Senate Dems are getting bullish about prized recruit Roy Cooper
Senior Democrats are increasingly convinced the party will land former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to run for Senate next year, a potential coup for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Why it matters: Both parties acknowledge their Senate success next year will largely rest upon their recruitment efforts this year.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), has been personally involved in the effort to recruit Cooper, whom she's called a "formidable candidate," sources tell Axios.
But Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has indicated she's passing on a Senate run, despite Schumer's direct appeals.
Zoom in: Cooper is unlikely to mak e a decision until June, a source familiar with his thinking tells Axios. Until then it's 50/50, the source said.
Cooper is convinced he's his party's best chance to beat Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).
Democratic leaders are patiently waiting for prominent candidates to make decisions in Maine, Ohio and Texas.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills hasn't ruled out a Senate bid to unseat Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). And there's always hope Rep. Jared Golden replicates his red-district magic statewide.
Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is also considering a comeback bid, and former Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) might give it another try in Texas.
Between the lines: Democrats are coalescing around Rep. Chris Pappas in New Hampshire, especially now that Rep. Maggie Goodlander has decided not to run.
But in Michigan, with Whitmer out of the picture, a competitive primary is shaping up on the Democratic side. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow is already in the race, as is progressive Abdul El-Sayed. Rep. Haley Stevens entered the race on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the DSCC said Democrats are in a "strong position" to pummel Republicans on the campaign trail over "their toxic threats to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and the chaotic tariffs that will spike costs for families."
The other side: Republicans continue to cite Gov. Brian Kemp as their top recruit to knock off freshman Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) in Georgia. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has made an in-person appeal, as Axios scooped last week.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's Education Secretary Schooled in Reading and Math by Senators
Education Secretary Linda McMahon would have received a failing grade for her answers to questions posed on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The cringeworthy moments came while she was being questioned by senators about the GOP spending bill. Close Trump ally Senator Markwayne Mullin asked McMahon about previous U.S. reading and math rankings. 'What was we ranked in reading and math in 1979?' the senator asked. 'I'm sorry what?' McMahon responded. 'What was we ranked national in math and reading in 1979?' he repeated. 'We were very very low on the totem pole,' the education secretary declared. 'We were number one in 1979,' Mullin corrected her. 'Oh, 1979, I'm sorry,' McMahon said, trying to recover, despite having had the question repeated twice. 'In 1979 we were ranked number one around the world. Today in reading, we're ranked 36 and mathematics we're ranked 28,' the senator told her. 'It's not working. What we're doing is not working.' The top Trump official was put on the spot while testifying about the president's budget request for the department. While Trump and his allies have called for closing the Education Department, his budget request for the fiscal year is just over $66 billion. It includes a 15 percent reduction in spending, or a $12 billion cut, from the previous year. While Mullin's question was a flunking moment for the education secretary, he was actually using the information to thank her for pushing changes. His argument was that the current situation was not working and throwing money at the problem hasn't fixed it. 'We deserve better. Our kids deserve better. Our taxpayers deserve better, and we have to make changes,' Mullin said. The exchange came as Democrats largely blasted McMahon for the Trump administration's education budget on Tuesday and raised concerns over cutting staff without analysis of the impact and other school resources, such as counselors in schools. Another awkward moment in the hearing came when Democratic Senator Jack Reed also schooled McMahon on some math when it came to education spending. The education secretary was discussing the TRIO grant program to help people with low income and underprivileged backgrounds, and other programs, when she made a substantial math error. 'We spend $1.58 billion a year on TRIO?' Senator John Kennedy asked. McMahon confirmed it. 'How long have we been spending one thousand five hundred and eighty million dollars a year on this program?' he followed up. McMahon said she was not sure of the length of the program but confirmed spending for more than ten years. 'So that's over $1 trillion we spent on this program,' Kennedy said. That number was repeated multiple times as they went back and forth over how the money was used to help poor kids go to college. However, when it then became Reed's turn to grill McMahon, he took issue with the math. 'I'm not a great mathematician, but I think you were talking about $1 trillion? I believe $1.5 billion times ten is $15 billion. That's a little bit off from $1 trillion.' 'I think the budget cut's $1.2 billion for TRIO,' the education secretary responded. 'Well, 1.2 that would be $12 billion, not $1 trillion,' Reed pointed out. 'Ok,' McMahon responded.
Bloomberg
24 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Philippine Vice President Duterte Questions Impeachment Trial Under New Congress
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has questioned whether her impeachment trial on charges that include a suspected plot to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. can go forward when a new set of lawmakers takes office next month. Duterte said in a video of a doorstep interview Tuesday that procedural issues may arise for her trial in the Senate due to the current body adjourning next week. If the trial does go ahead in July, Duterte would face public scrutiny over her actions related to the impeachment charges, although her allies' strong performance in a May midterm election has bolstered her chances of acquittal.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former New Mexico Department of Veterans Services Cabinet secretary to run for secretary of state
Sonya Smith made history in 2020 as the first African American to lead the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services. She could do it again as the first African American to serve as New Mexico's secretary of state. The former Cabinet secretary said Tuesday she will be seeking the Democratic nomination to become the state's top election officer, making her the third Democrat to jump into the 2026 race to succeed Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who is term-limited. "This is more than just an election opportunity for me," Smith, 58, said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "I believe wholeheartedly that I have the skillset, the leadership and the experience to make sure that not only are we protecting our right to vote but that we continue with innovative ways and strategies to keep that integrity intact." Smith, who plans to formally announce her candidacy Thursday in Albuquerque, joins Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda López Askin and Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark in seeking the Democratic nomination. So far, no Republicans or candidates from any other party have announced they are entering the race. Although she doesn't have elections administration experience, Smith said she's confident she can do the job. "What I know is that while I may not know everything right now, I have the capacity to learn very quickly," Smith said, adding she's also a good listener. "I know that that is top of mind to people, you know? 'Well, what is it that she's bringing to the table?' I may not have all the answers right now, but what I do have is the ability to get things done. My record as Cabinet secretary shows that," she said. Smith served as Veterans Services secretary from October 2020 to November 2022 when she stepped down to take care of her ailing mother in Virginia. Smith's mother died in February. During her tenure, she supported the enactment of an income tax exemption for armed forces retirees and oversaw the launch of a transportation program for veterans in rural New Mexico. She also increased the number of Veterans Services officers, reinstated a veterans program for women and established a full-time department tribal liaison to better support Native American veterans. Her confirmation wasn't without controversy. While most confirmation hearings draw little attention, hers sparked outcry when a high-ranking Republican asked Smith questions some said were laced with an undercurrent of racism. "Do you expect that in your time here, in seven years, that you've been immersed in this culture enough in this state that you feel comfortable entering a position?' then-Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca of Belen asked Smith. Baca noted a small percentage of the state's population is African American while nearly half is Hispanic or a Hispanic mix. "Do you feel like you are comfortable adequately representing both cultures — white, Native, Hispanics?" he asked Smith. "Are you asking do I feel comfortable representing the Department of Veterans Services as a Black woman? Is that what you are asking?" Smith asked Baca, who later apologized for what he characterized as an "insensitive line of questioning." Smith said Tuesday she's been considering running for secretary of state since serving as a Cabinet secretary. "I believe strongly in our voice and our votes being our voice," she said. "This is just not business as usual for us, and we see that all across country. ... Just like I protected our rights and freedoms when I served in the Air Force, that's the same vigor that I'm going to have in making sure that our vote, which is our voice, is protected." Before serving as Cabinet secretary, Smith worked as a special projects coordinator for the New Mexico Department of Health, helping guide the agency's COVID-19 testing team. Prior to that, she served as director of compliance at Southwest Care Center in Santa Fe and as clinical compliance manager at the University of New Mexico Medical Group, where she is working again as a health care administrator. A veteran of the Gulf War, Smith served as a medical technician in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm as a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve. She has a bachelor's degree in health services management from Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Va., as well as a master's in health care compliance from Argosy University and a master's in health care administration from the University of Phoenix.
