Gallup: “Several weeks into his first term in office, 67% of Americans approve of President Joe Biden’s handling of the coronavirus. Although not as high as his rating on the pandemic, approval of Biden is at the majority level on his overall job (56%) and his handling of foreign affairs (56%) and the economy (54%).”
“Donald Trump has confirmed his attendance at the Republican National Committee’s upcoming spring donor retreat, as the former president reemerges following his departure from the White House,” Politico reports.
In a hypothetical three-way Republican primary for president in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) gets 64% support compared to 12% for Sen. Marco Rubio (R) and 10% for Sen. Rick Scott (R), Politico reports.
That 52-point lead over Rubio represents a massive increase since July when he was ahead by just 11 points over Rubio.
Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist said Thursday that he would likely decide this spring whether or not he’d run to reclaim his former job as governor.
“Hoping to build on the gains former President Donald Trump made with African American voters, the Republican National Committee says it plans to open Black Community Centers in states that are expected to be competitive in next year’s midterm elections,” McClatchy reports.
“While Trump won just 12% of Black voters in the 2020 election, that still accounted for the largest share of any Republican presidential candidate since former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole’s unsuccessful bid for the White House in 1996, according to exit polls.”
“President Joe Biden raised $22.1 million to pay for the costs of his transition, far exceeding the $6.5 million his predecessor raised four years ago,” Bloomberg reports.
“Former President Donald Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the election led to a delay in releasing $6 million in public money designated for presidential transitions. The GSA waited almost three weeks after the Nov. 3 election to ascertain Biden as the apparent winner, freeing up the money and getting his team access to detailed briefing books on government agencies.”
Jonathan Last wants Lara Trump to run for U.S. Senate in North Carolina because it would answer some burning questions:
- Will any Republican even be allowed to challenge a Trump family member running for office? My guess is no. If a Trump family member declares even the intention to run, no R in good standing will be allowed to remain in the field.
- How much of the Trump political brand extends downstream to family members in polling?
- What sort of platform would a Trump family member run on? Would they run merely as a stalking horse for Donald J. Trump’s return? Or would they run on some version of their own MAGA policies?
- How much money could a Trump family member raise from MAGA nation in a statewide race?
A new Pew Research report finds 24% of Republicans and and 25% of Democrats “consistently” turned to “partisan news media bubbles” for their news.
“Republicans who stuck to their partisan bubbles tended to be much older than those that relied on outlets with left-leaning audiences or a mix of publications. About 80% of the Republicans who stuck to their partisan bubbles were older than 50, including 44% older than 65.”
“Democrats who get their political news only from outlets with left-leaning audiences were more likely to be white and have college degrees. Democrats who consistently turned to outlets with mixed or right-leaning audiences were more likely to be Black (29%) or Hispanic (21%).”
“Google will lift its ban on political ads on Wednesday, ending a self-imposed prohibition that had been active since the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol,” Politico reports.
OHIO 16th CD–Rep. Anthony Gonzalez’s (R-OH) “decision to join just nine other House Republicans and all House Democrats to impeach Trump in January has unearthed profound anger in his northeast Ohio district, kicking off a localized fight over the future of the Republican Party that pits the two-term congressman against irate constituents eager to expel any Republican who crosses the former President,” CNN reports.
“Numerous county parties have either censured or publicly decried him, grassroots organizations once aligned with the congressman have taken back their endorsements and fellow Republican have begun lining up to oust him in a primary.”
“Former Trump White House aide Max Miller is expected to wage a primary challenge against GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, the latest opponent to take on a House Republican who supported the former president’s impeachment,” Politico reports. “Miller, who hails from northeastern Ohio, has been in talks with top Republican donors in the state and other party leaders since leaving the White House last month.”
Kansas City Star: “Trump is out of office after a chaotic term that produced two of the four presidential impeachments in history and an explosion of violence that shocked the nation. He has left behind a Republican Party remade in his image and a national political atmosphere more toxic than ever.”
“His influence also reaches deep into the foundations Kansas and Missouri Republicanism in ways that could persist for many years. In state and local parties, the former president’s repeated falsehoods about the election and flirtation with conspiracy theories have found a receptive audience among some rank-and-file and leadership. Some who have attempted to challenge the discredited narrative have been marginalized or threatened.”
NEW HAMPSHIRE U.S. SENATOR — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) took a baby step closer to a U.S. Senate run in 2022, telling a radio talk show host he’s “definitely open to it,” the New Hampshire Union Leader reports.
“Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) is wading back into Georgia politics weeks after her runoff defeat with the start of a new voter registration group aimed at helping Republicans recover from the stunning Democratic victories in November and January,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
ALABAMA U.S. SENATOR — State Attorney General Steve Marshall said Thursday that he would not be seeking the Republican nod for this open seat.
UTAH 4TH CD–Former Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams recently told the Deseret News that he was considering seeking a rematch against Republican incumbent Burgess Owens, who ousted McAdams 48-47 as Donald Trump was carrying this suburban Salt Lake City seat by a much-stronger 52-43 margin last year.
McAdams doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to decide, though, as he said, “I think Rep. Owens should be given every opportunity to succeed, and as a Utahn and an American, I want him to be successful.” Owens, for his part, used his first week in office to vote to overturn Joe Biden’s win in the presidential election.
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