Thursday's Campaign Round-Up, 4.20.17

Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.* Two days after Georgia's congressional special election, the House Republican leadership's super PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, has already launched a new round of attack ads targeting Jon Ossoff ahead of the June runoff election.* On a related note, Ossoff reportedly raised over $500,000 yesterday, which is an extraordinary one-day haul for any congressional candidate. Politico noted it was "the most lucrative day of the campaign so far for Ossoff."* Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is still on a unity tour with DNC Chairman Tom Perez, but the Vermont independent indicated yesterday he won't throw his support behind Ossoff.* The latest national Quinnipiac poll shows Donald Trump's approval rating improving a bit, climbing to 40%, thanks almost entirely to increased support from Republican voters.* Rep. Jason Chaffetz's (R-Utah) surprise retirement announcement yesterday has jolted Republican politics in Utah, and set off a scramble in the race to replace him.* Indiana, which will be home to a competitive Senate race next year, is reportedly trying to clean up its voting rolls. The result, according to a report from the Northwest Indiana Times, is that "nearly half a million individuals have been deleted from Indiana's list of registered voters" since November.* Despite his frequent campaign-season criticisms, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says he's now "all in" with Donald Trump. The Republican senator told Fox News this morning, "I am like the happiest dude in America right now."* At a town-hall meeting the other day, Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) faced a rather hostile crowd, prompting the congressman to ask, "Do you yell in church?" Putting aside the fact that worship services and congressional town-hall events have little in common, LaMalfa was reportedly asked in response, "Do you lie in church?"* And in Tennessee, Rep. Bob Corker (R) is considered a safe bet for re-election, but Democrats have successfully recruited James Mackler, a Nashville attorney and Iraq War veteran, to take on the incumbent. This appears to be part of a concerted Democratic push to recruit more veterans to run for Congress.