The strategist

But, yes, overall, I think the economy has the wind at its back. And I think one reason we're seeing these record highs day after day, and we're going to see him probably tomorrow, too, after tonight's debate, you're going to see the Democrats continue to fray, and that's why the markets like it, because it gives Trump a better chance in November to pull this out. … [Read more...] about Americans evacuated from Diamond Princess cruise ship now under two-week quarantine in US

One aide to a former presidential aspirant texted three emojis showing clenched teeth when asked what to make of Warren accepting money from a political action committee, while a progressive strategist seemed utterly perplexed by the whole thing. “It honestly takes some effort and creativity to start with a candidate like Elizabeth Warren, who rose to prominence taking on the financial industry and Wall Street, and end up with a muddled message on money in politics. How is that even possible?” the strategist said. … [Read more...] about Elizabeth Warren Wanted to Be the Unity Candidate. Now, She’s Playing for Keeps

Gillum’s path to victory relies in part on reshaping an electorate that broke for Trump in 2016 after voting for Obama twice, like Democrats are eager to do around the country. While DeSantis is aiming to replicate the president’s strength in a state he won with high white turnout, Gillum has veered away from the traditional Democratic path to victory. He’s still hoping to run up the score among Latino voters, but after a primary win fueled by unexpectedly large margins among African-Americans, in Jacksonville’s Duval County, and on college campuses, Gillum’s now spending more resources on pumping up turnout among black and young voters than his party has before — especially in 2016, when Hillary Clinton underperformed with both groups. The fact that he would be Florida’s first African-American governor should help, explained Meg Ansara, a Democratic strategist who directed Clinton’s battleground-states operation: The fact is “going … [Read more...] about Andrew Gillum, Model Candidate

Still, much of the Democratic lesson-seeking on Wednesday has been focused, as ever, on Florida and Ohio. Republicans have ample reason to cheer in the former: Bill Nelson, the only Democrat to win a Senate or gubernatorial race in Florida since 1998, appears to have been unseated by Rick Scott, and the GOP will now control not only both of the state’s Senate seats, but also — in the form of Ron Desantis — its executive apparatus, which can prove crucial to turnout efforts in a presidential race. Yet Democrats are taking some solace on Wednesday in the close margins of the state’s Senate and governor’s races — Republicans are ahead in both by less than a point. Not only that, but after the passage of a ballot measure Tuesday, over 1 million voters who couldn’t participate due to felony convictions will likely be restored to the rolls, a shift that could reenfranchise more than one in five black Floridians, potentially significantly altering the … [Read more...] about There’s a New Electoral Map in Town

A couple hundred people were crammed into the Gingrich space, and at the end of his brief remarks, the former House speaker observed that they might have noticed in previous debates his routine of scribbling notes immediately upon assuming his place at the podium. Those notes, he explained, consisted of three bullet points: the word “Lincoln,” which Gingrich said was a reminder to speak slowly, as Honest Abe did; the word “smile,” which Gingrich claimed was the advice of one his two “debate coaches” — i.e., his grandchildren, one of whom apparently believes that his often-scowling, Old Testament countenance doesn’t well serve his cause; and the word “simple,” a reflection of  the concerns of the other grandtyke, whom Newt told us regards his tendency toward the prolix and “professorial” to be less than politically optimal. No dummies, those kids. … [Read more...] about Heilemann: Gingrich Disciplined, Aggressive, Triumphant at Iowa Debate