Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin, bringing you the latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail from the NBC News Politics team.
In today’s edition, top national political reporters Natasha Korecki and Alex Seitz-Wald share the early state of the race to become the next chair of the Democratic National Committee. Plus, senior political analyst Chuck Todd examines how quickly Donald Trump is burning through his political capital.
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After a serious election defeat, the race to lead the DNC begins
By Natasha Korecki and Alex Seitz-Wald
Two weeks after another crushing defeat to Donald Trump, Democrats are determined to examine what went wrong and find ways forward.
And the first concrete step to start their next chapter is already being taken: the election of a new chairman of the national party committee.
The task will be critical for the embattled party, which has no clear leader, especially ahead of the 2028 presidential election, when a new chairman will have to oversee the party’s primaries. controversial new calendar Installed by President Joe Biden.
Over the past 48 hours, multiple candidates interested in succeeding Jaime Harrison as Democratic National Committee chairman have either officially entered the race or seen their names appear as options.
On Monday, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’MalleyA former presidential candidate and commissioner of the Social Security Administration entered the race. Chairman of the Minnesota Democratic Party Ken MartinThe DNC vice chair and leader of the Association of State Democratic Committees then officially announced his candidacy on Tuesday.
Both Martin and O’Malley emphasized continued investment in state parties as key to their vision for moving the DNC forward.
Also on Tuesday, Latino Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha Confirmed in X that he is on the run. The only woman who has emerged as a possible candidate so far, This was reported by Politico, It is Senator Mallory McMorrow of Michigan. He won the public sympathy 2022, left, after speaking out against a Republican who referred to him as a “son-in-law” in a fundraising appeal that led to a speech at the Democratic National Convention this summer.
Still waiting: Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler has earned a reputation as a formidable fundraiser and field organizer.
“Ben is seriously considering running,” a person familiar with Wikler’s thinking told NBC News on Monday.
This is on top of the conversations around Rahm Emanuel, the US Ambassador to Japan, former Chicago Mayor and Chief of Staff. then-President Barack Obama. Emanuel reached out to other DNC members to test the waters, according to two people close to him.
The position of DNC vice-chairman is also noteworthy. Adam Parkhomenko, a Democratic operative who worked on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaigns, is considering running for the post he unsuccessfully ran for in 2017.
“I am seriously considering returning to the race and I promise that I will take time to carefully weigh this decision with the same loyalty to our party and the values that I have always carried,” Parhomenko said in a message to his supporters. NBC News.
Also running for vice chairman is James Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute and a longtime former DNC member who has criticized the party from the left.
While it’s too early to get a clear picture of the fault lines that will define the DNC leadership races, the 50-state strategy may be one. This is especially true of investing in red, blue and swing states, which Martin has completely covered. If Emanuel enters the race, it’s a strategy he famously opposes, even entering the race Public debate with Howard Dean In this regard, he argues, the party should focus on the battleground states.
The race could also expose divisions between the old-school, Obama-encampment — which has drastically reduced the role of the DNC and state parties by creating a parallel entity at the Organization for America — and new faces who will bring fresh ideas to the party. looking for a way forward.
Trump is rapidly burning through his political capital
By Chuck Todd
Here’s the political problem Donald Trump has created for himself with his choices for Cabinet and other positions: He now owns the entire bureaucracy. There is no fantasy or mythical “deep state” to blame for failing to deliver on its promises. He’s appointing people he says share his vision — so there’s no excuse for being pushed out by the old establishment wing of the GOP (like what happened in his first term).
This time, he must deliver, and his ability to deliver depends on whether he can bring together a stable set of political actors not only to carry out his ambitions, but also to somehow deliver on his promises to a whole new set of voters who are trying to “work. out” Trumpism for the first time.
If the next six months at the Pentagon are about which bathrooms people can or can’t use and who can or can’t defend the country, Trump will take more heat than his controversial defense chief pick. his original choice for the position.
There are many potential landmines that Trump and the newly empowered GOP must avoid. One misreads their mandate on the cultural front.
Culturally, they don’t like being told how to behave, as many voters seem to be saying in their own voices. There is fierce libertarianism in this country, and it can appear “left” or “right” depending on the party in power. If Republicans go from preaching against “DEI” to essentially enforcing their own culture, mandating Bible study in public schools (see Oklahoma), or using gender stereotypes rather than pure merit to decide whether someone belongs on the front lines, then the belief that they would commit the same sin they accused Coastal elites of committing, of “imposing their culture” on a public that disagreed with their every point.
And that’s the very risk that Trump has already invited by deciding to pick the most controversial firearm he can find in some of these key positions. If his choices lead to instability, the public will reject this administration sooner than he thinks.
Trump and the GOP have already misread his so-called mandate that he was elected. though his personal unpopularity. That is, he was not actively elected by the voters who caught him on the sidelines; he was chosen because of who he was no.
It wasn’t a decision voters made because they liked Trump. Rather, they made the decision because they didn’t think the Biden-Harris administration understood how they were living their lives. Does Trump get it? Maybe not, but he sure knew how to channel their frustration into a get-out-the-vote message, and he certainly exposed Democrats as having no clue how the working class is faring in this economy.
But these moments, which are the peak of political capital, pass and when they go, they go. Just ask Biden.
➡️ Trump transition clock
- Members of the House Ethics Committee met behind closed doors on Wednesday but did not reach an agreement On whether to make public the report detailing their extensive investigation into former Rep. Matt GaetzTrump’s choice for attorney general.
- This was stated by Defense Minister Lloyd Austin In an exclusive interview with NBC News women were vital to the strength of the army. The comments come after Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon. Pete Hegsethdoubted placing women in combat roles.
- the name of the president-elect Linda McMahonThe former World Wrestling Entertainment executive served in the first Trump administration as his pick to head the education department.
- Former Acting Prosecutor General Matt Whitaker It’s Trump’s choice to be next Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationA key alliance that Trump has mocked for years.
🗞️ Other top stories of the day
- 🚻 Bathroom ban: House Speaker Mike Johnson said he supports limiting “single-sex facilities” in the Capitol, including restrooms, to “individuals of that biological sex” — which would effectively ban the first transgender congresswoman, Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del. , from using the women’s bathroom. More →
- ⚖️ Trump is on trial: Trump’s lawyers asked the judge presiding over his trial in New York to remain silent, saying otherwise it would “destabilize the country.” More →
- ☑️ Final race calls: Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur has defeated Republican Derek Merri in Ohio’s 9th District, NBC News predicts. The Republicans have won for now 218-213 majority in the House there are four races yet to be called.
- ☑️ Latest race calls, continued: California voters narrowly rejected a ballot measure that would have raised the state’s minimum wage to $18 an hour, NBC News predicted. This is the first time since 1996 that a ballot measure proposing a nationwide minimum wage increase has failed. More →
- 📝 Powerful gameplay: North Carolina’s Republican lawmakers have voted to strip the state’s incoming Democratic governor and attorney general of key powers, passing a sweeping bill before the GOP loses its veto power in the legislature next year. More →
That’s all for the Policy Desk for now. If you have feedback – like it or not – send us an email politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
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