Newsbits for the week of May 8

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During his radio host days, Jason Lewis ranted about how young women are more concerned with birth control and abortion than economics, characterized Hurricane Katrina victims as “a bunch of whiners,” and questioned whether the Union had just cause to end slavery by fighting the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Those sorts of comments are an opposition researcher’s dream and dominated news coverage of Lewis’ congressional campaign early this year. They drew a rebukefrom the Minnesota Republican Party’s deputy chairman and prompted the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to create a “Never Lewis” website. Yet over the weekend, Lewis won the Republican Party’s endorsement for the Minnesota 2nd congressional district seat being vacated by retiring Rep. John Kline (R-MN).

Receiving the endorsement means Lewis officially has the Republican Party’s backing. It doesn’t guarantee him anything, as it appears likely he’ll still be challenged in a GOP primary this summer that he’ll have to win in order to advance to the general contest. But with Lewis’ main Republican challenger during Saturday’s convention saying he’ll abide by the party’s endorsement and support Lewis, the former radio host is now well positioned to enter this fall as the Republican candidate in CD2.

On Twitter, Lewis has echoed some of the same controversial themes he discussed both on his nationally syndicated radio show and in his book, Power Divided is Power Checked: The Argument for States Rights.

Minnesota Republicans Just Endorsed A Congressional Candidate Who Would Make Trump Blush | ThinkProgress

Newly ensconced Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin ® last week backed away from his campaign pledge to repeal expanded Medicaid coverage for 400,000 low-income people in the face of the widespread popularity of the program. Early on, the Tea Party conservative vowed to dismantle the hallmark program of outgoing Democratic governor Steve Beshear that reduced the percentage of uninsured Kentuckians by half. But with polls showing that 72 percent of state residents favored the Obamacare program, Bevin toned down his threat.

GOP governors change tune on Obamacare - Business Insider

The electorate senses the "secular stagnation" in the economy that Lawrence Summers, a former Treasury secretary and longtime Clintonite, has been talking about the past three years. Summers and other economists have been discussing radical ideas to spur growth and foster equality that go beyond the usual establishment trinity of trade, technology and transfer payments. Clinton needs to embrace them.

Lessons of Iowa | RealClearPolitics