Campaign Report
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Campaign Report
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Chicago to host 2024 Democratic National Convention
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The decision to host the convention in Chicago will put the party and President Biden in the middle of the political battleground that is the Midwest.
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Three sources tell The Hill that the Windy City is slated to be the site of the Democratic National Convention next year.
“I am thrilled that Democrats will take the stage in Chicago to share our party’s vision and values,” Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement. “The Midwest reflects America and will give Democrats an opportunity to showcase some of President Biden and Vice President Harris’s most significant accomplishments for American families.”
President Biden also praised the decision in a statement, calling it a “great choice.”
“Democrats will gather to showcase our historic progress including building an economy from the middle out and bottom up, not from the top down,” Biden said.
Other cities including Atlanta and New York were also floated as potential choices. But Democratic leaders ultimately chose Chicago because of its geographical proximity to swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota.
The Republican Party is also keenly aware of this dynamic. The GOP will be hosting the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which is located roughly 90 miles north of Chicago.
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Welcome to The Hill’s Campaign Report, I’m Julia Manchester. Each week we track the key stories you need to know to stay ahead of the 2024 election and who will set the agenda in Washington.
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Key election stories and other recent campaign coverage:
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Sen. Jon Tester’s (D-Mont.) reelection campaign announced on Tuesday that it raised more than $5 million in the quarter of 2023, marking a significant financial haul for one of the top targets of Republicans on the 2024 Senate map. Of the total raised, 96 percent was collected after he officially rolled out his campaign for a fourth term on Feb. 22. The campaign added that the figure is “the highest-ever first quarter fundraising …
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Former Rep. Harley Rouda (D-Calif.) on Tuesday dropped out of the race to succeed Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) after suffering what he said was a “moderate traumatic brain injury” last month. In a statement, Rouda said that he had gone to the hospital late last month after “an unfortunate fall” had caused brain hemorrhages. His doctors believe that he has “started on the path to a full recovery,” Rouda said, but added that …
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House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) raised $3 million in the first quarter of the year and is launching a new fund aimed at countering Democratic efforts in New York, her campaign announced on Tuesday. Stefanik, who became the House GOP’s third highest-ranking member in 2021 after Republican lawmakers voted to strip former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) of her leadership post, has emerged as a fundraising powerhouse, …
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Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:
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- 186 days until Louisiana’s gubernatorial primary
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210 days until Kentucky’s and Mississippi’s gubernatorial generals
- 574 days until the 2024 general election
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Key Senate races begin to take shape
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The 2024 Senate map is beginning to take shape as incumbents begin to launch their reelection bids.
Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey announced his reelection bid on Monday, but as The Hill’s Al Weaver and Julia Manchester report, much of the attention in that race is on the forming Republican primary. Republicans are hoping to improve their Pennsylvania Senate performance this time around with former Senate candidate Dave McCormick, who lost to Mehmet Oz in last year’s GOP Pennsylvania Senate primary. However, former 2022 gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano appears to be inching toward his own GOP Senate primary bid.
In Ohio, businessman and former Senate candidate Bernie Moreno (R) filed paperwork to challenge incumbent Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) this week. NBC News reported that a source close to Moreno said that the businessman will formally announce his campaign next week.
Moreno said last year that he stepped out of the 2022 Ohio Senate primary after a private conversation with former President Trump, where the two agreed the Ohio field of candidates was too crowded with Trump-aligned Republicans.
And speaking of Trump and Senate races … The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that Senate Republicans, including members of leadership, are viewing the former president as a political liability and say he should stay out of 2024 Senate primaries.
“Sure seems like that would be helpful based on our lack of success in 2022,” said Senate Minority Whip John Thune.
Even Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s most vocal allies in the Senate, echoed Thune’s concerns.
“If I were him, I’d focus on his own election, but I doubt if he’ll take that advice,” Graham said, referring to Trump.
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Trump tries to discourage DeSantis
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© AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell/Damian Dovarganes
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On the presidential front, Trump is publicly trying dissuade Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis from getting into the GOP primary.
The former president took to Truth Social on Monday, saying that a DeSantis primary bid would ultimately divide the Republican Party and hurt DeSantis’ career.
“Ron DeSantis is a young man who is not doing well against me in the polls, to put it mildly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I believe that if he decides to run for President, which will only hurt and somewhat divide the Republican Party, he will lose the cherished and massive MAGA vote, and never be able to successfully run for office again.”
“If he remains Governor, which is what Florida voters assumed, it would be a whole different story….JUST SAYIN’ – But who knows?” he added.
The comments come as DeSantis appears to move closer to announcing a 2024 bid. The Florida governor has begun to assemble staff and has started making trips to early voting states in the GOP primary calendar, such as Iowa and South Carolina.
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
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Former President Trump widened his lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in a hypothetical Republican primary matchup to 33 points, according to a new poll. A Morning Consult poll found Trump with 56 percent of the vote among a group of current and potential GOP challengers for the nomination and DeSantis in second with 23 percent. This marks Trump’s widest lead in the poll since Morning Consult started tracking the …
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Local and state headlines regarding campaigns and elections:
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Rep. Justin Jones expulsion updates: Council reappoints, Jones retakes oath of office (The Tennessean)
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Democratic mayoral candidates will take the stage in a televised debate tonight (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
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Election news we’ve flagged from other outlets:
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The Democrat Who’s Betting her Senate Bid on Gun Control (The New Republic)
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Nikki Haley campaign memo rips Trump “drama” (Axios)
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Key stories on The Hill right now:
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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) sued House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) Tuesday, calling his investigation into Bragg’s prosecution of former President Trump a “transparent campaign to intimidate and attack” his office’s work. The suit, filed in federal court in New York, is the most aggressive pushback yet from Bragg … Read more
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Democrats and even some Republicans have proposed a novel approach to a Texas judge’s ruling against the abortion pill: Just ignore it. Behind the idea is a concept known as “enforcement discretion,” which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regularly uses in order to make products more accessible. Lawmakers including … Read more
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Opinions related to campaigns and elections submitted to The Hill:
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You’re all caught up. See you next time!
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