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Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Missouri, a Republican gubernatorial candidate was given an honorary membership in the KKK. Now, state GOP officials are in the process of removing Darrell Leon McClanahan III from the party’s statewide ballot.
* Despite some recent chatter about Nikki Haley pursuing her presidential ambitions through the No Labels project, the former U.N. ambassador threw cold water on the idea during an hour-long conversation with a small group of reporters. The South Carolinian said she hadn’t spoken to anybody about a third-party bid, adding, “I’m a Republican.”
* As Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell prepares to step down, Donald Trump has apparently encouraged Sen. Steve Daines to seek the leadership post. The Montanan currently leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
* After a lower court ordered Kristina Karamo to stop identifying herself as chair of the Michigan Republican Party, she appealed. Yesterday, the Michigan Court of Appeals rejected her case.
* In Pennsylvania, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is launching an election security task force, and as NBC News reported, it intends to “put in place a cascade of measures across federal, state and local agencies that officials hope will keep the 2024 vote in the battleground state free from interference, misinformation and other major obstacles.”
* Though I’m skeptical this will go anywhere, Donald Trump appeared at a photo-op in Texas yesterday, and soon after said Republican Gov. Greg Abbott would “absolutely“ be among those considered for the party’s vice-presidential nomination.
* And in New York, Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi was sworn into office this week, and his former Republican rival, Mazi Pilip, indicated that she regrets not seeking Trump’s endorsement. Trump lost the Long Island district by 10 points in the 2020 presidential election.