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From The Rachel Maddow Show

Rep. Ruben Gallego questions witnesses during a hearing about the recent rise in antisemitism and its threat to democracy on Capitol Hill on December 13, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Rep. Ruben Gallego questions witnesses during a hearing about the recent rise in antisemitism and its threat to democracy on Capitol Hill on December 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images, file

Wednesday’s Campaign Round-Up, 1.25.23

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.

* Just when it seemed Rep. George Santos’ mess couldn’t get any weirder, NBC News reported that the New York Republican “made a significant revision” to his 2022 campaign filings yesterday, clarifying that a $500,000 loan he made to his campaign “didn’t come from his personal funds.” The report added that the amended filing “provides no new information about the source of the funds — it says only that the loan came from the candidate but wasn’t his personal money.”

* In Arizona, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego raised more than $1 million in his first day as a U.S. Senate candidate. The congressman boasted in a written statement, “I’m proud to announce that we received more donations from real people on our first day than [independent Sen. Kyrsten] Sinema has in the last three years combined.”

* On a related note, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hedged on whether he’ll support Sinema if she runs next year. “Senator Sinema is an excellent Congress member and Senate member, and she has done a lot of good things here. But it’s much too early to make a decision,” the New York Democrat told reporters yesterday.

* In Alaska, a petition drive is advancing to eliminate the state’s ranked choice voting system and non-partisan primary.

* Speaking of election reforms, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll found 58% of voters in Georgia want to get rid of the state’s current system of runoff elections.

* Under intense pressure from Republicans, Google launched a pilot program that allows political campaigns to circumvent the company’s email spam filters. Now, Google is scrapping that program, effective next week.

* And in California, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein told reporters this week she’ll make a decision about her re-election plans in the “next couple of months.” The 89-year-old incumbent was also asked for her reaction to Democratic Rep. Katie Porter already launching a campaign for the Senate seat. “I haven’t thought much about it, to be honest with you,” Feinstein replied.

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."