What's News

DEMOCRATS: Future Forward, the main super PAC backing President Biden’s reelection bid, reserved “$250 million in advertising across the most important battleground states, a blitz that it says is the largest single purchase of political advertising by a super PAC in the nation’s history.” The group is splitting the funds, “$140 million on television and $110 million on digital and streaming platforms,” and will start airing ads the day after the Democratic National Convention through Election Day. The reservation targets the main presidential battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. (New York Times)

Biden is heading to former President Trump’s backyard for two major fundraisers in donor-rich South Florida. “Winning Florida in November will likely be an uphill battle for” Biden, “but the Sunshine State is still poised to be a cash cow for his campaign.” One fundraiser is in Palm Beach, the other is in Miami. “Unlike 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic upended nearly every aspect of a normal presidential campaign, Biden now has the chance to put himself face-to-face with some of his biggest givers.” This will be Biden’s sixth visit to the state since he became president. (Miami Herald)

MT SEN: GOP-aligned Senate Leadership Fund is spending $50 million on advertising in Montana. That investment includes $24.6 million from SLF and a related organization, American Crossroads, is reserving $23.3 million. The ads will begin Sept. 3 and run through Election Day. (NBC News) The Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC has booked $27 million in ads in Big Sky Country to support Sen. Jon Tester (D).

SENATE FUNDRAISING ROUNDUP: SLF and its nonprofit arm, One Nation, hauled in nearly $95 million combined in fundraising last year. SLF entered 2024 with $35 million cash on hand and One Nation had $61 million cash on hand. “Last year's haul is roughly $400,000 more than One Nation and Senate Leadership raised in total in 2021 and the two groups say their combined 2023 fundraising is a record for an off-election year.” (Fox News)

RACE FOR THE HOUSE: Democrats Serve, an outside group backing candidates with public service background, endorsed eight candidates, including four in competitive seats, according to an announcement first shared with Hotline. The PAC endorsed former Biden Administration official Sabrina Bousbar (D) in FL-13, former Obama Administration official Joel Rubin (D) in MD-06, state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D) in MI-08, Navy veteran Missy Cotter Smasal in VA-02, and state Del. Briana Sewell (D) in VA-07.

Democrats Serve also backed two candidates in competitive primaries: DNC Executive Committee member Ron Harris (D) in MN-03 and trauma surgeon Brian Williams (D) in TX-32. (Hotline reporting)

HOUSE FUNDRAISING ROUNDUP: The NRCC announced raising $7.2 million in December and entered 2024 with $42.5 million on hand.

In CA-45, Rep. Michelle Steel (R) announced raising more than $1 million and ended the year with $3.1 million on hand. (Punchbowl News)

In PA-10, Marine veteran Mike O’Brien (D) said he raised $260,000 during the final three months of the year. (Hotline reporting)

In NH-02, Rep. Annie Kuster (D) said she raised more than $350,000 in Q4 and ended the year with $1.5 million on hand. (WMUR)

FIELD OF REPUBLICANS: “For South Carolina’s conservatives, deciding whether” former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s (R) “record warrants a promotion to the Oval Office seems less about her experience and abilities and more about” Trump. The South Carolina GOP primary on Feb. 24 could be the former ambassador’s last chance to stop Trump from steamrolling to the nomination. “While Haley has talked about her comfort running in her home state, interviews with almost two dozen South Carolina Republicans since the New Hampshire primary suggest Haley is struggling to win over conservatives who backed her twice for governor but haven’t soured on Trump for president.” (AP)

Trump “is aggressively courting potential megadonors to his campaign, targeting those who’ve kept their powder dry so far this cycle and at least one who was the biggest backer of his chief primary rival. The former president is set to dine with more than two dozen of the party’s biggest check-writers on Thursday evening at the Palm Beach, Florida.” (Politico)

OR-05: EMILYs List, an outside group committed to electing women who support abortion access, endorsed state Rep. Janelle Bynum (D) over 2022 nominee Jamie McLeod-Skinner (D) in the Democratic primary. The endorsement comes on the heels of the DCCC naming Bynum to its "red-to-blue program," which is the committee’s preferential list. (release) EMILYs List backed McLeod-Skinner last cycle.

McLeod-Skinner called on Bynum to reject the DCCC’s support and blasted the committee following her snub from the list. McLeod-Skinner said: “Whether the DCCC doesn’t trust voters here in Oregon to make the best choice or they are determined to cover up their 2022 election mistake of canceling their investment in OR-05 and helping” Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R) “win—it’s wrong and undemocratic. … Janelle Bynum should do what’s right and reject this unfair involvement in this race.” (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

BATTLE FOR THE SENATE: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) is hitting the campaign trail and “going all-out to help Senate Democrats keep their majority, traveling across the country to aid vulnerable colleagues.” Kelly helped to raise “six figures apiece” for Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Bob Casey (D-PA) over the weekend. He made pit stops in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland and did a total of nine events. So far, Kelly has raised and contributed over $1.8 million for his Senate colleagues and Democratic candidates. (Politico)

PENNSYLVANIA: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court “stopped just short of recognizing abortion access as a right protected by the state’s constitution” on Monday. The debate “arose in a case on a much narrower issue—a challenge to a state law limiting Medicaid funding for abortions except in cases involving rape, incest, or danger to the life of the mother. A coalition of seven state abortion providers had urged the justices to not only overturn that restriction but recognize for the first time a constitutional right for citizens to make their own reproductive choices.” In a split 3-5 decision, the Court sent both the debate on Medicaid funding and constitutional protection of abortion access to a lower court, “setting up another round of heated legal battles over the future of abortion access in Pennsylvania.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

NEW JERSEY 07: Former New Jersey Working Families Party Director Sue Altman (D) and former State Department official Jason Blazakis (D) will debate on Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. The pair will share the stage “six days before the Hunterdon County Democratic Convention … the first convention in the race to pick” Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s (R) opponent. (New Jersey Globe)

Our Call

After repeatedly demurring on former President Trump’s legal issues, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley finally criticized her rival after a jury fined him $83.3 million for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. But Haley’s jab, like many of her attacks on Trump, lacked teeth. Haley said, “I absolutely trust the jury. And I think that they made their decision based on the evidence,” before defending the former president’s right to stay on the ballot. She made no reference to how Trump was found liable for sexual assault in a related trial. Some outlets suggested that Haley absolutely blasted Trump. One headline read, “Haley slams Trump over defamation verdict.” Another report observed that Haley “took him to task.” Yet the reality was that Haley’s attack lacked any major force, as she remained somewhat deferential to the former president—she has repeatedly said that she will pardon him if she becomes president. If voters want a strong leader, Haley’s pale epithets will not cut the mustard. — Zac Weisz

The Montana Senate race is heating up as both parties committed millions of dollars worth of ads to Big Sky Country. A Republican super PAC has committed $50 million to ads for the general election and a Democratic PAC has reserved $27 million in ads. While both parties know winning Montana will be critical for controlling the Senate, the big unknown is whether Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-02) will run. He recently teased an end of February entrance and he would join the race as an underdog. Former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy (R) has money and national GOP support, and is already aggressively waging a statewide ad campaign. It's also unclear if the deep-pocketed conservative group Club for Growth or Trump will back Rosendale if he does run. It will be an uphill climb for Rosendale to make it out of the primary against a well-funded Sheehy without much initial support. But whoever wins the nomination, expect this race to be contested to the bitter end. — Sydney Kashiwagi

 Fresh Brewed Buzz

Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH 11) “was targeted in a swatting attempt on Monday while she was in Washington, D.C.” (Cleveland.com)

“Latino journalist layoffs threaten coverage of disinformation targeting Hispanics” (NBC News)

“Since taking over the Austin American-Statesman in 2019, Gannett has steadily slashed staffing and budgets. Sensing opportunity, new media players are expanding into the market.” (Texas Monthly)

“Schools are the third most common location for hate crimes: FBI” (Axios)

“Thousands of Kenyan children have gone missing, but a government agency is dogged by mismanagement and police often ask for money to investigate.” As a result, some families and friends are resorting to investigating cases themselves. (Washington Post)

“NY Rep. Jamaal Bowman Promoted 9/11 Conspiracy Theories on Blog” (Daily Beast)

“A new, powerful, well-funded political movement is rising fast in America: the techno-optimists.” (Axios)

“Some right-wing pundits have suggested without evidence that all the hype around” superstar Taylor Swift “could be part of an orchestrated plot to drum up hype for the Democratic Party.” (NBC News)

National Journal promoted two correspondents to senior roles. Casey Wooten is now senior congressional correspondent and Hotline’s Zac Weisz is now senior national correspondent.

Swizzle Challenge

Rob Sand is the only remaining Democratic statewide officeholder in Iowa.

Jacob Fette won yesterday’s challenge. Here’s his challenge: Who is the only trained meteorologist currently serving in Congress?

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

 Early Bird Special

 Shot...

“I can’t tell you how often I’ll look at (Justice) Neil Gorsuch and I’ll send him a note and say, ‘I want to kill that lawyer.’” — Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor expressing frustration with the high court’s conservative majority (CNN)

 Chaser

“The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.” — Dick the Butcher (Henry VI)