PERSONAL NEWS: I’ve started a new role at @POLITICO as a reporter for @playbookdc!
Have something you think we should know? Let’s get in touch. [email protected] and DM for signal.
NEW: In the crowded Democratic field running to replace Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, there’s a surprising early frontrunner for a battleground state: a democratic-socialist line cook who has called to abolish the police.
https://t.co/VcVUQrtRkv
New @politico: @jamestalarico's theory of the case.
—Told me he needs Cornyn voters
—Talked up a big coalition
—Raised $600k in 2 hours after election was called
https://t.co/mtsaCKKZq1
W/ @iriesentner
SCOOP: Recent internal polling from the pro-Talarico Lone Star Rising PAC shows Talarico has a 7-point lead against Paxton. The PAC says it's brought in "a number" of six-figure donations/commitments since Trump endorsed Paxton last week. w/ @adamwren
https://t.co/r9XeGzZXRV
Scoop: Within two hours of Ken Paxton’s GOP primary win on Tuesday, James Talarico had hauled in $600,000 — the strongest two hours of his entire campaign.
https://t.co/mtsaCKKZq1
w/ @iriesentner
NEW: JD Vance took his fraud-fighting tour to Maine on Thursday, attempting to cast President Trump and Republicans as responsible stewards of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars in a pivotal purple state swing district.
But hanging heavy over Vance’s remarks — and unsaid in them — was the growing discontent voters feel as Trump’s war with Iran propels inflation to a three-year high, and the White House pushes for an unprecedented $1.5 trillion in Pentagon funding from taxpayers.
https://t.co/MxPvZW2tlj
@KathyHochul@MicahLasher@JerryNadler More details about the ad shoot in New York Playbook PM this afternoon!
H/t to my POLITICO colleague @iriesentner, who first learned about the bagel confab from loyal Playbook spies. If you see something, our DMs are open!
NEW: @KathyHochul filmed a TV commercial with @MicahLasher to further support his campaign for @JerryNadler's seat in NY-12. Nadler is also in the video, which takes place at an UWS bagel spot
NEW: Grindr has expanded its political muscle in both Washington and California into a more than $1.6 million influence operation — and it’s run by a registered Republican.
https://t.co/L86f8dZcHj
NEW in @playbookdc: I reached out to 25 national political figures who’ve been floated as potential 2028ers to ask for their WHCD plans. Almost all of them either told me they’re not going or did not respond.
https://t.co/rF4GHYS6Py
The latest battle in the 2026 redistricting wars will be decided Tuesday in Virginia, where a map favoring Democrats looks narrowly poised to edge out Republican incumbents — and tee up Democrats’ next big fight.
More in Playbook ⬇️
https://t.co/jYWqULKFyw
NEW: Bree Fram's long-shot campaign may hinge on Virginia's redistricting referendum, which could decide whether the trans veteran rocket scientist booted out of the military under Trump stands any chance of winning.
https://t.co/DWhsQ77Is7
Exclusive in @playbookdc: @LeadingFutureAI has racked up over $140 million to date. The pro-AI network of PACs and c4s is sitting on $100 million in cash on hand.
The AI lobby is setting up to be among the biggest political influencers this year …
Grindr is hosting the buzziest party of this year's WHCD weekend. I chatted with Joe Hack, Grindr's top lobbyist, about what to expect.
“It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a little bit cheeky — it’s going to be us,” he said.
More in @playbookdc 👇
https://t.co/bSjsmyW21s
NEW: Eight months after Ken Martin convened a DNC Middle East working group to help patch the party’s biggest ideological rift, its members have struggled to meet consistently or coalesce around shared objectives.
https://t.co/EQ7SnWbpiG
I’ve spent a few months digging into how the past year of immigration enforcement has changed the risk-calculus for undocumented domestic and sexual violence victims thinking about coming forward or seeking help from the legal system. Here’s a gift link:
https://t.co/YkD63VowZv
SCOOP: In the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington quietly removed from its website educational resources about American racism and canceled a workshop about the “fragility of democracy.”
https://t.co/i9teL867FR