Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* After Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices ended affirmative action in higher education student admissions, the Republicans running for president celebrated the decision.
* The New York Times reported that Americans for Prosperity Action, the political network established by Charles and David Koch, “has raised more than $70 million for political races as it looks to help Republicans move past Donald J. Trump.”
* Though there are already several highly competitive Democrats running for the U.S. Senate in California, Silicon Valley executive Lexi Reese launched a statewide candidacy of her own this week. This will be Reese’s first attempt at elected office.
* Amidst difficult questions about the Democratic Party’s institutional strength in New York, CNN reported that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is “methodically staging a takeover of Democratic House campaigns” in his home state. The report added that the Brooklyn congressman “is installing his own loyalists in key positions as he effectively takes over much of the state party operations that would usually be controlled by Gov. Kathy Hochul.”
* On a related note, Politico reports that some left-leaning groups in New York have “pledged $20 million Thursday to support a change to the New York State constitution to protect abortion rights that will be on the 2024 ballot — something they believe will boost turnout for Democrats in key swing House districts.”
* Oregon has not yet embraced election reforms such as ranked-choice balloting, but thanks to a newly passed law, the issue will appear on the statewide ballot next year.
* And Alabama’s Republican governor, Kay Ivey, this week announced a special legislative session, to begin in July, to redraw the state’s congressional districts in response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
