THURSDAY EDITION
SEP 10 / 54 DAYS OUT
1. LEADING OFF
“Fired up, ready to go.” President Barack Obama got that from Edith Childs, a South Carolina county councilwoman who started the chant at a small campaign stop in 2007. And, frankly, that’s exactly how we feel at The Caucus after the response we got from yesterday’s launch. Thanks to everyone who signed up — and keep the notes coming!
Here’s what we’ve got for you today: a column on why Democrats should walk away from $150 billion, the dynasty candidate who came from behind in New Hampshire, and the Scranton mayor who wants to ban Congress from betting on wars.
Fired up? Let’s go.
— Elias Isquith
2. DON’T CASH TRUMP’S CHECK
Considering that tariffs raise prices, hurt American manufacturing, and poll badly, you’d think repealing them would be an easy call. But some of the most prominent Democratic leaders still haven’t committed to doing that if the party retakes power. Why not?
In this week’s column for The Caucus, Samarth Gupta, who served as a policy advisor at the Treasury Department under President Biden, thinks he has the answer — $150 billion a year in revenue that a future Democratic government will badly need.
A future Democrat-run government will need to raise significant revenues to fix America’s balance sheet, let alone deliver on campaign promises to reverse Trump’s health care cuts, invest in housing, or expand childcare. But adopting President Trump's trade policy would be an unwise way to do so.
To find out where Gupta thinks that money should come from instead, read his full column at The Caucus.
3. FAMILY BUSINESS
Stefany Shaheen won New Hampshire’s 1st District primary, 37% to 35%, over former Obama administration official Maura Sullivan — an upset on paper, since public polling had Sullivan ahead going into the final weeks.
Shaheen’s mother’s name was worth real money. It also became something her campaign quietly stopped mentioning.
To find out how Shaheen closed the gap — and why the progressive wave that hit New York, Michigan, and California never reached New Hampshire — read Russell Payne’s full story at The Caucus.
4. BETTING AGAINST PREDICTION MARKETS
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, the Democratic nominee in Pennsylvania’s 8th District, is aiming to win her toss-up race by running against corruption.
Her eight-part plan covers the familiar stuff — no congressional stock trading, no corporate PAC money, term limits — and one item that suggests she’s been reading the news: a ban on members of Congress betting prediction markets on wars, elections, and government decisions.
She has some standing here: Cognetti got her current job in 2019, right after her predecessor pleaded guilty to bribery and extortion.
She also has a three-time Trump voter in her latest ad saying he’s crossing over because the corruption drives him nuts. To see how Cognetti is making that case, and what she’s already given up to prove she means it, read Kim Lyons’ full story at The Caucus.
5. IN THE NEWS
— Two courts issue opposite orders on Missouri's map, leaving a House seat in limbo past the ballot deadline (NBC News)
— MAGA Inc. puts $10M into the Texas Senate race as Trump promises to spend far more (CNN)
— Kansas Democrat Adam Hamilton is hitting Senator Roger Marshall over his medical practice suing patients (NYT)
Join The Caucus
We’re 100% independent and reader supported. The more members we have, the more coverage we can provide. Become a founding member of The Caucus today.
We’re your go-to source for what’s actually happening inside the Democratic Party. We don’t just write about the news of the day, we tell you what will matter tomorrow. We want to hire more reporters to cover campaigns, well-sourced journalists in Washington to write about what’s happening on the Hill, and analysts to break down all of the races you care about. But we need your help to do it.
Please consider becoming a founding member today. It’s just $10/month or $90 for a year.