Welcome to the special edition 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.
Tonight, Henry J. Gomez and Matt Dixon report from the convention hall on how JD Vance introduced himself to a national audience in his acceptance speech for the vice presidential nomination. Plus, senior political analyst Chuck Todd examines whether the convention could help Republicans win back Wisconsin.
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Vance calls out ‘big tent’ GOP in VP nominee’s acceptance speech
By Henry J. Gomez and Matt Dixon
MILWAUKEE — Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, a right-wing populist known for his unyielding views, presented himself Wednesday as a vice presidential candidate open to compromise and eager for unity but unapologetically drawn to heated debates.
“We have a big tent in this party on everything from national security to economic policy,” Vance told Republican National Convention delegates as he accepted their nomination of Donald Trump. “But my message to you, my fellow Republicans, is this: We love this country and we are united to win. And our differences make us stronger.”
Vance, 39, argued for himself in terms of generation, at one point recalling being in fourth grade when then-Senator Joe Biden voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement, which would have disappointed many working-class voters. He presented Trump as a steadfast figure in the face of criminal charges and more recently claimed an attempted assassination that left him injured in his right ear.
“They accused him of being a tyrant,” Vance said of Trump. “They accused him of being a tyrant. They said that it must be stopped at all costs. So how did he respond? He called for national unity and national calm immediately after an assassin almost took his life. He remembered the victims of the horrific attack, especially brave Cory Comperatore, who gave his life to protect his family. … Then President Trump flew to Milwaukee and went back to work.
Most importantly, Vance has pitched himself as the spearhead of the campaign in the industrial heartland — states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — that the GOP hopes to wrest away from Biden and the Democrats this fall. He mentioned the names of all three states many times.
“This moment is not about me,” Vance said. “It’s about an auto worker in Michigan wondering why out-of-touch politicians are destroying their jobs. It’s about a factory worker in Wisconsin who makes things with his own hands and takes pride in American craftsmanship. “It’s about the energy worker in Pennsylvania and Ohio who doesn’t understand why Joe Biden is willing to buy energy from tinpot dictators around the world when he can buy energy right here in his own country from his own citizens.”
Read more from Henry and Matt →
More from the GOP convention:
NBC News’ Matt Dixon and Vaughn Hillyard report that for many participants, Trump’s call to “stand together” after the attempt on his life meant one thing: rallying around Biden to defeat him. More →
NBC News’ Allan Smith reports that Peter Navarro, Trump’s White House trade adviser, received a standing ovation at the convention tonight just hours after he left a federal prison in Miami. Navarro was found guilty of contempt of Congress after defying a January 6 House committee subpoena. More →
Can Convention Help Republicans Carry Wisconsin?
By Chuck Todd
MILWAUKEE — As Republicans grow more confident about their chances of not only winning the White House, but securing both houses of Congress, let’s not forget why Republicans chose Milwaukee as their convention city in the first place.
No matter how well Trump does in the Sun Belt states of Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina, he will still need to win one of the three key Northern states of Michigan, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin to win 270 electoral votes.
It is this necessity that makes Milwaukee such an attractive location for the GOP convention. Now for a little reality check: There isn’t much data to support the idea that a convention host city can single-handedly change a state. Often, parties choose convention cities for reasons beyond Electoral College politics. Chicago is home to so many things simply because of its central location. New York and Philadelphia also hosted many conventions because they were centers for Washington and the political classes in both DC and New York.
The last four times Republicans have won the presidency, their nominee has carried the host state for the convention only twice. Trump carried Ohio in 2016 (Cleveland was the host city), but George W. Bush lost both Pennsylvania and New York after conventions in Philadelphia and New York. His father won the presidency in 1988 in the Electoral College, which included Louisiana, after hosting a convention in New Orleans.
Democrats have had a slightly better track record, carrying convention host states four of the last five times their party has won the White House (that’s counting 2020 and the virtual convention originally planned for Milwaukee). Bill Clinton carried both states that hosted the convention (New York in 1992 and Illinois in 1996); Barack Obama won Colorado in 2008 but lost North Carolina in 2012. Then Biden narrowly carried Wisconsin in 2020.
The question remains: Will this convention help Republicans carry Wisconsin?
Here’s the truth: If the GOP is going to win Wisconsin, it needs some help. Of the three Northern swing states, Wisconsin is the least trusted and most contested by Republicans.
🗞️ Other top stories tonight
- ➕ Covid positive: Biden tested positive for Covid-19 while in Las Vegas for a series of events, the White House said, and will self-isolate in Delaware. More →
- 🤫 Private chat: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer presented polling data to Biden over the weekend in a “dull” one-on-one meeting in Delaware about the state of the 2024 race. More →
- ✍️ The writing on the wall: Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has told allies he will resign from Congress after being convicted on federal corruption charges. More →
- ⚫ Shooting result: The gunman who opened fire at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally was identified as a suspect and photographed an hour before he opened fire, two sources familiar with the briefing for senators said. More →
- ⚫ More fire strike: Former law enforcement officers Trump’s Secret Service criticized the detail for failing to properly protect her during Saturday’s rally and for failing to quickly rush off the stage to safety. Meanwhile, several GOP senators confronted Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle at the convention. More →
That’s all for the Policy Desk for now. If you have feedback – like it or not – email us politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
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