The future of the Democratic Party doesn't run through its left wing or its right wing. It runs through the middle finger.
Sen. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI) understands this.
“I may be more on the moderate side of the spectrum, but I am on Team Fight,” she said last week in an interview with Vox’s Astead Herndon at UChicago, before unwittingly hurling herself back into Trump’s Octagon.
Much like the video she recorded last year with MARK KELLY and co. reminding troops they can refuse illegal orders, it was a relatively innocuous comment about enforcing existing law that unleashed the latest wrath of the right.
Here is the full question and answer.
My understanding of this statement was that both Donald Trump and his lackeys have done many crimes, but given that the court immunized presidents and impeachment is futile, the best way to deter more crimes is to hold the other crime-doers accountable.
Conservatives, however, cast it as a menacing plan to weaponize the government and intimidate young Republicans straight out of politics. Trump legal advisor Mike Davis vowed that Slotkin “will learn why we have the Second amendment.” Trump himself said she should be tried. And the flood of death threats ensued — not only against the Senator, but also against her family and staff. Again.
The last time this happened, Slotkin’s legal advisors urged her to lay low and hope it passed – advice she briefly heeded, to no avail. Trump’s DOJ asked a grand jury to indict her.
This time, she skipped the defensive crouch and came out (metaphorically!) swinging.
She doubled down on social media and in direct-to-camera videos and a slew of cable news hits. She waved away the right’s “pearl-clutching” and “manufactured outrage.” Again and again, she reiterated her contention: crimes should be prosecuted, and anyone worried about that is telling on themselves.
This approach has, unsurprisingly, done little to defuse the furor. The faux-ror. The fuhrer. But neither would assuming the fetal position. And it has rallied Dems from Mark Kelly to Abdul El-Sayed behind her as she hits back (metaphorically!) at bad-faith Trumpists. And there are worse things to have these days than spotlights and enemies.
Slotkin does not always play the role of party unifier, of course; the fundamental premise of Team Fight is that Democratic leadership has been fightless. And with her tendency to just say the thing, she often upsets the powers that be.
But conflict is good; confrontation is necessary. The vitality test has overtaken the purity test.
That’s great news for Elissa Slotkin, who is not of the left. But notably, she ain’t punching left either; she’s punching up.
Or at least, giving them the finger.
Quick Hits
RO KHANNA will be the first elected official welcomed to the campaign trail by Independent Dan Osborn (NE-Sen) on Saturday – a notable sign of his appeal beyond the progressive Dem base.
Osborn has cast billionaire opponent Pete Ricketts as a tool of the “Epstein class” and gone after him for pardoning a convicted rapist, as well as making corruption, AIPAC, endless wars, and AI/data centers key campaign issues – all signature fights for KHANNA.
RO campaigned with Will Lawrence (MI-07) in Lansing on Monday.
AOC was heavily featured in MS NOW’s new 90-minute special on “The Bernie Sanders Effect” and it’s worth watching in full. She sketches out the diverse working-class movement she envisions, and sheds light on how surreal her decade has been, still clearly torn about how to make the most impact and whether that’s compatible with living a full life. This bit of candor also stood out:
“I was one of the only working class people to get elected to Congress, period. I went straight from waiting tables to entering Congress… It was extremely challenging… Washington assumes you’re a millionaire, and there’s a lot of things structurally—you don’t get your first paycheck until a month in. And so you have to figure out, as a working person, ‘How do I move to a new city, find a place to stay, get a suit so I’m allowed to even enter the floor of the House?’”
AOC held a More Perfect University town hall for Troy Jackson (ME-Sen) in Portland on Thursday, and will hold rallies for progressive Randy Villegas (CA-22) in Bakersfield today, former CBC Chair Steven Horsford (NV-04) in North Las Vegas on Saturday, and a Boricuas for Angie Nixon (FL-Sen) rally in Kissimmee – colloquially known as Little Puerto Rico – on Tuesday.
ANDY BESHEAR, who chairs the DGA, is facing escalating pressure over his lack of investment in TX-Gov nominee Gina Hinojosa – and rivals are twisting the knife, per Axios’s Alex Thompson. JB PRITZKER has sent a total of $1.2M to Hinojosa, while WES MOORE reportedly rerouted $100k from his reelection and a GAVIN NEWSOM email raised $75k.
Amid the kerfuffle, the DGA announced a $500k investment in (Trump +34) Oklahoma, where Cyndi Munson appears in striking distance of a blue miracle, and BESHEAR will campaign there down the final stretch, along with NV, NM, GA, OH, WI, IA, & KS. TX, notably, isn’t on the list.
JB PRITZKER has now committed at least $38M to key midterm races, with much of that money – including a new $1M donation to Keisha Lance Bottoms (GA-Gov) – flowing to Black and Hispanic candidates, as well as races in 2028 early states, per Politico’s Aaron Pelish.
Illinois First Lady MK Pritzker donated $500k to Amy Acton (OH-Gov) Wednesday after Vivek Ramaswamy launched his heinous attack ad.
RAPHAEL WARNOCK is pressuring Dems to make deeper commitments to the South, arguing the Senate majority and the party’s future run through the region, Punchbowl’s Laura Weiss & John Bresnahan report.
WARNOCK has been a huge cheerleader for investing in Scott Colom’s MS-Sen race (as has your author!), which is finally happening.
JOSH SHAPIRO launched a federal PAC to help flip the four GOP-held House seats he’s been targeting all year — though it may also be a handy place to park political staff after his reelection until he launches a presidential campaign.
PETE BUTTIGIEG campaigned with Justice Anita Earls in Matthews, NC before headlining a More Perfect University town hall and Bulwark live event in Charlotte, and then a GOTV rally for Shannon Taylor (VA-01), Elaine Luria (VA-02), and Tom Perriello (VA-05) in Henrico County.
PETE is off to Georgia on Saturday for a pair of canvass launches – one with JON OSSOFF in Atlanta, and one in Decatur – and will hit the trail for Pia Dandiya (FL-22), Scott Colom (MS-Sen), & Christina Hines (MI-10) next week.
GAVIN NEWSOM earned a mixed reception in New Hampshire last weekend, according to Politico’s Tyler Katzenberger.
KAMALA HARRIS rallied Culinary Union Workers in Las Vegas for Aaron Ford (NV-Gov) and campaigned in Mississippi on Thursday to boost Scott Colom, with stops in WI, NH, and GA still on deck.
A new St. Anselm poll shows PETE BUTTIGIEG doubling up the rest of the field in New Hampshire, though OSSOFF, KELLY, & AOC are all in double-digits:
Cattle Call Szn
MARK KELLY, ANDY BESHEAR, RO KHANNA, & RAHM EMANUEL were all at The Nevada Independent’s IndyFest in Las Vegas yesterday, being quizzed about their 2028 aspirations by the legendary Jon Ralston & ace correspondent Mini Racker.
MARK KELLY & CHRIS VAN HOLLEN are headed to Albuquerque on Saturday for Sen. Ben Ray Lujan’s 4th in the Nation Matanza Rally, celebrating NM’s new early-state status.
Crooked Media’s Crooked Con (Nov. 5-7 in DC) added JB PRITZKER, MARK KELLY, CHRIS MURPHY, & CHRIS VAN HOLLEN to their featured speaker list, with more names likely to come.
Majority Dems’ What’s Next (Nov. 12-14 in Denver) will feature PETE BUTTIGIEG, RAPHAEL WARNOCK, ELISSA SLOTKIN, CORY BOOKER, CHRIS MURPHY, RAHM EMANUEL, RO KHANNA, & CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, among others.
Highlights from the Big, Beautiful Tracker
JB PRITZKER on Decoder with Nilay Patel
PETE BUTTIGIEG on The Bulwark LIVE from Charlotte
RAHM EMANUEL on The Bakari Sellers Show
ELISSA SLOTKIN on The Ken Harbaugh Show
