“A Navy engineer who tried to sell military secrets to a foreign country was sentenced Wednesday to more than 19 years in prison, and his wife was sentenced to just shy of 22 years for aiding his plans and then attempting to hide her role,” the Washington Post reports.
McCarthy Walks a Fine Line with the Freedom Caucus
Politico: “In conversations with lawmakers in the Donald Trump-aligned group, McCarthy tried to find areas of common ground on some of their requests, according to two Republicans familiar with the matter. But one of those Republicans said McCarthy made clear in those conversations that he’s disinclined to empower House members to dislodge the speaker next year — arguing it would allow Democrats to wreak havoc in the chamber.”
“And the Californian’s calls to members are simply a run-of-the-mill move to shore up support, McCarthy’s allies say, dismissing the prospect of any serious concessions to the Freedom Caucus or a dark-horse alternative entering the speakership race.”
“The Void Has to Be Filled’
GOP strategist Scott Jennings, a longtime adviser to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), called on Republicans interested in running for president in 2024 to move urgently, pointing to Donald Trump’s rapid political recovery after his supporters rioted in the Capitol, the New York Times reports.
Said Jennings: “The void has to be filled. After Jan. 6, the G.O.P. hesitated and he quickly recovered. DeSantis cannot hesitate.”
Trump Adviser Urges Him to Delay Announcement
Longtime Trump adviser Jason Miller went on the record with the Washington Post: “Everything is about Herschel. I’ll be advising him to put it off until after the runoff. I’m not alone when I say President Trump’s best moves are to put all his efforts to get Herschel Walker elected.”
Miller to the Associated Press: “I’ll be advising him that he move his announcement until after the Georgia runoff. Georgia needs to be the focus of every Republican in the country right now.”
The Trump Brand Is Wounded
Republican strategist David Urban, a former Trump adviser, told the Associated Press that the Trump brand is wounded “no matter what the former president says.”
Said Urban: “Of course, he’s going to claim victory, right? The president touts an accomplishment record that includes victories in uncontested races. He can say whatever he wants. But how do people feel in America? I think people feel not great about the Trump brand right now. It’s bad.”
Urban to the New York Times: “Republicans have followed Donald Trump off the side of a cliff.”
Can Thrower Says He Wasn’t Trying to Hurt Ted Cruz
A man accused of throwing unopened cans of liquor at Sen. Ted Cruz during Monday’s World Series victory parade said he was just trying to share his drinks with the senator, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Trump Left ‘Fuming’ After His Candidates Lose
At least fourteen of Donald Trump’s handpicked candidates are projected to have lost their election bids, according to an ABC News count — results that have some Trump aides concerned as the former president prepares for a “big announcement” regarding his potential 2024 presidential run.
Sources close to Trump described him as “fuming” at his Mar-a-Lago estate Tuesday night as GOP candidates he had backed started to lose or underperform.
Said one GOP operative close to Trump: “This was the end of the Trump era and the dawn of the DeSantis era. Like every other Trump catastrophe, he did this to himself with stupid and reckless decisions.”
Quote of the Day
“I think Trump’s kind of a drag on our ticket. I think Donald Trump gives us problems, politically. We lost the House, the Senate and the White House in two years when Trump was on the ballot, or in office. I think we just have some Trump hangover. I think he’s a drag on our office, on our races.”
— Former Speaker Paul Ryan (R), in an interview with WISN.
Herschel Walker May Face Tougher Path in Runoff
“Herschel Walker performed significantly worse than Gov. Brian Kemp, who easily won reelection Tuesday while Walker failed to crack 50% of the vote,” Axios reports.
“Republicans turning out to vote for Kemp may have helped pull Walker’s scandal-plagued campaign close to 50% — meaning he could have a harder time rallying support on his own in the runoff.”
“And if Democrats control the Senate even without Georgia, motivating Republicans to turn out for Walker could be even more challenging.”
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Walker starts sprint to runoff with GOP reinforcements.
The John Caucus
When John Fetterman is sworn into office in January, 10% of all U.S. senators will be named John.
Democrats Rebuild the Blue Wall
“As Democrats secured key electoral and historic victories up and down the ballot in states such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, they shored up their position in the Rust Belt ahead of 2024, rebuilding the so-called blue wall states that Donald Trump won in 2016,” Politico reports.
“If the dismantling of the blue wall states came at Trump’s own hand in 2016, so too did its reconstruction this week, as Democrats handily ousted candidates endorsed by the former president.”
Larry Hogan Mulls 2024 Bid
Outgoing Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) told CBS News that he’s considering a 2024 bid following Tuesday night’s election results: “I felt like I was on a lifeboat all by myself with everybody on the Trump Titanic. Now, we need a bigger boat.”
DeSantis May Wait on 2024 Announcement
Several consultants in Florida say Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) “likely won’t formally jump into the presidential field until after state lawmakers meet for their annual legislative session,” CNN reports.
“That would put DeSantis on a timeline of a May or June announcement.”
Republicans May Be Stuck with Trump in 2024
Politico: “Republicans critical of the former president were resigning themselves to another reality: they may be stuck with Trump anyway in 2024.”
New York Times: “Trump has built a deep well of loyalty with Republican voters, and party officials cautioned that it was too soon to tell whether he would suffer any lasting political damage beyond a flurry of bad headlines, or whether a rival will emerge to challenge him.”
California Races May Determine House Control
“A string of too-early-to-call California U.S. House races remains in play and might end up determining whether Republicans seize control or Democrats hang on to power,” the AP reports.
“With millions of votes still uncounted Wednesday across the nation’s most populous state, uncertainty remained for about a dozen of the state’s 52 House contests. The most competitive of those races were in the Los Angeles region and the Central Valley farm belt.”
Trump Is Wildcard in Georgia Runoff
“The head of the Senate Republican campaign committee pledged Wednesday to raise whatever money he can and begin an advertising blitz this week for Herschel Walker’s runoff in Georgia against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock,” NBC News reports.
“But there’s one aspect Sen. Rick Scott of Florida won’t weigh in on: whether former President Donald Trump should stay out of the runoff in December.”
Democrats Invest $7 Million In Georgia Ground Game
How the Midterm Polls Performed
Wall Street Journal: “Across the eight most competitive races, Democrats on average did about three points better than the final poll averages calculated by Real Clear Politics. And a number of those averages camouflage a wide disparity among individual polls.”