Morning Digest: Republicans want to rescue themselves from a far-right maniac. Good luck with that

_{The Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, and Stephen Wolf, with additional contributions from the Daily Kos Elections team.}

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Leading Off

● NC-Gov: Wealthy attorney Bill Graham announced on Wednesday that he'd compete in the March Republican primary for governor of North Carolina, adding that he'd pour at least $5 million of his own money into his quest to succeed termed-out Democratic incumbent Roy Cooper. Graham's entry sets up a showdown with Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who's spent the year as the favorite to claim the nomination, but the conservative site The Dispatch writes that Graham has the support from unnamed national "donors and political operatives" who believe the far-right front-runner could cost Republicans the general election.