“Mike Pompeo is running — if not for president, then for a chance to be Donald Trump’s running mate should the former president mount another campaign,” NBC News reports.
“Pompeo is methodically laying the groundwork for his own 2024 presidential bid if Trump skips the race. And Trump has already told associates that Pompeo, one of the few top Cabinet officials who never lost favor with him, could make his vice presidential short list if he runs again.”
A new OH Predictive Insights poll in Arizona finds President Biden’s approval rate has hit a new low of 40% to 55%.
Biden is also facing negative numbers on nearly every issue that has dominated news headlines in recent weeks.
Said pollster Mike Noble: “Biden’s record-low approval ratings are encouraging to Arizona Republicans as they look to notch victories in several key races. Majority disapproval of the President always trickles down ticket as the entire party suffers residual damages.”
“Frustrated members of the House Jan. 6 committee are ratcheting up the public pressure on Attorney General Merrick Garland to pursue criminal charges against former Trump White House aides who are refusing to testify before the panel, arguing his failure to act is hurting their investigation,” the Washington Post reports.
For members: A Criminal President
Donald Trump said he is not interested in becoming speaker of the House if Republicans win control of the chamber in this year’s elections.
“Republican candidates this year are increasingly ducking out of primary debates or demanding greater control over the terms than ever before, raising questions about the future of an institution that has long been a central part of American campaigns,” Politico reports.
Playbook: “A Democratic source recently complained to us about what some see as swampy self-promotion over at the NRCC: According to recent FEC filings, the GOP committee has spent more than $75,000 on bulk book sales, stocking up on Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-OH) Do What You Said You Would Do, and giving away copies as “donor mementos.”
“Even as the tactic isn’t new, from where we sit, it’s surprising for another reason: Once upon a time, a half-decade ago, Jordan and the NRCC were at war over strategy and candidates — not to mention his group, the Freedom Caucus’ habit of not paying NRCC dues. To see the party’s official campaign apparatus promoting Jordan’s book is still a shock to those of us who covered that era.”
“Crossings at the southwest border have been peaking again in recent weeks, and homeland security officials are bracing for those numbers to rise much higher if the Biden administration decides to lift a public health order that has limited immigration during the pandemic,” the New York Times reports.
Playbook: “All signs point to a typical midterm election this year in which the president’s party suffers double-digit losses in the House. The GOP has the big structural advantages on its side: a Democratic president with low approval ratings, a sour public mood driven by inflation concerns and an edge in polling on issues like crime, education and immigration that are proving important to voters in the crucial swing suburbs where the midterms will be decided.”
“One of the few ways Republicans could potentially blow this electoral equivalent of a layup is if former President Donald Trump suddenly returns to center court.”
“Trump is not toxic for his party everywhere. Republicans did better than expected in House races in 2020 because of the high MAGA turnout Trump generated. But he’s deadly for the GOP in the decisive suburbs at the heart of 2022 politics. Recall how Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin treated Trump like Voldemort, concerned that even uttering his name would repel potential supporters in NoVa.”
“Rick Scott likes to think of himself as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War,” the AP reports.
“Barely halfway through his first Senate term, the Florida Republican is already leaning into a fight against his own party’s leadership as he navigates a delicate alliance with former President Donald Trump and pushes a handcrafted policy agenda that many Republicans reject.”
“But Scott, who is also the Senate GOP’s midterm chief, insists he has only begun to fight.”
“There’s no Senate Republican quite like Bill Cassidy: He voted to convict Donald Trump of inciting an insurrection after getting reelected by 40 points, while helping cut big deals on Covid relief and infrastructure,” Politico reports.
“Now he’s eyeing the governor’s office in Baton Rouge.”
“The Louisianan confirmed in an interview that he’s considering running for governor in his state, which has elected conservative Democrat John Bel Edwards to two consecutive terms — the first one over former Sen. David Vitter (R-La.). Cassidy said it’s not his idea, but that he’s ‘been approached to run for governor’ by people in the state.”
“A Russian TV host called for ‘regime change’ in the U.S., and also for former President Donald Trump to be reinstated,” Mediaite reports.
“The host, Evgeny Popov, went as far as to refer to Trump as a ‘partner’ to the Russian people.”
“Former president Donald Trump’s Truth Social app is seeing a 93% drop in signups and similarly steep decline in traffic after a rocky rollout last month fraught with technical issues and an extensive waiting list for new signups to actually use the service,” The Wrap reports.
“After going live on President’s Day, the Twitter-lookalike app saw installs decline by more than 800,000 since its launch week… Installs on the Apple app store this month have fallen to about 60,000 per week, based on early estimates.”
“Kevin McCarthy isn’t the only senior Republican who wants to have a talk with Rep. Madison Cawthorn about his claim that some of his colleagues invited him to orgies and used cocaine,” Politico reports.
“Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), who chairs the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus to which Cawthorn belongs, said he plans to speak to the North Carolina Republican one-on-one about the incendiary comment. Perry further indicated that Cawthorn should identify the individuals he alleges engaged in that behavior.”
“Perry is not alone in that opinion among House Republicans — Cawthorn’s claims caused an internal uproar at Tuesday’s conference meeting.”
Former President Donald Trump said during an interview with a far-right television show that Russian President Vladimir Putin “should release” information on business dealings between Hunter Biden and oligarchs in Eastern Europe.
Trump was impeached in 2019 for asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to dig up dirt on Joe Biden and his son.
“House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is threatening telecommunications and social media companies that comply with a request by the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, declaring that Republicans ‘will not forget’ their actions,” the Washington Post reports.
“McCarthy spoke with then-President Donald Trump on the day of the attack and is a potential witness in the select committee’s probe.”
David Perdue (R) said he “misunderstood” the Donald Trump supporters who chanted about imprisoning Gov. Brian Kemp (R) when he smiled and flashed them a thumbs-up sign at the former president’s rally, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) accused a top Republican state lawmaker of “covering” for state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg (R) after a committee recommended against impeaching him for his involvement in a fatal car crash, the Washington Examiner reports.
Said Noem: “Jason Ravnsborg killed a man, lied to investigators about the events of that night, and attempted to cover it up. Joseph Boever’s family deserves justice.”
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.