THE HILL
by Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch
Among Republican presidential aspirants, all eyes are on caucus goers in Iowa next week and New Hampshire’s GOP primary on Jan. 23.
The next few weeks will cement a narrative. Is Trump unbeatable for the nomination — or might Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor who has stumbled in the past two weeks, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who sharpened his recent performances, dent Trump’s steely armor?
Trump in Iowa over the weekend demanded release of those jailed for the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, calling them “hostages.” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), an eager Trump ally who would like to be his running mate, echoed that language during a fiery NBC News interview on Sunday (Reuters).
DeSantis and Haley have stepped up attacks on Trump. The Hill’s Jared Gans reports the ramped-up aggression has become more pronounced. “I wish the former president would actually debate,” DeSantis told CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday. “The idea that he can go and just read off the Teleprompter for 45 minutes and then go back, you know, back home, that doesn’t cut it in Iowa. And that doesn’t cut it in a lot of these states. And so, let’s go. Get on the stage and let’s have the debate of ideas and I hope Donald Trump will be willing to do that.”
The Hill’s Niall Stanage breaks down where each candidate stands before the Iowa caucuses in a week.
▪ The New York Times: Trump takes aim at Haley as the primary enters its final phase in Iowa.
▪ ABC News: Former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie launched a new “Truth” ad that draws a contrast with Haley.
▪ The Washington Post: Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy increasingly embraces fringe theories, far-right claims in Iowa.
Biden’s reelection strategy — kicking off with lofty speeches and promises of rigorous pacing — has some Democrats worried, including former President Obama, The Washington Post reports. Biden’s low poll numbers are ominous and the general election could begin in weeks rather than months. His March 7 State of the Union address, usually the largest audience a president reaches in a single televised event, is scheduled late compared with predecessors. His fundraising is strong, but his campaign organization, especially in some key battleground states, appears slow to gel.
“They’re way behind,” said former Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod last month during the podcast, Hacks on Tap. “And it’s not surprising because most of the people who are running the campaign are in the White House and not at the campaign, and I think those divided attentions have hurt them.”
Biden’s campaign defended its strategy as smart on drawing contrasts with Trump, and on track with its ground game in key states. Quentin Fulks, principal deputy campaign manager for Biden’s reelection bid, on Sunday defended Biden’s approach and stressed that Obama and the president are in sync.
“We’re going to continue to do what we need to do in order to be competitive and in order to make sure we’re growing the infrastructure that we need to win,” Fulks told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “President Obama and President Biden talk frequently, as do the campaign and former operatives from President Biden’s administration and his campaign,” he added.
▪ The Hill: Democrats question whether Biden should agree to debate Trump.
▪ The Wall Street Journal: Biden has a second-term wish list. Congress could spoil his plans.
2024 ROUNDUP
- Florida GOP Party Chair Christian Ziegler will face GOP state and county leaders today in Tallahassee. He could be ousted over allegations of rape, among other accusations, although no charges have been filed.
- Rep. John Curtis, one of the GOP’s leading voices on fighting climate change, is running for retiring Sen. Mitt Romney’s Utah Senate seat, though he did not mention climate in announcing his bid.
- “We don’t want to be a national laughing stock”: This is how Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) blew her safe seat, Politico reports.
- Police are investigating an incident involving Boebert and her former husband, Jayson Boebert, at a restaurant in Silt, Colo., on Saturday night. This is not Boebert’s first highly publicized interaction with law enforcement. In September, she was escorted out of a production of “Beetlejuice” at the Denver Performing Arts Center after fellow patrons complained about some of her alleged disruptive behavior.
- The Supreme Court’s decision to hear a case that could restrict access to medication abortion promises to keep the issue central in this year’s election season.
- Trump wins back the anti-abortion movement as activists plot 2025 crackdowns.