Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Texas’ closely watched U.S. Senate race, every recent poll has shown Democratic state Rep. James Talarico leading Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton, and the latest Marist Poll is no exception: It found Tallarico ahead, 50% to 44%. As GOP entities scramble to throw money at the Lone Star State, it appears Republicans’ internal polling is pointing in the same direction.
Punchbowl News reported, “Texas PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund’s Lone Star State super PAC, is adding more than $35 million to its $65 million in TV reservations. That puts the GOP leadership-endorsed group above $100 million in TV ads” to boost the scandal-plagued state attorney general.
“All told,” the report added, “Republicans expect to spend between $150 million and $200 million in Texas to save Paxton.”
* In Minnesota’s competitive U.S. Senate race, Republican nominee Michele Tafoya recently denied having said that she was embarrassed to be from Minnesota, declaring in a local radio interview earlier this month, “I have never said that.” As it turns out, however, she did say that in a social media message that Tafoya ended up deleting.
* The latest generic ballot polling offers Democrats another round of good news with six weeks remaining in the midterms cycle. The latest CNN poll showed Democrats ahead by eight points, 49% to 41%, while the NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found Democrats leading Republicans by 12 points, 53% to 41%.
* In Michigan’s closely watched U.S. Senate race, former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers taunted Kamala Harris’ campaign visit to the state this week, telling Fox News that the former vice president is a “failed candidate who lost in Michigan.” What Rogers neglected to mention is that he, too, is a failed candidate who lost in Michigan.
* Republican Rep. Max Miller’s re-election campaign in Ohio has threatened legal action against television stations that air a new ad from his Democratic challenger that focuses on the domestic abuse allegations Miller has faced but denied. So far, stations are running the campaign ad anyway.
* If Republicans are still hoping for an upset in New York’s gubernatorial race, the party might want to lower its expectations. The latest Siena Poll found Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul leads Republican Bruce Blakeman, 50-41%, which was effectively unchanged from the incumbent’s 10-point advantage in the same poll a month ago.
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