2024 Elections

The latest coverage of the 2024 presidential, House and Senate elections.

  1. Bildung

    Restart of student loans clouds White House ‘Bidenomics’ push

    Tens of millions of households brace for student loan bills as Biden touts economy.

    Joe Biden has shielded more than 40 million Americans from having to repay any of their student loans for his entire presidency — so far.

    But as that hiatus nears its end, tens of millions of households are bracing for the resumption of student loan payments this fall, just as the White House ramps up its effort to sell Americans on the economy's resilience.

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  2. Elections

    Top Republican: We don’t talk about Hunter Biden back at home

    “I think when we get home, the focus is the economy, the border, crime,” the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee said.

    Donald Trump keeps flogging the Hunter Biden saga to cast President Joe Biden as the head of a crime family. Earlier this week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy floated the idea of moving forward with impeachment proceedings over the matter.

    But as the Hunter Biden case came to a head in recent days — with Biden pleading not guilty to tax and gun charges on Wednesday as a plea deal fell apart — some prominent Republicans were questioning the effectiveness of going after the president’s son on the issue, at all.

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  3. Elections

    DeSantis to attend fundraiser on Cape Cod, near site of migrant flight

    The $3,300-per-person fundraiser is being hosted by several big-name Massachusetts donors.

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to attend a fundraiser for his presidential campaign on Saturday on Cape Cod. The location: a ferry ride away from where he had migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard.

    DeSantis is due to hobnob with deep-pocketed donors in Cotuit, Mass., which is just 10 miles from Joint Base Cape Cod, where the 49 migrants were voluntarily taken for longer-term shelter and access to free legal services.

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  4. Elections

    Mitch Daniels scoffs at heading a No Labels’ presidential bid

    The former Indiana governor would, in theory, fit the bill. But he says he’s ‘too smart’ to say yes.

    Mitch Daniels said that he has had informal conversations with backers of the centrist group No Labels about their efforts to run a third-party presidential ticket.

    But the former Indiana Republican governor scoffed at the idea that he would be a candidate for such a unity campaign.

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  5. Elections

    DeSantis suggests he could pick RFK Jr. to lead the FDA or CDC

    Kennedy, running for the Democratic presidential nomination, has taken heat from liberals for his views on vaccines and Covid.

    Updated

    Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might have an offer to run a federal agency in 2025 — but not for the party he is running to gain the nomination from.

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is struggling to gain steam in the GOP primary, mused on Wednesday in an interview with Clay Travis on OutKick that he generally aligns with Kennedy’s conservative views on Covid-19 policies and vaccines. Those views, DeSantis indicated, could make him a pick to lead a federal agency with medical jurisdiction.

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  6. Political Science

    Why Kamala Harris Is A Better VP Than You Think

    The second-highest job in the land has been shifting for decades, and some of those changes haven’t made things easier for Kamala Harris.

    When Joe Biden tapped Kamala Harris to be his running mate in 2020, it was perhaps the most easily predicted vice presidential choice in recent memory. Biden had made it clear that after emerging from the most diverse Democratic presidential candidate field in history, he would select a woman to join him on the ticket. The dynamics of the Democratic Party, which relies heavily on the votes of African American women to win elections, made it seem likely that Biden would select a running mate from this demographic group, especially as the murder of George Floyd brought race issues to the top of the public agenda. She is also the first Asian American to be nominated on a major presidential ticket or serve as vice president. For her part, Harris brought a number of traits to the ticket other than her race and gender — first and foremost, her high profile as a first-term senator who was considered a strong candidate for the presidential nomination herself.

    Harris’ candidacy was well-received at the time. But since taking office, her vice presidency has been a much bumpier ride. There have been rumblings about Biden replacing her on the ticket in 2024, though this most likely amounts to the usual speculation among pundits while we wait for something real to happen during election season. According to a recent poll, only 13 percent of Democrats would want to see her run in 2024 if Biden were unable to run. And while Harris has struggled with higher net unfavorable ratings than some recent predecessors, no one is exactly sure why. What does political science have to say about this?

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  7. Elections

    Will the real Ramaswamy please stand up, please stand up

    Vivek Ramaswamy once had an Eminem-inspired, rap artist alter ego.

    Before he was an upstart candidate for president and a philosophical leader of what he dubs the “anti-woke” movement, before he was a New York Times bestselling author and wealthy biotech entrepreneur, Vivek Ramaswamy was a rapper.

    During his time as an undergrad at Harvard, Ramaswamy had a side-hustle as a libertarian-minded rap artist who went by the stage name “Da Vek.” The gig was an early sign of the extroverted, self-assured personality that has propelled him far further in the primary than virtually anyone expected.

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  8. Elections

    RFK Jr. says he ‘should’ve been more careful’ after Covid comments criticized as antisemitic

    The Democratic presidential candidate spoke at a candidate forum focused on fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel.

    Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. acknowledged that he “should’ve been more careful about what I said” after he received backlash for suggesting that Covid-19 could have been genetically engineered to reduce risks to Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people.

    Hundreds of attendees — supporters, protesters and onlookers — came to hear Kennedy speak Tuesday evening in New York City on fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, an author and commentator. The two-hour conversation was part of a presidential candidate series hosted by The World Values Network, which Boteach runs.

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  9. Elections

    Fearing Trump’s wrath, GOP lobbyists stay on the ’24 primary sidelines

    K Street’s Republican lobbyists have hesitated in backing anyone for now, at least publicly.

    Republican lobbyists on K Street aren’t rushing to back Donald Trump in his third run for the White House.

    But they’re not rallying in full force behind an alternative either. While some lobbyists are doling out cash, others are fearful that any type of public opposition to the former president could make them persona non grata in D.C. should he get back to the White House.

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  10. Elections

    Another GOP presidential candidate is offering donors $20 gift cards

    The tactic, announced by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez on Tuesday, helped North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum solidify his spot on the debate stage.

    The Republican presidential primary sweepstakes continue.

    In the dash to amass enough donors to make it onto the August debate stage, another GOP presidential candidate, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, is offering gift cards in exchange for donations.

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  11. Elections

    DeSantis lets go of more than a third of campaign staff as reset continues

    The cuts, which were confirmed by advisers, will amount to a total of 38 jobs shed across an array of departments.

    Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign is expanding the number of staff it's cutting to include more than a third of his payroll as the Florida governor looks to get his primary bid back on track.

    The cuts, which were confirmed by advisers, will amount to a total of 38 jobs shed across an array of departments. They will include the roughly 10 event planning positions that were announced several weeks ago, in addition to the recent departures of two senior DeSantis campaign advisers, Dave Abrams and Tucker Obenshain.

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  12. elections

    Seven Republicans made the August debate — but the stage is far from set

    Some candidates made the cut. But there are still questions about who will come out on top.

    The August Republican debate is the first big chance for Donald Trump to face his rivals — if he decides to show up.

    Trump and six of his rivals have already met the qualifications to make the stage. How many more will join them — and whether so many candidates will qualify that the Republican National Committee will need to hold two debates to accommodate them all is still up in the air.

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  13. National

    Ron DeSantis unhurt after car accident in Tennessee

    The governor planned to hold three fundraisers around Tennessee on Tuesday.

    Updated

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is unhurt after he was involved in a multi-car accident while en route to a campaign event in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Tuesday morning, a spokesperson said.

    “We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail,” spokesperson Bryan Griffin said in a statement.

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  14. elections

    North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum qualifies for first GOP primary debate

    Six other candidates have already qualified, according to POLITICO’s tracking.

    North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has qualified for the first GOP presidential primary debate, according to POLITICO’s tracking. He’s the seventh candidate to punch a ticket to Milwaukee next month.

    Burgum, a one-time software executive who first ran for governor in 2016, has poured his personal wealth into the campaign, helping to propel him onto the debate stage on Aug. 23 alongside other candidates who have been in the national spotlight for much longer.

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  15. Congress

    Dems see a surprising new path to retaking the House — through the Deep South

    The Supreme Court's recent ruling, which declined to whittle down the Voting Rights Act, is prompting challenges to congressional maps in a handful of Southern states.

    Democrats are entertaining a once-unlikely prospect: retaking the House majority by winning in the South.

    The party is newly invigorated about its chance to pick up a seat each in Alabama, Louisiana and maybe even Georgia. After years of Republicans shutting them out of the congressional mapmaking process in nearly every Southern state, Democrats have turned to the courts to claw back what they saw as nefarious GOP gerrymandering.

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  16. Elections

    Chris Christie rips Tim Scott in New Hampshire

    Christie accused the South Carolina senator of “pandering” to Trump supporters

    MANCHESTER, N.H. — Chris Christie has a new target: Tim Scott.

    The former New Jersey governor is unleashing on Scott over the South Carolina senator’s refusal to blame Donald Trump for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, saying on television Sunday that he was “disappointed” in Scott and then continuing to drag him during a campaign swing here Monday.

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  17. Elections

    An insider’s guide to who’s wired — and who’s not — in Iowa

    It’s the land of opportunity. If you can buy TV, stand up an office and hire a staff.

    DES MOINES, Iowa — Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is preparing to host hundreds of caucus trainings in Iowa. The super PAC effectively running Ron DeSantis’ field operation is collecting commitment cards in Walmart and Culver’s parking lots.

    Iowa is the land of opportunity for Republican presidential contenders. And, with the exception of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (“We don’t have an Iowa operation,” a spokesperson put it bluntly) nearly all of them have an Iowa-specific plan.

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  18. Elections

    DeSantis camp briefs donors, pledges to ‘Let Ron be Ron’

    The Florida governor is stumbling. His aides want to run more of an ‘insurgent’ operation.

    Top officials on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign acknowledged to donors on Sunday that they’d spent too much money and that further changes would be made as they look to recover from a disappointing start, according to three people who were present for the discussion.

    Appearing before around 70 of the campaign’s top contributors at the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley, Utah, DeSantis’ campaign manager Generra Peck said money had been spent on operations that had turned out to be ineffective and that the campaign would move to a leaner, “insurgent” posture going forward. Among the changes being made were to “expose” voters to DeSantis more, said Nick Iarossi, a Florida-based lobbyist and fundraiser who was at the event.

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  19. Elections

    Larry Hogan is not *not* running for president

    “Of course, I'm not well-known across the country. But you've got to run a race to see what it's gonna look like," the former Maryland governor said on Sunday.

    Former Gov. Larry Hogan isn’t running for president … at least not as a Republican.

    But on a third-party ticket? The moderate Marylander has “left the door cracked open.” It’s something he’s said could be “worth trying.” And on Sunday, he said thinks that “you’ve gotta run the race to see what it would look like.”

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