Paul Manafort Returns To The Republican Arena

New York Times: “The couple who had arrived late appeared to be on a date. She was wearing a black dress, and during their meal he moved around their table and used a camera to, it appeared, snap her picture.” “But in reality, court testimony on Tuesday showed, he was photographing the people behind her, seated at the senator’s table.

“Lefties are livid at Mondaire Jones,” Politico reports. “The Democrat’s endorsement of an AIPAC-backed challenger over his progressive former House colleague Tuesday left many in the left wing of their party feeling angry and betrayed.” “And as Jones attempts a congressional comeback in what’s shaping up to be a brutal battle farther north, his one-time allies decried his move as just another example of political expediency.”

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), a longtime member of the House representing South Carolina, endorsed the primary challenger to Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on Tuesday, The Hill reports.

The RNC is launching a new push called “Swamp the Vote” to encourage mail-in and early voting despite Donald Trump’s previous attacks on mail ballots, the Washington Post reports. Said Trump, in a new video: “Many Republicans like to vote on Election Day, and we must swamp the radical Democrats with massive turnout on Tuesday, November 5th.

“Tim Sheehy’s victory in Montana’s GOP primary Tuesday means national Republicans are dependent on a candidate with little political experience but a lot of money to win a key race for majority control of the Senate,” NOTUS reports. “That’s by design — and it’s also true in other critical Senate races this year.” “In a calculated risk, Republican officials and allies of Donald Trump have rallied behind Senate candidates who — like Sheehy — have never held elected office but can help fund a campaign through their own personal wealth.

Democratic groups are launching a multimillion-dollar effort this week to flip or hold state legislative chambers in Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Axios reports.