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Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Former Rep. Will Hurd suspended his struggling presidential campaign yesterday, becoming the second GOP contender to exit the race, following Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who quit in late August. Just as notably, the Texas Republican threw his support behind former Ambassador Nikki Haley.
* In related news, Donald Trump taunted Hurd by way of his social media platform, condemning Hurd’s congressional career and personality.
* In New York, former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who retired last year to run an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign, launched a comeback bid this morning, hoping to reclaim his own congressional seat. It’s a seat currently held by scandal-plagued Republican Rep. George Santos.
* Republicans hoped to recruit a competitive candidate for California’s U.S. Senate race, and this morning, former baseball player Steve Garvey kicked off his candidacy. Garvey, who’ll soon turn 75, has never held elected office.
* As expected, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has abandoned his Democratic presidential campaign. The conspiracy theorist will instead run a longshot bid for the White House as an independent.
* In related news, fearing that Kennedy’s conspiracy theories might resonate with far-right voters, the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign have begun going after him.
* And after Steve Laffey’s GOP presidential candidacy struggled to generate much interest, the former mayor of Cranston, R.I., announced late last week that he’s dropping out of the race. Just as notably, Laffey said he’s also leaving the Republican Party altogether, explaining that he believes it’s become a “laughingstock.”