Political Wire

Georgia Fake Electors Seek to Quash Subpoenas

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“Eleven Republican fake electors from Georgia are fighting subpoenas to testify before a special grand jury in an investigation into whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally interfered in the 2020 election in the state,” the AP reports.

“All 11 signed a certificate declaring falsely that then-President Donald Trump had won the 2020 presidential election and declaring themselves the state’s ‘duly elected and qualified’ electors even though Joe Biden had won the state and a slate of Democratic electors was certified. They filed a motion Tuesday to quash their subpoenas, calling them ‘unreasonable and oppressive.’”

Why This Election Is Tougher to Predict

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The recent polls from CNN/SRSS and New York Times/Siena both show that Democrats on the generic congressional ballot are winning 19% of voters who also disapprove of President Biden.

In the 2018 midterm elections, Republican candidates won just 8% of voters who also disapproved of Donald Trump.

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McConnell Says Trump Will Face ‘Crowded’ GOP Field

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) says former President Trump will face a lot of competition in a Republican primary if he runs for president in 2024, The Hill reports.

Said McConnell: “I think we’re going to have a crowded field for president. I assume most of that will unfold later and people will be picking their candidates in a crowded primary field.”

White House Seeks New Communications Team

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“The White House is considering a major overhaul of its press and communications shop in the coming weeks, a staff shakeup that’s aimed at putting a new team in place to drive President Joe Biden’s message into November’s midterm elections and in the months after voters decide whether his party retains control of Congress,” NBC News reports.

“The effort to revamp the White House press operation comes as Biden has expressed frustration that his message isn’t breaking through to Americans and his approval ratings continue to hit new lows, while his aides prepare for him to seek re-election.”

Maternal Mortality Rate Set to Rise

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The Economist: “America has the highest maternal mortality rate in the industrialized world. With the overturning of Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that abortion was a constitutional right, it is likely to rise. International comparisons are imperfect but in 2018, while in the Netherlands and Norway there were no more than three maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births, in America there were 17.”

“Most U.S. states that now ban abortion, or soon will, allow exceptions if a woman’s life is in danger. But abortion providers and obstetrician-gynecologists say laws tend to be so vaguely worded that they often do not know if they are breaking them.”

Romney Says Boosting Election Deniers Could Backfire

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Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said that helping election-denying candidates in Republican primaries could backfire on Democrats and lead to grave consequences for the country, the HuffPost reports.

Said Romney: “It’s not illegal but it sure is stupid. Be careful what you wish for. You may select somebody who actually wins and then you hurt the country as well as your own party.”

Justice Department Says Trump Probes Will Continue

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Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said the Justice Department’s investigation into various efforts by Donald Trump to undermine the 2020 election will continue regardless of whether the former president announces his intention to again seek office in 2024, The Hill reports.

Said Monaco: “We’re going to continue to do our job, to follow the facts wherever they go, no matter where they lead, no matter to what level.”

She added: “We’re going to continue to investigate what was fundamentally an attack on our democracy.”

J.D. Vance Asks Donors to Pay Off His Debts

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“As Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance (R) fell far short of his Democratic opponent Tim Ryan (D) in recent campaign donations, one of the Republican’s chief fundraising vehicles says it prioritizes paying off the campaign’s debt from the May 3 primary he won,” Roll Call reports.

“The campaign’s biggest creditor: Vance himself. He loaned his campaign $700,000 for the primary.”

Quote of the Day

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“Let’s see what the Congress does. The Congress needs to act.”

— Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), quoted by ABC News, when asked if he was supportive of President Biden declaring a national climate emergency.

A majority in all but three states believe Congress should do more on climate change. However, one of those three states is West Virginia.
Taegan

Bill de Blasio Drops Out of Congressional Race

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Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced that he is dropping out of the congressional race in New York’s 10th congressional district.

Said de Blasio: “It’s clear to me that when it comes to this congressional district, people are looking for another option and I respect that. Time for me to leave electoral politics and focus on other ways to serve.”

Most Say Neither Political Party Has the Right Priorities

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A new CNN poll finds that 67% of voters say that Democratic candidates for Congress in the area where they live aren’t paying enough attention to the country’s most important problems, with just 31% saying that these candidates have the right priorities.

A similar 65% say that Republican candidates in their area aren’t paying enough attention to important national problems, with 33% saying that GOP congressional candidates have the right priorities.

Secret Service Can’t Recover Deleted Texts

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“The U.S. Secret Service has determined it has no new texts to provide Congress relevant to its Jan. 6 investigation, and that any other texts its agents exchanged around the time of the 2021 attack on the Capitol were purged,” the Washington Post reports.

“Also, the National Archives on Tuesday sought more information on ‘the potential unauthorized deletion’ of agency text messages. The U.S. government’s chief record-keeper asked the Secret Service to report back to the Archives within 30 days about the deletion of any records, including describing what was purged and the circumstances of how the documentation was lost.”

This seems more than a little sketchy. It’s not easy to make digital communications entirely disappear unless you really try.
Taegan

Biden Holds Off on Declaring Climate Emergency

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“President Joe Biden will travel to Massachusetts on Wednesday to promote his efforts to combat climate change but will stop short of issuing an emergency declaration that would unlock federal resources to deal with the issue,” the AP reports.

“It was not clear whether an emergency declaration remained under consideration for later action.”

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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