What's News

FIELD OF REPUBLICANS: Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (R) launched the first ad of her campaign, calling for “moral clarity” and said that the country needs to “leave behind the chaos and drama of the past.” She doesn’t mention former President Trump or President Biden. The spot “is part of a massive $10 million ad buy in Iowa and New Hampshire. It will run on broadcast and cable TV and across digital platforms. Haley had previously relied on TV advertising by her aligned super PAC, SFA Fund Inc.” (Politico) JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon urged a group of Wall Street executives to financially support Haley, even if they are liberal Democrats. Dimon said: “Get a choice on the Republican side that might be better than Trump.” (New York Times)

Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) “are increasingly outsourcing central parts of their campaigns, drawing on the growing urgency of” Trump “opponents to find a single alternative to the former president.” The Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity Action announced this week that it will use its vast operation to support Haley’s campaign, while DeSantis encouraged his supporters to give to a new super PAC. “The extraordinary reliance on independent groups for the two Republicans who increasingly appear to be Trump’s closest challengers is testing the practical and legal limits of modern-day presidential campaigns.” (AP)

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY 17), one of 18 Republicans representing a district Biden carried, is privately supporting Haley’s presidential bid. “I personally would like to see Nikki Haley as our nominee,” Lawler reportedly said during a meeting with some constituents in Bedford last week. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC 05) is the only member of Congress to have officially endorsed Haley thus far. (Politico)

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA 20) said he would advise Trump to pick Haley as his running mate. McCarthy said: “If I was a political person, and I was going to advise somebody, you’re going to pick the vice president that’s about addition, not subtraction. So you’re not going to pick somebody that already equates to you.” (New York Times)

RACE FOR THE HOUSE: McCarthy told Trump he was unable to endorse the former president until near the Iowa caucuses "because he feared that some of his donors would have rescinded their support if he put his thumb on the scale early in the 2024 presidential race. … McCarthy indicated to others that he also withheld his endorsement to protect some of the more vulnerable members of the House Republican conference.” McCarthy is still undecided on his reelection plans. (Washington Post)

“Multiple GOP lawmakers expect” McCarthy “to step down from his seat before the end of the year,” telling donors he is “looking to ‘get the hell out.’” He said Wednesday he has “another week or so to decide because if I decide to run again, I have to know in my heart I'm giving 110%.” California’s filing deadline is Dec. 8, with a five-day buffer period for incumbents. McCarthy’s potential departure could complicate the GOP’s narrow House majority, as Rep. George Santos (R-NY 03) faces an expulsion vote Friday. (Axios)

Some “members are already asking behind closed doors whether” Speaker Mike Johnson “might meet the same fate as the deposed McCarthy—though other GOP lawmakers see that speculation as bluster. Johnson has antagonized conservatives most acutely by engaging in policy talks with fellow leaders, rather than pushing exclusively for base-pleasing wins that won’t survive in the Senate.” Conservatives are frustrated with Johnson’s handling of government funding, as he told senators this week he “would call up an extension of government funding through the end of the fiscal year if lawmakers can’t reach a deal.” Many members are against a continuing resolution and want to see spending levels significantly trimmed. (Politico)

NEW YORK: The House is expected to vote Friday on the privileged resolution to expel Santos. Johnson said Tuesday ”that the vote would take place on Thursday, but Republican aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said later it is expected for Friday.” (Reuters) Former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D) is expected to be the Democratic nominee in a special election, while Republicans may nominate Nassau County Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip (R), retired NYPD detective Mike Sapraicone (R), or Air Force veteran Kellen Curry (R). (Politico)

In NY-17, former Katonah-Lewisboro School District trustee Liz Gereghty (D) suspended her campaign and endorsed former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D). (release)

WI SEN: Wealthy businessman Scott Mayer (R) said he is still “seriously considering” a run against Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) and plans to make a decision in the first quarter of next year. The Republican field has remained quiet since the party’s top recruits passed on running, but it’s expected that wealthy real estate executive Eric Hovde (R) will run. Hovde won’t make a decision on a bid until next year, too. Mayer said he isn’t committing to staying out of the primary if Hovde runs just yet. Mayer said: “Eric's a good guy, I like him, I don't have anything against him. I'm a business guy and he's a business guy. So, we're kind of both on the same team … we get along, we have discussions, he's still, at the end of the day, he's gonna do what he wants to do, and I'll do what I want to do.” Mayer said he’s met with the NRSC “multiple times” and has the ability to to spend a “significant amount of money” on a bid if he does run, though he would not say how much. “I will absolutely put in what I have to to be competitive that I would win, that’s the bottom line,” he said. (Hotline reporting)

BATTLE FOR THE SENATE: “Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, abortion rights has become an invaluable political asset for Democrats. They have leveraged the issue to hold onto control of the Senate, limit losses in the House and, this month, fuel victories in key state races across the Midwest and the South. But perhaps the toughest test for the issue’s power will come in Senate contests like” defending Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH). “The fate of the razor-thin Democratic majority in the chamber could well be sealed in those two places, by the same voters who have installed Republicans in every other statewide office.” (New York Times)

NJ SEN: Fourteen Black ministers and community activists announced they will back first lady Tammy Murphy (D) in her bid against embattled Sen. Bob Menendez (D). Their endorsement comes as “prominent Black leaders in New Jersey argue that their support is not automatic and they want commitments on key issues before they commit to back any candidate” in this race or for governor in 2025. (New Jersey Globe)

VA GOV: Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney (D) filed paperwork to run for governor in 2025, joining Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-07) in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). On the Republican side, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) and state Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) “are widely expected to seek the GOP’s gubernatorial nomination.” (Washington Post)

CA-45: An internal Tulchin Research poll for consumer-rights attorney Derek Tran (D) found Rep. Michelle Steel (R) leading the all-party primary at 39%. Tran was second at 11%, followed by Garden Grove City Councilwoman Kim Bernice Nguyen (D) at 10%, TikTok influencer Cheyenne Hunt (D) at 6%, and 2020 candidate Aditya Pai (D) at 2%. (release)

Our Call

Former Katonah-Lewisboro School District trustee Liz Gereghty's abrupt exit from the NY-17 race came as a surprise, but she never picked up the momentum she needed to make the primary competitive against former Rep. Mondaire Jones. Beltway media anticipated a messy primary between the centrist sister of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) and Jones, which might have helped Rep. Mike Lawler in the general. But even with the early backing from EMILYs List, Gereghty never made the dent she needed, raising about $400,000 in her first fundraising quarter followed by a $173,000 Q3 after Jones entered the race. Gereghty didn't have the dollars to compete in an expensive media market with the popular Jones, who represented about 75% of the current district. — James A. Downs

As anticipated, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney filed paperwork to run for governor this week, joining Rep. Abigail Spanberger in the primary to replace Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2025. After launching her campaign earlier this month, Spanberger didn't waste any time gathering high-profile support behind her—including former Gov. Ralph Northam (D), Reps. Jennifer Wexton (VA-10), Don Beyer (VA-08), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), former Rep. Elaine Luria (D) and a number of delegates and state senators. Spanberger's strong and early entrance into the race, roughly two years ahead of election, was expected to nudge some fellow Democrats off the sidelines and into the fray. It remains to be seen if others besides Stoney decide to do so. — Mary Frances McGowan

 Fresh Brewed Buzz

Henry Kissinger, “one of the most influential and controversial diplomats of the 20th century, died Wednesday at age 100, his firm said.” (CBS News) Kissinger “was the only American official ever to concurrently serve as secretary of state and White House national security adviser, giving him immense power” administrations of Presidents Nixon and Ford. (Wall Street Journal) Kissinger “was an exemplar of the self-confident geopolitical potency that America’s elites, whatever they might personally think of [him], want America to make the world respect.” (Rolling Stone)

“An FBI employee was carjacked in the eastern end of Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon.” The “stolen vehicle has been recovered.” (WRC)

“Rare Gathering of Former First Ladies Shows Style, and Subtle Differences” (New York Times)

Trump’s “MAGA flock now has its own shopping platform” where it can buy from companies that align with its values and avoid those that don’t. (Axios)

“Elon Musk tells advertisers: ‘Go fuck yourself’” (The Verge)

“White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, facing huge numbers of federal workers who aren't coming to the office, is privately pushing Cabinet secretaries to break their staffs’ stubborn work-from-home habits.” (Axios)

“Opponents want Montana drag ban declared unconstitutional without a trial”(Axios)

Swizzle Challenge

The 50-star American flag was first flown on July 4, 1960.

Ira Sacharoff won yesterday's challenge. Here’s his challenge: Who was the first cabinet secretary involved in a sex scandal?

The 3rd correct email gets to submit the next question.

 Early Bird Special

 Shot...

“You all know you’re part of a massive failure? … It all sounds like a massive failure in thinking by the congresswoman and her colleagues.” — President Biden mocking Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO 03) for calling the Inflation Reduction Act a “massive failure” (Washington Post)

 Chaser

“Into exile I must go. Failed I have.” — Yoda (Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith)