Evening Report

Tuesday’s big elections

by Amee LaTour 05/16/23 05:25 PM ET

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Evening Report

Five elections to watch Tuesday night

A handful of consequential elections take place Tuesday for statewide, legislative and local offices across several states. Here are five races to watch:

Kentucky Republican gubernatorial primary: Twelve candidates are vying to take on popular red-state Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in November, including state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Craft and state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles.

Former President Trump endorsed Cameron last year, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) threw some last-minute weight behind Craft.

Philadelphia Democratic mayoral primary: Nine Democrats are running to replace term-limited Mayor Jim Kenney (D) in the nation’s sixth-largest city. A recent poll found a handful of former elected city officials clustered at the top.

Pennsylvania House District 163 special election: Partisan control of the state House depends on this race. Democrats have a one-seat majority in the chamber and control of the governorship, while Republicans have a majority in the state Senate.

“President Biden has thrown his support behind [Democrat Heather] Boyd, underscoring the local and national implications of the race,” The Hill’s Caroline Vakil wrote.

Pennsylvania State Supreme Court primary: Two Republicans and two Democrats are running in the parties’ respective primaries. Republicans hope to chip away at Democrats’ 4-2 majority by winning the general later this year.

Jacksonville, Fla., mayoral runoff: Polling suggests the runoff between former local news anchor Donna Deegan (D) and JAX Chamber CEO Daniel Davis (R) will be close. Jacksonville is in Duval County, which, based on gubernatorial election results, has shifted right in recent years.

Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

CATCH UP QUICK

The Central Intelligence Agency launched an account on messaging service Telegram in an effort to recruit Russian assets and allow for secure contact with agents.
A group of Democrats in Congress reintroduced a bill to expand the Supreme Court to 13 justices.
The IRS is launching a free online tax-filing pilot program for the 2024 tax season, involving a select number of taxpayers.

NEW THIS AFTERNOON

President, congressional leaders hold second debt talk

President Biden and congressional leaders convened to discuss the debt limit for a second time after postponing a meeting scheduled for last Friday to make more time for staff-level negotiations.

The White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) both struck hopeful tones after the meeting, despite some contentious statements from the speaker and the administration ahead of the talk.

A statement from the White House shortly after Tuesday’s meeting read, “The President emphasized that while more work remains on a range of difficult issues, he’s optimistic that there is a path to a responsible, bipartisan budget agreement if both sides negotiate in good faith and recognize that neither side will get everything it wants.”

McCarthy said, “It is possible to get a deal by the end of the week. It’s not that difficult to get to an agreement.”

Read more here

CONGRESS

Highlight from the day’s major hearings

From bank collapses to artificial intelligence to crime in D.C., Tuesday’s congressional hearings covered a lot of ground. Here are some highlights.

Senators at a Banking Committee hearing criticized Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) CEO Greg Becker for stock sales and bonuses paid ahead of the bank’s collapse, while Becker defended the actions as pre-planned.

“Becker sold $3.6 million in SVB stock on Feb. 27, shortly before it suffered a bank run and was taken over by regulators in early March,” The Hill’s Karl Evers-Hillstrom wrote. “He and other SVB executives sold $84 million in company stock over the past two years.” Read more here

At a House Oversight Committee hearing about crime in D.C., Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she’ll move to impeach Matthew Graves, U.S. attorney for D.C., for pursuing cases against Jan. 6 defendants but not most people arrested by D.C. police. Graves has said his office is focused on prosecuting violent felonies.

Some committee Democrats criticized recently indicted Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), as well as their Republican colleagues for not taking action against Santos.

Also check out Rebecca Klar‘s report on the Senate Judiciary subcommittee‘s artificial intelligence hearing, which included testimony from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

IN OTHER NEWS

Obama says leaving White House helped marriage

Former President Obama told “CBS Mornings” cohost Nate Burleson that it helped his relationship with Michelle Obama “to be out of the White House and to have a little more time with her.” The former first lady recently talked with the program’s Gayle King about their marriage.

How pandemic politics helped turn Florida red

In Part 2 of a five-part series on Florida’s transformation into a solidly red state, The Hill’s Julia Manchester looks at how pandemic politics spurred the transition.

Estimate: 4.5 million people died from post-9/11 wars

The Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson Institute estimates at least 4.5 million people have died as a consequence of wars across North Africa and the Middle East since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, including 3.6 million deaths from indirect causes such as economic collapse and food insecurity.

PUNDIT CORNER

“John Feehery: Yes, Republicans can work with Biden to fix immigration” — John Feehery, partner at EFB Advocacy who served as spokesman to former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), communications director to former House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and speechwriter to former House Minority Leader Bob Michel (R-Ill.). (Read here)

“False choices and climate security” — John Conger, director emeritus of the Center for Climate and Security and former principal deputy under secretary of Defense (comptroller). (Read here)

⏲️ COUNTDOWN

539 days until the presidential election.

🗓 ON TAP TOMORROW

President Biden is scheduled to depart the U.S. for Japan.

10 a.m.: The Senate Budget Committee holds a hearing “to examine how tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations drive the national debt.”

2 p.m.: The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights holds a hearing “to examine Federal judicial ethics processes at the Judicial Conference of the United States.”

2:30 p.m.: The Joint Economic Committee holds a hearing “to examine how a U.S. default crisis harms American families and businesses.”

UNDER THE RADAR

There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: ALaTour@digital-release.digital-release.thehill.com

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Evening Report

Five elections to watch Tuesday night

CATCH UP QUICK

President, congressional leaders hold second debt talk

Highlight from the day’s major hearings

IN OTHER NEWS

Obama says leaving White House helped marriage

How pandemic politics helped turn Florida red

Estimate: 4.5 million people died from post-9/11 wars

⏲️ COUNTDOWN

🗓 ON TAP TOMORROW

Stay Engaged

Evening Report