Rep. Elise Stefanik has built out an extensive political team as she prepares to launch a 2026 campaign for New York governor in November, Axios reports.
Stefanik has more than $13 million in cash on hand — more than any other New York House Republican in recent history — and is hiring a slate of veteran political operatives as she seeks to be New York’s first GOP governor since George Pataki.
More Americans blame President Trump and Republicans in Congress than Democrats for the nearly month-long government shutdown, 44% to 33%, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.
A new Marist Poll in New York City finds Zohran Mamdani leading the mayor’s race with 48%, followed by Andrew Cuomo at 32% and Curtis Sliwa at 16%.
Even if Sliwa were to drop out of the contest, Mamdani would lead 51% to 44%.
A new Quinnipiac poll in New Jersey finds Mikie Sherrill (D) leading Jack Ciattarelli (R) in the governor’s race, 51% to 43%.
Given a list of 11 issues and asked which is the most important one in deciding who to vote for in the election for governor, 25% of likely voters say taxes, 16% say ethics in government, and 14% say health care, with no other issue reaching double digits.
“With all the talk in the Senate about beginning to find a way out of the shutdown, House Democratic leadership showed polling today to their rank-and-file members in a bid to keep the government closed until they get a deal on Obamacare,” Punchbowl News reports.
“This comes as some states have declared emergencies in an effort to deal with a lapse in SNAP funding, the federal program that helps feed more than 40 million Americans.”
“Molly Murphy, a top Democratic pollster at Impact Research, presented data Thursday that showed voters, by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, endorsed Democrats’ strategy to keep the government closed while they fight for a deal to keep premiums from spiking.”
“A federal judge on Thursday indicated she would probably order the Trump administration to use reserves to partially fund food assistance for about 42 million Americans in November, potentially delaying a complete cutoff in benefits during the government shutdown,” the Washington Post reports.
Columbia Journalism Review: “If Isaac Chotiner comes calling for an interview, is it best to just hang up? His Q&As for The New Yorker have been known to spark their own media-news cycles, often for reasons that aren’t flattering to the interview subject.”
“That was the case on Monday, when Chotiner’s latest Q&A dropped—a lengthy interview with Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary under President Joe Biden, about her new book, Independent. The interview shows Chotiner at the height of his powers, relentlessly pressing Jean-Pierre on inconsistencies such as why she didn’t think Kamala Harris could win the 2024 election but was also mad at Democrats who called for an open convention.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris said that then-President Joe Biden “didn’t want that debate,” describing a reluctant president whose fateful night on stage accelerated President Trump’s return to the White House, Axios reports.
Said Harris: “If you don’t want to be in the competition, it will absolutely have an impact on your performance. I’m pretty sure that he did not want to debate… I think he got talked into it.”
A new Suffolk University poll in New Jersey finds Mikie Sherrill (D) leading Jack Ciattarelli (R) in the governor’s race, 46% to 42%.
Federal officials have charged Maryland state Sen. Dalya Attar (D) on extortion and conspiracy charges, the Washington Post reports.
According to the court docket, Attar was charged with eight crimes, including multiple counts of conspiracy, extortion via interstate communications, aiding and abetting, interception and disclosure of a wire, and more.
President Trump might not be on the ballot in New Jersey, “but he is one of the biggest forces in the state’s surprisingly competitive gubernatorial election,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump lost New Jersey last year by less than six percentage points — a far lower margin than in past elections, which saw Republicans lose the state by double digits every cycle in the last 20 years. That narrow loss prompted Republicans to dare to hope they might win the governorship this year.”
Just published: A Call at 4 AM: Thirteen Prime Ministers and the Crucial Decisions that Shaped Israeli Politics by Amit Segal.
The full and untold story of Israeli politics penned by one of Israel’s most distinguished political journalists.
President Trump said China and the U.S. are working together on ending the war in Ukraine, but “sometimes, you have to let them fight,” Politico reports.
“The Senate voted Wednesday to end the national emergency that President Donald Trump declared to impose tariffs on imports from Canada,” the Washington Post reports.
“Four Republicans joined with all Senate Democrats to approve the measure, which passed 50 to 46.”
“But it won’t go into effect because it would still need to be approved by the House, which voted earlier this year to block all legislation challenging Trump’s tariffs until March 2026.”
Punchbowl News: “This compromise is a shocking development. Ohio’s constitution mandates a complicated redistricting process that includes the commission and the state legislature. The Buckeye State is required to redraw its map for 2026 because it passed in 2021 without bipartisan support.”
“Both parties expected the commission to reach a stalemate and that redistricting would revert back the state’s GOP-controlled legislature.”
“But Democrats were able to successfully leverage the prospect of a referendum campaign. For their part, Republicans dangled the threat of pushing through a less favorable map if Democrats rejected their offer.”
Gallup: “Building on last year’s less-negative assessments of crime in the U.S., Americans’ perceptions have again improved in 2025.”
“Less than half, 49%, now say crime is an ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ serious problem in the U.S., and the same percentage say crime has increased in the past year. These readings are down seven and 15 percentage points, respectively, since last year and are at their lowest levels since at least 2018.”
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.
