Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.* Mitt Romney apparently wants to be Donald Trump’s Secretary of State so badly that he praised the president-elect — contradicting everything he’s said with conviction for months — after dining with Trump in New York last night.* A big court ruling in North Carolina: “A federal court on Tuesday ordered North Carolina to hold a special legislative election next year after 28 state House and Senate districts are redrawn to comply with a gerrymandering ruling.”* Trump still isn’t draining the swamp: “The committee raising money for President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural festivities is offering exclusive access to the new president, Cabinet nominees and congressional leaders in exchange for donations of $1 million and more.”* Former Sen. Scott Brown (R), apparently hoping for a Trump cabinet post, suggested this morning that voters in Massachusetts illegally voted in New Hampshire, which is why Hillary Clinton won the state. Brown offered no proof and all available evidence suggests the former senator was brazenly lying.* Former Vice President Al Gore, who has some relevant electoral experience, said this week he supports eliminating the Electoral College.* There are a fair number of Democrats still hoping First Lady Michelle Obama will become a political candidate, but in a new interview, President Obama said with confidence, “Michelle will never run for office.”* Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) grew quite agitated with reporters yesterday who dared to ask him about his party’s president-elect. “I’m not talking about President-elect Trump,” McCain declared. “I will not talk about Donald Trump…. Do not ask me again about Donald Trump.”* Ray Buckley, the longtime chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, has joined the crowded field of candidates hoping to become the next DNC chair.* And just one day after coming up just a little short against Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), retired Marine Col. Doug Applegate (D) announced he’ll seek a rematch in 2018. “I know that the hardest fights often take a couple of battles,” he said in a statement.
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."