Republicans
Haley: The former U.N. ambassador has been trying to smooth out what’s arguably the first major hurdle in her campaign thus far. Haley, who’s emerged as the strongest contender to go against Trump, has faced criticism in the last week for failing to say slavery was the cause of the Civil War while speaking with voters in New Hampshire. The comment has sparked reflection within the party over how the GOP talks about race and American history. Haley’s opponents, including DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie, have jumped on the moment to further argue that Haley has garbled messaging on not just race, but issues like abortion as well.
But a senior Haley adviser told the Daily Beast that it appreciates the limelight from her competitors: “Everyone from Joe Biden to Donald Trump is attacking Nikki for one reason: She’s the only candidate with momentum.”
DeSantis: The Florida governor finished out the remaining hours of 2023 in Iowa, pleading his case Sunday evening to a crowd of just 200 in West Des Moines. And he plans to stay in the Hawkeye State until the caucuses on Jan. 15. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and evangelical Christian leader Bob Vander Plaats were there Sunday to bolster DeSantis. Vander Plaats told attendees his sense is that Iowans, even in “heavy Trump country,” are ready to move on from the former president. “They like what he did, but it’s time to turn the page,” he said.
DeSantis also rounded out the year by saying if he’s elected, he would pardon Trump if necessary. “I think we got to move on as a country and, you know, like Ford did to Nixon, because the divisions are just not in the country’s interest,” he said, per NBC News.
Christie: The former New Jersey governor is not getting much love from the most influential politician in New Hampshire — the state that Christie has bet all his chips on. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who endorsed Haley last month, called Christie’s bid “an absolute dead end.”
“I know he says he wants to stay in the race to speak the truth about Trump,” Sununu said, “but that translating to votes in a primary is a very different thing, and he’s hit a ceiling.”
Despite growing calls from some Republicans for Christie to drop out in order to give Haley a fighting chance against Trump, Christie insists he’s staying in the race for as long as he can. In an ad that dropped on the last day of 2023, he posed this question: “Here’s the choice: who do we want to be as a country?” Speaking directly to the camera, he continues: “Donald Trump — he will sell the soul of this country. I’m not perfect. I’ve made mistakes. But I will always tell you the truth.”
Ramaswamy: The entrepreneur is putting some muscle into his campaign — literally. At a campaign event in Iowa last week, a pastor challenged him to do push ups with him. The Rev. Samuel Ansong, who is originally from Ghana, also asked Ramaswamy how his plans to end programs like affirmative action reconcile with America’s history of systemic racism. Ramaswamy said affirmative-action policies are “anti-American” at their core.
Ramaswamy spent the first day of the new year doubling down on his vow to take his name off ballots in states that remove Trump. In an interview on NewsNation, Ramaswamy said he wants to boycott elections in Colorado and Maine and effectively “nullify” the outcomes there.
“I think that it was deeply unconstitutional and wrong for one individual secretary of state, without any trial or procedure or anything else, just to decide and wake up one day Donald Trump’s not on the ballot,” Ramaswamy said of the decision in Maine, while calling Colorado’s Supreme Court “a cabal of judges.”
Trump: As the former president’s legal woes become increasingly intertwined with his race for reelection, perhaps one of the largest questions for Trump still looms at large: is he immune from prosecution for actions made as president? The matter comes up as special counsel Jack Smith argued in a filing on Saturday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that Trump’s claim for presidential immunity does not hold for his federal election interference case.
Democrats
Biden: The Biden campaign is focusing the president’s reelection on running against Trump, as CNN details.
That’s in the hopes of keeping the Democratic coalition together, because yet another survey shows Black, Hispanic and young voters not thrilled with Biden.
Watch out for those Biden gaffes – and many of them are taking place at unscripted fundraisers.
Meanwhile, House Republicans are charging ahead with their effort to impeach Biden – despite little to no evidence presented of wrongdoing.
Marianne Williamson: The self-help author was again campaigning in Nevada, hoping to make a dent in an early state that’s getting little attention from most other candidates.
Third Party
Robert F. Kennedy Jr: Kennedy met the signature requirement to be on Utah’s presidential ballot last week, which would be the first state for which the independent has qualified for once he officially files.
Kennedy and the super PAC backing him continue to make ballot access one of the campaign’s biggest priorities. Politico reports that American Values 2024 is focusing its ballot efforts in seven states: Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New York and Texas. Biden won those states in 2020 — but notably by just small margins.
The PAC will drop between $10 million to $15 million on the ballot access effort.
American Values 2024 has some other events in the works, including a two-in-one 70th birthday celebration and campaign fundraiser for Kennedy. (He turns 70 Jan. 17.) The Messenger reports Italian opera singer Adrea Bocelli will perform at the event on Jan. 22 in Indian Wells, Calif. — just a day before the New Hampshire primary — and celebrities such as Martin Sheen, Mike Tyson and Dionne Warwick are expected to attend.
Kennedy’s “campaign of conspiracy theories” is Politifact’s Lie of the Year.
And yet, ABC News finds support for Kennedy in Arizona.
Cornel West: He’s making a play for Arab American voters in Michigan, who are souring on Biden over his strong support for Israel. Forbes looks at West's finances and says he’s “broke.” Despite “significant earnings,” “lavish spending” has nearly wiped his bank account, Forbes notes.
David Masciotra of the left-leaning New Republic awards West “Charlatan of the Year.” — With research and reporting from Jeongyoon Han, NPR Politics editorial assistant | 
No comments:
Post a Comment
Keep a civil tongue.