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Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* In Texas, the latest Quinnipiac University poll found Republican Gov. Greg Abbott still leading former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, though by a modest margin: 48 percent to 43 percent. In December, the same pollster found the incumbent ahead by 15 points.
* Speaking of the Lone Star State, the Democratic primary recount in Texas’ 28th congressional district will reportedly get underway today. In the preliminary tally, incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar narrowly defeated attorney Jessica Cisneros.
* In Michigan’s Republican gubernatorial primary, Ryan Kelley appears to have gotten a boost in the wake of the FBI arresting him on charges related to Jan. 6. A statewide poll conducted for The Detroit Free Press found the right-wing real-estate agent leading the GOP primary field with 17 percent, followed by chiropractor Garrett Soldano with 13 percent support.
* In 2017, former Rep. Corrine Brown was convicted in a charity fraud case and served more than two years in prison. Last month, she pleaded guilty to one count of tax fraud. This morning, the Florida Democrat launched a comeback bid in the Sunshine State’s 10th congressional district.
* On a related note, among Brown’s primary rivals in Florida’s 10th will be former Rep. Alan Grayson, who’s abandoning his U.S. Senate candidacy, which wasn’t going well.
* In Nevada’s 1st congressional district, incumbent Democratic Rep. Dina Titus faced a primary challenge from Amy Vilela, who co-chaired Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign. Though the Vermont senator endorsed Vilela, as did Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, Titus won easily, finishing with more than 82 percent of the vote.
* And in keeping with the recent trend, Axios reported, “House Republicans welcomed to the Capitol on Wednesday a new self-described ‘anti-woke’ business lobbying group, amplifying their hostility toward the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.” The new entity is apparently called the American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce, the leaders of which were invited to join a Republican Study Committee lunch.