 Campaign Report |
Campaign Report |
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DeSantis walks tightrope amid Trump's legal woes |
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is grappling with how to approach the potential third indictment against former President Trump as the governor seeks to revamp his presidential campaign. |
© AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File |
The Hill's Julia Manchester reports that DeSantis and the rest of the 2024 field who are not named Trump are walking a tightrope given how strongly GOP primary voters feel about Trump's legal woes. "This is an issue that truly animates the Republican base," said Ford O'Connell, a Florida Republican strategist. "[DeSantis is] trying to win a primary. In a lot of Republican voters' minds, you cannot separate Trump from this issue." Additionally, DeSantis has had to deal with news of Trump's legal issues taking up all the oxygen in the presidential campaign. However, DeSantis and his campaign made some news of their own this week. On Thursday, the Florida governor told conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt that he supports Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-Ala.) hold on promotions for military officers over the Pentagon's abortion policy and said if he is elected president the policy would not continue. And on Wednesday, the governor called on Trump to join the other 2024 candidates on stage for next month's GOP primary debate, telling Newsmax that "nobody's entitled to be nominated." DeSantis's wife, Casey, made some news of her own on Thursday during an interview alongside her husband with Fox News's Ainsley Earhardt. Florida's first lady addressed some of the sexist comments critics have made about her since DeSantis's campaign launched, including labeling her as "Walmart Melania" and "America's Karen." "One thing that the corporate media did get right about me, I do shop at Walmart," she said. "I think it's interesting, and you probably can sympathize with this, when they come after you and they're just calling you names. That means they don't want to litigate the merits of their case. They don't want to have that conversation. They want to call you names." |
Welcome to The Hill's Campaign Report, we're Julia Manchester and Amee LaTour. Each week we track the key stories you need to know to stay ahead of the 2024 election and who will set the agenda in Washington. |
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Key election stories and other recent campaign coverage: |
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GOP presidential candidate Will Hurd argued some GOP voters think former President Trump is "boring" when talking about the same topics on the campaign trail. "Here’s what I’m hearing on the ground today: I’m in New Hampshire, a lot of people are saying that they think Donald Trump is boring, and he’s talking about the same things," Hurd said on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.” "He’s looking … |
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sharply defended himself Thursday in his opening statement at a hearing on alleged "weaponization" of the federal government over remarks he reportedly made that have prompted accusations of antisemitism and racism. Kennedy, who has mounted a long-shot 2024 primary challenge to President Biden, said before the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government that … |
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| Democrats on the newly created House Judiciary select subcommittee on the "weaponization" of the federal government Thursday blasted Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democratic candidate for president, as he testified at a hearing on censorship, tech companies and free speech. Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) in her opening statement ran through a list of some of Kennedy's claims related to COVID-19 and vaccines, including "that … |
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Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: |
- 86 days until Louisiana's gubernatorial primary
- 110 days until Kentucky's and Mississippi's gubernatorial generals
- 473 days until the 2024 general election
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GOP strategists: Trump legal issues could hurt in Biden rematch |
While Trump's indictments and potential future indictments appear to be galvanizing the GOP base toward him, Republican strategists say his growing legal problems could stand to kneecap him in a general election. The Hill's Brett Samuels reports that some Republicans are warning that Trump's legal woes could play directly into President Biden's hands. "I think there is the potential for an awakening within the base and within the party leadership writ broadly that, you know, 'Do we have to deal with all this drama all the time and how are we going to win an election when we're constantly litigating all of his legal battles,'" said Jason Cabel Roe, a Republican strategist who worked on Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) 2016 presidential campaign. |
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New Hampshire Race Heats Up |
Sununu exit leaves governor race highly competitive |
© AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack |
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) tweeted Wednesday he won't seek reelection in 2024. This follows the moderate Republican's announcement last month that he also won't seek the GOP presidential nomination. Sununu tweeted, "Public service should never be a career, and the time is right for another Republican to lead our great state." Republicans' advantage in the race leaves with Sununu, according to some election forecasters. The Cook Political Report shifted its rating from "solid Republican" to "Toss-up" Wednesday, calling the state Democrats' "best pickup opportunity on the 2024 gubernatorial board." Sabato's Crystal Ball said something similar last week when discussing a possible Sununu retirement. Some background: Sununu won the open race in 2016 by fewer than 3 percentage points, then won reelection by substantial margins every two years since. Other statewide elections have gone differently. Democrats have held both the state's Senate seats since 2017. President Biden won the Granite State by more than 7 percentage points in 2020 – and there's a presidential election next year. The state's voters have proven themselves willing to split the ticket. Sununu sailed to reelection by more than 30 points in 2020 – possibly boosted by increased popularity for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Who's in: Daily Kos wrote former state Senate President Chuck Morse, who lost last year's GOP Senate primary, is running for governor. Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte and state Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut may announce GOP primary bids in the coming days. Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington are competing for the Democratic nomination. The Hill's Caroline Vakil has more here on Sununu's announcement, including statements from the state Democratic and Republican party chairs. |
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) called on former President Trump to join the other candidates on the debate stage, as the leading GOP contender continues to suggest the event might not be worth his time. "Nobody's entitled to be nominated. You got to earn it," DeSantis said in an interview on Newsmax on Wednesday. “And I think he should show up and make his case and answer questions … |
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) threw his weight behind Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-Ala.) hold on promotions for military officers over the Pentagon's abortion policy, insisting that if he’s elected, the policy will not continue on. "No, I don't," DeSantis said when asked by radio host Hugh Hewitt if he thinks Tuberville should release his hold. "And the reason is, the military's policy is not following U.S. … |
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Local and state headlines regarding campaigns and elections: |
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Election news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- The Humiliation of Ron DeSantis (The Atlantic)
- House Rating Changes: Calvert, Boebert Move from Lean Republican to Toss Up (The Cook Political Report)
- Tim Scott's formidable charm meets a tough Republican electorate (Politico)
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Key stories on The Hill right now: |
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The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines after a more-than-three-hour markup Thursday to advance a Supreme Court ethics reform bill in the wake of media reports that conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito accepted tens of thousands of dollars' worth of gifts and perks from wealthy Republican donors. … Read more |
| A Fox News contributor suggested Thursday that Republicans might be making a mistake by inviting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to a House hearing on “weaponization” of the federal government. “Democrats are going to make him the focus of this hearing, and I think it’s entirely possible Republicans have outsmarted themselves … Read more |
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Opinions related to campaigns and elections submitted to The Hill: |
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You're all caught up. See you next time! |
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