BAD NEWS FOR MOORE: Gov. Wes Moore (D., Md.) and national Democrats may run into an obstacle in their attempt to gerrymander Rep. Andy Harris (R., Md.) out of office via referendum. A recent poll of Maryland’s Question 3 found that a plurality of 41 percent of voters oppose the measure that would allow Maryland Democrats to draw Maryland’s only Republican out of Congress.
9-5 FOREVER: Montana’s First Lady, Susan Gianforte, spent September 25th celebrating the life of country music legend Dolly Parton on 925 Day. “Last month, we lost an incredible woman, Dolly Parton, who dedicated her life to inspiring a love of reading in young children,” she said. “As Montana’s First Lady, it’s been an honor to help lead and support the Imagination Library of Montana. Since expanding statewide, nearly 31,000 Montana children are receiving free, high-quality, age-appropriate books and playing a role in carrying on Dolly’s legacy.”
MAINE VANDALISM: State Senator Matt Harrington posted photos of Sen. Susan Collins’s (R., Maine) Biddeford office which someone spray painted “Trump whore” onto the doors of. “This is disgusting, disappointing and it’s not the Maine I grew up in. Do better,” Harrington said of the vandalism.
AGS OUTLINE ISSUES FOR “MUST WIN” MIDTERMS: The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) issued a post-Labor Day memo in which Adam Piper, RAGA’s executive director, laid out how Republicans can win in tossup and purple races: “The two issues capable of offsetting record diesel prices are public safety and the fear of socialism,” Piper wrote. “Socialism is over 60% unfavorable with ALL voters in numerous battleground states. Crime remains a top priority for 32% of voters in purple states.”
SURPRISE!: President Donald Trump is making an unplanned visit to a Texas truck factory, the White House’s Olivia Wales announced.
HE SAID, HE SAID: The Washington Reporter is hearing conflicting reports about whether President Donald Trump supports the proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. According to three sources who have been in rooms with Union Pacific’s CEO Jim Vena, Vena has told stakeholders that they should “get out of the way” because Trump supports the deal. Trump has yet to take a formal position on the merger, but has in the past said that it “sounds good.” A former Trump administration official familiar with the matter told the Reporter that “the president and his entire team are the most accessible to business and industry in generations,” expressing concern that Union Pacific’s leadership is misrepresenting Trump’s position on the merger. “For any CEO to distort the president’s, or the administration’s, stance on an issue to serve their business interests is both dishonest and irresponsible. We’ve seen this play out before: those who engage in this behavior end up regretting it and ultimately lose the fight they cut corners to win.”
MONEY MATTERS: Kinetiq Political Insights (KPI) projects that political spending by October will top over $10 billion in its latest analysis.
BACKUP FOR TRUMP: The House Freedom Caucus is fully backing President Donald Trump’s latest recissions package, thanking both Trump and Russ Vought for the move.
DC PROBLEMS FOR DON DAVIS: Rep. Don Davis’s (D., N.C.) allies at House Majority PAC (HMP) mispronounced North Carolina’s Chowan County in an ad against Republican Laurie Buckhout, according to an investigation by Townhall. HMP then stealth edited the ad to pronounce the county correctly.
WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE: Rep. Mike Collins (R., Ga.) is using Sen. Jon Ossoff’s (D., Ga.) cross-country campaigning against the incumbent Democrat. Ossoff recently endorsed Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s open Senate race, which Collins is using to argue that Ossoff is out of step with Georgia voters. “Jon Ossoff is complicit in the rise of anti-American, antisemitic socialists who want to tear America apart from the inside out,” Collins said. “He needs their money, votes, and support to win, and he’s afraid of what it will cost his campaign if he refuses to endorse extremist candidates like El-Sayed. When his own political survival is on the line, Ossoff will tolerate anything from the radical extremists who keep him in power.”
RSVP NOW: Our friends at the Washington Times are hosting a must-attend event tomorrow about Climate Lawfare, featuring Rep. Riley Moore (R., W.Va.), the Times’s Alex Swoyer, Josh Hammer, O.H. Skinner, West Virginia’s Solicitor General Michael Williams, and more. Those interested in attending should RSVP here.
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS: The Washington Reporter wants to wish a happy birthday to Samir Saran, Denise Garrastacho, Alison Bishop, and to Steve Zhang!
