“You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about.”
— Hillary Clinton, in an interview with CNN.
Democrats Maintain Strong Lead for Congress
A new CNN poll finds Democrats leading Republicans on the generic congressional ballot by 54% to 41% among likely voters.
“This is the widest margin of support for Democrats in a midterm cycle since 2006, when at this point, the party held a whopping 21-point lead over Republicans among likely voters. That’s also when Democrats seized control of the House from Republicans, making Nancy Pelosi speaker until 2011.”
Political Book Sales Mirror a Divided Country
Data published by book store chain Barnes & Noble show a 57% boost in political book sales compared to the prior year, CNBC reports.
But with a few exceptions, states that voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election tended to also favor the books that cast him in a friendlier light, and vice versa.
Ethics Group Questions Haley’s Use of Private Planes
“A Washington, D.C., watchdog group wants a federal investigation into U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley’s use of private planes owned by South Carolina businessmen,” McClatchy reports.
“The group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, says Haley undervalued the flights by tens of thousands of dollars on her annual financial disclosure form required of federal officials. The ethics group says the flights create the impression of impermissible gifts to a public official.”
16 Accused of Sexual Misconduct Won Their Primaries
A Vice News review has found that at least 30 state lawmakers publicly involved in sexual misconduct scandals since 2017 are up for re-election this year. Despite those allegations, 16 of those candidates won their primaries — which are now over in all but one state — and advanced to the November general election.
Two of those 16 lawmakers, who collectively represent 10 states, are almost guaranteed to be re-elected, since they won’t face a challenger come November.
Quote of the Day
“I can’t say enough good things about Jared and Ivanka. Jared is such a hidden genius that no one understands.”
— Departing U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, quoted by The Hill.
Democrats Maintain Edge In New Jersey’s 11th
A new Monmouth poll in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district finds Mikie Sherrill (D) maintains her lead over Jay Webber (R), 48% to 44% among likely voters.
“The race stands at 50% for Sherrill and 43% for Webber using a model that incorporates a turnout surge in Democratic precincts. A model projecting lower overall turnout shows Sherrill with a 48% to 45% edge over Webber.”
Haley Says She Won’t Run for President In 2020
Departing UN Ambassador Nikki Haley denied she is stepping down later this year to prepare for a 2020 bid for the White House, Roll Call reports.
Said Haley: “I don’t have anything set on where I’m going to go. I’m a believer in term limits.”
She added: “For all of you who are going to ask about 2020, no I am not running for 2020. I can promise you what I’ll be doing is campaigning for this one,” pointing to President Trump.
Avenatti Taunts Donald Trump Jr.
After Donald Trump Jr. joked over Twitter that Michael Avenatti could pick former Rep. Anthony Weiner as his running mate, Avenatti responded that the president’s son will soon “be indicted” on federal charges.
Said Avenatti: “If I were you, the last thing I would be doing is referencing other people getting out of federal prison. Because after you are indicted, you will likely be passing them on your way in. BTW, they don’t have silver spoons or gold toilets in the joint. Buckle up, Buttercup.”
Nikki Haley Resigns as U.N. Ambassador
President Trump has accepted Nikki Haley’s resignation as UN Ambassador, Axios reports.
“Haley discussed her resignation with Trump last week when she visited him at the White House… Her news shocked a number of senior foreign policy officials in the Trump administration.”
Trump Turned Kavanaugh Ceremony Into Political Rally
Hillary Clinton chided President Trump, accusing him of turning the ceremonial swearing in of new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh into a “political rally” in the White House, the Washington Post reports.
Clinton’s comments referred to a boisterous event in the East Room on Monday night that began with Trump apologizing to Kavanaugh “for the terrible pain and suffering” he said they were forced to endure during a chaotic confirmation process.
Trump to Make Ethanol Announcement In Iowa
Des Moines Register: “After months of false starts, President Trump will tell Iowans on Tuesday during a campaign rally in Council Bluffs that he’s opening the door to year-round access to gasoline with higher ethanol blends.”
“A senior White House official said Monday that Trump directed the Environmental Protection Agency to begin rule-making that allows for year-round use of gasoline with 15 percent ethanol or E15. The announcement sets off a review that could make E15 available to consumers as soon as next summer.”
Graham Not Interested In Cabinet Position
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told WYFF that he has “zero interest” in joining President Trump’s cabinet.
Said Graham: “I like him, and I want to help him. I want him to be successful. But I feel I can do more good for the country and help President Trump more effectively by being in the Senate. I’ll help him where I can and say no when I have to.”
He added: “I’m going to run again. There you go, you made news. I’m definitely running.”
McConnell Isn’t a Political Mastermind
Matthew Yglesias: “At the end of the day, the belief that getting two Supreme Court nominees confirmed reflects some kind of peculiar legislative genius on the part of Mitch McConnell doesn’t stand up to any kind of scrutiny. After all, Barack Obama and Harry Reid also got two Supreme Court justices confirmed. So did George W. Bush and Bill Frist. So did Bill Clinton and George Mitchell. That’s just what happens.”
“That’s not to deny that McConnell is a shrewd legislative tactician — he’s an experienced politician and legislative leader, and he’s good at his job. It’s just to emphasize that, in many ways, circumstances make the man.”
“Had the 2016 election broken slightly differently, after all, the blockage on Merrick Garland might have ended up looking like a fiasco that ultimately allowed President Hillary Clinton to swap him out in favor of a younger and more left-wing justice.”
House Republicans Distort In Slashing TV Ads
Politico: “Attacks ads have always been a staple of campaign season. But Republicans have twisted facts in some ads to an extraordinary degree as they fight to save their House majority, weaving narratives about Democratic candidates that are misleading at best — or blatantly false at worst.”
“In several ads, military vets — who count as some of Democrats’ best recruits to defeat sitting Republicans this year — have had their patriotism called into question.”
“Democrats say the spots, aired mostly by the outside GOP super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund and the National Republican Congressional Committee, smack of desperation. In some cases, local Republicans, religious leaders and newspaper editorial boards have have denounced the attacks.”
Trump Makes Men Victims of #MeToo Movement
New York Times: “Rather than falling back on defense amid roiling outrage, especially among women, Mr. Trump is going on offense, trying to turn the furor into an asset instead of a liability. With the world’s loudest megaphone, he hopes to make the issue not the treatment of women in the #MeToo era but the treatment of men who deserve due process.”
“For Mr. Trump and his Republican allies, this is a big gamble, with control of at least one house of Congress and possibly both on the line. Polls generally show that more Americans believed Christine Blasey Ford, the main accuser, than Justice Kavanaugh.”
Democrats Reach Into Deep Red Arkansas
Playbook: “The DCCC is dropping $250,000 on a new TV ad in Arkansas’ 2nd Congressional District, a deep red, R+7 seat anchored in Little Rock that is represented by Rep. French Hill (R-AR). A quarter-million bucks buys two weeks of broadcast.”
”There has been very little outside spending in this district. House Majority PAC, the Democratic super PAC, has spent just short of a quarter-million bucks — it is the top outside spender there. Hill is facing Claire Tucker (D), a state lawmaker. This is a district that President Trump won by 10 points, and Hill won by 22 in 2016.”
Blackburn Moves Ahead of Bredesen In Tennessee
Washington Examiner: “Blackburn cruised past Bredesen in two public opinion polls conducted at the apex of the Kavanaugh controversy. The fresh data suggests the episode has nationalized the Tennessee contest and led Republicans open to voting for the Democrat to retreat to their partisan bunkers. In one survey, Blackburn topped Bredesen by 8 percentage points; in another, she was in front by 5 points.”
