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Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* As of yesterday, it looks like reproductive rights advocates in Ohio have collected enough signatures for a proposed amendment to enshrine abortion access in the state constitution. If the signatures are valid, it means the issue will appear on the statewide ballot in 2024.
* Amidst speculation about Donald Trump eyeing Gov. Kim Reynolds as a possible 2024 running mate, the Iowa Republican yesterday called a special legislative session that will be dedicated exclusively to enacting new restrictions on abortion.
* In Texas, Rep. Colin Allred raised a massive $6.2 million in the second quarter and transferred an additional $2.4 million from his U.S. House campaign account. It means that Allred, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the race against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, has already raised more than Beto O’Rourke raised at a comparable point in his Senate race six years ago.
* Though the figures haven’t yet been confirmed, Donald Trump’s campaign said his joint fundraising committee took in more than $35 million in the second quarter, suggesting the former president’s criminal indictments have boosted his operation’s financial strength.
* As Republicans scramble to clear the field for Tim Sheehy in Montana’s U.S. Senate race, Rep. Ryan Zinke became the latest GOP official to formally endorse Sheehy’s candidacy this week. Rep. Matt Rosendale is reportedly still eyeing a primary campaign.
* In last year’s elections, Democratic state Sen. Tony Vargas came within a few points of defeating incumbent Republican Rep. Don Bacon, and next year, local voters will apparently see a rematch.
* And in New Mexico, the state Supreme Court yesterday allowed a Republican lawsuit targeting the state’s district map to proceed. As the Associated Press noted, “The high court also set a deadline of Oct. 1 for a district court in Roswell to resolve the case.”