Lucas Plotnik

Dad, husband, teacher.I follow politics, baseball and rock music.

[David Axelrod @davidaxelrod]

Dems would be wise to pick states to start the process that will be swing states in '28.
Candidates spend a lot of time in these early states and it lays an organizational foundation to compete in the fall.
SC won't be a swing state. NV, NC and MI likely will. Add NH and👌!

[David Axelrod @davidaxelrod]

The Dem race for governor in WI feels like a slow-rolling car headed for a cliff.
If Dems there don't figure it out, they'll endanger a potential House pickup opportunity and risk installing as governor an election-denying, Freedom Caucus member just in time for the '28 election.

[Rep. Jack Kimble @RepJackKimble]

Tell me, where in the world is Senator McConnell

[Aaron Blake @AaronBlake]

Mike Rogers on Abdul El-Sayed, in a private call obtained by @PatrickSvitek:

"If he wins, I think we’re in good shape."

"I think he’s going to lose big parts of the west part of the state. We think we can do well in part of the southeast part of the state."

"I think we’ll do well if he in fact is the nominee.”

[Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias]

This actually demonstrates the reverse — Dems are dealing with a frustrated and angry base that is lashing out at incumbents in totally irrational ways.

Having a deep red state like KY lack senate representation is the best possible outcome for Dems!

[Jonah Goldberg @JonahDispatch]

Can’t wait for the “historically accurate” depiction of a … poem brimming with magic, mythical monsters and pagan gods. Scylla will be a legit realistic six headed dragon. No woke casting of Athena, either. All historians know she was a white blonde deity. Totes real, too.

[Lucas Plotnik @MrPlotnik]

He is somebody who could unite the party and probably do well with independents and soft Republicans .

[Adam Carlson @admcrlsn]

With all of the (fair or unfair) guilt-by-association of the Eric Swalwell fallout for Ruben Gallego, it seems less likely that he’ll run for president in 2028 than it did a few months ago.

Mark Kelly may have run in 2028 regardless of what Gallego decided, but this gives him more runway — geographically, financially & narratively.

He can fundraise like crazy. He has won tough races in a critical swing state multiple times. His wife is Gabby Giffords. He’s a former astronaut. He got into a highly public fight with Pete Hegseth (where he came out looking great), so he’s popular with the MS Now/legacy Resist Lib crowd. He’s been fairly pragmatic about the border (being from a border state).

He’s a dark horse — and I don’t entirely know where he would fit on the ideological spectrum in the field — but keep your eye on him.

[Lucas Plotnik @MrPlotnik]

Seems like an opening for @GavinNewsom here. CA should send firefighters and support.

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

Trump on Canada: “They should pay us some damages or something”

[Lucas Plotnik @MrPlotnik]

@StatisticUrban The base of the Republican Party basically views them as democrats, so they could never win a primary.

[Lucas Plotnik @MrPlotnik]

@RepDonBacon @Expedia If only you were in some type of legislative body that could ban junk fees.

[Jeremiah Johnson 🌐 @JeremiahDJohns]

Saw the Odyssey last night.

The irony of the right wing backlash is that this is a deeply small-c conservative film. It's about the consequences of defying the gods, and how society crumbles when we violate sacred traditions.

It's such an own goal that the right hates it.

[Lucas Plotnik @MrPlotnik]

Great Point!

[David Weigel @daveweigel]

What's especially interesting about #MISen is that Stevens is actually trying to run on the Establishment Dem record. Auto rescue! Obamacare! Hey, it wasn't just a decade of "not delivering for the working class." And the rebuttal is: Look where the money's come for her to say that, not "she's wrong, Obama sucked."

[State of the Union @CNNSOTU]

Senator Fetterman says there's "no evidence" of the Trump Administration's claims of noncitizen voting.

[Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias]

There’s an obvious opportunity here, but:

— Progressives + media are mostly focused on safe seat primaries
— Leadership energy is mostly focused on fending off the left
— Little time left for “we learned our lesson about inflation & immigration, here’s the proof.”

[Lucas Plotnik @MrPlotnik]

@MacFarlaneNews I really wish @alfranken was still in the Senate for this. He is the only one who could meet this moment.

[Rachel Bitecofer 🗽🦆 @RachelBitecofer]

Haley Stevens: I don’t remember |Sanders| being around for Obama’s auto rescue in 2009.

I’m really starting to like @HaleyforMI

[David Weigel @daveweigel]

“I don’t remember him being around for the auto rescue.”

[Rep. Jack Kimble @RepJackKimble]

I went to see The Odyssey and I left extremely disappointed. I love Homer in the Simpson, but the guy cannot write.

[Lucas Plotnik @MrPlotnik]

@amyewalter Great Point. How motivating do you thing an Alito or Thomas retirement would be if it happened?

[Steve Rattner @SteveRattner]

President Trump used to brag about all the money we were making from tariff revenue.

Last month, that trend flipped to a $26 billion loss as the government started paying back the tariffs the Supreme Court ruled illegal.

The refund bill is just getting started.