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Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In the Republican National Committee’s leadership elections, Donald Trump backed Michael Whatley and Joe Gruters for treasurer. Both of the former president’s preferred candidates lost.
* On a related note, after Ronna McDaniel won a fourth term leading her party, the RNC chair told Fox News that this will be her last term: She vowed to step down after the 2024 elections.
* Mother Jones took a closer look at Rep. George Santos’ top financial supporters, and the magazine found that some of the people listed as donors on the New York Republican’s campaign finance filings don’t appear to exist.
* At an event in South Carolina on Saturday, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham tried to tout Donald Trump’s 2024 prospects, telling the audience the former president “did it once and he can do it again.” This led to some heckling from election-denying attendees who responded that Trump already won “twice.”
* The latest national NBC News poll found President Joe Biden’s approval rating at 45%, which isn’t amazing, but it is the highest it’s been for the Democrat in this poll in a year and a half.
* Arizona Republicans elected former Trump aide Jeff DeWit as the state party’s new chairman over the weekend. DeWit prevailed with support from several far-right conspiracy theorists, including failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, failed secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem, and disgraced former White House national security advisor Michael Flynn.
* And in this year’s gubernatorial race in Mississippi, there’s been plenty of speculation about Republican Gov. Tate Reeves facing a GOP rival, but would-be primary contenders keep passing on the race. The latest is Secretary of State Michael Watson, who announced last week that he’d seek re-election, rather than running against the incumbent governor. The filing deadline in Mississippi is the day after tomorrow.