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From The Rachel Maddow Show

Mandela Barnes Campaign Rally With Sen. Elizabeth Warren in Wisconsin
Lt. Gov. of Wisconsin and democratic candidate for US senate, Mandela Barnes, speaks to supporters at a rally outside of the Wisconsin State Capital building on July 23.Sarah Stathas / The Washington Post via Getty Images, file

Midterm Elections Round-Up, 9.29.22

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.

* Despite Sen. Ron Johnson’s record in office, a new AARP poll shows the Republican incumbent leading Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes in Wisconsin, 51% to 46%.

* The same poll also offered the GOP good news in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race: Republican Tim Michels is ahead of incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, 50% to 47%.

* In New Hampshire, a new Suffolk University poll found incumbent Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan with a relatively comfortable lead over Republican Don Bolduc, 50% to 41%.

* J.R. Majewski, a right-wing congressional candidate in a competitive Ohio district, didn’t need another round of bad news, but the Associated Press delivered some anyway: The Republican not only appears to have lied about where he served in the military, but his claims about his departure from military service also aren’t standing up well to scrutiny.

* Arguably the nation’s most competitive gubernatorial race this year is in Oregon, where the latest Oregonian poll showed Republican Christine Drazan and Democrat Tina Kotek separated by just one point, 32% to 31%, thanks in large part to Betsy Johnson’s independent campaign garnering 18% support.

* In Arizona, the latest Marist poll found incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly with a double-digit lead over Republican Blake Masters, 51% to 41%, though the gubernatorial race in the Grand Canyon State remains far closer: Republican Kari Lake is ahead of Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in the survey, 46% to 45%.

* Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, a new Fox News poll showed an increasingly uncompetitive gubernatorial race — Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro leads Republican Doug Mastriano, 51% to 40% — and a narrowing U.S. Senate race, with Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman leading Republican Mehmet Oz by just four points, 45% to 41%.

* In related news, with 40 days remaining in the race, Mastriano campaign announced a new plan of “40 days of fasting and prayer” ahead of Election Day. A Philadelphia Inquirer report added, “While it is unclear who Mastriano expects to start fasting on Thursday, the recent entreaties seem to indicate that his campaign, which epitomizes what scholars call Christian nationalist ideology, has fallen on hard times.”

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."