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Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In a bit of a surprise, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu announced yesterday that he will not launch a Republican presidential campaign, fearing it might end up helping Donald Trump by further dividing his intra-party opponents.
* Speaking of the Granite State, Cinde Warmington, the only Democrat serving on New Hampshire’s Executive Council, announced a gubernatorial campaign late last week. It’s not yet clear whether Sununu intends to seek another term.
* Former Rep. Mondaire Jones’ career was derailed in large part by an unfortunate redistricting mess, but Politico reports that the New York Democrat — one of the first two openly gay Black men ever elected to Congress — is gearing up for a comeback bid.
* The Associated Press reported that Democratic candidates won 57% of Hispanic voters in the 2022 midterm elections, down from the 63% President Joe Biden won in 2020, and 66% in the 2018 midterms. The report added that Biden is under pressure to help reverse the recent trend.
* I’m not sure why, exactly, but Donald Trump declared late last week that he considers supporters of his “MAGA” movement to be “MAGADONIANS.” I have no idea if the name will catch on, and I’m kind of hoping it doesn’t.
* Though it seems like an odd strategy for an ostensibly Democratic presidential candidate, The New York Times and Popular Information reported this week on Robert Kennedy Jr. continuing to push right-wing conspiracy theories and misinformation, including participating in an odd online chat yesterday with Elon Musk and assorted far-right personalities.
* And while Gov. Ron DeSantis routinely slams Dr. Anthony Fauci as part of his far-right presidential pitch, a CNN report highlights the fact that the Florida governor used to be quite effusive in his praise for the retired director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.