FRIDAY 11/10/23
Former UN Ambassador and North Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley “won” Wednesday night’s GOP presidential candidates’ debate in Miami and broadcast by NBC, according to a 538/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, with 34% of those polled saying she had the best performance. Haley edged out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who most impressed 23%, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Former President Trump, who again eschewed the debate, this time for his own political rally in nearby Hialeah, remains the frontrunner, though the share of Republicans most likely to vote for him slipped from 64.6%, to 63.1% in the latest poll. DeSantis’ score also fell, from 49.7% to 48.3%.
Haley gained on both Trump and DeSantis. Republicans likely to vote for her rose 2.5 points, to 38%.
Businessman and MAGA vice presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy lost 1.2 points, to 19.8% and Sen. Rick Scott, of South Carolina, fell one full point, to 19.3%.
Anti-Trump candidate and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, like Haley, gained Republican support, from 13.7% before the debate to 14.9% after.
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Evacuation in Gaza? – Tanks are encircling hospitals in Gaza a day after Israel announced it would pause fighting four hours a day to distribute food and medical supplies and allow evacuation, The Washington Post reports. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel doesn’t “seek to occupy” Gaza.
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Biden to Meet with Xi – President Biden meets with China President Xi Jingping next Wednesday to “discuss issues in the U.S.-PRC (People’s Republic of) bilateral relationship, the continued importance of maintaining open lines of communication, and a range of regional and global issues,” according to a release from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The meeting will be on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Summit, The Hill notes.
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REMINDER – The federal government shuts down next Friday, November 17, if Congress fails to pass a spending bill.
--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa
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THURSDAY 11/9/23
“Surprise” would be too strong a term, so let’s say there were a few unexpected turns in Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate on NBC. Anti-Trump candidate Chris Christie had a handful of supporters cheer him, with no apparent “boos” from MAGA Floridians. The host state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, came off as calm and level-headed, but then he was standing next to MAGA vice presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
In the no surprise, no unexpected turn column, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott called for the United States to become a Christian nation again.
Former Trump administration UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said her former boss “was the right president at the right time,” before explaining why he’d be the wrong president in 2025.
Haley called on her inner Will Smith when in a heated exchange with Ramaswamy over who can impose a more imposing ban on Tik Tok, Ramaswamy accused Haley’s daughter of being a big fan of the Chinese-based social media outlet. Haley shot back; “Leave my daughter out of your voice!”
So will Haley, DeSantis, Christie or Scott gain ground on Donald J. Trump in the polls? Will Ramaswamy rise to the top of Trump’s list of potential running mates?
We’ll soon see.
Meanwhile, we hope you’ll weigh in with your thoughts on who won and who lost in the debate. Which of them would you most like to see become the Republican presidential nominee, and why?
Please send your comments to editors@thehustings.news and note your political leanings, whether right or left, in the subject line. --TL
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WEDNESDAY 11/8/23
Election Results – Even as party angst bubbles up over a New York Times/Siena poll showing President Biden trailing Donald J. Trump for the 2024 election in five of six crucial swing states, the Democratic Party has scored some key wins in Tuesday’s elections. Here’s what we know so far…
Ohio Abortion Rights: Voters approved a constitutional amendment that ensures access to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care according to the AP, marking the latest pro-choice victory since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. With 79% counted, the “yes” vote overwhelmed the “no” vote, 55.6% to 44.3% according to Ballotpedia.
Meanwhile: In another referendum, Ohio became the 24th state to legalize marijuana, the AP reports.
Kentucky Gubernatorial: Democratic incumbent Andy Beshear has won a second term in this otherwise red state, having defeated Republican challenger Daniel Cameron. Beshear took 52% of the vote to Cameron’s 47%, according to MSNBC’s The 11th Hour. Beshear, the son of former Gov. Steve Beshear (2007-15), first earned the keys to the governor’s mansion when he defeated Republican incumbent Matt Bevin in 2019.
Virginia Senate: Democrats will hold control of the state senate, winning 21 of the chamber’s 40 seats (AP). Democratic wins include Schulyer Van Valkenburg for a suburban Richmond district and Russet Perry in Northern Virginia to help prevent Republicans from taking absolute control of the state government.
Meanwhile: Control of Virginia’s House of Delegates remained up in the air late Tuesday, though Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato told MSNBC’s The 11th Hour that Democrats will win control of the lower chamber and put an end to talk of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin running for president as a Trump alternative.
Mississippi Gubernatorial: Incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves was leading Democratic challenger Brandon Pressley – uh huh, Elvis’ second cousin – 53.5% to 43.2%, with 78% of “expected” votes in according to NBC News. Independent candidate Gwendolyn Gray had 1.4% of the vote.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court: Superior Court Judge Daniel McCaffery won a special election for the Supreme Court to replace the late chief justice, Max Baer, to restore the Democratic Party’s 5-2 majority, The Hill’s Decision Desk HQ reports. He defeated Republican Carolyn Carluccio, president judge for the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, who downplayed her anti-abortion stance in her campaign.
New York City Council: Democratic candidate and member of the ‘Central Park Five,’ Yusef Salaam won a seat on the New York City Council. Salaam was arrested age 15 in 1989 and served more than seven years in prison until his exoneration, which came after Donald J. Trump called for the death penalty for the wrongly accused five.
--TL
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ELECTION DAY 11/7/23
Trump Takes the Stand – No matter how hard Donald J. Trump tried, New York Judge Arthur Engoron refused to let the former president make MAGA-style campaign speeches in his court Monday. Trump took to the stand for nearly four hours in New York Attorney Gen. Letitia James’ civil fraud case over the Trump Organization’s inflation of its real estate values for financial gain.
Trump droned on in the manner to which pro- and anti-MAGA alike are accustomed as Engoron demanded he just answer the questions. Trump, in turn, took shots at the judge – always a good defense, huh? – including making the statement Engoron “always rules against” him, while also calling James a “political hack.”
Engoron reminded Trump that his court is not a campaign rally (report per NPR’s All Things Considered).
“I think this court is a disgrace,” Trump said. “I think the statements of financial condition are good, and in some cases, very conservative.”
In his post-testimony press conference, Trump told reporters, “I think it went very well. …” He added again that the case should not have been brought to court, and said prosecutors claimed his Mar-a-Lago estate was worth $18 million. “It’s 50 to 100 times that,” Trump claimed.
“We have already been victorious,” James said, referring to Engoron’s pre-trial ruling on the case. “Now we are looking forward to … the remaining counts in our action against Donald Trump and his repeated and consistent fraud against the citizens of the great state of New York.”
Ranting scared: More than even Trump’s criminal cases, the New York civil case and its promise of prohibiting the Trump Organization from doing business in the state ever again is the case he fears most.
Next up: Ivanka Trump is set to testify Wednesday. Unlike fellow offspring Donald Jr. and Eric, his daughter is not charged in the case.
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‘Tactical Pause’ in Gaza? – President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are discussing the possibility of a “tactical pause” one month into the war as the Gaza Health Ministry reports that 10,000 Palestinians have been killed, The Guardian says. Netanyahu says Israel may have “security responsibility” for Gaza for an indefinite period.
--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa