Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* After the public learned of the death of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley wrote via social media, “Putin did this. The same Putin who Donald Trump praises and defends. The same Trump who said: ‘In all fairness to Putin, you’re saying he killed people. I haven’t seen that.’”
* On a related note, President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign has released a new ad slamming Trump’s pro-Putin posture and his “traitorous comments” about the NATO alliance.
* The former president hasn’t been altogether clear about his plans for abortion policy in a possible second term, but The New York Times reports that he’s “privately” endorsed a national, 16-week abortion ban.
* A week ago today, Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale launched a U.S. Senate campaign in Montana. Hours later, Trump endorsed the congressman’s primary rival. Six days later, Rosendale ended his Senate campaign.
* In Indiana, former Rep. John Hostettler lost his re-election bid in a landslide in 2006. Nearly two decades later, the Republican is apparently interested in a comeback.
* And five months after Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz helped end former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s career, the Floridian is reportedly targeting House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost: Gaetz is backing the Illinois congressman’s primary rival. Asked if he considered Gaetz a threat, Bost told Politico, “I never considered Matt a threat. I considered him an ass, but never a threat.”