It’s Wednesday. Yesterday was a pretty lame Tuesday as far as Super Tuesdays go. Though, to be fair, there were some fascinating tidbits. Here’s a recap:
GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley dropped out of the presidential race this morning. FWIW: She didn’t endorse former President Trump. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) surprised some by endorsing the former president this morning — despite their rocky relationship. President Biden and Trump won nearly all of the Super Tuesday contests, but Biden did lose one race to … a candidate named Jason Palmer. 🤔
Democrats are starting to panic over Biden’s polling numbers and the fact that Trump will actually be the GOP nominee. Keep reading for that reporting. Apple is adding searchable transcripts to podcasts (!)
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-release.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. |
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Haley is calling it quits: |
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Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley suspended her Republican bid for president this morning after losing 14 out of 15 Super Tuesday contests to former President Trump. Did she endorse Trump? No.
From Haley: “It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him, and I hope he does that. At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people. This is now his time for choosing.” 💻 Watch Haley’s announcement
📸 Photo from Haley’s announcement
The big question — who will her voters support?: Haley has evolved into both a Trump antagonist and alternative in recent months. In the early states, she has performed well among independents and Republicans who are uncomfortable with Trump’s style. Recent Quinnipiac University polling suggests that roughly half of her supporters prefer Trump as their second pick, 37 percent prefer Biden and 12 percent are undecided. This will be a major story to watch unfold as the Trump and Biden campaigns shift to the general election.
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Mitch McConnell swallowed his pride:
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Right after Nikki Haley dropped out, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) endorsed former President Trump’s White House bid, despite their bitter falling out and icy relationship. From McConnell: “It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States. It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support.” |
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➤ AND SO DID A SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN: |
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), the only House member to endorse Haley’s campaign, told reporters that he is now endorsing Trump. |
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Joe Biden lost to … *checks notes* … Jason Palmer:
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Super Tuesday’s results were not the most exciting. President Biden and former President Trump won nearly all of their respective contests last night, catapulting them both closer to the general election. Despite the outcome being a “snoozefest,” there were a few surprises.
Biden did lose one race: A relatively unknown Democrat, Jason Palmer, beat Biden in the Democratic caucuses in American Samoa. Answering the next natural question — Who is he?
Trump also lost one race: Nikki Haley defeated Trump in the Vermont Republican primary in a surprise upset. This is the first time a Republican woman won a state presidential primary.
More results: -
Nearly 20 percent (!) of Democratic voters in Minnesota voted “uncommitted” over Biden as a protest to the incumbent’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. That’s more than 45,000 Democratic primary voters. *Cue a collective Team Biden gulp.*
Back-story and why this is significant
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Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is a strong favorite to win the California Senate seat left open after the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D). Republican
Steve Garvey, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, also advanced to the general election. No Republican has won statewide in California since 2006, so I’m sure Schiff is feeling pretty good.
More on this race
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Biden won his first-ever Iowa caucus (!) This is notable, because he has run for president in 1988, 2008, 2020 and now 2024.
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➤ TIDBITS FROM SUPER TUEDSAY:
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😳 The subtext here is *strong*: Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who is running a long-shot challenge to Biden, posted on X: “Congratulations to Joe Biden, Uncommitted, Marianne Williamson, and Nikki Haley for demonstrating more appeal to Democratic Party loyalists than me.”
‘Now the party don’t start ‘till I walk in’: NBC News’s Vaughn Hillyard posted a photo of “Roger Stone & Lee Zeldin walking into Trump’s Super Tuesday victory party at Mar-a-Lago.”
Not the most exciting night to be a Nikki Haley reporter: The Washington Post’s Dylan Wells posted, “Hello from your Nikki Haley reporter, coming to you live from … my hotel room in Charleston. Haley has no public events today, including no watch party this evening. Her campaign says she is watching results with staff tonight and that ‘the mood is jubilant.’”
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Democrats are *panicking*: |
The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that “Democrats are beginning to hit the panic button as an implosion in former President Trump’s campaign fails to materialize and a series of polls suggests President Biden is weaker than he was four years ago.”
What about Trump’s legal battles?: “Many Democrats thought Trump’s legal problems would submarine him, but the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision on Monday ruled in his favor on a 14th Amendment case. Other high-profile trials have been delayed, raising doubts about whether they will reach verdicts before Election Day.” The biggest alarm bell: “Biden is trailing Trump in polls of several battleground states, underscoring concerns that his message isn’t gaining traction with swing voters.”
A few of the concerning states for Biden: “A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll published last week showed Biden trailing Trump in several critical states, including Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada and Wisconsin. In those states, 48 percent of voters said they would back Trump, while 43 percent said they would back Biden.”
Read some of the panic expressed by Democrats |
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➤ FWIW, A REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST THINKS TRUMP SHOULD BE CONCERNED, TOO:
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In a Fox News interview, Republican strategist Karl Rove said Trump’s campaign “ought to be concerned” about unifying the Republican Party.
Rove said on Tuesday evening: “There’s still some work to be done to unify the Republican Party, and that’s going to depend a lot on his tone tonight and whether or not he stops doing things like calling [Nikki Haley] ‘BirdBrain’ and threatening that if you give money to her campaign, you’re gonna be permanently banned.” Keep in mind that Rove said this before Haley dropped out.
💻 Watch Rove’s full reaction |
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But not the Nikki Haley donors, riiight?: |
Former President Trump slammed Nikki Haley when she dropped out of the race Wednesday, then encouraged her supporters to back him.
Trump posted on Truth Social: “Nikki Haley got TROUNCED last night, in record setting fashion … Much of her money came from Radical Left Democrats, as did many of her voters … [I] would further like to invite all of the Haley supporters to join the greatest movement in the history of our Nation.”
And it wouldn’t be a Trump post without some all-caps: Trump finished the post, “BIDEN IS THE ENEMY, HE IS DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Read Trump’s full post
Throwback to keep in mind: After the New Hampshire presidential primary, Trump warned that anyone who contributed to Haley’s campaign would be “permanently barred from the MAGA camp.” |
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🍪 Celebrate: Today is National Oreo Day! 🎙️ I’m actually pretty excited about this feature: Apple is adding transcripts to its podcasts as part of the next software update. The transcripts will even be searchable. (The Verge)
📱 A ReesaTeesa interview that’s not 8 hours long: ABC News’s “Good Morning America” (GMA) interviewed TikTok user ReesaTeesa, who posted the viral, eight-hour series about her ex-husband whom she describes as a “narcissist” and “pathological liar.” Her series has more than 400 million views so far. Watch the GMA interview
🚓🚙🚓 That is the most D.C. text: @leiitontheline posted a screenshot of a message she received from her DoorDash delivery driver, saying: “Should be there soon got caught in the president’s motorcade lol.” |
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The House and Senate are in. President Biden is in Washington, D.C., and Vice President Harris is in Wisconsin. (all times Eastern) |
12:30 p.m.: Senators meet for weekly caucus luncheons. 🗓️ Today’s agenda
12:45 p.m.: Harris and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su visit the construction site of the future Madison Metro Transit facility in Madison, Wis. 1:05 p.m.: Harris and Su deliver remarks.
1:30 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream 2:15 p.m.: Two Senate votes.
3:25 p.m.: Harris speaks at a campaign event in Madison. 3:30 p.m.: First and last House votes. 🗓️ Today’s agenda
4 p.m.: First lady Jill Biden unveils a new U.S. postal stamp honoring former first lady Betty Ford. 💻 Livestream 5:45 p.m.: At least one more Senate vote. 6:45 p.m.: Harris returns to Washington, D.C.
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Because you made it this far, watch what happens when this person pretends to fall asleep with a sandwich in their hand. |
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