On the day Kari Lake won the GOP primary to replace outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) last week, she expressed resentment with the handling of debates in the last electoral cycle, raising questions about whether she will square off against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in a debate.
“I think we should talk about which debate we do,” Lake said last Tuesday, speaking to reporters outside a polling location, complaining about Arizona Clean Elections‘s management of the situation during the gubernatorial race in 2022.
Then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs refused to participate in a gubernatorial debate hosted by the commission and proposed separate town halls, a proposal that was rejected by the group, claiming it was looking for a more traditional debate format. Arizona PBS later hosted a Q&A with Hobbs that was separate from the Arizona Clean Elections.
“We know how [the commission] treated people in the last election cycle in ‘22, where people who decided to not do the debate, namely Hobbs, ended up getting her own half an hour, and that was my problem with that particular group,” Lake added. “I think our two teams can discuss a fair platform to do that, but I don’t want to work with people who operate in that way.”
Kari Lake says she wants to discuss “a fair platform” to debate Ruben Gallego but that she doesn’t want to work w/ AZ Clean Elections Commission.
— Veronica Stracqualursi (@VeronicaStrac) July 30, 2024
Since March, the Senate GOP hopeful has been challenging Gallego to take the debate stage, claiming she was “ready to debate Ruben Gallego right now, right here,” during a press conference in Phoenix.
Gallego has said he is committed to debating Lake, unlike Hobbs, who avoided a debate on the grounds that she was worried it would become a “spectacle.”
“The consideration is that we need to talk to the voters of Arizona, and I trust the voters of Arizona that they’re going to listen to both sides,” Gallego said, speaking to NBC News.
Spokespeople for both Gallego’s and Lake’s campaigns said they want to participate in a debate, but what exactly that will look like is still unknown. Arizona Clean Elections debates usually take place about a month before Election Day. The Lake and Gallego campaigns have yet to agree to the terms of a debate.
An average of recent polls shows Gallego leading by 3.4 points.
Lake’s GOP primary rival, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, earned about 40% of the vote Tuesday despite being outspent 5-to-1 by Lake, giving hope to Democrats that her Republican support remains soft.
2024-08-05 21:53:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fcongressional%2F3111395%2Farizona-senate-debate-plans-in-flux%2F?w=600&h=450, On the day Kari Lake won the GOP primary to replace outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) last week, she expressed resentment with the handling of debates in the last electoral cycle, raising questions about whether she will square off against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in a debate. “I think we should talk about which debate,
On the day Kari Lake won the GOP primary to replace outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) last week, she expressed resentment with the handling of debates in the last electoral cycle, raising questions about whether she will square off against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in a debate.
“I think we should talk about which debate we do,” Lake said last Tuesday, speaking to reporters outside a polling location, complaining about Arizona Clean Elections‘s management of the situation during the gubernatorial race in 2022.
Then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs refused to participate in a gubernatorial debate hosted by the commission and proposed separate town halls, a proposal that was rejected by the group, claiming it was looking for a more traditional debate format. Arizona PBS later hosted a Q&A with Hobbs that was separate from the Arizona Clean Elections.
“We know how [the commission] treated people in the last election cycle in ‘22, where people who decided to not do the debate, namely Hobbs, ended up getting her own half an hour, and that was my problem with that particular group,” Lake added. “I think our two teams can discuss a fair platform to do that, but I don’t want to work with people who operate in that way.”
Kari Lake says she wants to discuss “a fair platform” to debate Ruben Gallego but that she doesn’t want to work w/ AZ Clean Elections Commission.
— Veronica Stracqualursi (@VeronicaStrac) July 30, 2024
Since March, the Senate GOP hopeful has been challenging Gallego to take the debate stage, claiming she was “ready to debate Ruben Gallego right now, right here,” during a press conference in Phoenix.
Gallego has said he is committed to debating Lake, unlike Hobbs, who avoided a debate on the grounds that she was worried it would become a “spectacle.”
“The consideration is that we need to talk to the voters of Arizona, and I trust the voters of Arizona that they’re going to listen to both sides,” Gallego said, speaking to NBC News.
Spokespeople for both Gallego’s and Lake’s campaigns said they want to participate in a debate, but what exactly that will look like is still unknown. Arizona Clean Elections debates usually take place about a month before Election Day. The Lake and Gallego campaigns have yet to agree to the terms of a debate.
An average of recent polls shows Gallego leading by 3.4 points.
Lake’s GOP primary rival, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, earned about 40% of the vote Tuesday despite being outspent 5-to-1 by Lake, giving hope to Democrats that her Republican support remains soft.
, On the day Kari Lake won the GOP primary to replace outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) last week, she expressed resentment with the handling of debates in the last electoral cycle, raising questions about whether she will square off against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in a debate. “I think we should talk about which debate we do,” Lake said last Tuesday, speaking to reporters outside a polling location, complaining about Arizona Clean Elections‘s management of the situation during the gubernatorial race in 2022. Then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs refused to participate in a gubernatorial debate hosted by the commission and proposed separate town halls, a proposal that was rejected by the group, claiming it was looking for a more traditional debate format. Arizona PBS later hosted a Q&A with Hobbs that was separate from the Arizona Clean Elections. “We know how [the commission] treated people in the last election cycle in ‘22, where people who decided to not do the debate, namely Hobbs, ended up getting her own half an hour, and that was my problem with that particular group,” Lake added. “I think our two teams can discuss a fair platform to do that, but I don’t want to work with people who operate in that way.” Kari Lake says she wants to discuss “a fair platform” to debate Ruben Gallego but that she doesn’t want to work w/ AZ Clean Elections Commission. “I think we should talk about which debate we do,” she said in response to q from @AlexanderTabet pic.twitter.com/CfsS8pDbst — Veronica Stracqualursi (@VeronicaStrac) July 30, 2024 Since March, the Senate GOP hopeful has been challenging Gallego to take the debate stage, claiming she was “ready to debate Ruben Gallego right now, right here,” during a press conference in Phoenix. Gallego has said he is committed to debating Lake, unlike Hobbs, who avoided a debate on the grounds that she was worried it would become a “spectacle.” “The consideration is that we need to talk to the voters of Arizona, and I trust the voters of Arizona that they’re going to listen to both sides,” Gallego said, speaking to NBC News. Phoenix, AZ Rep. Ruben Gallego tells me he will “gladly debate” Kari Lake if she wins her GOP primary tomorrow https://t.co/s45eia664j pic.twitter.com/UPzj9b7Xir — Alex Tabet (@AlexanderTabet) July 29, 2024 Spokespeople for both Gallego’s and Lake’s campaigns said they want to participate in a debate, but what exactly that will look like is still unknown. Arizona Clean Elections debates usually take place about a month before Election Day. The Lake and Gallego campaigns have yet to agree to the terms of a debate. An average of recent polls shows Gallego leading by 3.4 points. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Lake’s GOP primary rival, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, earned about 40% of the vote Tuesday despite being outspent 5-to-1 by Lake, giving hope to Democrats that her Republican support remains soft., , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MixCollage-23-May-2024-08-01-AM-6157.jpg.optimal.jpg, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Samantha-Jo Roth,
Abe Hamadeh won a six-way GOP primary to replace outgoing Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) in a safe Republican district on Wednesday despite a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump of opponent Blake Masters.
Hamadeh, who unsuccessfully ran for attorney general in 2022, received 29.8% of the vote with 86% of the ballots counted when the primary was called at 8:27 p.m. Eastern, according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Masters, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2022, received 25.3% of the vote. Former Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), who resigned in 2017 after a scandal, and state Assembly Speaker Ben Toma, who had the endorsement of Lesko, received 16.5% and 21.2%, respectively.
Hamadeh had previously been the only candidate to hold a Trump endorsement in the race, while Masters had scored an endorsement from his running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). However, Trump issued a rare duel endorsement of both candidates Saturday evening, putting an end to any possible problems the competing endorsements could have posed.
FILE – Then- Republican Senate challenger Blake Masters smiles onstage prior to a televised debate with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Libertarian candidate Marc Victor in Phoenix, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, FIle)
While Trump called both candidates “spectacular,” he noted that Masters was a “very successful businessman” and “an incredibly strong supporter” of the MAGA movement. He said Hamadeh was “a fearless fighter for election integrity.”
Both Masters and Hamadeh were endorsed by Trump in 2022 and lost their respective races. In 2022, Hamadeh claimed, without evidence, that U.S. elections “have been hijacked” and promised a “day of reckoning” for “those who worked to rob President Trump in the rigged 2020 election.”
Neither Masters nor Hamadeh actually reside in the 8th Congressional District, in the Phoenix area. Masters lives in Tucson, according to records from the Federal Election Commission, over a two-hour drive away. Hamadeh also does not live in district. Instead, he resides in nearby Scottsdale, according to FEC filings.
FILE – Then-Republican candidate for Arizona attorney general Abraham Hamadeh smiles prior to a televised debate against Democrat Kris Mayes on Sept. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
There had been limited polling for this race, but both Hamadeh and Masters had been in the lead. According to campaign finance reports, Masters spent millions, with $3.5 million of his $4 million in receipts coming from candidate loans. Hamadeh spent $1.2 million, $400,000 of which came from his own pocket. Toma raised more than $1 million in the race. Only $43,000 of the $643,000 Franks raised came from donors; the rest was a loan.
Arizona’s 8th District, which encompasses northwest Phoenix and its suburbs, has a large retiree population and largely votes Republican. Hamadeh will likely go on to win the House seat in November against Democrat Gregory Whitten.
2024-08-01 00:35:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fcongressional%2F3105337%2Farizona-election-8th-congressional-district-masters-hamadeh%2F?w=600&h=450, Abe Hamadeh won a six-way GOP primary to replace outgoing Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) in a safe Republican district on Wednesday despite a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump of opponent Blake Masters. Hamadeh, who unsuccessfully ran for attorney general in 2022, received 29.8% of the vote with 86% of the ballots counted when,
Abe Hamadeh won a six-way GOP primary to replace outgoing Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) in a safe Republican district on Wednesday despite a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump of opponent Blake Masters.
Hamadeh, who unsuccessfully ran for attorney general in 2022, received 29.8% of the vote with 86% of the ballots counted when the primary was called at 8:27 p.m. Eastern, according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Masters, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2022, received 25.3% of the vote. Former Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), who resigned in 2017 after a scandal, and state Assembly Speaker Ben Toma, who had the endorsement of Lesko, received 16.5% and 21.2%, respectively.
Hamadeh had previously been the only candidate to hold a Trump endorsement in the race, while Masters had scored an endorsement from his running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). However, Trump issued a rare duel endorsement of both candidates Saturday evening, putting an end to any possible problems the competing endorsements could have posed.
FILE – Then- Republican Senate challenger Blake Masters smiles onstage prior to a televised debate with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Libertarian candidate Marc Victor in Phoenix, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, FIle)
While Trump called both candidates “spectacular,” he noted that Masters was a “very successful businessman” and “an incredibly strong supporter” of the MAGA movement. He said Hamadeh was “a fearless fighter for election integrity.”
Both Masters and Hamadeh were endorsed by Trump in 2022 and lost their respective races. In 2022, Hamadeh claimed, without evidence, that U.S. elections “have been hijacked” and promised a “day of reckoning” for “those who worked to rob President Trump in the rigged 2020 election.”
Neither Masters nor Hamadeh actually reside in the 8th Congressional District, in the Phoenix area. Masters lives in Tucson, according to records from the Federal Election Commission, over a two-hour drive away. Hamadeh also does not live in district. Instead, he resides in nearby Scottsdale, according to FEC filings.
FILE – Then-Republican candidate for Arizona attorney general Abraham Hamadeh smiles prior to a televised debate against Democrat Kris Mayes on Sept. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
There had been limited polling for this race, but both Hamadeh and Masters had been in the lead. According to campaign finance reports, Masters spent millions, with $3.5 million of his $4 million in receipts coming from candidate loans. Hamadeh spent $1.2 million, $400,000 of which came from his own pocket. Toma raised more than $1 million in the race. Only $43,000 of the $643,000 Franks raised came from donors; the rest was a loan.
Arizona’s 8th District, which encompasses northwest Phoenix and its suburbs, has a large retiree population and largely votes Republican. Hamadeh will likely go on to win the House seat in November against Democrat Gregory Whitten.
, Abe Hamadeh won a six-way GOP primary to replace outgoing Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) in a safe Republican district on Wednesday despite a last-minute endorsement from former President Donald Trump of opponent Blake Masters. Hamadeh, who unsuccessfully ran for attorney general in 2022, received 29.8% of the vote with 86% of the ballots counted when the primary was called at 8:27 p.m. Eastern, according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Masters, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2022, received 25.3% of the vote. Former Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), who resigned in 2017 after a scandal, and state Assembly Speaker Ben Toma, who had the endorsement of Lesko, received 16.5% and 21.2%, respectively. WHO IS MARK KELLY? MEET ONE OF THE SIX TOP NAMES ON HARRIS’S VP SHORT LIST Hamadeh had previously been the only candidate to hold a Trump endorsement in the race, while Masters had scored an endorsement from his running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). However, Trump issued a rare duel endorsement of both candidates Saturday evening, putting an end to any possible problems the competing endorsements could have posed. FILE – Then- Republican Senate challenger Blake Masters smiles onstage prior to a televised debate with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Libertarian candidate Marc Victor in Phoenix, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, FIle) While Trump called both candidates “spectacular,” he noted that Masters was a “very successful businessman” and “an incredibly strong supporter” of the MAGA movement. He said Hamadeh was “a fearless fighter for election integrity.” Both Masters and Hamadeh were endorsed by Trump in 2022 and lost their respective races. In 2022, Hamadeh claimed, without evidence, that U.S. elections “have been hijacked” and promised a “day of reckoning” for “those who worked to rob President Trump in the rigged 2020 election.” Neither Masters nor Hamadeh actually reside in the 8th Congressional District, in the Phoenix area. Masters lives in Tucson, according to records from the Federal Election Commission, over a two-hour drive away. Hamadeh also does not live in district. Instead, he resides in nearby Scottsdale, according to FEC filings. FILE – Then-Republican candidate for Arizona attorney general Abraham Hamadeh smiles prior to a televised debate against Democrat Kris Mayes on Sept. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File) CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER There had been limited polling for this race, but both Hamadeh and Masters had been in the lead. According to campaign finance reports, Masters spent millions, with $3.5 million of his $4 million in receipts coming from candidate loans. Hamadeh spent $1.2 million, $400,000 of which came from his own pocket. Toma raised more than $1 million in the race. Only $43,000 of the $643,000 Franks raised came from donors; the rest was a loan. Arizona’s 8th District, which encompasses northwest Phoenix and its suburbs, has a large retiree population and largely votes Republican. Hamadeh will likely go on to win the House seat in November against Democrat Gregory Whitten., , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/MixCollage-22-May-2024-04-11-PM-8625-1024×591.jpg, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Samantha-Jo Roth,
Lake, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022, received 53% of the vote with two-thirds of the ballots counted when the primary was called at 11:44 p.m. Eastern. Meanwhile, her primary opponent, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, received 41% of the vote. Lake’s victory was much narrower than expected, which could spell larger problems for Republicans in the Grand Canyon State, where voters have repeatedly rejected former President Donald Trump and the candidates he endorses in general elections.
The former news anchor will face Gallego, who is running unopposed, to replace Sinema who was elected in 2018 but left the Democratic Party last year to become an independent. The Arizona senator considered running as an independent but ultimately opted against it in March.
After receiving the endorsement of Trump and out-fundraising her competitors in the Republican race, Lake has focused her messaging on Gallego and the Biden administration. According to the last campaign finance report in early July, Lake had $2.1 million in cash on hand compared to Lamb’s $263,000.
Kari Lake speaking during the second day of the Republican National Convention, Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Gallego has nearly $8.2 million on hand, according to campaign finance records. The nonpartisan Cook Political Reportrates this race as lean Democratic.
In 2022, Lake ran for governor in the state as a hard-charging conservative outsider who was quick to turn on the GOP establishment — and at the time, her campaign was one national Republicans kept at arm’s length, worried about her electability in the battleground state. This cycle, the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm endorsed Lake’s candidacy in February.
Since launching her campaign, she made some efforts to shift her most unpopular views, but they haven’t been consistent. She criticized a near-total abortion ban in Arizona but previously had called it a great law. Even after Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the chairman of the Senate Republican Campaign arm, advised her to stay clear of election fraud claims; she hasn’t listened.
Lake filed another appeal earlier this month asking the Arizona Supreme Court to declare her governor two years after she lost that election, despite her current run for the state’s open Senate seat. Her attorneys filed a petition arguing the Superior Court and Court of Appeals should have reinstated her case over new evidence. Gallego is leading by 3.4 points in an average of polling.
Since Sinema’s victory in 2018, Arizona has transformed from a solid red state to one of the country’s most competitive battlegrounds.
In 2020, Biden’s victory in the state over Trump helped him secure the White House. In December 2020, Arizona had two Democratic senators for the first time since 1952 after Mark Kelly was sworn in. In 2022, Lake and three other Republicans running for major statewide offices lost. It was the first time Democrats held all major statewide positions since 1950.
Arizona was the only state in the 2022 midterm elections where Republicans running for top positions had all embraced Trump’s false claims of fraud in the 2020 election. All of those candidates lost to their Democratic opponents in the vote count.
2024-07-31 03:51:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fcongressional%2F3105289%2Fkari-lake-victory-arizona-gop-primary-election%2F?w=600&h=450, Kari Lake won a closer-than-expected GOP primary to replace outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), setting the stage for a marquee Senate race against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) that could determine the balance of power in the upper chamber. Lake, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022, received 53% of the vote with two-thirds of the,
Lake, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022, received 53% of the vote with two-thirds of the ballots counted when the primary was called at 11:44 p.m. Eastern. Meanwhile, her primary opponent, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, received 41% of the vote. Lake’s victory was much narrower than expected, which could spell larger problems for Republicans in the Grand Canyon State, where voters have repeatedly rejected former President Donald Trump and the candidates he endorses in general elections.
The former news anchor will face Gallego, who is running unopposed, to replace Sinema who was elected in 2018 but left the Democratic Party last year to become an independent. The Arizona senator considered running as an independent but ultimately opted against it in March.
After receiving the endorsement of Trump and out-fundraising her competitors in the Republican race, Lake has focused her messaging on Gallego and the Biden administration. According to the last campaign finance report in early July, Lake had $2.1 million in cash on hand compared to Lamb’s $263,000.
Kari Lake speaking during the second day of the Republican National Convention, Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Gallego has nearly $8.2 million on hand, according to campaign finance records. The nonpartisan Cook Political Reportrates this race as lean Democratic.
In 2022, Lake ran for governor in the state as a hard-charging conservative outsider who was quick to turn on the GOP establishment — and at the time, her campaign was one national Republicans kept at arm’s length, worried about her electability in the battleground state. This cycle, the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm endorsed Lake’s candidacy in February.
Since launching her campaign, she made some efforts to shift her most unpopular views, but they haven’t been consistent. She criticized a near-total abortion ban in Arizona but previously had called it a great law. Even after Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the chairman of the Senate Republican Campaign arm, advised her to stay clear of election fraud claims; she hasn’t listened.
Lake filed another appeal earlier this month asking the Arizona Supreme Court to declare her governor two years after she lost that election, despite her current run for the state’s open Senate seat. Her attorneys filed a petition arguing the Superior Court and Court of Appeals should have reinstated her case over new evidence. Gallego is leading by 3.4 points in an average of polling.
Since Sinema’s victory in 2018, Arizona has transformed from a solid red state to one of the country’s most competitive battlegrounds.
In 2020, Biden’s victory in the state over Trump helped him secure the White House. In December 2020, Arizona had two Democratic senators for the first time since 1952 after Mark Kelly was sworn in. In 2022, Lake and three other Republicans running for major statewide offices lost. It was the first time Democrats held all major statewide positions since 1950.
Arizona was the only state in the 2022 midterm elections where Republicans running for top positions had all embraced Trump’s false claims of fraud in the 2020 election. All of those candidates lost to their Democratic opponents in the vote count.
, Kari Lake won a closer-than-expected GOP primary to replace outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), setting the stage for a marquee Senate race against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) that could determine the balance of power in the upper chamber. Lake, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022, received 53% of the vote with two-thirds of the ballots counted when the primary was called at 11:44 p.m. Eastern. Meanwhile, her primary opponent, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, received 41% of the vote. Lake’s victory was much narrower than expected, which could spell larger problems for Republicans in the Grand Canyon State, where voters have repeatedly rejected former President Donald Trump and the candidates he endorses in general elections. The former news anchor will face Gallego, who is running unopposed, to replace Sinema who was elected in 2018 but left the Democratic Party last year to become an independent. The Arizona senator considered running as an independent but ultimately opted against it in March. After receiving the endorsement of Trump and out-fundraising her competitors in the Republican race, Lake has focused her messaging on Gallego and the Biden administration. According to the last campaign finance report in early July, Lake had $2.1 million in cash on hand compared to Lamb’s $263,000. Kari Lake speaking during the second day of the Republican National Convention, Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Gallego has nearly $8.2 million on hand, according to campaign finance records. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates this race as lean Democratic. In 2022, Lake ran for governor in the state as a hard-charging conservative outsider who was quick to turn on the GOP establishment — and at the time, her campaign was one national Republicans kept at arm’s length, worried about her electability in the battleground state. This cycle, the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm endorsed Lake’s candidacy in February. Since launching her campaign, she made some efforts to shift her most unpopular views, but they haven’t been consistent. She criticized a near-total abortion ban in Arizona but previously had called it a great law. Even after Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the chairman of the Senate Republican Campaign arm, advised her to stay clear of election fraud claims; she hasn’t listened. Lake filed another appeal earlier this month asking the Arizona Supreme Court to declare her governor two years after she lost that election, despite her current run for the state’s open Senate seat. Her attorneys filed a petition arguing the Superior Court and Court of Appeals should have reinstated her case over new evidence. Gallego is leading by 3.4 points in an average of polling. Since Sinema’s victory in 2018, Arizona has transformed from a solid red state to one of the country’s most competitive battlegrounds. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER In 2020, Biden’s victory in the state over Trump helped him secure the White House. In December 2020, Arizona had two Democratic senators for the first time since 1952 after Mark Kelly was sworn in. In 2022, Lake and three other Republicans running for major statewide offices lost. It was the first time Democrats held all major statewide positions since 1950. Arizona was the only state in the 2022 midterm elections where Republicans running for top positions had all embraced Trump’s false claims of fraud in the 2020 election. All of those candidates lost to their Democratic opponents in the vote count., , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Kari-Lake-RNC-July-2024-1024×682.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Samantha-Jo Roth,
As Vice President Kamala Harris and her team race to vet potential running mates following President Joe Biden’sdeparture from the 2024 race, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) is emerging as an asset who could help counter one of Harris’s biggest weaknesses: the administration’s handling of the border crisis.
Sources have confirmed Kelly is being vetted by Harris’s team. A former Navy pilot and NASA astronaut from a working-class family in New Jersey, the Arizona senator already has a strong resume made even more impactful by his powerful advocacy against gun violence after his wife, then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, survived an assassination attempt during a mass shooting in 2011.
However, it’s his expertise on the politics of the U.S.-Mexico border as the senator of a battleground state that shares several border crossings with Mexico that could be one of his largest strengths.
“Having someone who understands how important it is for us to get technology and hire more Border Patrol officers and do better, quicker vetting — all of those things Sen. Kelly understands at the most personal levels. This is his community,” Stacy Pearson, an Arizona Democratic strategist based in Phoenix, said.
With @SenMarkKelly under potential VP consideration, a flashback to my reporting trip to Arizona in 2022 when he tickled the ivories ahead of our interview in Yuma, a critical border town.
Republicans are already putting a plan in motion to remind voters that Biden tapped Harris to lead the administration’s response to the growing number of migrants arriving at the U.S. border in March 2021. The border crossings eventually became a major political liability for the Biden administration once they reached historic levels.
The House voted to condemn Harris on Thursday for her role as the “border czar” over the Biden administration’s “failure to secure the southern border” during record-high illegal immigration. Lawmakers voted 220-196 in favor of a resolution, as GOP lawmakers work to tie the vice president to some of the Biden administration’s most unpopular policies as she seeks the presidency.
Republicans are also resurfacing comments Harris made last cycle when she said that an illegal immigrant is not a criminal offense, a point she echoed during a 2019 primary debate when she raised her hand to support decriminalizing illegal border crossings to a civil infraction.
However, Kelly could provide a perspective on the border that the other Democratic candidates being considered for the vice presidential slot could not — a fact that even some of the state’s Republicans acknowledge.
“He’s been very very engaged with the sheriffs out here and with me on the issue of the border,” said David Rhodes, the sheriff of Yavapai County, who is a Republican. “I would say he has advocated for more border security, more resources — he’s been a supporter of public safety. He and I are in different parties, but he’s done very well as far as I can tell.”
While Yavapai County encompasses an area in the center of the Grand Canyon State that is not directly on the border, Rhodes emphasizes that his community is directly affected by the high levels of unauthorized migration.
Washington Examiner reporter Samantha-Jo Roth interviews Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) during a campaign stop in Yuma in October 2022. (Amy DeLaura, Washington Examiner)
“Half of the fentanyl seized in the entire nation for the last three years has been seized right here in the state of Arizona, and it’s a major problem for all these Northern Arizona counties,” he explained.
Kelly has spoken out against some of the Biden administration’s border policies, particularly during his 2022 Senate campaign. The Arizona senator slammed Biden’s decision to end Title 42, a pandemic-era policy instituted during the Trump administration that allowed officials to turn away immigrants in the name of public health. The move had curtailed immigrants’ ability to seek asylum at the southern border.
“The administration has at times made some decisions that are not helpful to Arizona. I call the president out on it,” Kelly said in an interview with the Washington Examiner in October 2022 ahead of a campaign stop in Yuma, a city near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Kelly, who resides in Tucson, a town that is only 60 miles away from the international border, has not been as critical of Biden’s border policies since his re-election campaign. Kelly came out in support of Biden’s plan in June when the administration rolled out asylum restrictions at the border, and ever since arrests for illegal crossings have decreased.
“Senator Kelly is a big voice in Washington, and he’s well known here in Arizona, and he certainly could be influential the more that he spoke out about it,” Rhodes said. “To be fair, he has worked behind the scenes. I know because we’ve had conversations; he’s had a lot of conversations with law enforcement about what was needed and whatnot, but he probably could be more helpful.”
Since Biden made his exit and endorsed Harris, the vice president has not spoken out about the crisis on the southern border and her role on immigration policy, which is now in the spotlight.
“I’ve spoken with the administration, about the border, a number of times and helped develop the legislation,” Kelly said. “We put forward the bipartisan legislation that would go a good ways to try and fix this border crisis. Unfortunately, you know, what happened was our Republican colleagues walked away from it and it had so many good things in there.”
“When Kamala Harris is the next president of the United States, you know, we are going to take a look at passing legislation again and we’re not going to have the issue of the former President trying to kill it in the United States Senate ahead of time,” Kelly added.
Arizona Democrats are firmly behind Kelly. The state party’s executive board on Wednesday endorsed Kelly to be the vice presidential nominee. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who is running for Arizona’s other Senate seat, which is being vacated by Sinema also made the case for Kelly, saying he would add a “jolt” to the ticket.
“I think it would be great for Democrats across the country to have someone who is a border state senator, understands border issues, is an astronaut married to Gabby Giffords, it’s all a good combination right there,” Gallego said, speaking to CNN on Wednesday.
A new YouGov poll published on Monday showed voters viewed Trump as better than Harris at handling immigration and was ahead by 15 points. The poll was completed in the days ahead of Biden’s announcement to step down. Immigration also topped polling consistently as a top problem facing the country.
“Republicans should only be talking about the border and the economy — those are the two weakest issues for Democrats,” Barrett Marson, a longtime Republican strategist in Arizona, said. “The images of immigrants crossing the border not that long ago, these are going to be used a lot over the next three or four months.”
“The border is a deep vulnerability for the Democratic ticket, whether Mark Kelly is in it or not,” Marson added. “Mark Kelly can speak a bit more intelligently and with some experience of being a senator of a border state, but I’m not sure that he’s been a hawk on the border. So this issue isn’t going away.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) campaigns during a stop in Yuma in October 2022. (Samantha-Jo Roth/ Washington Examiner)
Kelly has long had an appeal with Republicans and has been seen as more centrist in a state where the Republican Party is still divided between those who align behind the legacy of the late Sen. John McCain and Trump loyalists. His seat once belonged to the iconic senator and he brought it up often when campaigning last cycle.
“It has been the honor of my life to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate, and by the way, in John McCain’s senate seat. That’s a big deal for me. Here’s a guy I looked up to when I was first in the Navy. To be able to sit at his desk every day in Washington is a big deal for me,” Kelly said to voters at a campaign stop in October 2022.
Kelly has already gone up against a candidate cut in the same mold as GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) in his previous Senate challenger, Blake Masters. Both Vance and Masters won their primary elections in 2022 with the backing of billionaire Peter Thiel, who put tens of millions of dollars into super PACs for each candidate. Vance is a former employee of Thiel’s Mithril Capital, and Masters also ran the Thiel Foundation and served as the COO at Thiel Capital.
“A benefit of Kelly is he has within the last couple years has defeated a Vance-like MAGA candidate. Masters and Vance are kind of the same,” Marson said.
Kelly’s wife, Giffords, is already getting a head start going on offense against Vance who has recently been at the center of a firestorm over his resurfaced remarks that the country was being run by “childless cat ladies.”
Vice President @KamalaHarris is a proud mom of two remarkable stepchildren—and so am I. @CaptMarkKelly and I were trying to have a baby through IVF before I was shot and that dream was stolen from us. To suggest we are somehow lesser is disgraceful. https://t.co/1dKzHkBx0M
Giffords spoke out on social media, slamming his comments. Giffords and Kelly have previously opened up about their heartbreak at not having children after the 2011 shooting where she almost lost her life.
“Vice President @KamalaHarris is a proud mom of two remarkable stepchildren—and so am I,” Giffords wrote on X. “@CaptMarkKelly and I were trying to have a baby through IVF before I was shot and that dream was stolen from us. To suggest we are somehow lesser is disgraceful.”
2024-07-26 23:12:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3101306%2Fmark-kelly-vice-president-border-czar-harris%2F?w=600&h=450, As Vice President Kamala Harris and her team race to vet potential running mates following President Joe Biden’s departure from the 2024 race, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) is emerging as an asset who could help counter one of Harris’s biggest weaknesses: the administration’s handling of the border crisis. Sources have confirmed Kelly is being vetted,
As Vice President Kamala Harris and her team race to vet potential running mates following President Joe Biden’sdeparture from the 2024 race, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) is emerging as an asset who could help counter one of Harris’s biggest weaknesses: the administration’s handling of the border crisis.
Sources have confirmed Kelly is being vetted by Harris’s team. A former Navy pilot and NASA astronaut from a working-class family in New Jersey, the Arizona senator already has a strong resume made even more impactful by his powerful advocacy against gun violence after his wife, then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, survived an assassination attempt during a mass shooting in 2011.
However, it’s his expertise on the politics of the U.S.-Mexico border as the senator of a battleground state that shares several border crossings with Mexico that could be one of his largest strengths.
“Having someone who understands how important it is for us to get technology and hire more Border Patrol officers and do better, quicker vetting — all of those things Sen. Kelly understands at the most personal levels. This is his community,” Stacy Pearson, an Arizona Democratic strategist based in Phoenix, said.
With @SenMarkKelly under potential VP consideration, a flashback to my reporting trip to Arizona in 2022 when he tickled the ivories ahead of our interview in Yuma, a critical border town.
Republicans are already putting a plan in motion to remind voters that Biden tapped Harris to lead the administration’s response to the growing number of migrants arriving at the U.S. border in March 2021. The border crossings eventually became a major political liability for the Biden administration once they reached historic levels.
The House voted to condemn Harris on Thursday for her role as the “border czar” over the Biden administration’s “failure to secure the southern border” during record-high illegal immigration. Lawmakers voted 220-196 in favor of a resolution, as GOP lawmakers work to tie the vice president to some of the Biden administration’s most unpopular policies as she seeks the presidency.
Republicans are also resurfacing comments Harris made last cycle when she said that an illegal immigrant is not a criminal offense, a point she echoed during a 2019 primary debate when she raised her hand to support decriminalizing illegal border crossings to a civil infraction.
However, Kelly could provide a perspective on the border that the other Democratic candidates being considered for the vice presidential slot could not — a fact that even some of the state’s Republicans acknowledge.
“He’s been very very engaged with the sheriffs out here and with me on the issue of the border,” said David Rhodes, the sheriff of Yavapai County, who is a Republican. “I would say he has advocated for more border security, more resources — he’s been a supporter of public safety. He and I are in different parties, but he’s done very well as far as I can tell.”
While Yavapai County encompasses an area in the center of the Grand Canyon State that is not directly on the border, Rhodes emphasizes that his community is directly affected by the high levels of unauthorized migration.
Washington Examiner reporter Samantha-Jo Roth interviews Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) during a campaign stop in Yuma in October 2022. (Amy DeLaura, Washington Examiner)
“Half of the fentanyl seized in the entire nation for the last three years has been seized right here in the state of Arizona, and it’s a major problem for all these Northern Arizona counties,” he explained.
Kelly has spoken out against some of the Biden administration’s border policies, particularly during his 2022 Senate campaign. The Arizona senator slammed Biden’s decision to end Title 42, a pandemic-era policy instituted during the Trump administration that allowed officials to turn away immigrants in the name of public health. The move had curtailed immigrants’ ability to seek asylum at the southern border.
“The administration has at times made some decisions that are not helpful to Arizona. I call the president out on it,” Kelly said in an interview with the Washington Examiner in October 2022 ahead of a campaign stop in Yuma, a city near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Kelly, who resides in Tucson, a town that is only 60 miles away from the international border, has not been as critical of Biden’s border policies since his re-election campaign. Kelly came out in support of Biden’s plan in June when the administration rolled out asylum restrictions at the border, and ever since arrests for illegal crossings have decreased.
“Senator Kelly is a big voice in Washington, and he’s well known here in Arizona, and he certainly could be influential the more that he spoke out about it,” Rhodes said. “To be fair, he has worked behind the scenes. I know because we’ve had conversations; he’s had a lot of conversations with law enforcement about what was needed and whatnot, but he probably could be more helpful.”
Since Biden made his exit and endorsed Harris, the vice president has not spoken out about the crisis on the southern border and her role on immigration policy, which is now in the spotlight.
“I’ve spoken with the administration, about the border, a number of times and helped develop the legislation,” Kelly said. “We put forward the bipartisan legislation that would go a good ways to try and fix this border crisis. Unfortunately, you know, what happened was our Republican colleagues walked away from it and it had so many good things in there.”
“When Kamala Harris is the next president of the United States, you know, we are going to take a look at passing legislation again and we’re not going to have the issue of the former President trying to kill it in the United States Senate ahead of time,” Kelly added.
Arizona Democrats are firmly behind Kelly. The state party’s executive board on Wednesday endorsed Kelly to be the vice presidential nominee. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who is running for Arizona’s other Senate seat, which is being vacated by Sinema also made the case for Kelly, saying he would add a “jolt” to the ticket.
“I think it would be great for Democrats across the country to have someone who is a border state senator, understands border issues, is an astronaut married to Gabby Giffords, it’s all a good combination right there,” Gallego said, speaking to CNN on Wednesday.
A new YouGov poll published on Monday showed voters viewed Trump as better than Harris at handling immigration and was ahead by 15 points. The poll was completed in the days ahead of Biden’s announcement to step down. Immigration also topped polling consistently as a top problem facing the country.
“Republicans should only be talking about the border and the economy — those are the two weakest issues for Democrats,” Barrett Marson, a longtime Republican strategist in Arizona, said. “The images of immigrants crossing the border not that long ago, these are going to be used a lot over the next three or four months.”
“The border is a deep vulnerability for the Democratic ticket, whether Mark Kelly is in it or not,” Marson added. “Mark Kelly can speak a bit more intelligently and with some experience of being a senator of a border state, but I’m not sure that he’s been a hawk on the border. So this issue isn’t going away.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) campaigns during a stop in Yuma in October 2022. (Samantha-Jo Roth/ Washington Examiner)
Kelly has long had an appeal with Republicans and has been seen as more centrist in a state where the Republican Party is still divided between those who align behind the legacy of the late Sen. John McCain and Trump loyalists. His seat once belonged to the iconic senator and he brought it up often when campaigning last cycle.
“It has been the honor of my life to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate, and by the way, in John McCain’s senate seat. That’s a big deal for me. Here’s a guy I looked up to when I was first in the Navy. To be able to sit at his desk every day in Washington is a big deal for me,” Kelly said to voters at a campaign stop in October 2022.
Kelly has already gone up against a candidate cut in the same mold as GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) in his previous Senate challenger, Blake Masters. Both Vance and Masters won their primary elections in 2022 with the backing of billionaire Peter Thiel, who put tens of millions of dollars into super PACs for each candidate. Vance is a former employee of Thiel’s Mithril Capital, and Masters also ran the Thiel Foundation and served as the COO at Thiel Capital.
“A benefit of Kelly is he has within the last couple years has defeated a Vance-like MAGA candidate. Masters and Vance are kind of the same,” Marson said.
Kelly’s wife, Giffords, is already getting a head start going on offense against Vance who has recently been at the center of a firestorm over his resurfaced remarks that the country was being run by “childless cat ladies.”
Vice President @KamalaHarris is a proud mom of two remarkable stepchildren—and so am I. @CaptMarkKelly and I were trying to have a baby through IVF before I was shot and that dream was stolen from us. To suggest we are somehow lesser is disgraceful. https://t.co/1dKzHkBx0M
Giffords spoke out on social media, slamming his comments. Giffords and Kelly have previously opened up about their heartbreak at not having children after the 2011 shooting where she almost lost her life.
“Vice President @KamalaHarris is a proud mom of two remarkable stepchildren—and so am I,” Giffords wrote on X. “@CaptMarkKelly and I were trying to have a baby through IVF before I was shot and that dream was stolen from us. To suggest we are somehow lesser is disgraceful.”
, As Vice President Kamala Harris and her team race to vet potential running mates following President Joe Biden’s departure from the 2024 race, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) is emerging as an asset who could help counter one of Harris’s biggest weaknesses: the administration’s handling of the border crisis. Sources have confirmed Kelly is being vetted by Harris’s team. A former Navy pilot and NASA astronaut from a working-class family in New Jersey, the Arizona senator already has a strong resume made even more impactful by his powerful advocacy against gun violence after his wife, then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, survived an assassination attempt during a mass shooting in 2011. However, it’s his expertise on the politics of the U.S.-Mexico border as the senator of a battleground state that shares several border crossings with Mexico that could be one of his largest strengths. “Having someone who understands how important it is for us to get technology and hire more Border Patrol officers and do better, quicker vetting — all of those things Sen. Kelly understands at the most personal levels. This is his community,” Stacy Pearson, an Arizona Democratic strategist based in Phoenix, said. With @SenMarkKelly under potential VP consideration, a flashback to my reporting trip to Arizona in 2022 when he tickled the ivories ahead of our interview in Yuma, a critical border town. A positive for choosing Kelly, he truly has seen the border crisis up close: pic.twitter.com/yo3C6ywmoU — Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) July 23, 2024 Republicans are already putting a plan in motion to remind voters that Biden tapped Harris to lead the administration’s response to the growing number of migrants arriving at the U.S. border in March 2021. The border crossings eventually became a major political liability for the Biden administration once they reached historic levels. The House voted to condemn Harris on Thursday for her role as the “border czar” over the Biden administration’s “failure to secure the southern border” during record-high illegal immigration. Lawmakers voted 220-196 in favor of a resolution, as GOP lawmakers work to tie the vice president to some of the Biden administration’s most unpopular policies as she seeks the presidency. Republicans are also resurfacing comments Harris made last cycle when she said that an illegal immigrant is not a criminal offense, a point she echoed during a 2019 primary debate when she raised her hand to support decriminalizing illegal border crossings to a civil infraction. However, Kelly could provide a perspective on the border that the other Democratic candidates being considered for the vice presidential slot could not — a fact that even some of the state’s Republicans acknowledge. “He’s been very very engaged with the sheriffs out here and with me on the issue of the border,” said David Rhodes, the sheriff of Yavapai County, who is a Republican. “I would say he has advocated for more border security, more resources — he’s been a supporter of public safety. He and I are in different parties, but he’s done very well as far as I can tell.” While Yavapai County encompasses an area in the center of the Grand Canyon State that is not directly on the border, Rhodes emphasizes that his community is directly affected by the high levels of unauthorized migration. Washington Examiner reporter Samantha-Jo Roth interviews Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) during a campaign stop in Yuma in October 2022. (Amy DeLaura, Washington Examiner) “Half of the fentanyl seized in the entire nation for the last three years has been seized right here in the state of Arizona, and it’s a major problem for all these Northern Arizona counties,” he explained. Kelly has spoken out against some of the Biden administration’s border policies, particularly during his 2022 Senate campaign. The Arizona senator slammed Biden’s decision to end Title 42, a pandemic-era policy instituted during the Trump administration that allowed officials to turn away immigrants in the name of public health. The move had curtailed immigrants’ ability to seek asylum at the southern border. “The administration has at times made some decisions that are not helpful to Arizona. I call the president out on it,” Kelly said in an interview with the Washington Examiner in October 2022 ahead of a campaign stop in Yuma, a city near the U.S.-Mexico border. Kelly, who resides in Tucson, a town that is only 60 miles away from the international border, has not been as critical of Biden’s border policies since his re-election campaign. Kelly came out in support of Biden’s plan in June when the administration rolled out asylum restrictions at the border, and ever since arrests for illegal crossings have decreased. “Senator Kelly is a big voice in Washington, and he’s well known here in Arizona, and he certainly could be influential the more that he spoke out about it,” Rhodes said. “To be fair, he has worked behind the scenes. I know because we’ve had conversations; he’s had a lot of conversations with law enforcement about what was needed and whatnot, but he probably could be more helpful.” Since Biden made his exit and endorsed Harris, the vice president has not spoken out about the crisis on the southern border and her role on immigration policy, which is now in the spotlight. Speaking with the Washington Examiner on Thursday, Kelly said he’d encourage Harris to remind voters of a bipartisan compromise bill that Sens. James Lankford (R-OK), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and officials from the White House put together in February, but ultimately died under political pressure from Trump. “I’ve spoken with the administration, about the border, a number of times and helped develop the legislation,” Kelly said. “We put forward the bipartisan legislation that would go a good ways to try and fix this border crisis. Unfortunately, you know, what happened was our Republican colleagues walked away from it and it had so many good things in there.” “When Kamala Harris is the next president of the United States, you know, we are going to take a look at passing legislation again and we’re not going to have the issue of the former President trying to kill it in the United States Senate ahead of time,” Kelly added. Arizona Democrats are firmly behind Kelly. The state party’s executive board on Wednesday endorsed Kelly to be the vice presidential nominee. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who is running for Arizona’s other Senate seat, which is being vacated by Sinema also made the case for Kelly, saying he would add a “jolt” to the ticket. “I think it would be great for Democrats across the country to have someone who is a border state senator, understands border issues, is an astronaut married to Gabby Giffords, it’s all a good combination right there,” Gallego said, speaking to CNN on Wednesday. A new YouGov poll published on Monday showed voters viewed Trump as better than Harris at handling immigration and was ahead by 15 points. The poll was completed in the days ahead of Biden’s announcement to step down. Immigration also topped polling consistently as a top problem facing the country. “Republicans should only be talking about the border and the economy — those are the two weakest issues for Democrats,” Barrett Marson, a longtime Republican strategist in Arizona, said. “The images of immigrants crossing the border not that long ago, these are going to be used a lot over the next three or four months.” “The border is a deep vulnerability for the Democratic ticket, whether Mark Kelly is in it or not,” Marson added. “Mark Kelly can speak a bit more intelligently and with some experience of being a senator of a border state, but I’m not sure that he’s been a hawk on the border. So this issue isn’t going away. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) campaigns during a stop in Yuma in October 2022. (Samantha-Jo Roth/ Washington Examiner) Kelly has long had an appeal with Republicans and has been seen as more centrist in a state where the Republican Party is still divided between those who align behind the legacy of the late Sen. John McCain and Trump loyalists. His seat once belonged to the iconic senator and he brought it up often when campaigning last cycle. “It has been the honor of my life to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate, and by the way, in John McCain’s senate seat. That’s a big deal for me. Here’s a guy I looked up to when I was first in the Navy. To be able to sit at his desk every day in Washington is a big deal for me,” Kelly said to voters at a campaign stop in October 2022. Kelly has already gone up against a candidate cut in the same mold as GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) in his previous Senate challenger, Blake Masters. Both Vance and Masters won their primary elections in 2022 with the backing of billionaire Peter Thiel, who put tens of millions of dollars into super PACs for each candidate. Vance is a former employee of Thiel’s Mithril Capital, and Masters also ran the Thiel Foundation and served as the COO at Thiel Capital. “A benefit of Kelly is he has within the last couple years has defeated a Vance-like MAGA candidate. Masters and Vance are kind of the same,” Marson said. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Kelly’s wife, Giffords, is already getting a head start going on offense against Vance who has recently been at the center of a firestorm over his resurfaced remarks that the country was being run by “childless cat ladies.” Vice President @KamalaHarris is a proud mom of two remarkable stepchildren—and so am I. @CaptMarkKelly and I were trying to have a baby through IVF before I was shot and that dream was stolen from us. To suggest we are somehow lesser is disgraceful. https://t.co/1dKzHkBx0M — Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) July 26, 2024 Giffords spoke out on social media, slamming his comments. Giffords and Kelly have previously opened up about their heartbreak at not having children after the 2011 shooting where she almost lost her life. “Vice President @KamalaHarris is a proud mom of two remarkable stepchildren—and so am I,” Giffords wrote on X. “@CaptMarkKelly and I were trying to have a baby through IVF before I was shot and that dream was stolen from us. To suggest we are somehow lesser is disgraceful.”, , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Mark-Kelly-Senate-July-2024-scaled-1024×682.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Samantha-Jo Roth,
Joanne Chesley was just returning home from church when she got a call from a friend informing her that President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic Party’s nominee.
Chesley, a pledged Biden delegate from North Carolina, had vocally supported the president’s candidacy this cycle, even as others had called into question the 81-year-old’s mental fitness. However, the 71-year-old retired college professor and teacher is applauding Biden’s decision to pass the torch to a new generation.
“I’m glad he made that decision, considering his health, his family, and how he could do what was right for the country,” she said during an interview with the Washington Examiner on Sunday. “In my heart of hearts, I knew he would make the decision that was right for us. I’m happy we can move on and get down to business and go to Chicago and have a good convention.”
Five delegates who spoke to the Washington Examiner on Sunday expressed relief, support, and gratitude after Biden exited the race. The majority are supportive of Harris taking over the top of the Democratic ticket.
Many questions remain unanswered in the aftermath of Biden’s decision, with the Democratic National Committee’s convention in Chicago just about a month away.
Samantha Hope Herring, a delegate and elected member of the DNC from Florida, said she’s hearing from other delegates across the country who are “really excited, energized and tremendously upbeat” about the prospect of Harris’s candidacy at the top of the ticket. She is stressing how this situation is unprecedented and the DNC process moving forward is fluid.
“Informally, I think there’s an effort to get folks across the country on the same page. We have a short amount of time to get everything done,” Herring said. “I’m going to be taking an absence from anything else I’m doing and will be helping our delegation.”
Even with a different candidate at the top of the ticket, Herring does not believe that the Democratic platform at the convention will change, especially if Harris becomes the nominee for the party.
As recently as Friday, Biden vowed to return to the campaign trail next week, and his campaign had remained defiant and insisted they would be pressing ahead. The announcement of Biden’s decision caught some delegates off guard, including one who had received a call from the campaign, pushing for a commitment to Biden in the roll call.
“I had just received this phone call, maybe hours before Biden officially exited the race. This probably gives you an idea of how air tight this exit plan was,” the delegate said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
JULY 17th 2024: President of The United States of America Joe Biden has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. – File Photo by: zz/KGC-254/STAR MAX/IPx 2023 7/10/23 President of The United States of America Joe Biden is seen outside 10 Downing Street on July 10, 2023 during his state visit to The United Kingdom. (London, England, UK)
Once Biden left the race, he technically surrendered the delegates he won during the primary, leaving them free to back someone else. To secure the party nomination, a candidate needs 1,976 delegate votes. Biden has already received almost 4,000.
Over the last few days, the DNC had been adamant about plans to move forward with the process, revealing in a letter on Wednesday sent to committee members that the party planned to do so in August. The letter, which was obtained by the Washington Examiner last week, made it clear that the DNC was doubling down on its plan and set up a deadline of Aug. 7, which was originally Ohio’s filing deadline that threatened to keep Biden off the 2024 ballot before state leaders extended the deadline. The latest update pushed back a plan to hold the digital roll call in July after internal lobbying.
There’s still a lot of uncertainty about what happens next even among the party’s leadership in states across the country.
“This is a decision for the rules committee and we will see how that conversation progresses as we learn more about how the conversation progresses as we learn more about the process going forward,” said Rita Hart, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Iowa, speaking on a Zoom call with reporters on Sunday.
Hart did not go as far as offer an endorsement of Harris and emphasized delegates will have an opportunity to make their open decisions at this moment, in what she called “unchartered territory.”
“President Biden’s endorsement obviously means a great deal. His willingness to put his legacy into Kamala Harris’ hands speaks volumes,” Hart said. “That means a great deal. I am also sure that the delegates realize this is going to be their decision.”
Members of the Democratic National Committee have begun circulating a document urging delegates to support Harris as their party’s nominee, according to a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner. Experts believe if there is a decisive choice to rally around Harris, the party could move forward with the virtual plan and arrive in Chicago with the nomination sorted.
“All indications are the party is moving forward with the virtual roll call. That included the Credentials Committee meeting today that started right when the news broke,” Josh Putnam, a political scientist who runs the site FrontloadingHQ, said Sunday. “Obviously, things are fluid and that can change, but if this is an orderly transition to Harris, then the party will stick with the virtual plan.”
David Seaton-Lorenz, a 19-year-old Democratic National Committee delegate from Massachusetts, said he will support Harris if that’s the only candidate the party puts forward. However, the party could be better served by having a mini-accelerated primary instead of a coronation.
“I think if she was out on the campaign trail, trying to earn the votes of us delegates, that could help her come out even stronger.”
Some lawmakers had seemed to share a similar outlook earlier last week. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) became the second Democratic senator to call on Biden to step aside last week. The vulnerable red-state Democrat who is up for reelection in the Senate took it a step further on Friday, making it clear he’d like to see an open nominating process at the convention in Chicago next month, declining at that time to endorse Harris, according to his office.
In a meeting with fellow California Democrats last week, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) endorsed an open process to choose the party’s next nominee if Biden drops out, according to reporting from Politico.
Seaton-Lorenz had previously been outspoken, calling Biden’s candidacy a “death march to November.” He said he’s thankful the concerns of voters are finally being considered.
“I was certainly in favor of him dropping out of the race. I was still surprised since he had rejected those calls for such a long time,” he said. “I thank Joe Biden for making this decision, for making a decision that must have been personally very difficult for him, and I’m excited for what comes next.”
2024-07-21 22:37:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fnews%2Fcampaigns%2Fpresidential%2F3091711%2Fdnc-delegates-biden-drops-out-chicago-convention%2F?w=600&h=450, Joanne Chesley was just returning home from church when she got a call from a friend informing her that President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic Party’s nominee. Chesley, a pledged Biden delegate from North Carolina, had vocally supported the president’s candidacy this cycle, even,
Joanne Chesley was just returning home from church when she got a call from a friend informing her that President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic Party’s nominee.
Chesley, a pledged Biden delegate from North Carolina, had vocally supported the president’s candidacy this cycle, even as others had called into question the 81-year-old’s mental fitness. However, the 71-year-old retired college professor and teacher is applauding Biden’s decision to pass the torch to a new generation.
“I’m glad he made that decision, considering his health, his family, and how he could do what was right for the country,” she said during an interview with the Washington Examiner on Sunday. “In my heart of hearts, I knew he would make the decision that was right for us. I’m happy we can move on and get down to business and go to Chicago and have a good convention.”
Five delegates who spoke to the Washington Examiner on Sunday expressed relief, support, and gratitude after Biden exited the race. The majority are supportive of Harris taking over the top of the Democratic ticket.
Many questions remain unanswered in the aftermath of Biden’s decision, with the Democratic National Committee’s convention in Chicago just about a month away.
Samantha Hope Herring, a delegate and elected member of the DNC from Florida, said she’s hearing from other delegates across the country who are “really excited, energized and tremendously upbeat” about the prospect of Harris’s candidacy at the top of the ticket. She is stressing how this situation is unprecedented and the DNC process moving forward is fluid.
“Informally, I think there’s an effort to get folks across the country on the same page. We have a short amount of time to get everything done,” Herring said. “I’m going to be taking an absence from anything else I’m doing and will be helping our delegation.”
Even with a different candidate at the top of the ticket, Herring does not believe that the Democratic platform at the convention will change, especially if Harris becomes the nominee for the party.
As recently as Friday, Biden vowed to return to the campaign trail next week, and his campaign had remained defiant and insisted they would be pressing ahead. The announcement of Biden’s decision caught some delegates off guard, including one who had received a call from the campaign, pushing for a commitment to Biden in the roll call.
“I had just received this phone call, maybe hours before Biden officially exited the race. This probably gives you an idea of how air tight this exit plan was,” the delegate said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
JULY 17th 2024: President of The United States of America Joe Biden has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. – File Photo by: zz/KGC-254/STAR MAX/IPx 2023 7/10/23 President of The United States of America Joe Biden is seen outside 10 Downing Street on July 10, 2023 during his state visit to The United Kingdom. (London, England, UK)
Once Biden left the race, he technically surrendered the delegates he won during the primary, leaving them free to back someone else. To secure the party nomination, a candidate needs 1,976 delegate votes. Biden has already received almost 4,000.
Over the last few days, the DNC had been adamant about plans to move forward with the process, revealing in a letter on Wednesday sent to committee members that the party planned to do so in August. The letter, which was obtained by the Washington Examiner last week, made it clear that the DNC was doubling down on its plan and set up a deadline of Aug. 7, which was originally Ohio’s filing deadline that threatened to keep Biden off the 2024 ballot before state leaders extended the deadline. The latest update pushed back a plan to hold the digital roll call in July after internal lobbying.
There’s still a lot of uncertainty about what happens next even among the party’s leadership in states across the country.
“This is a decision for the rules committee and we will see how that conversation progresses as we learn more about how the conversation progresses as we learn more about the process going forward,” said Rita Hart, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Iowa, speaking on a Zoom call with reporters on Sunday.
Hart did not go as far as offer an endorsement of Harris and emphasized delegates will have an opportunity to make their open decisions at this moment, in what she called “unchartered territory.”
“President Biden’s endorsement obviously means a great deal. His willingness to put his legacy into Kamala Harris’ hands speaks volumes,” Hart said. “That means a great deal. I am also sure that the delegates realize this is going to be their decision.”
Members of the Democratic National Committee have begun circulating a document urging delegates to support Harris as their party’s nominee, according to a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner. Experts believe if there is a decisive choice to rally around Harris, the party could move forward with the virtual plan and arrive in Chicago with the nomination sorted.
“All indications are the party is moving forward with the virtual roll call. That included the Credentials Committee meeting today that started right when the news broke,” Josh Putnam, a political scientist who runs the site FrontloadingHQ, said Sunday. “Obviously, things are fluid and that can change, but if this is an orderly transition to Harris, then the party will stick with the virtual plan.”
David Seaton-Lorenz, a 19-year-old Democratic National Committee delegate from Massachusetts, said he will support Harris if that’s the only candidate the party puts forward. However, the party could be better served by having a mini-accelerated primary instead of a coronation.
“I think if she was out on the campaign trail, trying to earn the votes of us delegates, that could help her come out even stronger.”
Some lawmakers had seemed to share a similar outlook earlier last week. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) became the second Democratic senator to call on Biden to step aside last week. The vulnerable red-state Democrat who is up for reelection in the Senate took it a step further on Friday, making it clear he’d like to see an open nominating process at the convention in Chicago next month, declining at that time to endorse Harris, according to his office.
In a meeting with fellow California Democrats last week, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) endorsed an open process to choose the party’s next nominee if Biden drops out, according to reporting from Politico.
Seaton-Lorenz had previously been outspoken, calling Biden’s candidacy a “death march to November.” He said he’s thankful the concerns of voters are finally being considered.
“I was certainly in favor of him dropping out of the race. I was still surprised since he had rejected those calls for such a long time,” he said. “I thank Joe Biden for making this decision, for making a decision that must have been personally very difficult for him, and I’m excited for what comes next.”
, Joanne Chesley was just returning home from church when she got a call from a friend informing her that President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic Party’s nominee. Chesley, a pledged Biden delegate from North Carolina, had vocally supported the president’s candidacy this cycle, even as others had called into question the 81-year-old’s mental fitness. However, the 71-year-old retired college professor and teacher is applauding Biden’s decision to pass the torch to a new generation. “I’m glad he made that decision, considering his health, his family, and how he could do what was right for the country,” she said during an interview with the Washington Examiner on Sunday. “In my heart of hearts, I knew he would make the decision that was right for us. I’m happy we can move on and get down to business and go to Chicago and have a good convention.” Five delegates who spoke to the Washington Examiner on Sunday expressed relief, support, and gratitude after Biden exited the race. The majority are supportive of Harris taking over the top of the Democratic ticket. Many questions remain unanswered in the aftermath of Biden’s decision, with the Democratic National Committee’s convention in Chicago just about a month away. Samantha Hope Herring, a delegate and elected member of the DNC from Florida, said she’s hearing from other delegates across the country who are “really excited, energized and tremendously upbeat” about the prospect of Harris’s candidacy at the top of the ticket. She is stressing how this situation is unprecedented and the DNC process moving forward is fluid. “Informally, I think there’s an effort to get folks across the country on the same page. We have a short amount of time to get everything done,” Herring said. “I’m going to be taking an absence from anything else I’m doing and will be helping our delegation.” Even with a different candidate at the top of the ticket, Herring does not believe that the Democratic platform at the convention will change, especially if Harris becomes the nominee for the party. As recently as Friday, Biden vowed to return to the campaign trail next week, and his campaign had remained defiant and insisted they would be pressing ahead. The announcement of Biden’s decision caught some delegates off guard, including one who had received a call from the campaign, pushing for a commitment to Biden in the roll call. “I had just received this phone call, maybe hours before Biden officially exited the race. This probably gives you an idea of how air tight this exit plan was,” the delegate said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. JULY 17th 2024: President of The United States of America Joe Biden has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. – File Photo by: zz/KGC-254/STAR MAX/IPx 2023 7/10/23 President of The United States of America Joe Biden is seen outside 10 Downing Street on July 10, 2023 during his state visit to The United Kingdom. (London, England, UK) Once Biden left the race, he technically surrendered the delegates he won during the primary, leaving them free to back someone else. To secure the party nomination, a candidate needs 1,976 delegate votes. Biden has already received almost 4,000. Over the last few days, the DNC had been adamant about plans to move forward with the process, revealing in a letter on Wednesday sent to committee members that the party planned to do so in August. The letter, which was obtained by the Washington Examiner last week, made it clear that the DNC was doubling down on its plan and set up a deadline of Aug. 7, which was originally Ohio’s filing deadline that threatened to keep Biden off the 2024 ballot before state leaders extended the deadline. The latest update pushed back a plan to hold the digital roll call in July after internal lobbying. There’s still a lot of uncertainty about what happens next even among the party’s leadership in states across the country. “This is a decision for the rules committee and we will see how that conversation progresses as we learn more about how the conversation progresses as we learn more about the process going forward,” said Rita Hart, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Iowa, speaking on a Zoom call with reporters on Sunday. Hart did not go as far as offer an endorsement of Harris and emphasized delegates will have an opportunity to make their open decisions at this moment, in what she called “unchartered territory.” “President Biden’s endorsement obviously means a great deal. His willingness to put his legacy into Kamala Harris’ hands speaks volumes,” Hart said. “That means a great deal. I am also sure that the delegates realize this is going to be their decision.” Members of the Democratic National Committee have begun circulating a document urging delegates to support Harris as their party’s nominee, according to a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner. Experts believe if there is a decisive choice to rally around Harris, the party could move forward with the virtual plan and arrive in Chicago with the nomination sorted. “All indications are the party is moving forward with the virtual roll call. That included the Credentials Committee meeting today that started right when the news broke,” Josh Putnam, a political scientist who runs the site FrontloadingHQ, said Sunday. “Obviously, things are fluid and that can change, but if this is an orderly transition to Harris, then the party will stick with the virtual plan.” David Seaton-Lorenz, a 19-year-old Democratic National Committee delegate from Massachusetts, said he will support Harris if that’s the only candidate the party puts forward. However, the party could be better served by having a mini-accelerated primary instead of a coronation. “I think if she was out on the campaign trail, trying to earn the votes of us delegates, that could help her come out even stronger.” Some lawmakers had seemed to share a similar outlook earlier last week. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) became the second Democratic senator to call on Biden to step aside last week. The vulnerable red-state Democrat who is up for reelection in the Senate took it a step further on Friday, making it clear he’d like to see an open nominating process at the convention in Chicago next month, declining at that time to endorse Harris, according to his office. In a meeting with fellow California Democrats last week, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) endorsed an open process to choose the party’s next nominee if Biden drops out, according to reporting from Politico. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Seaton-Lorenz had previously been outspoken, calling Biden’s candidacy a “death march to November.” He said he’s thankful the concerns of voters are finally being considered. “I was certainly in favor of him dropping out of the race. I was still surprised since he had rejected those calls for such a long time,” he said. “I thank Joe Biden for making this decision, for making a decision that must have been personally very difficult for him, and I’m excited for what comes next.”, , , https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Joe-Biden-July-2024-1-scaled-1024×683.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Samantha-Jo Roth,
Menendez is pushing back against reporting from NBC News and the New York Times, which cited sources who said the New Jersey senator was telling allies he will resign.
“I can tell you that I have not resigned nor have I spoken to any so called allies … Seems to me that there is an effort to try to force me into a statement,” Menendez said Wednesday night, speaking to CBS News. “Anyone who knows me knows that’s the worst way to achieve a goal with me.”
A majority of Senate Democrats have called on him to step aside, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Tuesday. The pressure intensified on Wednesday after Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said in a television interview that he’d lead an expulsion of Menendez, and others expressed support on social media.
“For New Jersey, this is a painful day of real heartbreak and frankly just deep disappointment,” Booker said on MSNBC. “If he refuses to do that, many of us — and I will lead that effort to make sure that he is removed from the Senate.”
Menendez, 70, is set to be sentenced on Oct. 29. He was found guilty of all 16 counts. The most serious charges of extortion and wire fraud carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Menendez faces a maximum of 222 years in prison, but it’s likely any sentences would run concurrently.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) center, speaks to reporters as he leaves federal court in New York, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The government presented a case that found the New Jersey senator and his wife took bribes in exchange for favors for the Egyptian government and allegedly “pressured” a U.S. agricultural official to protect an exclusive contract for a New Jersey businessman to be the exclusive purveyor of halal meat to Egypt. Photos in the indictment showed gold bars and almost half a million dollars of cash stuffed into clothing labeled with the senator’s name.
A day earlier, the senator maintained his innocence while speaking to reporters outside the courthouse following the verdict and said he will appeal the outcome of the case. He made no mention of his plans to resign.
If Menendez steps down, Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) will appoint a senator to finish out Menendez’s term, which ends in January. Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) and GOP hopeful Curtis Bashaw are running in the November general election to replace him.
The senior senator from New Jersey has previously faced corruption charges. A 2015 indictment ultimately ended in a mistrial in 2018 after a jury failed to reach a verdict on all counts. The prior charges were surrounding his relationship with a friend and Democratic donor after there were allegations Menendez used his Senate office to promote the donor’s interests.
Menendez’s and Schumer’s offices did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
The Maine senator said she plans to still support Haley in November, speaking to WGME, the local CBS affiliate in Portland, Maine.
“I will not be voting for either candidate. I’m going to write in Nikki Haley’s name,” Collins said during the interview. “She’s my favorite candidate and I think she would do a great job. She’s my choice and that’s how I’m going to express it.”
“Ultimately, I have to do what is right. I publicly endorsed Nikki Haley, and I very much wanted her to win,” she added.
WATCH | @SenatorCollins says @NikkiHaley remains her “favorite candidate” and plans to write her in on the November ballot instead of voting for Donald Trump.
Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced they were endorsing Haley in early March. However, Haley exited the race shortly after the endorsement.
Collins’s comments reflect her contentious relationship with the former president. She voted to convict Trump on the impeachment charge of inciting an insurrection in 2021.
“I cannot support former President Trump. I voted to convict him on the second impeachment charges, so I don’t think it should come as a surprise that I cannot support him,” she said in March after Haley had already suspended her campaign.
Biden won Maine with 53% of the vote in 2020, but Collins also won reelection. The senator is the only incumbent to win reelection in a state where her party’s nominee lost in both 2016 and 2020.
Collins also said she would not be attending the Republican National Convention, citing a busy schedule.
“I didn’t go to the last Republican convention either; it’s been a number of years,” she said, sidestepping a question about whether her absence has to do with her refusal to endorse Trump’s presidential bid. “I always go to my state convention.”
The Vermont senator, in an op-ed in the Washington Post, asked Biden to step aside with “the national conversation” “focused on Biden’s age and capacity.”
“I, like folks across the country, am worried about November’s election. The stakes could not be higher,” Welch wrote. “We cannot unsee President Biden’s disastrous debate performance. We cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions raised since that night.
“I understand why President Biden wants to run. He saved us from Donald Trump once and wants to do it again,” he added.
“But he needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate to do so. In my view, he is not,” he continued. “For the good of the country, I’m calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race.”
Welch went on to explain that he’s made the decision based on the concerns of voters from his state.
“Vermont loves Joe Biden. President Biden and Vice President Harris received a larger vote percentage here than in any other state. But regular Vermonters are worried that he can’t win this time, and they’re terrified of another Trump presidency,” he added.
The Vermont senator appeared to be hinting he was growing more concerned about Biden’s electability, speaking with reporters earlier on Wednesday afternoon. Welch downplayed the impact of Biden’s looming news conference at the NATO summit on Thursday, which some Democrats have acknowledged will be critical to show he has the energy and mental capacity to face Trump in the presidential election.
“You’re focusing on a single event, because that’s one that’s coming up, and then there’ll be another event next week and you’ll focus on that. And what it suggests is that this question of aging capacity simply won’t go away,” Welch said.
“It’s hard to see it. That was a bug concern of voters going into the debate and that concern intensified after,” he added.
Welch joins nine House Democrats who have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race after his poor debate performance and months of gaffes and mishaps. Of the 10, three Democrats spoke out after the caucus met in both chambers on Tuesday from which members left divided — some thought there was almost complete unity, while others felt like they still weren’t in sync.
According to reporting fromAxios,Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is privately signaling that he could be open to a Democratic presidential ticket that does not include Biden at the top. The New York Senator has repeatedly said publicly that he supports Biden and is committed to ensuring Trump is defeated in the election.
Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), two of the chamber’s most vulnerable Democrats, expressed concern about Biden’s ability to win in a caucus meeting on Tuesday. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), a critical ally of President Biden, emphasized the Senate Democratic Leader was taking the concerns of vulnerable red-state Democrats seriously.
“I have confidence that he is listening to the members of his caucus. He is certainly calling all of us and asking for input,” Coons said in response to a question to the Washington Examiner.
“Of all the Senators I know, Senator Schumer is probably the most focused on making sure we retain our majority and is working relentlessly to engage with and hear from our caucus members,” he added.
Welch’s call for Biden to drop out comes ahead of a special caucus lunch on Thursday where Senate Democrats will huddle with senior Biden advisors at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) headquarters. Senators will meet with advisors Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti and Biden Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, according to a Senate Democratic Leadership source.
Trump’s pick could come in the next couple of days after he told Fox News’s Sean Hannity that he’d announce his nominee for vice president “probably before” the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Milwaukee.
“I haven’t made [a] final decision. But I have some ideas as to where we’re going,” Trump said in the interview that aired on Monday night.
Trump’s search for a running mate appears to be focused on Sens. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND). Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) may also still be in the mix.
Vance told reporters he had not received word on whether he was going to be Trump’s running mate on Tuesday.
“I’m going to be here this week,” he said in response to questions about whether he was planning to hit the trail with Trump over the next couple of days.
As Trump zeroes in on a choice, some Senate Republicans are openly advocating a candidate, like Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND).
“I think Doug Burgum would be awesome. He’s my governor, I think he brings tremendous depth, he’s been a great surrogate on the stump, talking about his work with Trump when he was president and Doug was governor,” Cramer said, speaking with the Washington Examiner on Tuesday. “I think he’s been a great advocate for not just energy but for economic policy in general.”
The two-term governor has traveled frequently with Trump on the campaign trail and went to Manhattan to attend and support Trump during his trial where he was convicted of falsifying business records related to a payment to a porn star.
“He’s been a great advocate for Donald Trump, articulate, he goes deep and drills down,” Cramer said. “Donald Trump is a good brander and marketer, and I think Doug Burgum puts meat on those bones in a very convincing way.”
Most other GOP senators the Washington Examiner spoke with on Tuesday were not openly advocating for a specific VP choice.
“I’m watching real closely and I think the three of them that have been declared would do a great job,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) said of Bergum, Vance, and Rubio.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), who recently huddled with Trump to discuss policy issues ahead of the first presidential debate, also did not openly endorse any of the picks.
“He’s got a lot of great options,” Schmitt said. “I’ve got good relationships with the senators that I think are being most considered and like I said, he’s got a lot of great options. It’s a good problem for him to have.”
Beyond the VP picks, there’s speculation that Trump could be considering a number of Senate Republicans for top spots in his Cabinet if he were to win the general election in November.
The potential to scoop talent from the Senate is a departure from 2016 when Trump focused his attention on the House. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) was tapped for interior secretary, Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) was chosen for health secretary, and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) served as CIA director and then later secretary of state. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) was the only one from the upper chamber picked to be attorney general.
However, the Senate has previously been a place presidents look to when assembling their Cabinet. More than 40 senators have resigned their positions to take Cabinet posts, according to the Senate Historical Office.
There’s been some buzz that Trump could look to Rubio for a Cabinet post if he does not select him as a running mate. Also high up on the list of Republicans who could be considered for a second Trump administration are Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), who previously served as the ambassador to Japan, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), an Army combat veteran who is currently running to join Senate GOP leadership and Schmitt, a former state attorney general.
“I would be honored to be considered in that capacity, but I love serving the people of my state in the Senate, and I’m not going to get too far ahead of myself,” Schmitt said when asked about the potential of serving in a future Trump administration.
Meanwhile, Cramer openly advocated Senate Republicans to stay in the upper chamber if Trump were to win the White House for a second time.
“I personally think unless you’re at the end of your Senate career, the Senate is a better place to make a bigger difference,” he said. “But, if somebody aspires to that and they pick them for whatever reason, there are some great ones.”
“Whether it’s a guy like Tom Cotton, with his incredible knowledge of intelligence, foreign relations, armed services — obviously he would be a great secretary of state, secretary of defense; there are others as well — but I like all my friends staying right where they are,” Cramer said with a laugh.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the No. 4 House Republican, has also been talked about as a potential Cabinet consideration. However, some Republicans on Capitol Hill are cautioning their colleagues about counting their chickens before they hatch.
“It’s far too early to be even thinking about this,” an adviser to a Republican senator who asked to remain anonymous in an effort to reflect candidly on the topic said. “We need to be clearly focused on winning the election — then we can start to consider which senators would make great Cabinet members.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) is warning his House colleagues against openly casting doubt on the strength of President Joe Biden’s reelection bid, calling it “deeply self-destructive” if he ends up remaining the Democratic nominee.
Torres, who represents the New York borough of the Bronx, issued the reproach on Monday as some of his fellow Democrats speak out publicly and anonymously to the media in the aftermath of Biden’s disastrous debate.
“Regardless of where one stands on the question of President Biden’s political future, the intra-party mixed messaging strikes me as deeply self-destructive,” Torres said in a statement, released just as lawmakers return from the July 4th recess. “Those publicly calling on President Biden to withdraw should ask themselves a simple question: what if the President becomes the Democratic nominee?”
Regardless of where one stands on the question of President Biden’s political future, the intra-party mixed messaging strikes me as deeply self-destructive.
Those publicly calling on President Biden to withdraw should ask themselves a simple question: what if the President…
Torres’s statement echoed a letter Biden sent his colleagues that morning in which he reiterated he will not step aside.
House Democratic leaders have already begun to discuss with their members how to move forward, including a Sunday afternoon phone call in which several Democrats made the case for Biden to stand down, according to multiple reports. Those who want Biden to withdraw as the Democratic nominee now include senior members of the party, such as Reps. Joe Morelle (D-NY), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Adam Smith (D-WA), and Mark Takano (D-CA).
Notably, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, expressed support for Biden on Monday.
“The drip, drip, drip of public statements of no confidence only serve to weaken a President who has been weakened not only by the debate but also by the debate about the debate,” Torres added. “Weakening a weakened nominee seems like a losing strategy for a presidential election. The piling-on is not so much solving a problem as much as it is creating and compounding one.”
“The process by which we decide how to move forward matters as much as the decision itself,” the New York congressman said.
House and Senate Democrats plan to huddle in their weekly caucus meetings on Tuesday. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) had also been encouraging Senate Democrats to meet to discuss the path forward, but the separate meeting has been scrapped for now.
Phoenix, AZ
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