MICHIGAN DRAMA: Rep. Haley Stevens (D., Mich.) got good news and bad news this week. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) appears to be privately backing her, but the United Auto Workers (UAW) threw its support behind Abdul El-Sayed, one of her top opponents. Brian Pannebecker, the founder of Auto Workers for Trump, is displeased with this move, saying that “it just goes to show you what a [lost] cause the UAW leadership is… [by] endorsing an Islamic extremist to be Michigan’s governor. Well, they might get a chunk of the Dearborn anti-American vote, but Mike Rogers and whoever we nominate to be our Gubernatorial Candidate will walk right over those two hapless nominees.” On the GOP side, former Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Mich.) has had the field to himself for months.
BLOWBACK: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed a series of Democratic candidates for Congress, including Rep. Dan Goldman’s (D., N.Y.) primary challenger. One of those Democrats, Darializa Avila Chevalier, attended an anti-Israel rally the day after the October 7, 2023, Palestinian terrorist attacks in southern Israel.
GOP WIN: The Republicans defeated the Democrats in this year’s annual Congressional Soccer Match. The GOP looks to continue its streak with next week’s Congressional Baseball Game. Following this week’s win, Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R., Fla.) celebrated the win of “a hard-fought game, and a well-earned victory.”
WELCOME ABOARD: Former Vice President Mike Pence told the Washington Reporter that he is thrilled to welcome Ed Schweitzer III to the board of his organization, Advancing American Freedom (AAF). “Ed is a one-of-a-kind American who truly lives out conservative principles not just in how he lives his life but in how he manages his business, which now spans the world. I couldn’t be more honored to welcome Ed to AAF,” Pence said. Schweitzer added that he is “honored to join the board of [AAF]. As we enter our 250th year as a nation, we face a $40 trillion national debt, $2 trillion budget deficits, and interest payments that dwarf key federal obligations. I believe we can solve these problems by getting back to first principles, with civility. After all, we have so much more in common than we do in difference.” The Reporter first reported that Schweitzer was joining Pence’s AAF.
RUDE WELCOME: Graham Platner was greeted by a protest when he came to Washington, D.C. to meet with, and reassure, Democratic senators, as his campaign weathers yet another scandal. Gov. Janet Mills (D., Maine) is making noises about resuming her suspended campaign.
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS: Happy 100th birthday to former Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R., Md.), as well as to Ory Rinat and to Linoshka Luna.
