By
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy of Utah was sworn into office this week, which means the U.S. House is back to 435 members for the first time in months.
* Arkansans for Limited Government proposed a new ballot measure that would repeal the state’s abortion ban. This week, however, Tim Griffin, Arkansas’ Republican attorney general, rejected the wording of the proposal, citing what he described as “ambiguities” in the text.
* Lexi Reese, a former California tech executive, ended her longshot Democratic U.S. Senate campaign this week, after struggling to make headway. As she exited, the first-time candidate derided longtime public officials as “career politicians” who have “institutional, press, and party support that is very difficult to replicate as an outsider.”
* A group called Unrig Our Economy recently launched a television ad in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s home district, reminding the Republican leader about the importance of protecting Social Security and Medicare.
* In case the Garden State’s U.S. Senate race weren’t already complicated, New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy recently kicked off a Democratic candidacy of her own. It will be her first bid for elected office. Incumbent Sen. Bob Menendez, who’s under indictment over alleged bribes, has not yet announced his 2024 plans.
* In an unexpected development, Priorities USA, a leading super PAC aligned with Democratic politics, has announced it will not run any television ads in the 2024 cycle, focusing instead on a digital strategy.
* And as the Republican National Committee moves forward with plans for its fourth presidential primary debate, Donald Trump last week demanded that the party scrap its plans. If Republican officials ignore his calls, the former president added, he will consider it time to “REVAMP THE RNC, NOW!!!”