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Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* It’s Primary Day in Massachusetts tomorrow, and the most closely watched contest is the Republicans’ gubernatorial primary. The contenders are Geoff Diehl, a Trump-backed former state legislator, and Chris Doughty, a wealthy businessman and first-time candidate. The winner will face Democratic state Attorney General Maura Healey in the fall.
* In Arizona’s U.S. Senate race, Republican Blake Masters has already faced credible accusations of racism, and those concerns became even more acute overnight: As NBC News noted, the far-right candidate retweeted a news story about the increase in “female, Black and gay officials” at the Fed, and commented “Finally a compelling explanation for why our economy is doing so well.”
* Speaking of Arizona, the Senate Leadership Fund, the top super PAC aligned with the Senate Republican leadership, has reportedly cut roughly $8 million worth of ad spending in the Grand Canyon State throughout September, suggesting GOP leaders do not have high hopes about Masters’ chances.
* With 10 weeks remaining before the midterm elections, the Republican National Committee has reportedly fired Paris Dennard as its national spokesperson. The RNC has not explained the decision, though it confirmed that Dennard, a high-profile on-air Trump surrogate, “no longer works for” the party.
* Speaking of the Republican National Committee, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel spent months talking up the idea of a “red wave” in this year’s midterms. As the party starts adjusting its expectations, McDaniel now says the party doesn’t like the phrase.
* With the primary season over in Florida, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Charlie Crist has tapped Miami-Dade County teachers union president Karla Hernandez-Mats as his running mate.
* As part of an interesting new trend, Michigan state Sen. Tom Barrett, a Republican congressional candidate, has removed the part of his campaign website that used to tout his opposition to abortion rights. Barrett is challenging incumbent Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who’s eagerly touting her support for reproductive rights. [Update: Barrett's website has been updated again, but much of the new focus is on Slotkin's position on abortion.]
* And on a related note, Republican Jim Bognet, a congressional candidate in Pennsylvania, reportedly edited his campaign website to remove several references to Donald Trump. Bognet is challenging incumbent Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright in a competitive district.