“Campaigns and PACs spent at least $3.2 million at Trump-owned and branded properties throughout the two-year midterm election cycle, a CNN analysis of Federal Election Commission filings shows. And the total could rise after post-election financial reports are published by the commission.”
“No single group spent more than the Republican National Committee, which spent at least $1.2 million at the properties since the start of 2017.”
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) said that he’s won his closely contested Senate race against Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and that his opponent is “committing fraud” in an effort to steal back the race from him and is a “sore loser,” Politico reports.
Said Scott: “Senator Nelson is trying to commit fraud to win this election.”
NBC News: “Two members of congress, a cabinet official, a presidential confidant and a frequent guest on Fox News are among those being considered by President Trump to be the next attorney general… Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) and retiring Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) have also joined the list of those in the running.”
“President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel his visit to an American military cemetery outside of Paris threatened to overshadow his trip here, as government officials, historians, and fellow Republicans hammered him for more than 24 hours for that move,” Politico reports.
Said GOP operative Tucker Martin: “If Dems can’t figure out how to make hay for days out of Trump not visiting military cemetery on anniversary of conclusion of WWI because of a little rain…while other leaders attend…they really don’t deserve to win in 2020.”
“A topless female protester with ‘Fake Peacemaker’ scrawled across her chest ran at the motorcade carrying President Trump along the Champs Elysees in Paris ahead of a ceremony on Sunday to mark the end of World War One,” Reuters reports.
“She came within a few meters of Trump’s motorcade before she was apprehended by police, in an incident that is likely to raise questions about security at the event attended by some 70 world leaders.”
“Leaders from around the world gathered at the Arc de Triomphe on Sunday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I even as the international bonds that were forged in that moment of peace have again come under strain,” the New York Times reports.
“President Emmanuel Macron of France, who hosted the ceremony on a dreary, rain-soaked day, used the occasion to implicitly rebuke the ‘America First’ assault on globalism and international institutions by President Trump, who sat nearby stone-faced and unmoved.”
Said Macron: “Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism by saying, ‘our interest first, who cares about the others?’”
“Mr. Trump, listening to a translation through an earpiece, appeared grim during the speech and clapped unenthusiaticly afterward.”
Pete Davidson appeared on the “Weekend Update” segment of Saturday Night Live to apologize to veteran and congressman-elect Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), and this time he brought Crenshaw with him.
Said Davidson: “The man is a war hero and he deserves all of the respect in the world. And if any good came of this, maybe it was that for one day the left and the right finally came together to agree on something — that I’m a dick.”
Incoming House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff told Axios that Democrats plan to investigate whether President Trump abused White House power by targeting — and trying to punish with “instruments of state power” — the Washington Post and CNN.
Harley Rouda (D) beat Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) in one of California’s most closely watched congressional races, the Associated Press projected.
“Rohrabacher’s strong identification with President Trump and his unabashed support for Russia had made him ripe for a challenge in an affluent district that went for Hillary Clinton in 2016.”
The Weekly Standard posted audio of Rep. Steve King (R-IA) using derogatory language to apparently refer to Mexican immigrants at a campaign event after King and his campaign denied the comments were made.
On the audio, King says that if he wants to grow spicy jalapenos, he’ll have to import dirt from Mexico. When King laughs at his comment, an attendee interjects, saying the dirt from Mexico is already “on the way.” King agrees, saying, “there’s plenty of dirt” coming from Mexico, the West Coast and other places, too. “This is the most dirt we’ve ever seen.”
Kyrsten Sinema (D) expanded her narrow lead in Arizona’s U.S. Senate on Saturday with gains in Maricopa and Pima counties erasing smaller losses to Martha McSally (R) elsewhere around the state, th Arizona Republic reports.
Sinema’s lead grew to 29,832 votes and gave her a 1.4 percentage point advantage.
While McSally’s vote deficit grew, Republicans took aim at the election process. In a statement Saturday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee attacked Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, saying he “has been using his position to cook the books for Kyrsten Sinema.”
“A Democrat has all but officially won what’s considered one of the most important local races this election, as Republican Rob Poythress on Saturday conceded to Democrat Anna Caballero in the race for the Senate District 12 seat,” the Fresno Bee reports.
“Once her victory is sealed, Caballero would give Democrats in the state Legislature a supermajority in both houses, just as the state also elected Democrat Gavin Newsom as governor.“
“For Democrats, the victories, near wins and stinging losses on Tuesday have intensified a debate in the party about how to retake the White House, with moderates arguing they must find a candidate who can appeal to President Trump’s supporters and historically Republican suburbanites, and progressives claiming they need someone with the raw authenticity to electrify the grass roots,” the New York Times reports.
“Rather than clarifying which strategy to adopt for 2020, the patchwork of outcomes has only deepened the disagreements. Both wings of the party are now wielding fresh evidence from the midterm results to make their case about the best path to assemble 270 electoral votes and oust Mr. Trump from office.”
Matt Taibbi: “Beware the latest call to ‘move to the center’ — which is just the same old tune, re-packaged.”
Washington Post: “Early Saturday, the White House announced Trump and the first lady had scuttled plans, due to bad weather, for their first stop in the weekend’s remembrance activities — a visit to the solemn Aisne Marne American Cemetery, marking the ferocious Battle of Belleau Wood.”
“It was not completely clear why the Trumps were unable to attend. The cemetery is 50 miles from Paris. Perhaps the president was planning to travel on Marine One, which is occasionally grounded by the Secret Service.”
“But the sight of dignitaries arriving at other sites outside Paris, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, led some foreign policy analysts to speculate the U.S. commander in chief just wasn’t up for it.”
USA Today: Critics denounce “low energy” Donald Trump for skipping World War I cemetery visit.
Andrew Gillum (D) withdrew his concession to Ron DeSantis (R) in the Florida governor’s race on Saturday, hours after the secretary of state announced a recount of their race and two others, CNN reports.
Said Gillum: “I am replacing my words of concession with an uncompromised and unapologetic call we count every single vote.”
Harley Rouda (D) has declared victory in a hotly contested California race against Dana Rohrabacher (R), the Republican dubbed “Putin’s favorite congressman” who is approaching his 30th year in office, the Sacramento Bee reports.
“Rohrabacher won the Costa Mesa district along the coast of Orange County by 17 percentage points in 2016. The latest numbers have Rouda up by 3.6 percentage points — a lead that is likely to increase as more ballots come in.”
Associated Press: “He aggressively deleted inactive voters from registration rolls, enforced an “exact match” policy that could have prevented thousands of Georgians from registering to vote and launched an investigation that disrupted a major voter registration drive.”
“Now Republican Brian Kemp is declaring himself the victor in Georgia’s race for governor, a race so close that even marginal differences in voting and turnout could make the difference in determining whether the race goes to a runoff.”
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.