Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.* The race for the next chair of the Democratic National Committee is likely to be pretty interesting, with several prominent figures, including Sens. Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders, throwing their support behind Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota. Elizabeth Warren also praised the congressman on last night’s show.* If Ellison seeks the post, he’ll have rivals. Former DNC Chair Howard Dean said he also wants his old job back, and many others, including former presidential candidate Martin O’Malley, are expected to announce their intentions to seek the same post in the coming days.* There’s still one unresolved gubernatorial race from this year’s elections: in North Carolina, Roy Cooper (D) has declared victory, but incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory (R) has, for now, refused to concede.* Struggling to explain losing a presidential election they (and nearly everyone else) expected to win, some of Hillary Clinton’s top aides are focusing their ire on FBI Director James Comey.* Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will seek re-election in 2018, but his constituents shouldn’t expect him to commit to a full term. As Rachel noted on the show last night, Sanders said yesterday he’s “not ruling out” another presidential campaign in 2020. Note, the senator, who recently turned 75, would be 79 by the time of the next presidential election.* Some conservative lawmakers in Israel said this week they believe Donald Trump’s victory may mean the end of U.S. support for “a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”* Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) was elevated to her post when her predecessor resigned, but this week, she was elected to a full term of her own. The Oregon Democrat is the first openly LGBT candidate in American history to win a gubernatorial race.* And in Arizona, fresh off her defeat in a Republican Senate primary, Kelli Ward apparently intends to try again in 2018, this time going after Sen. Jeff Flake (R).
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."