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2028 Hopefuls Face Ron DeSantis’ Timing Trap

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“Top aides for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ failed 2024 presidential campaign have a warning for Democratic governors eyeing a 2028 run: Don’t wait too long after November’s midterms to jump into the race,” Axios reports.

“In the coming months, Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Wes Moore of Maryland, JB Pritzker of Illinois and Andy Beshear of Kentucky will face a dilemma similar to what confronted DeSantis after his 2022 reelection:”

“Do they get in the race early — before their postelection legislative sessions start — and risk not being focused on their constituents? Or do they wait until late spring to rack up policy wins and give their opponents a head start on a White House run?”

Democratic Candidate Attacked at Campaign Event

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Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton (D) was reportedly attacked at a campaign event on Sunday, WLWT reports.

According to a statement put out by Acton’s campaign, an armed individual lunged at Acton while she was at the Canfield Fair in Mahoning County, resulting in the injuries of multiple people who were nearby.

Michael Cohen’s Tortured Path From ‘Rat’ to Reconciliation

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New York Times: “In his eagerness to return to the president’s good graces, Mr. Cohen now says he ‘felt pressured and coerced’ by prosecutors to testify. But he has not actually disavowed anything that he swore to under oath about Mr. Trump’s hush money scheme to cover up an affair with an adult film actress or about his former boss’s efforts to defraud his lenders.”

“And so this unlikeliest of rapprochements between two men who helped get each other convicted of crimes is built not on an emotional outpouring of forgiveness but on what looks like a pretty straightforward bargain, spoken or unspoken, according to people close to both. Mr. Trump is trying to use his former lawyer’s desire for absolution to rewrite history as he presses his effort to overturn his conviction. Mr. Cohen gets to position himself as an insider once again and possibly obtain a presidential pardon to wipe out his own felony record.”

Pennsylvania Democrat Might Challenge John Fetterman

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Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) said he “might” mount a primary challenge to Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) in 2028, NewsNation reports.

Said Deluzio: “I might, I haven’t decided that. And to be really blunt, I’m doing everything I can right now to help Democrats in Pennsylvania flip congressional seats to give Josh Shapiro a governing majority in the state Senate and grow the majority in the state House.”

He added: “John Fetterman’s nowhere to be seen on the campaign trail. And again, to be very blunt, I don’t think there’s any Democrat in Pennsylvania who wants him campaigning with them.”

Trump Suggests Renaming New Mexico

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“The White House on Sunday amplified President Donald Trump’s call to rebrand New Mexico as ‘New America,’ reposting an image from the president’s Truth Social account showing the state’s name crossed out and replaced with ‘America,'” Fox News reports.

Mediaite: Trump hints at renaming U.S. state after Lake America name swap.

House GOP Conference Chair Stands by Max Miller

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House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-MI) said while she hopes abuse allegations against Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) are “not true,” she is supporting his reelection bid for a third term because “I will support anyone with an R behind their name,” CBS News reports.

Said McClain: “At the end of the day, he’s our nominee right now. I wish the allegations weren’t true.”

Mediaite: House Republican grilled about support for embattled rep. accused of domestic abuse.

Republicans Fight for Survival in More Senate Races

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New York Post: “The number of Republican-held Senate seats that are toss-ups or lean Democratic has surged from three in May to six as the post-Labor Day midterm homestretch is about to begin.”

“In May, only the GOP-held seats in North Carolina, Maine, and Ohio were considered toss-ups or leaning towards Democrats. Now, Texas, Iowa, and Alaska have also turned into toss-ups, per the Cook Political Report.”

The GOP Might Lose Half the Seats They Gerrymandered

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“Republicans’ are growing increasingly worried their mid-decade gerrymandering push isn’t going to save their House majority,” Politico reports.

“The norm-breaking plan hatched by the White House last summer to draw new maps to protect the party from an unfavorable midterm environment is not on track to bear the fruits they hoped it would. Two months out from Election Day, Republicans are sweating races they thought they would win comfortably when they redrew district boundaries.”

Interestingly, we have a word for this.
Taegan

Democrats Have Their Campaign Message On Data Centers

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“Democrats want voters to see data centers as giant outposts of megacorporations that enjoy undue tax breaks and ill-begotten monstrosities that suck up precious water and hog electricity,” Politico reports.

“After months of probing and message-testing, Democrats are aligning on a few key thematic attack lines as they figure out how to take advantage of a fast-moving issue riling up voters across the political spectrum.”

“The two themes of costs and corruption have dominated politics during President Donald Trump’s second term, and new party guidance makes that strategy even more explicit.”

The Jobs Apocalypse Is Postponed

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The Economist: “Perhaps AI will eventually make many humans unemployable—but there is no sign of it yet. On September 4th the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 162,000 jobs in August, far above expectations. The unemployment rate is just 4.1%, lower than in almost 90% of months over the past half-century.”

“Young workers, often cast as AI’s first victims, are holding up remarkably well: the gap between unemployment among 20-24-year-olds and the overall rate is close to a multi-decade low.”

Fired DeSantis Staffer Gets Second Chance with Rubio

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“In 2023, a young speechwriter for the presidential campaign of Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida suffered a seemingly devastating career setback,” the New York Times reports.

“Within days of Nate Hochman’s promotion of a pro-DeSantis video that flashed an image embraced by white supremacists, public outcry grew, and he was among a group of staff members fired by the campaign.”

“But Mr. Hochman’s career was not over… This year, Mr. Hochman took a position as a senior aide to one of the most powerful figures in the federal government… According to Mr. Hochman’s email signature, he is also Mr. Rubio’s chief speechwriter.”

Lavrov Says Germany Is Moving Toward War with Russia

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“Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Germany of moving toward a direct confrontation with Russia as he criticized Berlin’s decision to close some diplomatic offices after a drone incident at Leipzig airport,” Bloomberg reports.

Said Lavrov: “In general, this is, broadly speaking, kind of the beginning of a real war. I remember that before the start of World War II, the Great Patriotic War, the Germans also closed their diplomatic missions. They want war again.”

How Billions in Iranian Money Passes Through U.S. Banks

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“As the Trump administration tightens its economic squeeze on Iran, it faces a surprising weak link in its campaign to cut off the regime from the global financial system: America’s own banks,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Billions of dollars of Iranian funds are flowing through clearing accounts at American banks each year, Western officials and researchers say, despite sanctions that prohibit anyone subject to U.S. law from taking part in almost all financial activity linked to Tehran.”

“Iran accesses the accounts through foreign partners that maintain relationships with U.S. banks, part of a more than century-old system called correspondent banking that helps tie the global financial system together, while also providing Tehran with plenty of ways to secretly infiltrate it.”

U.S. Running Low On Advanced Defensive Missiles

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“The statistics are sobering — so sobering that Defense Department officials refuse to confirm, deny or discuss them,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“From Feb. 28 through July, the first five months of the war with Iraq, U.S. forces burned through almost 60% of the nation’s advanced defensive missiles — the Patriot and THAAD interceptors that protect American troops.”

The MAGA Merchandise Boom Is Going Bust

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Wall Street Journal: “Many MAGA-centered merchandise retailers and their suppliers are seeing sales dwindle, according to interviews with wholesalers, sales representatives, business owners and employees. As the president’s approval rating hovers near all-time lows, imperiling Republicans’ control of Congress, store owners blame a stagnant economy and weaker MAGA enthusiasm for lower sales. Some stores are closing permanently.”

German Far-Right AfD Party Short of a Majority

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“The far-right Alternative for Germany decisively won the state election in Saxony-Anhalt amid growing public discontent with the political establishment, but is expected to fall short of an outright majority to form a government,” Bloomberg reports.

“The AfD secured 44.5% of the vote on Sunday in the eastern state, well ahead of the long-governing Christian Democratic Union with 18.5%.”

Energy Secretary Says Iran Nuclear Deal Unlikely

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“Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that a nuclear agreement with Iran, long sought by President Donald Trump, may not come to fruition after months of war with the country,” ABC News reports.

Said Wright: “There may not be a nuclear agreement. It may be simply destroying their capabilities to do it. An agreement may await a next administration in Iran. We simply don’t know that.”

Bloomberg: U.S. energy chief says Navy to defend Hormuz until Iran backs down.

About Political Wire

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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