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MaddowBlog

From The Rachel Maddow Show

Rep. Kathleen Rice speaks during the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force news conference on the release of the 2018 legislative agenda for the 115th Congress on Wednesday, January 10, 2018.
Rep. Kathleen Rice speaks during the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force news conference on the release of the 2018 legislative agenda for the 115th Congress on Wednesday, January 10, 2018.Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call, file

Tuesday’s Campaign Round-Up, 2.15.22

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.

* Though there haven’t been any congressional retirement announcements in recent weeks, Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice of New York surprised many this morning, explaining that she won’t seek re-election in the fall.

* Against a backdrop of Republican leaders pleading with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to run for the Senate, Donald Trump yesterday pushed back, insisting that the governor is a “RINO” whom the former president’s followers “will never accept.”

* After Republican legislators in Kansas overrode a gubernatorial veto and created a gerrymandered congressional map, the ACLU of Kansas and Campaign Legal Center filed a lawsuit challenging the new district lines.

* In related news, a couple of GOP state senators opposed their party’s gerrymandered map, deeming it unfair. Soon after, the Republican leadership in the Kansas Senate stripped those members of some committee assignments as punishment.

* Despite his troubled first term, Gov. Ron DeSantis remains the clear favorite for re-election in Florida: The latest Mason-Dixon poll showed the Republican incumbent leading both top Democratic challengers, Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried, by 8 and 11 points, respectively.

* On a related note, the same poll found Crist leading Fried in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, 44 percent to 27 percent.

* In Colorado, Mesa County clerk Tina Peters, who stands accused of breaching the security of voting machines because of her conspiracy theories about the 2020 elections, is reportedly moving forward with a Republican secretary of state candidacy.

* And you may recall Republican Sen. Josh Hawley raising his fist in solidarity with Jan. 6 rioters last year. Now, the Missouri senator is selling a campaign mug emblazoned with the image. The mug, of course, is made in China.

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."