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Wall Street Journal: “Whiskers are spreading across American politics like a five o’clock shadow. In California, they could cause a seismic shift.”
“For the first time since the Great Depression, the state could elect a governor with facial hair. And the whiskers are playing an outsize role in an election where cost-of-living, homelessness and public safety weigh heavily on Californians.”
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich admitted that Bill Clinton’s impeachment over his affair with Monica Lewinsky was “a mistake,” the New York Post reports.
Said Gingrich: “I think it was a mistake because the real problem wasn’t Lewinsky.”
He added: “The real problem was he had committed perjury in a case involving sexual harassment while he was governor. In fact, he was stripped of his law license in Arkansas after he left the presidency, and for five years couldn’t practice because he clearly committed a felony.”
“When asked what the worst thing is about Republicans, the most common response among Americans is President Donald Trump or loyalty to him, while the most common response about Democrats is that they are weak and don’t stand up against Trump or for what’s right,” according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll.
Bloomberg: “President Donald Trump finished off the political career of four-term Texas Republican US Senator John Cornyn, the latest purge in a score-settling revenge tour that burnishes his grip on the GOP base even as it threatens to undercut his near-term agenda for months to come…”
“It also bolsters a growing lineup of vanquished or retiring Republicans in the Senate who have nothing to lose, a group that includes North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, who held up Kevin Warsh’s nomination to lead the Federal Reserve for weeks, and Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who has already pushed back on the president since losing his primary earlier this month.”
CNBC: “A federal judge has been disciplined for having sex in their chambers with a high-ranking law enforcement officer within earshot of staff, attending a partisan political event and for lying to superior judges who investigated the claims, a disciplinary committee revealed.”
“But the identity of the judge and the district court in which they sit is being kept private.”
Mayes Middleton (R) beat Rep. Chip Roy (R) for the Texas attorney general GOP nomination, the Texas Tribune reports.
The race, like others in recent weeks, proved the GOP’s continued loyalty to President Donald Trump, as “MAGA Mayes” pummeled Roy for saying Trump engaged in “clearly impeachable conduct” on Jan. 6, 2021, and supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ failed 2024 presidential bid.
Politico: “Trump is holding the latest Cabinet meeting at the White House today at 11 a.m. Though originally set for a rare Camp David gathering, the confab was moved back to the White House due to poor weather forecasts.”
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Texas finds James Talarico (D) leading Ken Paxton (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 45% to 38%.
Washington Post: “Few politicians have garnered as much scandal in Texas as Paxton. He was impeached by the Republican-controlled state House on multiple charges of abuse of office. His own senior staffers reported him to the FBI, alleging he illegally used his position to help a prominent donor. His wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce last year on ‘biblical grounds,’ citing adultery.”
“And yet, Paxton has repeatedly come out on top. The state Senate acquitted him on all charges, and the FBI dropped its investigation. Paxton won reelection for his current job twice and defeated Cornyn, one of the best-funded Republicans in the country, with a fraction of the resources and institutional support.”
“Senate Republicans are now nervous they’ll have to pour boatloads of cash into the race to prop up Paxton against state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic candidate in the race. Talarico has blown past fundraising records for a contest that is likely to break spending records.”
Nate Cohn: “While it’s tempting to be skeptical, a blue Texas is increasingly easy to imagine. It’s even easier to imagine after Ken Paxton’s victory over John Cornyn, the incumbent senator, in the Republican primary runoff on Tuesday night.”
“That’s partly because Mr. Paxton, the state attorney general, has distinct political liabilities. He’s faced investigation, indictment, impeachment and a messy public divorce.”
“But there’s another reason Democrats might pull off a statewide win for the first time in three decades: demographics. Texas is one of the most diverse states in the country, and national polls show Democrats surging back in support among young and nonwhite voters — and especially Hispanic voters.”
“Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) nearly became Senate majority leader 18 months ago, ending up just a few votes shy of capturing the prestigious post,” Punchbowl News reports.
“Now Cornyn’s 24-year Senate career is over, all at the hands of a vengeful president and an unhappy base.”
“With President Donald Trump’s eleventh-hour backing, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated Cornyn in the GOP primary runoff by a whopping 28-point margin.”
“The advertising price tag for this Republican primary alone: $130 million. But the general election price tag will make the primary look like child’s play.”
G. Elliot Morris: The Texas Senate election is a toss up.
“Donald Trump just ousted another Republican he viewed as insufficiently loyal. Two years from now, his revenge list could be even longer,” Politico reports.
“The president has already lashed out at two House Republicans due to perceived slights, with the White House floating a longer list of potential targets over the past year. Trump could also take aim at several GOP senators up for reelection in 2028 — including Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, Kentucky’s Rand Paul and Indiana’s Todd Young — as he seeks to make a lasting mark on the Republican Party in the final stretch of his presidency.”
Wall Street Journal: “Cuban statistics show around 298,000 international visitors in the first quarter, down 48% from the depressed levels in the same period last year. In March, traditionally high-season, fewer than 36,000 visitors arrived from abroad.”
“Back in 2017 and 2018, when tourism was thriving, nearly 400,000 international tourists visited Cuba on average a month. In those better times, tourism accounted for about 8% of Cuba’s roughly $30 billion economy, employed hundreds of thousands and was a key source of foreign currency.”
“A judge in Florida declined to temporarily block the state’s aggressive new congressional map on Tuesday, allowing it to remain as a lawsuit challenging it moves forward,” the New York Times reports.
“The map could give Republicans four additional seats as they try to maintain control of Congress in the November midterm elections.”
Axios: Florida congressional map survives first court test.
“Former President Joe Biden is suing the Justice Department to block the release of private audio recordings conducted while he was working with a memoir ghostwriter several years ago,” NOTUS reports.
Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE) “was jeered and backpedaled from several of President Donald Trump’s signature policies at a town hall Tuesday evening — his second contentious encounter with constituents within the past year,” NOTUS reports.
“Ken Paxton, the scandal-scarred attorney general of Texas and loyalist to President Trump, defeated Senator John Cornyn in a Republican primary runoff election on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, casting out the state’s senior senator and bolstering Democratic hopes of flipping the seat,” the New York Times reports.
“Lifted by a late endorsement from Mr. Trump that infuriated Republican senators, Mr. Paxton overcame accusations of personal misdeeds and professional corruption, as well as a substantial fund-raising disadvantage, to prevail in one of the nation’s most expensive and acrimonious Republican primary races.”
The Republican U.S. Senate runoff in Texas will come to a head tonight when polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
Leave your thoughts on this and other races in the comments as results come in.
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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