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From The Rachel Maddow Show

GOP Nevada Senate Candidate Adam Laxalt Holds Election Night Event
Adam Laxalt speaks to a crowd at an election night event on June 14 in Reno, Nev.Trevor Bexon / Getty Images, file

Friday’s Campaign Round-Up, 7.1.22

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

By Steve Benen

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

* In Nevada’s highly competitive U.S. Senate race, Republican Adam Laxalt doesn’t generally push his opposition to abortion rights, but last month, he was more candid during an event with faith leaders. The Nevada Independent reported on audio it obtained in which Laxalt, a former state attorney general, called the Roe v. Wade decision “a joke” and said it’s “sad” that Nevada is not anti-abortion.

* NBC News reports, meanwhile, that some Democratic women facing competitive congressional re-election races are increasingly focusing their campaigns on reproductive rights.

* The five Republicans running for governor in Michigan met for a debate last night, and none of them expressed support for marriage equality — reinforcing concerns that for much of the GOP, the debate over same-sex marriage isn’t over.

* Speaking of debates, the Republicans running for governor in Arizona participated in an election forum this week, and former local anchor Kari Lake said her election conspiracy theories were “the number one issue” in the race.

* Speaking of the Wolverine State, congressional candidate John Gibbs, who’s taking on incumbent Rep. Peter Meijer in a Republican primary, recently argued that it’s “mathematically impossible” for President Joe Biden to have won the 2020 election. The way in which Gibbs supported his argument is hilarious, but spectacularly wrong.

* Despite Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s many governing problems, the latest CBS News-YouGov poll found the Republican incumbent leading former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, 49 percent to 41 percent among likely voters.

* And as difficult as this may be to believe, The Washington Post reported that Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin “flew to New York last week to meet privately with GOP megadonors in Manhattan, a move that underscores recent hints that the Republican is considering a run for president in 2024.” Youngkin is just six months into his term, and under Virginia law, governors are not permitted to run for re-election.

Steve Benen

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."