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Ron DeSantis is heading into the heart of Trump country in central Wisconsin this weekend — and some of the former president’s supporters aren’t having it. But Republicans in central Wisconsin are showing serious interest in fresh blood. Hermening noted that the Lincoln Day event is on private property, which should keep any demonstrators at a distance. The event is on pace to also break a fundraising record, with an anticipated $30,000 in proceeds all set to go to the county party. NBC News has reported that the Florida governor is planning to step into the presidential fray later this month.

CHICAGO — Former Rep. Bobby Rush, a longtime African American leader in Illinois, plans to throw his support behind Paul Vallas in the mayor’s race, providing Vallas a potential boost among Black voters heading into next month’s election. The endorsement announcement, first shared with NBC News by Vallas’ campaign, is expected Tuesday morning. Rush plans to offer his backing at an event on the city’s South Side that will include an anti-violence march, according to a spokeswoman for the Vallas campaign. Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas speaks during a press conference at his campaign headquarters on Feb. 3, 2023 in Chicago. Al Sharpton, who’s a host on MSNBC, is set to hold a large get-out-the-vote rally at a church whose pastor has backed Johnson.

“If it’s a room of five people, Anita and Bob are two of them,” said a former White House aide, who asked to remain anonymous because the person was not authorized to speak on the record about White House business. The White House declined to comment for this piece. The group of White House aides that were looped in on the discovery immediately was slightly larger and included Dunn, this person said. “Whatever strategy they had has not served him well — the lack of transparency from November to January,” said a second former White House official. Bauer, who didn’t join the administration, has acted as a sounding board for White House lawyers on potential hires.

In 2016, New Hampshire Republicans lifted Donald Trump’s candidacy after he lost in Iowa, becoming the first state to embrace the future president. Chris SununuWhile Trump is considered the early favorite, the doubters, naysayers and haters in the New Hampshire Republican Party could steer him off course. “Just fill in the blanks.”Sununu argued that New Hampshire Republicans are tired of drama and are ready for a new face. New Hampshire Republicans are reeling from the losses in November. I do not think it’s a foregone conclusion,” said New Hampshire Republican Mike Dennehy, a onetime adviser to the late presidential candidate Sen. John McCain.

CHICAGO — The city of big shoulders is going on the offensive in its endeavor to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, with union leaders making a case that the city and state are more labor friendly than others in contention for the event. That's why it makes sense for him and the convention to come to Chicago," Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, said in an interview. But Illinois officials have pushed Chicago as the place for the next convention to make sure there is Midwest representation as the 2024 presidential contest unfolds. The battleground state was technically the site of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, but the Covid pandemic scrapped most in-person events, and Biden accepted his nomination from Delaware. A group with the Democratic National Committee has visited the cities still in contention and is to make a forthcoming recommendation, likely this spring.

☆ Lori Lightfoot's campaign investigated for trying to recruit Chicago public school students to help her win
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

CHICAGO — An explosive revelation is shaking up an already competitive mayor’s race here after incumbent Lori Lightfoot’s campaign sent an email to Chicago public school teachers — in a system she oversees — asking them to recruit students to volunteer on her campaign for school credit. Now, the Chicago Public Schools inspector general is investigating the matter, critics are calling for more extensive inquiries and her opponents are piling on. “CPS OIG has opened an investigation into this matter and we are currently gathering information to determine which, if any, policies have been violated,” the Chicago Public Schools Office of Inspector General confirmed to NBC News Thursday. The probe comes after a deputy campaign manager sent an email to public school teachers — over government email — asking them to recruit students to volunteer for Lightfoot’s campaign in an “externship program” where students could earn class credit. As mayor, Lightfoot directly oversees Chicago schools, appointing the superintendent and members of the board of education.

☆ 'How dare he?' New Hampshire seethes at Biden's planned changes to the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

“How dare he?” Laurie Jasper, a member of the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women, said. Salting the wound was the revelation that South Carolina hadn’t even asked to be first, and officials there contend they were as surprised as anyone to be handed the spot. In South Carolina, the majority of Democratic primary voters are African American. “North Carolina is more diverse than South Carolina. Democrats say they aren’t about to retreat behind South Carolina and anyway, they can’t.

☆ Republicans struggle in the Southwest as Latino voters stick with Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

It belies a conventional narrative that Democrats were universally ceding Latino voters to the Republican Party, a story line repeated throughout the run-up to the Nov. 8 midterms. Instead, indicators show the GOP in danger of losing Latino voters in this region, a prospect that could mean being boxed out of the Southwest for the long term. In New Mexico, the state with the most residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino in the country, Latino Democrats won nearly every statewide race. Even with some Latino voters staying home, NBC News exit polling showed that Cortez Masto won more than 60% of that vote. Still, there’s plenty of danger signs for Democrats when it comes to Latino voters, particularly among men.

☆ Biden's 2024 primary calendar gives Kamala Harris an edge in a future White House bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Jonathan Allen | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden's push to make South Carolina the first major battleground in Democratic presidential primaries has a second big beneficiary: Vice President Kamala Harris. "It's a good demographic mix of having to appeal to Black voters, White working-class voters and Latino and Asian American voters." “How many Black voters are persuaded that the Democratic Party cares about them because South Carolina goes first? South Carolina, one of the most Republican states in the country, isn't competitive at the presidential level in general elections. “South Carolina is also known to be kind to those who’ve been kind to her,” he said.

☆ South Carolina Democrats stunned by Biden’s plan to put them first in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Not even Rep. Jim Clyburn, the longtime dean of South Carolina Democrats and a key Biden ally, received an early heads-up. He found out Thursday night in a phone call from the president, according to a South Carolina Democratic official. Gerald Herbert / AP fileFor a red state, South Carolina plays an outsize role in Democratic politics. The South Carolina plan has plenty of detractors, especially from states that were passed over for the prime spot. Instead, South Carolina would go first, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada on the same day, trailed by Georgia and then Michigan.

☆ Democrats poised to ditch Iowa and promote Michigan in 2024 presidential primaries
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON — Democrats are poised to ditch Iowa and move up Michigan in their presidential primary calendar starting in 2024, according to several Democratic officials involved in the process. New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina are likely to retain their early spots, while Iowa would lose its first-in-the-nation status. The Michigan state Senate voted Tuesday to move their presidential primary to the second Tuesday in February, a month earlier than its current date. “Nevada is a microcosm of the rest of the country.”South Carolina, which boosted then-candidate Joe Biden to a lead Democratic presidential primary contender in 2020, also retained its place as first in the South. That means the two parties will have different presidential primary maps for the first time in years.

They’re offering more policy briefings to longtime supporters, Zoom calls with top administration officials and White House tours, too. "The $500,000 people like me, we’re not going to be players in 2024," said Dick Harpootlian, a longtime Democratic donor and South Carolina state senator. For the White House, the shift is an acceleration of a courtship campaign that began more modestly before the midterm elections. Amid concerns about the omicron variant last year, the White House was forced to abandon plans for a more full set of holiday parties. Some of those same people were invited to the White House next month for an in-person policy briefing.

☆ Iowa GOP threatens to move caucuses to Halloween to mess with Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

But if a different state were to move into Iowa’s slot for Democrats, Kaufmann said he will make sure he keeps jumping so Iowa’s Republican caucus goes first. Kaufmann’s position could complicate the overall schedule even more since New Hampshire has a law on the books that it has to hold its primary just after Iowa’s caucuses. That old system began with the Iowa caucuses, then went to the New Hampshire primary, Nevada and South Carolina. Dozens of states have now applied to take one of the early state positions. The Democratic National Committee’s rules and bylaws committee is scheduled to meet in early December in Washington to discuss the presidential primary schedule.

☆ Democrats’ next big fight: Which state goes first in the 2024 presidential primary
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

With Iowa facing possible eviction from the early states, many expect Democrats to elevate a Midwest state. The DNC’s rules and bylaws committee is scheduled to meet in early December in Washington to discuss the presidential primary schedule. The old system began with caucuses in Iowa, went to the New Hampshire primary, then Nevada and finally South Carolina. This week, Nevada Democrats attempted to leverage their party’s midterm performance into an early state slot — including Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s victory that decided the Senate majority. A Democrat working on Nevada’s push said the DNC has laid out criteria for early state consideration and voter access is a top concern.

☆ Adam Laxalt concedes in Nevada race that tipped the balance of the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Adam Laxalt, the former Nevada attorney general who called the 2020 presidential election “rigged,” conceded his loss on Tuesday in a contest that tipped the balance of the Senate to Democrats. The concession comes days after multiple news outlets on Saturday, including NBC News, had declared his opponent, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, the winner. The race margin was razor-thin, with the latest tally showing Cortez Masto with 48.8 percent of the vote and Laxalt with 48 percent. In the end, Cortez Masto eked out the win by vastly outperforming Laxalt in mail-in ballots. Laxalt noted Cortez Masto and allies spent a "staggering" amount of money against him and he still came within half a percentage point of victory.

“Personalities come and go,” said Dave Ball, the GOP chair in Pennsylvania’s Washington County, who has supported and defended Trump. Trump is preparing to do just that, with a Tuesday announcement expected at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. In Illinois, Republicans had threatened to take two state Supreme Court seats and flip state Senate and House seats. In Pennsylvania, GOP leaders had hoped to at least hold on to the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Pat Toomey. Trump lost the state by narrow margins in 2016 and 2020.

☆ How Catherine Cortez Masto clinched the Nevada seat — and the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The campaign's internal data moving into the fall showed that a significant number of Nevadans still didn't know Laxalt's stance on abortion, said an adviser to Cortez Masto. Cortez Masto clinched Nevada, and that clinched control of the Senate for Democrats, overcoming historical trends that punish the party in the White House. Gas and inflation should have spelled disaster for Cortez Masto, as it did for Nevada Gov. Of those who did vote, 62% backed Cortez Masto. Laxalt did dominate the state's 15 rural counties, but there just weren't enough votes to overcome Cortez Masto in Clark and Washoe counties.

☆ Cortez Masto defeats Laxalt in Nevada, handing Democrats control of the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Despite predictions from her opponent that she'd struggle with Latinos, 62 percent said they voted for Cortez Masto and 33 percent backed Laxalt, according to the NBC News Exit Poll. Laxalt tied Cortez Masto to President Joe Biden’s economic policies, blaming them both for rising inflation and gas prices. Laxalt also sought to tie Cortez Masto to rising crime and what Republicans have said are Biden’s failed border policies — themes that pervaded many Republican campaigns. Cortez Masto, however, sought to woo Republican voters in places like Washoe County, touting her work with people like Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. Laxalt handily won the state’s 15 rural counties, in some counties winning 80 percent of the vote, while Cortez Masto steadily led the reliably blue Clark County, home of Las Vegas.

☆ Nevada results to be delayed by Clark County ballot processing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

“I absolutely, 100 percent do not believe we will know the results of this election tonight,” Bruce Parks, Washoe County Republican Chair told NBC News. But Clark County was less optimistic. “Clark is not counting drop boxes tonight, but to be clear, we said all along that we would only have some of the results on Election Night,” said Nevada Secretary of State spokeswoman Jennifer Russell. “By law, Nevada counties have until November 12 to receive mail ballots.”Based on previous elections, officials estimated the delay in beginning to process ballots could mean tens of thousands of votes in Nevada’s largest county remain uncounted. “Senate, governor, constitutional offices and House races more than likely won’t be called tonight,” Clark County Democratic Party Chair Chris Roberts told NBC News.

☆ Cortez Masto makes a final push with Latina voters in close Nevada Senate race
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

“I didn’t know how I was going to pay the rent.”Barreat credited Cortez Masto for helping her secure small-business assistance to help her business survive the economic hit. And Cortez Masto’s campaign and allied groups say Latinas hold her political salvation in their hands. The strategy to target Latinas began months ago in the spring, before Cortez Masto even knew whom she’d be up against in the general election. Then, Somos PAC, a Democratic-aligned group that advocates for Cortez Masto, began an air assault against Laxalt on Spanish- and English-language TV. “Hispanic voters are leaving Senator Masto just [like] Joe Biden for the same reason everybody else is,” Laxalt said.

☆ In Nevada, Cortez Masto taunts Laxalt with new ads boasting his family endorsed her
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

In the final days of a bitterly fought Senate campaign, Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto wants voters to know that 14 members of her rival’s family have chosen to endorse her — not him. “Today we, the undersigned members of the Laxalt family, are writing in support of the re-election of Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto for the U.S. Senate. Cortez Masto’s campaign, in statewide television ads, accused Adam Laxalt of cashing in on his family name even though he was raised in the East Coast. In October, Laxalt responded to the letter from his 14 family members, tweeting: "It’s not surprising that once again a handful of family members and spouses, half of whom do not live in Nevada, and most of whom are Democrats, are supporting a Democrat,"It's the second time Laxalt family members have endorsed his opponent. Former President Barack Obama at a rally for Cortez Masto and other Nevada Democrats this week poked fun at the Laxalt family dynamic.

☆ Laxalt's fiery closing pitch illustrates Nevada GOP's pro-Trump transformation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

“I have more steak knives in my back from Republicans that have turned on us and stepped on us for their own benefit,” Nevada GOP Party Chair Michael McDonald said at a recent event in Reno. In 2020, Biden carried Nevada by just more than 33,000 votes via a similar path of winning Clark and Washoe counties. "The Republican Party has lost its mind," Cashell said. “Here in Washoe County, we have made it abundantly clear that if you as a Republican damage the Republican brand, there are consequences,” Washoe County GOP Chair Bruce Parks said in an interview. The county, as well as other Republican county organizations in Nevada have formally censured Republicans, like former GOP party chair Amy Tarkanian, after she endorsed two Democrats in Tuesday’s election.

☆ Nevada GOP chair says he was interviewed by the Jan. 6 committee
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Republicans in critical battleground states Biden won in 2020, including Nevada, signed documents falsely asserting that they were their states’ rightful electors and that Trump — not Biden — was the true victor. McDonald was among the six people from Nevada who signed a document asserting that Trump was the winner of the state’s six electoral votes. “Many of you remember we were called, they called us fake electors,” McDonald said at a GOP event this summer, according to the Las Vegas Sun. The Justice Department is also investigating efforts to undermine the 2020 election, including what role the fake elector scheme played. As far as cooperating with federal investigators, McDonald said, his attorney has acted as a go-between, handling all communications.

☆ Obama barnstorms Midwest in play to salvage Democrats' 'Blue Wall'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

MILWAUKEE — Barack Obama did the unthinkable in his 2008 presidential bid, turning out voters in droves to solidify a “Blue Wall,” with decisive wins in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. "Look, listen — hey, hold on, hold on — hold on, hold up — hold on a minute! In both Wisconsin and Michigan, Obama discussed reproductive rights for women. Obama dominated Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania in 2008 and 2012, only for Donald Trump to capture those same states in 2016. The Senate race is tied.

☆ The sleeper county that could decide the Senate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Natasha Korecki | Natasha Korecki Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

All of those factors make Washoe County the ultimate battleground for Cortez Masto and Laxalt. Both campaigns say that in the final 11 days, they’re swamping Washoe County with TV ads, canvassers and events. “Without a significant win in Washoe County, she has very few paths of winning Nevada.”Washoe County eluded Cortez Masto and Laxalt in their most recent statewide races. “The Democrats keep harping on that item here,” Bruce Parks, the Washoe County Republican chair, said of the abortion issue. “As I talk to Nevadans, including in Washoe County, it’s a combination of things — it’s not just the kitchen table issues,” she said.

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