Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Republican Rep. Bob Gibbs of Ohio became the latest member of Congress to announce his retirement this morning, complaining about his state’s chaotic redistricting “circus.” The GOP congressman did not mention that he’s facing a primary challenge from a first-time candidate backed by Donald Trump.
* In California’s 22nd congressional district, where local voters are filling a vacancy left by former Rep. Devin Nunes, former Assemblywoman Connie Conway was the top vote-getter yesterday, but she did not reach 50 percent support and she’ll advance to a June 7 runoff.
* Kelly Ruh, a local Wisconsin official best known for her role as a fake Trump elector after the 2020 election, lost her re-election bid last night. The Republican was defeated by a volunteer poll worker.
* Speaking of Wisconsin, Michael Gableman, tapped to lead the state’s ridiculous election audit, appeared at Mar-a-Lago last night for the debut of a conspiratorial film about Donald Trump’s defeat. The retired Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, who appeared in the film, was singled out for praise last night by the former president, who called Gableman’s work “unbelievable.”
* In Missouri’s Republican Senate primary, former Gov. Eric Greitens appears to have a new problem: The Kansas City Star reported that one of his ex-wives claimed in a new court filing “that she has documentation of the former governor’s alleged abuse, including photos of injuries to their child in 2019.”
* Four days after a lower court rejected New York Democrats’ gerrymandered district map, a state appellate court temporarily paused implementation of that ruling. An NBC News report added, “The temporary stay allows the state to keep on track for June 28 primary elections.”
* And in Arizona, the state Republican Party filed a lawsuit intended to eliminate Arizona’s entire early voting system. The state Supreme Court yesterday said it would not hear the case, but the justices added that the Arizona GOP could try their luck in lower courts.