Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* After weeks of speculation, Sen. Amy Klobuchar kicked off a Democratic gubernatorial campaign in Minnesota on Thursday morning. If she prevails, Klobuchar would be in a position to appoint her own successor to the Senate.
* Speaking of Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz hasn’t just decided to forgo a campaign for a third term — he also has decided to never seek elected office again. In recent months, there was considerable scuttlebutt about the governor, who was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2024, possibly launching a 2028 presidential bid.
* In Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race, Rep. Tom Tiffany was facing Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann in a Republican primary, but after Donald Trump endorsed the congressman, Schoemann decided to end his candidacy.
* American Israel Public Affairs Committee, better known as AIPAC, is making its first electoral move of 2026: Its super PAC is reportedly investing $1.5 million into an effort to defeat former Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski’s comeback bid in a New Jersey special election.
* Florida state Sen. Ileana Garcia, founder of Latinas for Trump, warned this week that Republicans are very likely to lose Latino voters in the 2026 midterm elections because of the White House’s immigration policies.
* With time running out in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in Texas, the leading candidates are increasingly focused on the imaginary threat from sharia law, which is every bit as ridiculous as it seems.
* And the latest New York Times/Siena College poll asked voters how they plan to vote in the fall. The results, released last week, showed Democrats with a five-point advantage over Republicans, 48% to 43%. Among independent voters, however, the Democratic advantage in the survey was 15 points.
