Matt Gaetz becomes the latest Kevin McCarthy defector to draw a primary challenger: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News Politics team.

In today’s edition, national political reporter Bridget Bowman notes that four House Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker now face major challenges. Plus, senior political editor Mark Murray explains that voters have a more positive view of Donald Trump’s presidency than Joe Biden’s.

Sign up here to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday.

Gaetz becomes the latest McCarthy defector to capture his primary opponent

By Bridget Bowman

The decision was made about seven months ago Remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker already has long-term effects on Capitol Hill. The move now heads into the campaign trail and hinges on several primaries that could help shape the GOP’s future in the House.

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida became the latest House Republican to vote to oust McCarthy in order to draw a primary challenger. Aaron Dimmock, former Navy aviator Pensacola News Journalfiled to run against Gaetz on Friday, just before the deadline to enter the race.

Do you have news? Let us know

McCarthy’s chief campaigner, Gaetz, wasted little time in tying Dimmock to the California Republican. Place in X McCarthy would “buy her doll to escape.”

Gaetz also said in a statement to NBC News, “I am pleased to welcome Missouri-based DEI instructor Aaron Dimmock to the campaign. Aaron is no longer in Kansas City. This is Trump country. Our pronouns are USA and MAGA.”

Dimmock did not respond to a request for comment. The ID was listed as a Missouri driver’s license, even though the campaign application listed a Florida address.

Six of the eight Republicans who voted to impeach the House last year are seeking re-election. And four of them now face primary challengers: Reps. Nancy Mays of South Carolina, Bob Good of Virginia, Eli Crane of Arizona, and Gaetz. All four seats are in Republican territory, so the winner of the primary will prevail in the general election.

Earlier this month, an outside group closed in on a McCarthy ally aired Mace, Good and Crane with targeted ads. Gaetz and Crane won’t face a primary until late summer, while Mace and Good will face a primary in mid-June.

They are not the only incumbents facing primaries this year. Gaetz himself has supported Republicans running against the House, backing opponents seeking to unseat his GOP colleagues. Tony Gonzalez Texas and William Timmons South Carolina. That too former state Sen. Darren Bailey endorsedhe lost a primary last month to Illinois Rep. Mike Bost.

It’s not unusual for more centrist lawmakers like Gonzalez to face primary challengers from the right. But the fact that some hard-right Republicans are also facing opposition within the party shows that the Republican establishment is preparing to fight for the direction of the party.

And neither side is backing down.

These are the poll numbers that worry Biden the most

By Mark Murray

Recent 2024 polls have been all over the place. But taken together, they confirm how competitive it still is – and relatively stable — The contest between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump is nearly six months away from Election Day.

CNNs recent national survey Trump advanced by 6 points (still within the margin of error). An inquiry by NBC News Trump was ahead by 2 points Marist Biden led by 3 points (both within the margin of error). And requests Quinnipiac University and Pew Research Center showed an essentially even race.

And the provincial survey on the battlefield – especially Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – the closer it is.

Whichever poll you choose, new polls highlight that voters continue to have fonder memories of Trump’s presidency than Biden’s — and perhaps that should have more to do with Biden’s re-election campaign than the results of the horse races there.

Take the CNN poll for example finds 55% of Americans said that Trump’s presidency was successful, and 39% agreed with Biden’s presidency.

More surprisingly, a CNN poll found that 61% believe Biden’s presidency has failed, compared to 44% who say the same about Trump’s.

Or check out last week’s national NBC News poll showed Trump has a 7-point lead over whichever candidate has a stronger record of achievement (46% of voters chose Trump and 39% chose Biden).

Or consider the Pew poll found 42% of the voters said that Trump is a good or great president, and 28% said the same about Biden.

Or even take the CBS News battleground poll of Michigan, which had Biden ahead among likely voters in the state by 2 points, but also showed 62% said the state of Michigan’s economy was very or fairly good under Trump, compared to 38% who said Michigan’s economy is about the same today.

The glass-half-full news for Biden is that he has a strong story to tell voters — the unemployment rate is at historic lows and hundreds of thousands of jobs are being created every month.

Team Biden could also remind voters of the millions of jobs lost in Trump’s last year as president, when Covid ravaged the labor market. There’s the Biden campaign television commercials are broadcast He attacks Trump’s handling of the economy.

Still, voters consistently say they have sunny perceptions of Trump’s presidency and cloudier views of Biden’s. This is more obvious than any horse racing survey.

For now, that’s it from The Politics Desk. If you have feedback – like it or not – send us an email politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

If you are a fan, please share with anyone and everyone. They can register here.