Maddow Blog | Friday’s Campaign Round-Up, 5.17.24

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

* The latest national Fox News poll found Donald Trump with the narrowest of leads over President Joe Biden, 49% to 48%. The same survey, however, found the former Republican president’s lead growing to three points once third-party candidates are added to the mix.

* We don’t yet know who Trump’s running mate will be, but Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted an invitation from CBS News to participate in a debate over the summer. Like the upcoming Biden/Trump debates, this one was not organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

* Asked earlier this month whether he’d debate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump was dismissive, telling reporters that the independent conspiracy theorist is “not a serious candidate.” Yesterday, however, the former president said he was on board with including Kennedy in the upcoming presidential debates.

* In related news, there were many reports that Kennedy added Nicole Shanahan to his ticket so that the Silicon Valley investor could help finance his operation. With this in mind, Shanahan gave another $8 million to their campaign this week.

* Election officials in South Dakota have certified a proposed amendment that would enshrine abortion access in the state’s constitution. As NBC News reported, the measure will appear on the November ballot in the state as “Constitutional Amendment G,” and if approved, it would “establish a right to abortion in the Constitution of South Dakota.”

* Now that Larry Hogan has won a Republican Senate primary in Maryland, the former Republican governor wants voters to believe he’s “pro-choice” — which is a rather dramatic departure on the GOP candidate’s former position.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com