By
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll in Iowa found many of the state’s Republican voters committed to Donald Trump, but the same survey results showed the former president’s favorability numbers in the Hawkeye State “steadily declining“ in recent years, and “the percentage of Iowa Republicans who say they would ‘definitely’ vote for him if he were the nominee in 2024 has plummeted by more than 20 percentage points since June 2021.”
* On a related note, as Gov. Ron DeSantis prepares to visit the first-in-the-nation caucus state today, Trump issued a statement telling Iowans that the Florida Republican “voted and fought to KILL Ethanol (and will definitely do so if given the chance).”
* On the anniversary of the American Rescue Plan, American Bridge 21st Century, a super PAC aligned with Democratic politics, today announced a six-figure ad buy in four states, touting President Joe Biden’s policy successes: North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
* While Sen. Joe Manchin hasn’t yet announced his 2024 plans, the conservative West Virginia Democrat continues to distance himself from the White House: Manchin has a new op-ed in The Houston Chronicle today, insisting that he’ll reject any Biden nominee he considers “partisan.”
* In Kentucky, there’s a new state law on what must happen in the event of a U.S. Senate vacancy: The state’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, will be required to choose a temporary successor who is of the same political party as the departing senator.
* With less than a month to go before Chicago’s runoff mayor election, Paul Vallas — the top vote-getter in the first round of balloting — has a new problem: Politico reported on a conservative radio show Vallas appeared on last year in which he mocked Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
* While former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers appeared interested in Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, the Republican told a local group this week that he won’t be a candidate in 2024.
* And for those who love scrutinizing polls as much as I do, FiveThirtyEight has a new set of rankings for the nation’s pollsters, reflecting the results from the 2022 midterm elections. The top spot went to Siena College/The New York Times Upshot, which did extremely well last year.