Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In a move that’s certain to enrage his former boss, former Vice President Mike Pence touted Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s record this morning and announced plans to appear with the Republican governor ahead of the state’s May 24 primary. Donald Trump, on the other hand, has made defeating Kemp one of his top 2022 priorities.
* On a related note, Kemp’s GOP rival, former Sen. David Perdue, recently filed a lawsuit alleging fraud in the 2020 election in which he was defeated. Yesterday, a Georgia judge dismissed the case.
* In Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. Senate primary, where polls show Kathy Barnette closing strong, Trump issued a statement yesterday saying the far-right commentator “has many things in her past which have not been properly explained or vetted,” and will “never be able to win” in the fall.
* On a related note, two conservative super PACs today launched new attack ads in Pennsylvania, targeting Barnette, and reinforcing the fact that Mehmet Oz and David McCormick see her as a credible threat.
* In Texas’ 28th congressional district, where conservative Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar is facing a tough primary challenge, a centrist super PAC has launched a new ad telling locals that the congressman “opposes a ban on abortion.” That may be true, but what the ad doesn’t mention is that Cuellar is a longtime opponent of abortion rights and was the only Democrat to vote against legislation to codify Roe v. Wade protections in federal law.
* With just six months remaining before key elections in the Sunshine State, Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee is resigning. There’s no official explanation, but rumor has it the Republican is eyeing a congressional race.
* And in Kentucky, which won’t hold its gubernatorial election until next year, Republican state Attorney General Daniel Cameron filed the paperwork this week to take on incumbent Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. While the Bluegrass State is generally seen as a GOP stronghold, polls show Beshear is one of the nation’s most popular Democratic governors.
