Good news: you are free from my typical pontificating this week!
No main item today, on account of DEAR LORD, there is so much midterm campaigning (and 2028-narrative-setting) to chronicle for you sickos.
Enjoy the reprieve – and don’t forget to vote or whatever.
Quick Hits
I spoke to the Boston Globe’s Sam Brodey for his story on the cavalcade of presidential hopefuls flocking to New Hampshire to campaign for Chris Pappas – a perfectly fine Democrat in a nominally competitive Senate race – while also joining many house parties and pull-asides with local party bigwigs.
This dance is hardly limited to NH, of course. I talked to NBC News’s Megan Brand for her piece on the shadow primary playing out in the midterms, and what 2028ers have on the line Tuesday – other than the end of their pretense for hanging out in early states.
The Washington Sun’s Elena Schneider had a fun curtain-raiser on the post-midterm narrative wars and 2028 jockeying that’s already underway; look forward to a deluge of interested parties memos, cattle calls, official campaign launches, and a DNC framework for primary debates before the year is out…
NYT’s Teddy Schleifer examined the 2028 field’s hobnobbing with megadonors as they gear up for a primary that effectively carries a 9-figure entry fee. It’s worth reading in full, as there’s a bunch of new reporting here, but TL;DR: everyone except KAMALA HARRIS & AOC is already playing this game.
KAMALA HARRIS told CNN’s Isaac Dovere, “I honestly go back and forth” on a 2028 bid, and that the WSJ report on Doug not wanting her to run was inaccurate. The piece underscores her enduring affection from Black voters, and makes clear she thinks little of Dems eager to cast her aside.
Isaac also reports that WES MOORE is telling people he’ll take another look at running for president after the midterms, and that operatives for 2028 contenders are already assembling oppo books on presumed opponents and soliciting hiring suggestions.
This week, KAMALA campaigned with David Crowley (WI-Gov) in Milwaukee, Chris Pappas in Portsmouth & Manchester, Angie Nixon (FL-Sen) on a virtual fundraiser, and arrived in Georgia for a multi-day sprint; she keynotes the Fulton Forward dinner tonight.
In an interview with Aaron Parnas Tuesday, HARRIS said she didn’t think Democrats should pursue another Trump impeachment.
ANDY BESHEAR told Vox’s Rachel Cohen Booth that he would push for universal pre-K for 4-year-olds immediately, and that fixing childcare should be a top priority for Democrats when they retake power in Washington.
BESHEAR was profiled by freelance Kentucky journalist Rainesford Stauffer for the Washington Sun, who portrays kindness as the secret to his success in Trump country, and interrogates how far that could take him in 2028.
BESHEAR campaigned with Keisha Lance Bottoms (GA-Gov) in Atlanta, Deb Haaland (NM-Gov) in Española, Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) in Albuquerque, and Zach Dembo (KY-06) in Lexington.
AOC was profiled by WSJ’s Eliza Collins, Maya Davi, & Sabrina Rodriguez, with an emphasis on her evolution from firebrand to bridge-builder, which risks alienating some on the left. “If we want to guarantee healthcare in America, we need to grow our tent. Period,” she told them.
WSJ reports that when AOC was seeking the top Oversight Committee spot in 2024, she swore off campaigning against colleagues and committed more than her recommended dues to the DCCC – stark departures from how she operated when first elected.
AP’s Joey Cappelletti and the Politico Playbook team also ran pieces this week exploring AOC’s appeal beyond the progressive base – and President Trump keeps admitting at rallies that he kinda likes her.
PETE BUTTIGIEG campaigned with JON OSSOFF (GA-Sen) in Atlanta, Pia Dandiya (FL-22) in Plantation, Jamie Davis (LA-Sen) in New Orleans, Scott Colom (MS-Sen) in Biloxi, key Dems across Colorado, and Christina Hines (MI-10) in Sterling Heights. He’ll rally for Callie Barr (MI-01) in hometown Traverse City tonight, before hitting Minnesota, Wisconsin, & Detroit.
RUBEN GALLEGO spoke to the Culinary Workers Union and campaigned with Aaron Ford (NV-Gov) in Las Vegas, with Teresa Benitez-Thompson (NV-02) in Reno, Katy Padilla Stout (TX-23) in San Antonio, and Gina Hinojosa (TX-Gov) in El Paso.
Politico’s Ali Bianco has more on GALLEGO carving out “a lane as one of the party’s loudest voices on the future of the Latino coalition.”
MARK KELLY headlined Sen. Ben Ray Luján’s “4th in the Nation Matanza” in Albuquerque on Saturday, before jam-packed trips to Maine – where he campaigned for Troy Jackson (ME-Sen) – and New Hampshire for Chris Pappas (NH-Sen), Cinde Warmington (NH-Gov), and other NH Dems.
RAHM EMANUEL returned to NH for at least the 4th time this year, rallying canvassers in Exeter for Pappas & co.
RAHM will be on The All-In Podcast’s live midterm show, presented by Polymarket.
CORY BOOKER continued his focus on the South, phonebanking for SC Dems in Charleston and campaigning for Rep. Shomari Figures (AL-02) in Dothan, who may manage to overcome an aggressive GOP redraw of his district.
JOSH SHAPIRO is on a statewide bus tour, campaigning for Dems across Pennsylvania as he seeks to help flip key House seats and win a trifecta in Harrisburg.
JON OSSOFF was profiled by Vanity Fair’s Aidan McLaughlin as “the short-form content king,” who posits that if 2024 was the podcast election, then the midterms (and perhaps 2028?) are the clipping elections.
GAVIN NEWSOM has built a powerful national fundraising apparatus – and his team actively participated in this story by The Hill’s Amie Parnes detailing that strength, which is a thing you only do if you are running for president.
GAVIN was the guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Wednesday, where he said California will be deploying 1,000 volunteer poll monitors – including 134 attorneys – to protect the vote amid escalating tensions with Trump’s Justice Department.
WES MOORE penned an op-ed for The Hill headlined, “To prevent the next Cornell 7 case, we must raise better men,” which highlights initiatives Maryland has undertaken to both protect young women and lift up young men.
JB PRITZKER, asked by a reporter why he thinks Trump mentions him so frequently, responded, “I think he's jealous of my weight loss.”
Highlights from the Big, Beautiful Tracker
GAVIN NEWSOM on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
ANDY BESHEAR on Real Time with Bill Maher & Pod Save America
KAMALA HARRIS on My Body. My Pod. with Mini Timmaraju & The Parnas Perspective
