Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In a 4-3 ruling, New York’s top court rejected the gerrymandered district map created by the Democratic-led legislature. That’s a serious setback for the party: The map was poised to help Democrats win three additional seats and blunt the effects of Republican gerrymandering elsewhere.
* In Wisconsin, the latest Marquette University poll found Sen. Ron Johnson with a 36 percent favorability rating, making him one of the state’s least popular statewide officeholders. The incumbent Republican is seeking a third term this fall.
* As for Johnson’s Democratic opponent, there’s a crowded primary field, and the Marquette poll found none of the candidates have yet reached 20 percent support. Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes leads the field with 19 precent, followed by Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry’s 16 percent. None of the other candidates reached double digits, though State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski was close at 7 percent.
* In Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, a leading Republican contender, appeared at a right-wing event last week where attendees were told that a “global satanic blood cult” would soon be exposed and that Adolf Hitler faked his death. Oddly enough, Mastriano was also awarded a sword by QAnon conspiracy theorists at the event.
* In Nevada’s Republican gubernatorial primary, Donald Trump yesterday endorsed Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, who’s part of a crowded GOP field fighting to take on Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak. The primary is scheduled for June 14.
* Speaking of the Silver State, Nevada Republicans were pushing measures to make it more difficult to vote, but local judges this week rejected the efforts.
* The Republican Accountability Project, a conservative anti-Trump group, has put up six billboards in House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s California district, calling on him to “stop lying about January 6th.” The billboards will reportedly stay up for two weeks.