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WASHINGTON — If it’s Monday ... It’s the last day of campaigning before tomorrow’s Georgia Senate runoff. ... NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard covers the closing messages by Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker. And just looking at the campaigns, which get the biggest bang per advertising buck, it’s Warnock at $25.2 million, versus Walker at $10.1 million. But now it’s $11.8 million — behind Warnock’s $25 million and the $20.3 million from Georgia Honor, a Democratic Super PAC. Runoff watch: Walker accuser speaks to NBC NewsDays after she first revealed an allegation of domestic abuse against Georgia Republican Senate hopeful Herschel Walker, a former girlfriend of his sat down with NBC News to detail those allegations.

WASHINGTON — Democrats advanced a plan Friday to reorder the early voting states in their presidential primary calendar, one that would put South Carolina first, jettison Iowa and demote New Hampshire. The overhaul calls for South Carolina to hold its Democratic primary on Feb. 3, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire on Feb. 6. Georgia would hold its primary on Feb. 13, with Michigan rounding out the early voting on Feb. 27. Democrats have spent months debating their primary calendar, aiming to increase the diversity of states that help select the party’s standard-bearer and to add more general election battlegrounds to the mix. "Our first-in-the-nation primary is part of our culture and has been in place for over 100 years.

☆ 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.

WASHINGTON — The lobster featured on the menu of Thursday’s state dinner comes with caviar, squash ravioli — and a heaping side of controversy. Maine officials would typically be thrilled to have their state’s most famous export featured at such a high-profile White House event. Maine lobstermen have long prided themselves on sustainability and argue the concern about right whales is misplaced. “I am glad President Biden and his State Dinner guests had the opportunity to enjoy Maine lobster,” Democratic Maine Gov. “The administration should make their policy consistent with their culinary preferences.”The Office of the First Lady, which oversees the state dinner preparations, did not respond to a request for comment.

☆ There is a growing shadow campaign to defend Joe Biden from House Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | 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: +8 min

Three new "war rooms" have sprung up in the past two weeks to combat the House Republican investigations, each backed by multimillion-dollar dark money budgets and some of the best-known operatives in the Democratic Party. Every White House has faced congressional investigations. The White House itself has been preparing for months for the barrage of inquiries, adding both legal and public relations firepower to the White House Counsel’s Office, which is quarterbacking its effort, and encouraging federal agencies to take similar moves. And the White House prefers to stay above the political fray, anyway. I also think it’s the story of Joe Biden as an empathetic father.”

☆ 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.

☆ Republicans win control of the House, NBC News projects, overtaking Democrats by a slim margin
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | 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: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Republicans have won control of the House, NBC News projected Wednesday, handing President Joe Biden a divided Congress after Democrats kept control of the Senate in last week's midterm elections. Republicans finally cemented their takeover a week after polls closed on Election Day, fueled by Democrats' surprising strength around the country. The prospect of a slim majority has triggered more challenges to the House Republicans’ existing leadership team. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the current Republican leader, has faced an uprising of opposition from within his ranks over his ascent to speaker. Like Biden, Obama entered the presidency with Democrats in full control of Congress, until Republicans won the House in his first midterms as Democrats held the Senate.

☆ Vegan canapes and fat donations: How Sam Bankman-Fried won Washington before he lost everything
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | 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: +13 min

Everybody was trying to get in,” said one source close to the Bankman-Frieds’ political operation who requested anonymity to speak candidly. Attempts to contact Sam Bankman-Fried for this article were unsuccessful. Sam Bankman-Fried’s mentor and the spiritual leader of Effective Altruism has disowned him. Sam Bankman-Fried is a Democrat, and he spent at least $40 million supporting the party. Some of the biggest recipients of Bankman-Fried’s money did not respond to NBC News when asked about donations they received.

☆ Demichelis to leave Bayern, take over as River Plate coach
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 14 (Reuters) - Former Argentina defender Martin Demichelis will leave his role as coach of Bayern Munich's reserve team to take charge of his former side River, the German Bundesliga club said on Monday. Marcelo Gallardo is leaving River Plate after more than eight years at the Argentine club during which he won 14 titles. "Bayern and Martin Demichelis have agreed that the second-team coach will move to his former club, River Plate in Buenos Aires, at his own request, to take over as head coach," Bayern Munich said in a statement. Demichelis, 41, began his career as a centre back with River Plate in 2001 before moving to Bayern. "I came to Europe as a player from River to Bayern, now I'm going the other way as a coach," Demichelis said.

☆ Democrats maintain control of Senate, NBC News projects, defeating many Trump-backed Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | 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: +6 min

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona won his re-election contest in Arizona, NBC News projected Friday evening, directing all eyes to Nevada. Because so many people worried — I did — about this democracy," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a news conference late Saturday. A Walker win would keep the Senate 50-50, where Vice President Kamala Harris casts the tie-breaking vote for Democrats. Build something new," Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley tweeted after it became clear his party had lost hope of retaking the Senate. Ballot measures to support abortion rights won in Michigan, California and Vermont, while an anti-abortion measure on the ballot in Kansas was defeated, NBC News projects.

☆ Republicans who questioned the 2020 results are bringing back an old norm: Admitting defeat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | 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

WASHINGTON — The losers of this year’s midterm elections are winning praise for doing something that would be entirely unremarkable in another era — admitting defeat. Of course, dozens of Republican candidates who questioned the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s election won on Tuesday and will end up in Congress, including Ohio’s J.D. This year, Trump helped Cox defeat a well-connected moderate in the GOP primary to run for governor of Maryland. “I will pray for them and their new role for all of us.”Most losing Republican candidates followed scripts more like Cox’s than Trump’s. Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon initially said Tuesday night that she wanted to see more results before admitting defeat.

☆ Republican Ted Budd defeats Democrat Cheri Beasley for U.S. Senate in North Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | 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 — Republican Rep. Ted Budd defeated Democrat Cheri Beasley in North Carolina’s competitive Senate race Tuesday, NBC News projects, letting Republicans retain a seat that will be vacated by retiring Sen. Richard Burr. Both parties spent heavily in the race, though North Carolina Democrats accused the national party of abandoning Beasley in a tight election. And even when others didn’t, we believed in North Carolina and I still do. NBC News exit polls showed that most North Carolina voters rated national economic conditions as not good or poor. Past contests have made national Democrats wary of North Carolina, however.

☆ Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan defeats Republican Don Bolduc in New Hampshire, NBC News projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | 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: +2 min

WASHINGTON — New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan won re-election Tuesday, NBC News projects, defeating Republican Don Bolduc and keeping a critical seat in Democratic hands. While the race attracted less attention than some others, Hassan won her Senate seat six years ago in one of the closest races in the country, and Democrats had grown increasingly nervous in recent weeks as Bolduc seemed to gain strength in polls. After winning the nomination, however, he waffled on 2020, saying the election had not been stolen. Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan at a campaign event on Sept. 10 in Dover, N.H. Scott Eisen / Getty ImagesHe often feuded with fellow Republicans, including his state’s popular Gov. Democrats meddled in the primary because they thought Bolduc would be easier to defeat in the general election.

☆ Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet defeats Republican Joe O’Dea in Colorado, NBC News projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | 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: +2 min

Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado won re-election Tuesday, NBC News projects, defeating Republican Joe O’Dea in a competitive race. Bennet, 57, a former chief of staff to his Senate colleague John Hickenlooper, is seen as a moderate, although he has championed marijuana reform and environmental issues. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., at a rally in Golden on Oct. 26. Good luck Joe!”Joe O'Dea, the Republican nominee for the Senate seat held by Democrat Michael Bennet, at a primary election night watch party in Denver on June 28. Ron DeSantis, a potential rival to Trump for the 2024 presidential nomination, made a point of endorsing O’Dea, prompting criticism from Trump.

WASHINGTON — Polls have closed in Georgia and Virginia, the first in Tuesday's 2022 midterm elections, as the nation anxiously waits for results that will decide which party controls Congress. Republicans are hoping to ride unhappiness about the economy to control the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate. The NBC News exit poll is offering a first look at what drove voters to the polls Tuesday. Historically, the party that controls the White House almost always loses ground in Congress. Republicans need to net five seats to retake the House while they need to net only one to flip the Senate.

“We implore voters and members of the media to allow election officials to do their work.”The process is painstaking. Mail ballotsMail ballots can take extra time to count, especially because lots of Americans are voting by mail. The extra time it takes to count mail ballots was responsible for many of the conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, because Republican-leaning Election Day votes came in first, while Democratic-leaning mail ballots were added to tallies later. Fortunately for anyone eager for results, provisional ballots were just one-eighth of 1% of ballots cast in 2020. Election officials may also re-canvass their results, a quicker process that involves repeating the work they did to reconcile and verify all their data.

☆ Sen. Elizabeth Warren calls Wells Fargo CEO 'evasive,' presses bank for fraud complaints on Zelle payment platform
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Sen. Elizabeth Warren called Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf "evasive," saying the bank's answers to her questions about fraud across the Zelle payment platform were misleading, "insulting and useless." Requests for comment from Wells Fargo and Early Warning Services weren't immediately returned. Jim Seitz, a spokesman for Wells Fargo, told CNBC in October that Warren's analysis is "misleading and inaccurate." Warren also said the reply she received from Wells Fargo was "wholly inadequate given the scope of the problems." "But this assertion, which is an attempt to minimize the impact of the problem at Wells Fargo, is false."

An analysis of debate schedules by NBC News confirms what many political observers have speculated: The number of debates in competitive 2022 Senate races has hit a new low since 2008. Before 2022, each election saw an average of about 20 debates among the most competitive Senate candidates surveyed. The audience awaits a debate between Ohio Senate candidates, Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat, and J.D. He pointed to the recent Pennsylvania Senate debate in which John Fetterman’s stroke-affected performance was widely panned. For instance, far more people likely saw a picture of Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker holding an honorary sheriffs badge on stage than listened to a single minute of his debate with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.

☆ A spiral of violence and fear is creating angst for many voters ahead of the midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | 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: +8 min

For many voters, a vicious spiral of violence and fear is creating angst, paranoia and an overwhelming sense of dread that the nation is on the eve of destruction, according to a growing body of public opinion research. Polls show a large portion of Republicans fear democracy is in peril because they believe that elections are rigged against them. Frustrated by the fear that democracy no longer serves them, some Americans are becoming convinced that violence is the answer. Steele, the former head of the national GOP, said the public and political leaders both bear responsibility for protecting the republic. “But it also gives space for people who want a safer country to plan ahead, too.

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania Republicans announced Wednesday plans to impeach and potentially remove from office Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a national leader among progressive prosecutors who was overwhelmingly re-elected last year. It also comes as progressive prosecutors and recent criminal justice reforms have faced blowback due to rising crime. Republicans control both chambers of the Legislature, but White is the only GOP member from Philadelphia, which is on pace to break last year’s record-setting homicide rate. Pennsylvania’s Constitution gives the Legislature broad power to impeach “all civil officers” for “any misbehavior in office,” though it has almost never exercised that authority. As with the federal impeachment process, a simple majority vote of the state House is needed to impeach.

☆ Can liberals win tough Senate races? Fetterman and Barnes hope to prove it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | 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: +9 min

WASHINGTON — At stake in this year’s key Senate races is not just the balance of power between the parties, but within them. Now this year's Senate races represent one of the toughest electoral challenges yet for the modern progressive movement. These groups will back progressives in open Senate races, but have yet to recruit someone to run against an incumbent Democrat. But both Fetterman and Barnes then went on to be elected lieutenant governor, statewide victories that helped them convince party insiders they could win U.S. Senate races. John Fetterman, the Democratic Senate nominee in Pennsylvania, greets supporters at Nether Providence Elementary School, in Wallingford on Oct. 15.

☆ Democrats struggle with message on inflation in final midterm push
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Shannon Pettypiece | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

“What is our message about why inflation is going to be worse if Republicans win?” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told NBC News in an interview. Even as President Joe Biden and some candidates sharpen their focus on inflation, many Democrats are worried it may be coming too late. “Ads for both parties discussed inflation during the early summer, but since then, pro-Democratic ads have avoided mentions of inflation while pro-Republican ads have increased their discussion of inflation,” the researchers wrote. Economic issues are hitting voters particularly hard in states where Democrats’ control of the Senate hangs in the balance, including Arizona, Georgia and Nevada. In campaign appearances and ads, she’s frequently attempted to explain to voters that the Inflation Reduction Act will lower costs for voters.

☆ Major gun safety group turns its attention to sheriff races with new ads
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | 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: +3 min

WASHINGTON — The country’s largest gun safety group is turning its attention down ballot by pumping money into local sheriff races this election. Everytown for Gun Safety, the massive gun control group founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, told NBC News on Friday it's “leaving no stone unturned in the fight to end gun violence” and will spend $300,000 on digital ads in two sheriff races this year. County sheriffs, unlike most law enforcement officers, are directly elected by voters in most parts of the country. “Sheriffs are elected to enforce the law, not make them,” said John Feinblatt, head of Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund. The Bernalillo County race in New Mexico race falls along more familiar partisan lines.

☆ Democrats are still struggling to make their campaigns look like their voters
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | 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

“If, especially, Democratic campaigns had staff at all levels that looked more like the people they are trying to reach, they would be more effective in reaching those people. White staffers hold more than two-thirds of management roles on Democratic campaigns, Laurison said. Meanwhile, about 80% of communications operatives on Democratic campaigns are white. “There’s real sorting within campaigns by race,” Laurison said. But Laurison noted that the world of political campaigns is both unstable and insular, while it offers little pay for staffers.

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