The GOPAC Newsletter

News of Interest

WG Economy: Democrats Aim To Win Hearts and Minds, Not Just Elections

WG Economy | David Winston

February 15, 2023

As we heard in last week's State of the Union, the Biden administration
touted what they view as economic progress. From the sound of the
President's call to "finish the job," one would think the economic outlook
was more promising than it is. Contrary to the White House rosy economic
narratives, yesterday's inflation report came in hotter than expected,
indicating the US economy still has a long way to go. [1]Read more

Here are the Republicans considering 2024 presidential runs

CNN | Eric Bradner

February 14, 2023

Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United States
ambassador to the United Nations, launched her bid for the 2024 REpubican
presidential nomination Tuesday.

But the primary is still in its early stages, and it could take months
before the field fully rounds into form and candidates make more than
occasional visits to states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina
that will kick off the GOP's nominating process.

Haley could stand alone for weeks or even months as the party's only
official rival to former President Donald Trump. [2]Read more

Nikki Haley enters race for president as first challenger to Trump for the
Republican nomination

CNBC| Dawn Kopecki and Kevin Breuninger

February 14, 2023

KEY POINTS:

* Born and raised in South Carolina, Haley noted how her Indian parents
made her “different” from most other Americans.
* Her parentage made her the nation’s first female Asian American
governor and the first Indian American member of the Cabinet.
* Haley’s first campaign event, previously teased as a “special
announcement,” is set for Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET in Charleston.
* The next day, she’s headed to hit the campaign trail with stops in the
key primary states of New Hampshire and Iowa.

Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and United Nations
ambassador, announced Tuesday she was entering the 2024 presidential race,
making her the first Republican to challenger her former boss and
ex-President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination.

Haley, 51, dug into the difference in ages between 80-year-old President
Joe Biden and her challenger Trump, who's 76. While Biden hasn't formally
announced his candidacy, he's expected to do so in the coming weeks.

"Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven out of the last eight
presidential elections. That has to change," Haley said in a video posted
to her Twitter account. She called for a new generation of leaders, saying
Biden's record was "abysmal" and that the "Washington establishment has
failed us over and over again." [3]Read more

Democrats Meddle Again in a G.O.P. Primary, This Time Down-Ballot

In a race for a State Senate Seat in Wisconsin, Democrats are replicating
their midterm strategy of elevating far-right Republicans in hopes of
beating them in the general election.

The New York Times| Reid Epstein

February 14, 2023

Last year, Democrats spent millions of dollars elevating far-right
candidates in Republican primary contests for governor and Congress -
betting, it turned out correctly, that more extreme opponents would lose
general elections.

Now Wisconsin Democrats are trying to do it again, this time with mail and
TV ads before a Republican primary in a special election for a State Senate
seat that carries ramifications far beyond the district in suburban
Milwaukee.

The Democrats are helping a far-right election denier who has become a
pariah within her party in her race against a less extreme, but still
election-denying, conservative. They hope that with a more vulnerable
opponent, Democrats can win a seat held for decades by Republicans and deny
the G.O.P. a veto-proof majority in the gerrymandered chamber.

"Janel Brandtjen is as conservative as they come," reads a postcard sent to
Republican voters from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, which calls her a
"conservative pro-Trump Republican." [4]Read more

House GOP grapples with disagreement over border and immigration
legislation

The Hill| Emily Brooks and Rafael Bernal

February 13, 2023

As House Republicans took hold of the majority this year, they had planned
to quickly pass a border bill that would allow the Homeland Security
Secretary to turn away migrants at the border. But the bill hit a major
snag: opposition from GOP moderates.

The delay and disagreement highlight the challenge for House Republican
leaders in managing such a slim majority, even for bills relating to issues
that drive the party's top messages.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA.) in December included the Border
Safety and Security Act in a slate of 12 bills and resolutions that
Republicans planned to pass in the first two weeks of the congressional
session, by sending them straight to the House floor rather than through a
regular process while committees were still being organized. [5]Read more

Republicans again a lock to control Legislature after November election

Mississippi Today| Bobby Harrison

February 12, 2023

For a brief period in Mississippi's political past, there was suspense
going into the November statewide general elections about which party would
control the Legislature.

For much of the state's history, though, the minority party had no
mathematical chance to capture the state Legislature in the general
election. And that is certainly the case now.

If all the candidates Democrats found to qualify to run for state House and
Senate seats won their November general elections, the Republicans still
will have sizable majorities when the 2024 session begins.

Eleven Democrats qualified by the Feb. q deadline to run for House seats
currently held by Republicans. But few expect all of the Democratic
candidates to defeat the Republican incumbents. It would be more likely
that all would lose. [6]Read more

WG Discussion Points: The World According to Joe Biden

WG Discussion Points | David Winston

February 10, 2023

Instead of a State of the Union "unity speech," the speech was anything but
unifying. In fact, it seemed out of touch with reality for a country that
has just come through a pandemic, extended lockdowns, school closures, and
the highest inflation many have ever experienced in a lifetime. We cannot
blame the President for wanting to highlight what he sees as progress, but
the disconnect with the current reality and his own political standing was
stark. The focal point of the President's speech was taunting Republicans
with allegations that they want to cut Social Security and Medicare -
claims that have already been debunked. But that didn't deter the President
from forging ahead with those allegations. According to Politico, White
House aides were elated they had "triggered" Republicans in the President's
speech, and it seems clear he intends to keep it up. No doubt, provoking
Republicans was intended to deflect attention over the President's
political standing, and how the electorate sees the state of the economy.
[7]WG Discussion Points February 10, 2023

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