Biden seeks to lift Fetterman

President Biden attacked GOP candidate Mehmet Oz and sought to portray the Pennsylvania Senate race as a make-or-break moment for the country during an appearance in the Keystone State aimed at boosting Democrat John Fetterman.

“We need John badly. Not a joke,” Biden told those gathered for a fundraiser on behalf of Fetterman in Philadelphia on Thursday evening, according to pool reports.

Biden praised Fetterman for having “integrity” while seeking to paint Oz as an out-of-towner who would try to undo “everything we have done” if elected.

“It’s a choice: what direction do you want to see this country going?” Biden asked.

Democrats have fretted over the idea of another 50-50 Senate majority or the possibility of narrowly losing control of the chamber after entering the fall with several  promising prospects in contested Senate seats.

Now, as polling shows most voters still largely concerned with inflation and the economy, Republicans are becoming more optimistic.

Sen. Rick Scott (Fla.), chair of Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, predicted Thursday that Republicans are likely control 52 Senate seats next year — and could have as high as a 55-seat majority, The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reported.

In Pennsylvania, one of the most closely watched races, Oz has appeared to close the gap in the final three weeks of campaigning. An AARP poll out earlier this week showing Fetterman leading Oz 48 to 46 percent among likely voters, a difference that fell within the poll’s margin of error.

By comparison, Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) leads Trump-backed Republican candidate Doug Mastriano by 11 points — 53 to 42 percent — in the state’s governor’s race, according to the same poll.

And while Fetterman landed some early punches against Oz in the race, his campaign has been plagued recently by questions surrounding his health.

Fetterman’s team sought to quell concerns this week by releasing a letter from the candidate’s primary care physician saying his recovery following a near-fatal stroke in May is progressing well and he “has no work restrictions and can work full duty in public office.”

The Democrat acknowledged the focus surrounding his health Thursday night while seeking to contrast his recovery with continued attacks on the topic from his Republican rival — while taking his own shots at the retired celebrity cardiothoracic surgeon.

“He’ll say anything for a buck, he’ll say anything for a vote,” Fetterman charged.

For now, Democrats acknowledge that Biden’s agenda hangs on a few close races.

“If we do not maintain the Senate and the House in this next election, a lot is going to change. A lot is going to change,” Biden warned.

Welcome to NotedDC: Your guide to politics, policy and people of consequence in D.C. Today’s issue comes from Jesse Byrnes.

🇬🇧 Liz Truss exit sends biographers scrambling

Liz Truss‘s announcement Thursday that she would resign as leader of the Conservative Party and step down as U.K. prime minister after just 45 days in office is sending at least two biographers scrambling.

“Back to the rewrites…” tweeted James Heale, co-author of the forthcoming book “Out of the Blue: The Inside Story of Liz Truss and Her Astonishing Rise to Power,” due out on Dec. 8.

• Truss’s resignation was announced exactly a month after Heale, the diary editor for British weekly magazine The Spectator, and Harry Cole, political editor at The Sun, touted the book for preorder.
  
• It is billed by publisher HarperCollins as the first biography of Britain’s now shortest-serving prime minister.

“Written off, mocked and undermined by even her closest colleagues, Liz Truss slowly but determinedly took over 10 Downing Street – only to see her administration plunged into chaos within days,” the book’s description reads on Amazon.

More from The Hill:

Serious click: Liz Truss’s downfall sparks talk of democracy’s decline in UK
Lighter click: Lettuce outlasts Liz Truss in viral British tabloid stream

✈️ Suited up

Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman ditched his normal hoodie and shorts and suited up to greet President Biden on the tarmac in Pennsylvania on Thursday.

“You might be wondering what’s wrong with him — why’s he wearing a suit?” Fetterman joked Thursday evening at a fundraiser with Biden. “I’m not going to lie to you: this is the one suit that I own!”

QUOTABLE

“Absolutely no one wants to hear what your plan is for their uterus.”

– Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) responding to Mike Pence after the former VP predicted “Pro-Life majorities in the House and Senate” come January.

🔴 Measuring Trump’s impact on the GOP

Former President Trump has not yet confirmed either way whether he’ll launch a third White House bid in 2024, but one thing is certain: He’s already left a permanent mark on the GOP and dramatically reshaped the party in his own image for those who come next.

The Hill’s Max Greenwood looks at six ways Trump has changed the party:

1. He’s turned it more against mainstream media

Trump may not have invented the term “fake news” as he has claimed. But there’s little doubt that he brought it into the GOP’s everyday vernacular.

2. He’s made attacking opponents a signature

Political attacks are nothing new, but since taking his perch atop the GOP in 2016, countless Republicans have sought to mimic Trump’s penchant for bombastic and vitriolic rhetoric, deploying it against their opponents, but within and outside of their own party.

3. Trump sparked opposition to institutions

Before, during and after his time in the White House, Trump called into question the legitimacy and effectiveness of key institutions — in the government, the media and the world at large.

4. He’s fueled skepticism in the country’s elections

Trump’s efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election were seen by many as the ultimate taboo; a self-serving campaign to hold onto power at the expense of American democracy. But that notion has proved to have staying power within the GOP.

5. He’s made fealty to him a necessity for party survival

Despite many Republicans’ deep reluctance to embrace Trump during his first successful bid for the White House in 2016, most warmed up to him quickly after he took office. Those who didn’t have largely become persona non grata within the GOP.

6. Trump altered the GOP’s view of the world

Trump barreled into political career with a promise to put “America first” by reassessing international alliances, rebuilding the country’s domestic manufacturing sector and avoiding “forever wars.” That approach is now part of Republican orthodoxy.

TO THE RESCUE

Barrett rejects push to block Biden student loan plan

Biden administration officials found an unlikely ally in Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday after the conservative Supreme Court member denied an emergency effort to block the president’s student loan forgiveness plan.

Barrett, who was appointed to the bench by former President Trump, issued a brief, one-line order denying the request, instead of referring the issue to the full court, The Hill’s John Kruzel reported.

Remember: Justices are responsible for handling requests that arise from the 11 federal appeals courts across the country (Chief Justice John Roberts also handles those that arise from the Federal Circuit and D.C. Circuit).

Barrett is responsible for requests stemming from the Seventh Circuit, covering Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Her order Thursday came after a U.S. District Court judge in Wisconsin dismissed the lawsuit against Biden’s order for lack of standing.

‘FROM HOTELIER TO AMBASSADOR TO CENTRAL IMPEACHMENT FIGURE’

The Hill’s Brett Samuels has an early look at former Ambassador Gordon Sondland‘s new book in which Trump’s ambassador to the European Union — who was a key figure in the first Trump impeachment inquiry — shares about some of his experiences in the prior administration.

On how Trump viewed his past business experience: “I certainly think Trump treated me differently because I was also a successful hotelier, but it’s not just my place in business that won his respect.”

On Trump’s reaction after Sondland knocked the president’s focus of bemoaning to German business leaders that seats in German vehicles have too many buttons: “He looks at me and grimaces. ‘What the f— do you know, Sondland? Get out of here.’”

ONE MORE THING

Don’t look now — the focus is already shifting to the next election, weeks before the midterms wrap up. The Hill’s Hanna Trudo reports that Democrats are flocking to New Hampshire in a shadow primary ahead of the 2024 White House race.

Stay with TheHill.com for the latest and recommend NotedDC to others: digital-release.thehill.com/noted. See you next week!