By
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* Americans for Prosperity Action, the advocacy arm of the political network financed largely by billionaire Charles Koch, is throwing its support behind former Ambassador Nikki Haley’s Republican presidential campaign. NBC News reported that the announcement “is being backed by a multimillion-dollar ad campaign beginning this week in states that hold early primary contests and several that vote on Super Tuesday.”
* On a related note, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ team mocked the news, describing AFP Action as part of “the pro-open borders, pro-jail break bill establishment.” Haley’s team responded to the response by highlighting instances in which the Florida Republican welcomed AFP Action’s backing.
* Speaking of DeSantis, the Never Back Down super PAC has been a key supporter of the governor, though it has struggled with internal divisions. Now, a newly formed super PAC called Fight Right has also popped up to help back DeSantis’ faltering candidacy.
* The New Mexico Supreme Court this week upheld the state’s Democratic-drawn congressional map, rejecting a lawsuit filed by Republicans.
* In an interview with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell late last week, retiring Republican Sen. Mitt Romney appeared to rule out voting for Donald Trump or Vivek Ramaswamy next year. The Utah Republican added that he’d be “happy to vote for a number of the Democrats, too.”
* In related news, Cassidy Hutchinson, who served as a top aide to Mark Meadows during his tenure as White House chief of staff, told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki, “I think everybody should vote for Joe Biden if they want our democracy to survive.”
* The Commission on Presidential Debates last week announced the dates and locations of 2024 general election debates, which are set to begin in mid-September. Whether the major-party presidential nominees will participate in the events remains to be seen: The Republican National Committee approved a resolution last year demanding that GOP candidates not participate in debates organized by the commission.