Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Mississippi, longtime Rep. Bennie Thompson faced a primary challenge from 34-year-old Evan Turnage, a lawyer who’s worked for Democratic senators, but the incumbent cruised to an easy victory.
* Speaking of Mississippi, incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith will face Scott Colom, a Democratic district attorney, in November, though the challenger faces an uphill fight — not only because of the state’s partisan leanings (it hasn’t elected a Democratic senator in 44 years), but also because Ty Pinkins, a former Democratic candidate, is running as an independent in the race.
* As expected, in the race to replace former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris advanced to an April 7 runoff.
* In Oklahoma, with Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin poised to join the White House Cabinet, Republican Rep. Kevin Hern is poised to launch a Senate bid to fill the likely vacancy.
* Nevada’s Republican governor, Joe Lombardo, is seeking a second term this year in a highly competitive swing state. He was asked at a public event whether he considers himself a fan of Donald Trump. He struggled with the question in notable ways.
* Speaking of the president, Trump is headed to Hebron, Kentucky, where he’s expected to continue to go after Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who’s been a thorn in the GOP’s side. Ahead of the trip, the president argued by way of his social media platform that he considers Massie “the WORST Republican Congressman in the long and fabled history of the United States Congress.”
* And in Miami, the growing Democratic field in the race against Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazár just got bigger: Eliott Rodriguez, a prominent figure from the local CBS affiliate, launched his congressional bid this week. Given that Salazár is a former local anchor, it raises the possibility of two former television anchors vying for the seat in the fall.
