“BEST SPEAKER EVER”: Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) continues to raise historic amounts of money for Republicans. He closed the most recent fundraising quarter by raising $30 million, bringing his total for the cycle to over $150 million. One veteran House Republican told the Washington Reporter that Johnson is the “best Speaker ever. He is so good. So many shitty people in our conference don’t get how lucky we are. He knows how to handle every delicate and complex situation in the best possible way, and maintains his sense of humor and incredible grace through it all.”
MOORE BAD NEWS: Gov. Wes Moore (D., Md.) and Democrats in the Maryland legislature are poised to face a decisive rejection in November, even as Moore is expected to cruise to reelection. Another poll shows that a majority of Marylanders will reject the ballot question that would allow Maryland Democrats to draw Rep. Andy Harris (R., Md.) out of office.
HELPING HEROES OUT: Anthony Constantino, the Republican nominee to succeed Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.), told the Washington Reporter why he plans to donate his entire congressional salary to wounded Marine veteran Sgt. Eddie Ryan, which the Reporter broke exclusively. “The Ryan family inspired me to fight harder for our country, which is why I decided to give them my Congressional salary,” Constantino said. “I already started making the payments to them, so they don’t have to wait.”
HARRIS WANTS SENATE ACTION ON ILLEGAL VAPES: Rep. Andy Harris (R., Md.), the Chair of the Freedom Caucus and the Chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on the Appropriations Committee, wants the Senate to fund the fight against illegal Chinese vapes. “Illegal vapes from China continue to make their way onto shelves and into the hands of unsuspecting Americans,” he said. “The House passed the Fiscal Year 2027 Agriculture Appropriations Act this summer, and I urge the Senate to move forward with its appropriations bills so we can strengthen enforcement against these illegal products.”
REMEMBER WHEN?: The Electronic Payments Coalition (EPC) launched a new campaign, “Fool Me Once,” which spotlights Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D., Ill.) original Durbin Amendment that imposed “debit card mandates on consumers, small businesses, community banks and credit unions,” EPC announced. EPC also released a new one-pager, “15 Years Later, the Durbin Amendment Remains a Policy Disaster,” detailing the harms of Durbin’s initial legislation. The EPC is closing out the year by continuing its opposition to the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Competition Act. “Fool us once, shame on corporate mega-stores. Fool us twice, shame on Congress,” EPC’s Executive Chairman, Richard Hunt, said. “Fifteen years ago, the corporate mega-stores made empty promises about new mandates saving consumers money. Instead, those mega-store executives pocketed the windfall while families, small businesses, community banks and credit unions paid the price. Now the mega-store lobbyists are back in Washington selling Congress the same empty promise on credit cards.”
ON THE AIRWAVES: Rep. Erin Houchin (R., Ind.) released her first general election ad, which focuses on her record of cleaning up Washington, D.C. “Hoosiers play by the rules, and they expect their representative to do the same,” Houchin said. “I went to Washington to hold government accountable. From banning members of Congress from trading stocks, taking on the middlemen driving up drug prices, or cutting taxes for seniors — I’m just getting started, and I’ll never stop putting Indiana first.”
THROWBACK BIRTHDAY: The House Financial Service Committee’s Riley Pingree celebrated her birthday in style with a 1920s-themed murder mystery party. Many libations and laughs were had. But, not everyone made it out alive in her murder mystery party. Among those in attendance were Pingree, Erika Bone, Seven Sassano, Nick Norse, Joseph Arbie, Paige Ash, Nick Barrett, Raylee Darden, Tara Snowden, Wesley Baker, Chris Thomas, Kristen Doran, Matt Samilow, Ava Verzani, Jackson and Lilly Notes, Holly Lay, Kadin Asbery, Jared Palmer, and Asa Newell.
DEBATE TAKEDOWN 1: In Iowa’s 2nd District, Republican Joe Mitchell gave a masterclass in debate prep, walking through his Democratic opponent’s career and life history in a matter of seconds and explaining why he’s the better candidate for Iowans. Watch here.
DEBATE TAKEDOWN 2: The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) is spotlighting Vermont’s Lieutenant Governor, John Rodgers, dismantling his Democratic opponent in their debate, saying that “If it wasn’t evident before that [Democrat] Molly Gray doesn’t have what it takes to serve the people of Vermont, it is after” the debate.
BIDEN HOLDOVERS AT TREASURY: Republicans are concerned about the roles that two Democratic donors, Kevin Salinger and Erika Nijenhuis, continue to have at the Treasury Department. Both have extensive track records of donating to Democrats.
END OF AN ERA: Cameron Cawthorne is leaving Fox News Digital after a run of over five years, and he is heading to the Daily Mail, where he will be a senior investigative reporter. Congrats, Cam!
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS: The Washington Reporter wants to wish Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R., La.), Rep. David Kustoff (R., Tenn.), Nina Glick, Giulia DiGuglielmo, and Anastasia Zorchinsky the happiest of birthdays!
