The GOPAC Newsletter

News of Interest

Early outside spending boosts Speaker Moore's

position in congressional race

Carolina Journal | Dallas Woodhouse

December 21, 2023

Early independent spending combined with significant home county support
has NC House Speaker Tim Moore surging into a commanding position in
Congressional District 14, a newly configured district that heavily favors
the GOP in the General Election in 2024.

A new survey conducted for the GOPAC Education Fund by Differentiators Data
shows North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore with a significant lead in
North Carolina's 14th Congressional District Republican primary.

Moore, an active leader in GOPAC's mission during his decade-long tenure as
state House speaker, holds a 43-percentage point lead over his nearest
competitor.

Moore is supported by half of all voters with 49%. The two other
Republicans in the race, Jeff Gregory (6%) and Lillian Joseph (2%), are
virtual unknowns to voters. Moore avoided what would have been his
strongest primary challenge when Republican Pat Harrigan, a businessman,
and former Green Beret, filed to run for Rep. Patrick McHenry's seat after
the former speaker pro tempore announced he'll retire at the end of his
term. Harrigan won the primary for the 14th Congressional District in 2022,
so would have had high name ID and some momentum with primary voters.
[1]Read more

[2]Read the full memo here

WG Economy: How Did 2023 End For Gas Prices?

WG Economy | David Winston

December 20, 2023

2023 has been a rollercoaster for inflation. We have seen some moderation
in the year-over-year CPI but inflation has proven to be stickier than many
expected. Gas prices have been an area of inflation that the Biden White
House has tried toclaim credit in times when prices have improved. Blaming
the "Putin price hike" and accusing oil companies of price gouging are what
we have heard from the White House during record highs at the pump in 2022.
But when prices started to come down in the spring and early summer of this
year, the White House took credit. When prices went back up in September,
the White House started talking about corporate gouging again. Now that
prices are on the way down again, Democrats are taking credit. This edition
of WG Economy looks beyond the political spin and shows what weekly price
tracking says about how gas prices are ending for 2023. The chart below
shows our trending of weekly national averages from the US Energy
Information Administration, starting from the beginning of the Biden
presidency. [3]WG Economy, December 20, 2023.pdf

Nikki Haley struggles to win Republican women as they stick with Donald
Trump before 2024

USA Today | Savannah Kuchar

December 20, 2023

Nikki Haley looked into the crowd at the first Republican primary debate
and told supporters to thunderous applause, "If you want something said,
ask a man. If you want something done, as a woman."

Whether quoting Britain's first female prime minister or joking about her
five-inch heels on the campaign trail, the former South Carolina governor
has leaned into her identity as the only woman seeking the 2024 Republican
presidential nomination.

When it comes to courting female voters, however, Haley's White House bid
may not be resonating.

"It doesn't seem like woman, Republican women, care that she's a woman,"
said Laurel elder, professor of political science at Hartwick College who
studies gender in politics. [4]Read more

Republican delegate preserves victory in recount

of Va. House District

The Washington Post | Gregory S. Schneider

December 20, 2023

A recount in a House of Delegates district south of Richmond confirmed
Wednesday that Del. Kim Taylor (R-Dinwiddie) prevailed over Democrat
Kimberly Pope Adams, though her margin of victory shrank.

The outcome does not affect the balance of power in the House, where
Democrats won a 51-49 majority in November's elections. A change in this
race would have increased Democrats' edge.

Taylor won with 14,289 votes - 53 more than the 14,236 for Adams. The
recount shifted 25 votes to the Democrat, who conceded. [5]Read more

GOP rallies around Trump after Colorado ballot ruling

His Republican primary rivals said they want to beat him,

but not this way

Politico | Olivia Alafriz

December 19, 2023

Republicans rallied around Donald Trump on Tuesday after the Colorado
Supreme Court ruled that the former president was ineligible for reelection
because he stoked an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel blasted the ruling as
"election interference" in a post on X, writing that the party's legal team
"looks forward to helping fight for a victory."

"Like the rest of the unprecedented, constant, and illegal election
interference against President Trump, this will backfire and further
strengthen President Trump's winning campaign to Save America," House
Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik said in a statement.

House Speaker Mike Johnson also threw his weight behind the former
president and rejected the ruling, calling it "nothing but a thinly veiled
partisan attack."

Trump's primary competitors joined the fray, including former New Jersey
Gov. Chris Christie, who has staked his campaign on positioning himself as
a foil to Trump. [6]Read more

Donald Trump blocked from appearing on presidential primary ballot by
Colorado Supreme Court

The decision, which may be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, comes as
state elections officials must set the primary ballot by Jan. 5

Colorado Sun | Jesse Paul

December 19, 2023

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump cannot appear on
the state's Republican presidential primary ballot next year because he is
disqualified by engaging in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S.
Capitol.

The stunning 4-3 decision is almost certain to be immediately appealed to
the U.S. Supreme Court and is likely to have national ripple effects.
Similar lawsuits seeking to block Trump from appearing on presidential
primary ballots have been filed in other parts of the country, but no
others have been successful.

The Colorado Supreme Court stayed its ruling until Jan. 4 to give the U.S.
Supreme Court time to weigh in. [7]Read more

Biden to nominate five new judges in Texas, other Republican-led states

Reuters | Nate Raymond

December 19, 2023

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he planned to nominate five new trial
court judges in four states with Republican senators, whose support the
White House has increasingly sought as it pushes to fill vacancies in their
home states.

The nominees include the Democratic president's second and third in Texas,
Ernesto Gonzalez and Leon Schydlower, who would serve as district court
judges in the state's Western District. Other nominees hail from Nebraska,
Utah, and Wyoming. [8]Read more

Up to 10 candidates to vie for party nominations for Southside state Senate
seat Tuesday

Virginia Mercury | Sarah Vogelsong

December 18, 2023

As many as 10 candidates will vie for party nominations for a Southside
Virginia state Senate seat on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

Republican Sen. Frank Ruff, a 30-year veteran of the General Assembly, was
elected this November to represent the new Senate District 9, encompassing
Pittsylvania, Halifax, Charlotte, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, and Nottoway
counties, the southern portion of Prince Edward County, and the city of
Danville.

On Friday, however, Ruff announced he will not take office for the 2024-28
term after a cancer diagnosis.

"Entering into an aggressive and ongoing treatment regimen, I have
concluded I may not be able to devote 100% of my focus to doing the work
needed in the General Assembly," said Ruff in a statement. "Consequently, I
believe now is the right time to retire."

With the legislative session set to begin Jan. 10, Gov. Glenn Youngkin has
called a special election to fill the seat on Jan 9, 2024. Because
candidates must file with the Virginia Department of Elections by Dec. 20
in order to appear on the ballot, both Democrats and Republicans in the
district are holding their nominating contests one day earlier, on Dec. 19.
[9]Read more

Trump's campaign expects to clinch 2024 nomination by mid-March - senior
official

Reuters | Gram Slattery & Nathan Layne

December 18, 2023

Former President Donald Trump's campaign team projects he could formally
clinch the republican presidential nomination by March 19, given his lead
in polls in the early voting states, a senior campaign official said on
Monday.

The team believes Trump is on track to win 1,478 delegates by then, based
on a mix of public and internal polls, said the official, who requested
anonymity to discuss the campaign.

That would be more than enough delegates needed to win a majority of the
total of 2,429 delegates who will select a nominee at the Republican
National Convention, set for July in Milwaukee. [10]Read more

Republican lawmakers press for special session to reassess Oregon's vehicle
taxes

Sen. Brian Boquist and Rep. Anna Scharf say Democrats have ignored an
unconstitutional disparity in how heavy trucks are being taxed. Their push
for a special session is unlikely to succeed.

OPB | Dirk VanderHart

December 18, 2023

Two Republican lawmakers are pressing for a special session next month to
correct what they say is a growing unfairness in how the state taxes
vehicles.

Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, and Rep. Anna Scharf, R-Amity, filed a
request with the legislative administrators on Dec. 13. That will kickstart
a vote among all 90 lawmakers that will take place beginning this week.

If a majority of lawmakers in both chambers agree on the need for an
emergency session -- unlikely given that a regular legislative session will
convene in February -- lawmakers would convene in early January. [11]Read
more

How do Iowa's Republican caucuses work? Here's what you should know for
2024

Des Moines Register | Brianne Pfannenstiel

December 18, 2023

So you're getting ready for Iowa's Republican caucuses in January and need
a refresher on how it all works? We've got you covered.

Throw out any ideas you may have about "state delegate equivalents" and
"viability thresholds" that are lingering after the Democratic caucuses in
2020. The way Republicans caucus in Iowa is much more straightforward.

Here's a look at what to expect. [12]Read more

Democrats are gearing up to 'unravel' Republican supermajorities across the
country in 2024

Business Insider | John L. Dorman

December 17, 2023

This year, Democratic state legislative candidates in key races across the
country were buoyed by abortion rights and gun reform, and as 2024
approaches, the organization that works to let more of the party's
candidates at the state level said it's ready to keep going.

Some of the biggest Democratic victories this year were ones that the party
had been eyeing for some time, which included flipping the Virginia House
of Delegates and holding the Virginia Senate, enshrining abortion rights
into law in Michigan and Minnesota, and voter approval of a constitutional
amendment ensuring access to abortion in Republican-leaning Ohio. [13]Read
more

Missouri lawmakers prep or annual session amid election-year posturing

STL Today | Kurt Erickson

December 16, 2023

State lawmakers will convene in just over two weeks for the 2024 session
against the backdrop of an election season that has at least 15 members of
the Legislature seeking higher office.

All signs point to plenty of political posturing by those who want to lead
the state, while Gov. Mike Parson, who is in his final year in office,
seeks to shape his legacy as Missouri's 57th governor.

Senate President Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, who is running for Secretary of
State, is predicting an amped-up Senate, where at least five of the 34
members are seeking statewide posts. [14]Read more

Court ruling backs tribes' effort to force lawmakers to redraw North Dakota
legislative boundaries

Associated Press | Jack Dura

December 15, 2023

A federal appeals court denied a request on Friday to delay a judge's
decision that North Dakota's legislative map violates the Voting Rights Act
in diluting the voting strength of two Native American tribes.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision comes a week before the
deadline set by the judge for the state to adopt a new map of legislative
districts.

Last month, U.S. District Chief Judge Peter Welte ruled that the map
violated the Voting Rights act of 1965 in that it "prevents Native American
voters from having an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their
choice." He gave North Dakota Republican Secretary of State Michael Howe
and the GOP-controlled Legislature until Dec. 22 "to adopt a plan to remedy
the violation." [15]Read more

Republican Mazi Pilip, Democrat Tom Suozzi set to face off in special
election to replace expelled congressman George Santos

CBS New York | Jennifer McLogan

December 15, 2023

New York Republicans have named their candidate to replace expelled
Congressman George Santos, and party leaders say they're confident in the
vetting process this time.

Republicans in Nassau and Queens turned out in force, nominating Mazi
Pilip, a little-known first-term Nassau County legislator, as their
candidate in the special election to replace Santos.

"I am the example of the American dream," Pilip said.

Pilip is an Ethiopian Jew who migrated to Israel, served in the Israeli
Defense Forces and came to the United States as a young woman.

"She's a mother, she's a soldier, she's a legislator," former Republican
Rep. Peter King said. [16]Read more

Lawmaker's departure adds more drama to this year's political upheaval in
the Pa. House

Penn Live | Jan Murphy

December 15, 2023

Once again, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives finds itself in a
101-101 partisan tie following the Thursday resignation of Democratic Rep.
John Galloway.

Galloway stepped away from the House seat representing part of Bucks County
that he has served since 2007 after being elected to a magisterial district
judgeship in November.

House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, on Thursday, issued a writ
setting the special election date to fill the seat for Feb. 13

The House is not scheduled to return for a voting session until March 18,
providing enough time for the results of that special election to be
certified so the winner can be seated when the chamber reconvenes. It also
is allowing crews to perform work in the chamber to address damage caused
by a burst pipe last December. [17]Read more

WG Discussion Points: Assessing the Fallout Of The College Presidents
Hearing

WG Discussion Points | David Winston

December 15, 2023

In our latest survey for Winning the Issues (December 7-9, 1000 registered
voters), we looked at the impact of last week's House Education and
Workforce hearing with the presidents of three top universities. Comparing
with numbers prior to the hearing, our new numbers show continued
bipartisan dissatisfaction with how colleges and universities have handled
the protests. Similar to what we saw in October, only 18% approve of their
handling with a slight increase the percentage disapproving from 40% to
44%. [18]WG Discussion Points, December 15, 2023.pdf

[19]Facebook [20]Twitter [21]YouTube [22]Instagram

GOPAC is a force in American politics as it educates and elects Republican
Leaders. We invest in strengthening and securing Republican majorities in
state chambers through contributions to candidates and legislative campaign
committees. GOPAC holds an unmatched record of success in building a roster
of Republicans ready to lead in their state legislatures and run for higher
office.

Paid for by GOPAC

References

1. [link removed]
2. [link removed]
3. [link removed]
4. [link removed]
5. [link removed]
6. [link removed]
7. [link removed]
8. [link removed]
9. [link removed]
10. [link removed]
11. [link removed]
12. [link removed]
13. [link removed]
14. [link removed]
15. [link removed]
16. [link removed]
17. [link removed]
18. [link removed]
19. [link removed]
20. [link removed]
21. [link removed]
22. [link removed]
Unsubscribe:
[link removed]

This message was sent to [email protected] from [email protected]

GOPAC
1201 Wilson Blvd Ste 2110
Arlington, VA 22209