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Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* While Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows recently concluded that Donald Trump is ineligible for the state’s Republican primary ballot, a state judge has ordered Bellows not to follow through on her ruling until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on the subject.
* Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential candidacy, reportedly started laying off members of its staff this week, which isn’t a great sign.
* In related news, the Associated Press reported that DeSantis is shifting his campaign “away from New Hampshire” ahead of next week’s primary. “DeSantis won’t ignore the state completely over the coming days, but he’s reallocating the majority of his staff to South Carolina,” the report added.
* The latest Suffolk University/NBC10 Boston/Boston Globe tracking poll in New Hampshire found Trump leading former Ambassador Nikki Haley in the GOP primary race, 50% to 36%. DeSantis is much further back with 6% support.
* With this data in mind, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a leading Haley supporter, is scrambling to lower expectations. “We always wanted to have a strong second,” the Republican said. “That’s the only expectation we ever laid out there.” Last month, the governor said, in reference to Haley, “She’s gonna win in a landslide, and that’s not an exaggeration
* NBC News reported that New Hampshire Republicans who want to see Haley do well believe she’s simply not making a strong enough effort in the state.
* Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina is the latest congressional incumbent to announce he won’t seek re-election in the fall.
* With four weeks remaining before the congressional special election in New York’s 3rd district, House Speaker Mike Johnson told supporters in an email this week, “The future of our Republican Majority could rest on this race’s outcome. If we win big here, we will set the tone for conservative victories across the board in 2024.”
* On a related note, Mazi Pilip, the GOP candidate in New York’s special election, has maintained a surprisingly low profile recently.
* And in New Jersey, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has formally thrown his support behind Rep. Andy Kim’s Senate candidacy. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez still hasn’t yet said whether he intends to run again while under felony indictment.