theory involving a Georgia warehouse holding absentee ballots. It's baseless, but conservative media and a certain former president are apparently excited about it.

* An Arizona judge yesterday ordered state Senate Republicans to release records to the public -- including fundraising materials -- related to their ridiculous "audit" of the 2020 election. "It is difficult to conceive of a case with a more compelling public interest demanding public disclosure and public scrutiny," Judge Michael W. Kemp of Maricopa County Superior Court wrote in the ruling.

* As punishment for Texas Democratic legislators fleeing the state to derail a voter-suppression measure, Republican state House leaders stripped Joe Moody (D) of his position as speaker pro tem of the Texas House.

* With Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) facing ongoing legal troubles, the Tampa Bay Times reported that the Florida Republican's campaign "paid $25,000 last month to a law firm that represented convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Mexican drug lord El Chapo and former mobsters, according to his most recent campaign finance report."

* In New Jersey, Tom Kean Jr. (R) launched another campaign against incumbent Rep. Tom Malinowski (D), setting the stage for one of the nation's most competitive 2020 contests. This time, the Republican seems more eager to associate himself with his party: Kean was joined by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) at an event this week.

* Despite recent chatter, Ric Grenell (R) has decided not to run in California's gubernatorial recall election. Grenell is perhaps best known as a prominent internet troll who became a high-ranking official in the Trump administration.

* And in Ohio's upcoming congressional special election, Donald Trump doesn't just expect loyalty to him personally, he also expects his Republican allies to show loyalty toward those he endorses.