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☆ How did Democrats make it so close in the House midterm elections?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +18 min

While the GOP did still take the House, the close margin of victory was a performance well below what was possible. Here are eight perspectives from across the ideological spectrum on why the Democrats were able to make it so close. And this reality was essential given the defection of Black and Latino voters to the Republican Party and its candidates. America can credit Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s obstruction of a democracy bill and an economic bill for the narrow Republican House majority. But now, America needs to deal with a Republican House, thanks in good part to Manchin’s obstruction.

☆ Oh, Trump Believes in Yesterday
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Karl Rove | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Donald Trump hates not being the center of attention. So on Tuesday he announced a third run for the presidency, even though Republicans rightly worry his announcement will change the Georgia Senate runoff from a referendum on President Biden to one on Mr. Trump. Fox News exit polls in Georgia showed Mr. Trump’s favorables were 44% and his unfavorables 54%, with 45% very unfavorable. Even some of the former president’s supporters hoped he would stay off the stage at least until after the runoff. But seething from the defeat of so many of his endorsed candidates, and agitated that the spotlight was on other potential 2024 GOP contenders, Mr. Trump filed to run hours after one of his favorite candidates, Kari Lake , was declared the loser in the Arizona governor’s race.

☆ GOP mega-donor Ken Griffin, who's poured $60 million into Republican campaigns this cycle, called Trump a '3-time loser' and said he shouldn't run for president
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

GOP mega-donor and Citadel CEO Ken Griffin called Donald Trump a "three-time loser." Griffin has donated nearly $60 million to Republicans this cycle, and $1 million to Trump's PAC in 2018. Griffin donated $5 million to DeSantis' reelection campaign in 2018, according to data from the transparency website OpenSecrets. Trump and DeSantis are anticipated to clash for the Republican presidential nomination, with Trump deriding the Florida governor with a mocking nickname, "Ron DeSanctimonious." In 2018, Griffin donated $1 million to Trump's Future45 PAC, per OpenSecrets data.

☆ Herschel Walker veered off in a campaign speech to rant about werewolves killing vampires
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Herschel Walker delved into an ancient, mythic debate during a Wednesday stump speech in Georgia. The Senate candidate came out as pro-werewolf as he described the plot of a vampire movie. "I don't know if you know, but vampires are some cool people, are they not?" Perhaps it was the "Underworld" film series that Walker was referencing, which detail a mythical war between vampires and werewolves. But neither Walker nor Warnock won 50% of the required vote outright in the election last week, meaning Walker supporters and Georgia voters alike could be in for three more weeks of vampires vs. werewolves.

They underscore the importance of educating Black voters on the significance of the Dec. 6 runoff between Warnock and Republican contender Herschel Walker. Yet voting rights organizations supporting Warnock say Black voters they’ve spoken with remain energized because expanding Democrats’ majority in the Senate even by a single seat would have a significant impact. Les Talusan / Courtesy MoveOnIn last week’s election, Warnock received 90% of the Black vote, compared to Walker’s 8%, according to an NBC News exit poll. “All the elements we’re talking about impact mostly Black voters,” Albright said. And tired or not, Black voters will come out for the runoff.”Follow NBCBLK on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

☆ Many Republican Lawmakers Are Wary of New Trump Presidential Bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Siobhan Hughes | Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Many congressional Republicans said they were wary of former President Donald Trump’s launch of another bid for the White House, expressing concern that his move could distract from the party’s effort to win a Dec. 6 Georgia Senate runoff in the short term and hurt the GOP’s appeal to a swath of voters in the long term. Mr. Trump announced his third consecutive presidential campaign Tuesday night at his Mar-a-Lago estate—a week after Republicans’ disappointing performance in the midterms, including losses in some key Senate races by Trump-backed candidates. The move came just as Capitol Hill Republicans were pondering their own leadership, with the House GOP picking Kevin McCarthy for their speaker candidate Tuesday and Senate Republicans held leadership elections Wednesday.

☆ Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff says the difference in competence between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker is the 'most dramatic that I have ever seen in electoral politics'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff said fellow Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock is "an asset to the nation." Ossoff told Insider that Warnock stood above his opponent in "qualifications, competence and quality." Warnock is locked in a competitive Dec. 6 Senate runoff election with Republican Herschel Walker. "The contrast between Senator Warnock and his opponent in terms of preparedness, in terms of qualifications, competence and quality, is the most dramatic that I have ever seen in electoral politics," Ossoff told Insider. In the November general election, Warnock led Walker 49.4%-48.5%, with the incumbent Democrat receiving 1,946,139 votes to 1,908,424 for Walker, per Insider and DDHQ.

Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he's running for president again in 2024. Trump's 2024 campaign comes as he faces escalating federal and state criminal investigations. Trump cast himself as the lone panacea to a long list of ills on a "quest to save our country." Supporters wait for the arrival of former President Donald Trump during an event at his Mar-a-Lago resort on November 15, 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida. Grover Cleveland, of the National Democratic Party, was the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms in the White House.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., on Tuesday announced a challenge to Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for the top Republican leadership job in the Senate. That’s why I’m running to be the Senate Republican Leader." Senate Republicans are scheduled to hold their leadership vote on Wednesday, but some Republicans had been urging McConnell to delay the elections until after the Georgia Senate runoff in December. "I think it’s pretty obvious we may or may not be voting [for Senate leadership] tomorrow," he said. “I don’t have any comments,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., when asked about Scott’s challenge and whether he plans to support McConnell.

☆ Walker's campaign tells Republicans to stop 'deceptive fundraising' in Georgia runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Walker’s campaign, which has trailed Warnock’s in fundraising throughout the election, is now asking fellow Republicans to stop their fundraising practices — or at least start sharing more with the candidate. "We need everyone focused on winning the Georgia Senate race, and deceptive fundraising tactics by teams that just won their races are siphoning money away from Georgia,” Walker campaign manager Scott Paradise told NBC News on Monday. After the 90:10 split was highlighted on Twitter, Trump’s committee changed the allocation to a 50:50 split. A Vance spokesman declined to comment, but subsequent fundraising emails for Walker have defaulted to a 50:50 split as well. Those new donors' emails and their money are then shared along with the cash raised in the joint fundraising endeavor.

☆ Some of Trump's longtime allies are refusing to back him as he is poised to launch a presidential campaign
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump has teased November 15 as the date to announce a presidential run. When asked by Politico on Monday if he would endorse a Trump 2024 presidential bid, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina declined. Sources told CBS News that despite concerns, Trump would be going ahead with Tuesday's announcement. Oh, I know who it is: Ron DeSantis," Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a Wyoming Republican told Politico. "Ron DeSantis is the leader of the Republican Party, whether he wants to be or not."

☆ Rick Scott launches his Trump-backed challenge of Mitch McConnell to become Senate GOP leader
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sen. Rick Scott is challenging Mitch McConnell to become the top Senate Republican. Scott's challenge comes as former President Donald Trump and some Senate Republicans blame McConnell for a lackluster midterm election. As Politico broke the news of Scott's challenge, McConnell's allies lashed out. As the leader of Senate Republicans' campaign arm, Scott played a key role in shaping his party's strategy. Unlike McConnell, Scott did not want the GOP to aggressively intervene in contested primaries, which led to Trump-backed challengers like Dr. Mehmet Oz and Don Bolduc emerging in key races in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, respectively.

More than 60 prominent conservatives, including former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and activist Ginni Thomas, are calling on House and Senate GOP leadership elections to be delayed until after the Dec. 6 Georgia Senate runoff. The open letter to GOP lawmakers released Monday comes just a day before House Republicans are set to hold their closed-door election to pick their leaders for the new Congress. Senate Republicans plan to hold their own internal elections on Wednesday. There should be no rushed leadership elections,” the conservative group wrote in their letter. “Conservative Members of the House and Senate have called for the leadership elections to be delayed.

"I know I'm a cockeyed optimist," Biden told reporters in Cambodia, referencing a sunny song from the musical South Pacific, "but I'm not surprised by the turnout." A Democratic victory in a Georgia Senate runoff on Dec. 6 would give the party outright majority control, bolstering its sway over committees, bills, and judicial picks. As of Sunday evening, Republicans had won 211 seats and the Democrats 206, with 218 needed for a majority. World leaders at an East Asia summit of ASEAN nations told Biden they are closely following the midterms results, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One. He has said he will invite Republicans and Democrats to the White House once he returns.

☆ GOP campaign veterans call Rick Scott one of the worst reelection chairs in modern history after 2022 midterms flop: 'Leave the national political arena to the grown ups'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Senate reelection chair Rick Scott is taking heat for not delivering during the midterm elections. "It will take years to undo Rick Scott's mistakes," a former NRSC aide said of the 2022 cycle. The former NRSC staffer who billed Scott as a historic failure said the freshman lawmaker courted disaster by going rogue this spring. "That stuff takes care of itself — if you win," the second former NRSC staffer told Insider. "It will take years to undo Rick Scott's mistakes," the second former NRSC staffer said.

☆ Biden says Republican Party must decide 'who they are'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

U.S. President Joe Biden makes a statement about the U.S. midterm elections during his visit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia November 13, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin LamarquePHNOM PENH (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said he was incredibly pleased with the turnout in the U.S. election and said the Republican Party would now need to decide “who they are”. Speaking to reporters in Cambodia ahead of an East Asia Summit, Biden said his focus was on the Georgia Senate race. Edison Research projected on Saturday that the U.S. Senate next year would remain under the control of the Democrats, handing a major victory to Biden

“Senate Democrats have been committed to restoring balance to the federal judiciary with professionally and personally diverse judges,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told NBC News on Saturday night. Senate Republican leaders told NBC News before the election that if they took the majority, they would use their power over the floor to compel Biden to send more centrist judges that GOP senators could support. He said Democrats keeping control means that if a Supreme Court vacancy were to open up, Biden’s nominee would be assured a vote. While the current 50-member Democratic caucus has been unified behind Biden’s judicial nominees, a 51st seat for the party could further embolden it. As a practical matter, that means Democrats currently need Republican sign-off to confirm judges in red states.

☆ Herschel Walker's supporters are suggesting Ron DeSantis would be better on Georgia campaign trail than Donald Trump, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Herschel Walker's allies are suggesting DeSantis would be more useful on the campaign trail than Trump. Ron DeSantis might be better to have on the campaign trail than former President Donald Trump, a CNN report says. In particular, Georgia Republicans worry that Trump would put off suburban women and independents, whose votes will be critical in the state. Reed added that he was not speaking for the Walker campaign and that perhaps Trump could still appeal to rural voters in Georgia. Erick Erickson, a Georgia-based conservative radio host who backed Trump in 2020, told CNN that support from DeSantis would be more useful in Georgia.

☆ Trump will make a 'professional' and 'buttoned-up' 2024 bid announcement, top advisor says, despite many urging him to delay
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump is going to make a "professional, very buttoned-up" announcement about his 2024 bid, an advisor said. Jason Miller said Trump was going ahead with the Tuesday announcement, despite disappointing midterm results. "President Trump is going to announce on Tuesday that he's running for president, and it's going to be a very professional, very buttoned-up announcement," Miller told Steve Bannon on his "War Room" podcast. Trump has long been hinting at his plans to run in 2024, which would be his third presidential run. In recent days Trump has been lashing out at DeSantis, who he has nicknamed Ron DeSanctimonious, and suggested he is disloyal for not ruling out a 2024 run.

☆ Trump is 'cranky' about the midterm election results ahead of his daughter's wedding day, a new report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A source told CNN that the election has made him "cranky" ahead of his daughter's wedding day. The former president and Tiffany Trump were spotted in Mar-a-Lago on Friday for wedding rehearsals. A source familiar with Trump's activities told CNN that the former president was "cranky" leading up to Tiffany Trump's Saturday nuptials due to the election. —The Republican Accountability Project (@AccountableGOP) November 11, 2022Days ahead of the announcement, Trump was spotted at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for Tiffany Trump's wedding rehearsals. Donald Trump at Tiffany Trump's wedding rehearsal.

WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is facing a brewing challenge to his position as the top Republican in the Senate. Going into the midterm elections Tuesday, McConnell appeared to have a firm grasp on the leader's job and Republicans appeared poised to take control of the Senate. Asked in January what his agenda would be if Republicans took control of the Senate, McConnell deflected. Don’t disenfranchise @HerschelWalker.”A Rubio adviser said the senator is concerned McConnell has not laid out a vision for the future. “The Senate Republican Conference must change the way it operates — regardless of the outcome of the still-pending elections," the letter states.

In Arizona Senate, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly is ahead of Republican Blake Masters by 115,000 votes with 80% in. On Dobbs, the national exit poll showed 27% of voters picking abortion as their No. And remember that our final NBC News poll found Trump as one of the most unpopular political figures we measured, especially compared with President Biden. In each state, those Democratic secretaries of state nominees were running against Republicans who cast doubt on the 2020 election result. Two of those five feature Democrat vs. Democrat contests, thanks to the state’s Top 2 primary, so those will stay in the Democratic column.

☆ Georgia Senate Runoff Starts With Herschel Walker Bus Tour, Democrats’ Fresh Spending
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Joshua Jamerson | Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker began his Georgia runoff bid the same way he ended his general election campaign earlier this week: with a bus tour. On Thursday evening, it began with a stop in Canton, Ga., featuring Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas). “We’re in overtime,” Mr. Walker, a former Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Georgia, said. “I was built for this. God prepared me for this moment right here.”

☆ Warnock campaign lays out strategy for Georgia Senate runoff, calling Walker 'completely unqualified'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Sahil-Kapur-Headshot.Jpg | Sahil Kapur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

With 99% of the vote counted, Warnock leads Walker 49.6% to 48.3%, or by roughly 49,000 votes. If neither party sweeps both Arizona and Nevada, a Georgia runoff would once again determine which party controls the Senate for the next two years. Warnock is kicking off his campaigning for the runoff Thursday afternoon with an event in Atlanta, his campaign said. “We’re going to do whatever Sen. Warnock wants us to do in terms of events or fundraising. I think Sen. Warnock has done an incredible job.

☆ GOP starts boosting Walker in runoff amid calls to keep Trump away from Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Warnock won his race against Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, and Sen. Jon Ossoff defeated GOP incumbent David Perdue, swinging control of the narrowly divided chamber. I know that Trump wants to be helpful to make Herschel win. Should Laxalt prevail, the Georgia Senate race would once again determine control of the Senate. “President Trump is 220-18 in races that have been called, and with the support of President Trump, Herschel Walker, after forcing a run-off, is well-positioned to win,” Budowich said in a written statement. “We just can’t take our eye off the ball and make sure we prepare to win Georgia,” he said.

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