Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Though most national polling still shows a highly competitive presidential race, the latest national survey from Fairleigh Dickinson University found Vice President Kamala Harris with a seven-point lead over Donald Trump, 50% to 43%. (Click the link for information on the survey’s methodology and margins of error.)
* As difficult as this might be to believe, Politico reported that Harris’ 2024 campaign picked up more donors in its first 10 days than President Joe Biden’s campaign received its entire 15-month span.
* In North Carolina, the latest High Point University/SurveyUSA poll found Harris narrowly leading Trump in the Tar Heel State, 46% to 45%. In the last half-century, the Democratic ticket has only won North Carolina twice, but both parties see the state as a 2024 battleground. (Click the link for information on the survey’s methodology and margins of error.)
* In related news, the same poll found Democratic state Attorney General Josh Stein with a surprisingly big lead over right-wing Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in North Carolina’s gubernatorial race, 48% to 34%. (Click the link for information on the survey’s methodology and margins of error.)
* After needlessly and publicly trashing Gov. Brian Kemp earlier in the month, Trump is apparently adopting a new posture. In a message posted to his social media platform, the former president thanked the Georgia Republican “for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country.”
* NBC News reported that Michigan officials haven’t found evidence of Elon Musk’s America PAC violating state campaign laws, despite a recent controversy surrounding the PAC’s voter registration practices.
* Former Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey formally resigned this week, temporarily shrinking the Senate Democratic conference to 50 members. George Helmy, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s former top aide, will fill the vacancy, though as the Associated Press reported, once the November elections are certified, Helmy will resign and the governor will name the winner of the election to the seat.