Jessica Tarlov and Aaron Parnas open with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is facing backlash after praising Vladimir Putin during talks in Moscow, even as Russian forces continue to bombard Ukrainian cities and kill civilians. Russia also released a 74-year-old American citizen from a Russian prison after seven years. Is that a sign of good faith or a negotiating chip?
Mike Bloomberg is pouring $80 million into the midterms, including at least $50 million for House races, as Democrats look to expand their majority. A new New York Times/Siena poll shows Democrats leading the national House vote by 11 points and leading Republicans on every major issue, including immigration. Republicans still hold a significant fundraising advantage, with the RNC moving more than $50 million to its campaign committees.
A Wedgewood poll that helped push Mallory McMorrow out of the Michigan Senate primary has been exposed as fraudulent, after major aggregators had already included it. Is it time to regulate the polling industry?
Things have gotten ugly in the Ohio governor’s race. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is running an ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother. For years, well before she ran for office, Acton has said her mother was part of an unstable home where she experienced homelessness and sexual abuse. Ramaswamy has now admitted the ad came from his campaign. The Columbus Dispatch endorsed Acton as a direct result, and Ramaswamy was heckled at a campaign event last night. Has he gone too far, and is there still a limit to how low races are willing to go?
In New Hampshire, former Senator John Sununu is running ads distancing himself from Trump as he tries to win back the seat he lost in 2008. His opponent is Democratic Representative Chris Pappas. Is this a smart strategy for a New Hampshire Republican, and does Sununu’s history of criticizing Trump make it land as genuine?
In New York’s 17th Congressional District, Democratic challenger Cait Conley is trying to unseat Republican incumbent Mike Lawler in one of the most competitive House races in the country. Lawler is tying Conley to the Democratic left flank, while Conley makes the case that Lawler is too close to Trump. How does this play out?
Join us next Wednesday at 12pm ET for the next edition of Raging Perspective.
