First comes redistricting. Next? Recruitment.

Politico

3 days ago

TOP LINE
If President Donald Trump's push to redistrict in as many GOP-held states as possible comes to fruition in the coming months, a new challenge will emerge: recruiting candidates to run for the redrawn seats.
Drawing new red-leaning districts will give Republicans better odds in next year's midterms, but in order to maximize their chances, they need the right candidates.
It could be a mad dash. Texas Democrats continue to stymie the state's redistricting effort by decamping to blue states, delaying the process of recruiting candidates for the new districts. Ohio, which is legally required to redraw its districts this year, is not expected to pass any maps until the fall. And other Republican states considering redistricting, like Indiana, Missouri and Florida, have not taken any official steps thus far.
'Redistricting or not, candidate quality is always at the top of the list,' said Indiana-based GOP strategist Pete Seat. 'There are plenty of winnable districts across the country that have been lost … because candidates were crappy.'
So far — at least publicly — it's a bit of a waiting game for both parties. Republicans don't want to jump the gun and say they are recruiting in districts that are not yet finalized, while Democrats are holding out hope that their efforts and legal battles will hold up the redraws. Still, both parties claim to have plenty of candidates waiting in the wings.
House Majority PAC — a Democratic-backing super PAC aligned with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — has committed to spend $20 million fighting back against Texas redistricting, part of which is geared toward recruitment.
'We've heard from a lot of folks who would be excited to run or support folks running, because they want to stand against what Republicans are doing,' Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said during a breakfast hosted by The Christian Science Monitor last month. 'But until we see a map, I don't know what districts … and who might be running.'
The issue of recruitment is not unique to redistricting. Both parties have been working to refine their strategies all year. Democrats have been focused on candidates with military backgrounds, and Republicans are working to recruit Latinos, hoping their recent gains with that demographic can stick next year.
Plus, since Trump and the White House have been invested in redistricting, there's every chance they would be involved in vetting the candidates who run under new maps.
'President Trump ignited this whole potential arms race,' Seat said, adding that he expects Trump 'to be heavily involved in these races.'
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CAMPAIGN INTEL
REDISTRICTING ROUNDUP — Vice President JD Vance went on the offensive for the White House-backed effort to redistrict across the U.S., accusing Democrats of being the problem and saying Republicans need to respond 'in some ways as aggressively,' during a Sunday appearance on Fox News. 'You finally see some backbone in the Republican Party to fight back,' Vance said.
… ''Special session after special session': Abbott says he'll continue until redrawn maps are passed,' by POLITICO's Nicole Markus. On Sunday, Abbott doubled down, saying, 'If they want to evade the arrest, they will stay outside of the state of Texas for literally years. They might as well start voting in California or voting in Illinois, wherever they may be.'
… Texas Democrats appearing alongside California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday vowed to press forward with their quorum-breaking effort to counter Republican-led redistricting in Texas, my colleagues Jeremy B. White and Lindsey Holden write from Sacramento.
… Texas House Democrats unveiled their legal counterattack Friday against Gov. Greg Abbott's bid to oust them from office, saying the governor's emergency bid is riddled with fatal flaws, my colleague Kyle Cheney reported Friday.
… 'Kelly Ayotte rules out redistricting for New Hampshire,' by POLITICO's Aaron Pellish.
… If Newsom succeeds in putting mid-decade redistricting to a statewide vote this November, it will become the most consequential decision on any American ballot in 2025 — and the clearest opportunity for voters to opine about Trump's agenda ahead of the 2026 midterms, POLITICO's Emily Schultheis writes.
… ''Mutually assured destruction': GOP Rep. Lawler calls for redistricting battles to end,' by PBS' Geoff Bennett and Kyle Midura.
2028 WATCH — On NBC's 'Meet the Press' Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said, 'I can't rule anything out,' when asked about his 2028 prospects.
… During his visit to Iowa, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) 'faced criticisms for his 2020 social media post about the Iowa caucuses,' per the Iowa Capital Dispatch's Robin Opsahl. 'I'm a mature adult now,' Gallego replied. Despite the jeering about the caucuses, Gallego's visit was 'upbeat,' writes AP's Thomas Beaumont from an event Saturday.
… 'Democrats with an eye on 2028 reject some parts of liberal orthodoxy,' by The Washington Post's Naftali Bendavid.
… Asked about his own odds of running in 2028, two-time Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told CNN's Dana Bash, 'I'm going to be 84 next month. I think that speaks for itself.'
… 'Who Is the Heir to the MAGA Movement? Trump Keeps His Options Open,' by The Wall Street Journal's Alex Leary, Meridith McGraw and Natalie Andrews. 'Behind the scenes, Trump has at times appeared to stoke competition between Vance and Rubio, teasing them about their well-known political ambitions.'
DEM MESSAGING — 'Union Leaders Get Tough With Democrats as Members Drift Toward Trump,' by The New York Times' Kellen Browning.
KENTUCKY SENATE — 'Some allies of Daniel Cameron have pitched Rep. Andy Barr's team on a super PAC to take down Nate Morris,' NOTUS' Reese Gorman reports.
CODA — QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'I want him to win. I think every 20 years or so, we need a conspicuous, confined experiment with socialism so we can crack it up again,' George Will told Bill Maher, of New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.