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Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* With three weeks remaining before South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary, a new Washington Post-Monmouth University poll found Donald Trump leading Nikki Haley, 58% to 32%. Haley, a South Carolina native, was twice elected governor of the state.
* On a related note, Haley appears eager to run against Trump and President Joe Biden simultaneously, launching a new “Grumpy Old Men” ad campaign that references the successful 1993 movie.
* In California’s U.S. Senate race, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff’s latest television ad suggests he wants to face a Republican opponent in the fall, rather than one of his Democratic rivals. Republican Steve Garvey, a former baseball player, doesn’t have the resources to run his own ads, but he’s featured prominently in Schiff’s commercial.
* According to the latest campaign finance filings, the Republican National Committee finished 2023 with only $8 million in the bank.
* In Florida’s U.S. Senate race, Republican Sen. Rick Scott raised $4.7 million in the final three months of 2023, but a majority of the total came from money the wealthy incumbent contributed to himself.
* Though Sen. Ted Cruz is generally seen as the favorite in his re-election race, the Texas Republican appeared on Fox News this week and told viewers he expects a “very tough” contest. The senator added, “Yet, we can expect [Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell] again not to spend any money to defend me.”
* And in upstate New York, Rep. Brian Higgins announced months ago that he was stepping down, but The Buffalo News reported that the Democratic congressman’s last day on Capitol Hill will be tomorrow. The report added, “The move clears the way for Gov. Kathy Hochul to schedule a special election in the heavily Democratic, Buffalo-based 26th Congressional District to choose a lawmaker to serve the balance of Higgins’ term.”