Nancy Pelosi's midterms mission

Politico

27-05-2025

Presented by California Environmental Voters
THE BUZZ: GROUND GAME — Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a go-to line these days to criticize Rep. David Valadao: He could be the 'one vote that cut Medicaid' by backing Republican's megabill to bolster President Donald Trump's domestic agenda.
Pelosi, in her post-speaker act as San Francisco's representative in Congress, has made defending federal health care programs her key focus as she tries to help Democrats flip the House next year. She regularly targets battleground Republicans like Valadao — who, as Pelosi will note, 'has close to 500,000 people on Medicaid' in his Central Valley district. About 64 percent of his constituents were enrolled in the program as of last August.
'I know the grassroots of California down to the last blade of grass. These people have made themselves really vulnerable,' Pelosi told Playbook in an extended interview. 'We're not doing this in the San Francisco Bay area, we're doing this in the districts where the Republicans are.'
More than a year ahead of the midterms, she's deploying her volunteer army to target GOP members in swing seats, including Valadao, Orange County Rep. Young Kim and Riverside County Rep. Ken Calvert. Pelosi's Save Our Health Care campaign, part of her national PAC, is organizing multiple phone banks per week to target those vulnerable Republicans, and she's raised more than $5.5 million this year to help boost the effort via the DCCC and her campaign committees.
Pelosi's team said her volunteer events — including support from the state party and labor unions — have produced 140,000 phone calls to voters in those districts in the last six weeks. Volunteers urge voters to call Republican offices on Capitol Hill to protest proposed cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and other safety-net programs. Pelosi's offensive is part of a volley of attacks Democrats have launched against Republicans over their push to slash safety-net spending.
The effort is reminiscent of Democrats' strategy during the 2018 midterms, when GOP efforts to gut Obamacare led to a blue-wave year during Trump's first term (when Democrats flipped 40 seats in the House). Pelosi, who championed the Affordable Care Act and has led a yearslong effort to protect the law, was the architect of the party's successful strategy to flip control of the House that cycle.
Pelosi, who was first elected in 1987, hasn't said whether she intends to run for another term in 2026, though she has a committee open. Her allies say her prominent role in Washington's health care fights is clearly driving her decision to wade so heavily into the midterms at this stage of her career.
'She's been the spokesperson on this issue since she walked into the House of Representatives. It's in her blood, it's her,' said John Burton, a former chair of the California Democratic Party who is a friend of Pelosi's. 'She'd no more give up this fight now than jump over the moon.'
Pelosi argues a midterm cycle comparable to 2018 is already taking shape and that House Republicans sealed their fate last week when they narrowly passed Trump's budget megabill on a 215-214 vote. The bill's proposed changes to the Medicaid program, including new work requirements, would likely cause millions of recipients to lose coverage.
Valadao, Calvert and Kim have argued the bill protects crucial health care benefits for children, seniors, individuals with disabilities and pregnant women, groups that wouldn't be subject to work requirements.
Senators are pledging to make major changes to the legislation, and Valadao — who has warned his colleagues against making deeper cuts to the program — has said he plans to work with the Senate to protect Medicaid and food assistance 'for those who need them most.' Valadao, in a statement, argued the bill would achieve that aim 'while rooting out waste, fraud and abuse from bad actors.'
But Pelosi says it's outrageous to label food stamps and Medicaid benefits as waste without providing evidence of malfeasance. She also questions the sincerity of California Republicans who've vowed to make changes to the bill: 'They all masquerade, but they all voted for it.'
Pelosi said she's comfortable predicting that her successor, Hakeem Jeffries, will be the next speaker. It starts, she added, by capturing voter sentiment early: 'Own the ground, and we will win.'
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WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
CAMPAIGN YEAR(S)
REPUBLICANS FOR … KAMALA — Former Vice President Kamala Harris still hasn't said whether she plans to run for California governor in 2026 (she's given herself until the late summer to make a decision). But Republicans in the Golden State are jonesing for her to get into the fray.
As our colleague Jeremy B. White reports, her possible entry is already bringing GOP candidates tactical benefits, allowing them to run against a high-profile adversary who's likely to energize donors and the conservative rank-and-file. A Republican is highly unlikely to be the next governor of deep-blue California. Still, GOP candidates are already treating Harris like their main opponent in interviews, fundraising emails and remarks to voters.
'The candidate who's going to win in 2026, regardless of party label, is the change candidate,' said conservative pundit and author Steve Hilton. 'Kamala Harris is the one who least represents change.'
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: AAPI INFLUENCERS — The National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs will today release its '40 Under 40' list of top political operatives and professionals.
Playbook got an early peek at the list; among the Californians recognized:
Hannah Cho, principal at Athena Strategy Group … Nurges Gheyaszada, chief of staff to state Sen. Aisha Wahab … Kyle Griffith, senior account supervisor at BCFS Public Affairs … Zahra Hajee, senior communications deputy for LA County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath … George Hatamiya, senior adviser and comms director for Rep. Doris Matsui … Kayla Hausmann, political director for LA billionaire Rick Caruso … Evette Kim, chief of staff to Irvine Councilmember Melinda Liu … Nikita Koraddi, principal consultant to the state Assembly Appropriations Committee … Uma Krishnan, president of the San Mateo County AAPI Alliance … Alyssa Lee, researcher, UC Berkeley Othering & Belonging Institute … Shine Lee, legislative director for Rep. Young Kim … Callie Lichti, a fellow for Assemblymember Phillip Chen … Kinza Malik, senior government relations manager at Turo … Jaliya Nagahawatte, policy adviser for Rep. Young Kim … Sabina Nussipov, government relations manager at Intuit … Faraz Rizvi, policy and campaign manager at the Asian Pacific Environmental Network … Victor Shi, new media deputy for LA Mayor Karen Bass … Jason Tso, legislative assistant to Assemblyman Phillip Chen … Denise Tugade, legislative staff analyst at the LA County Dept. of Public Health Substance Abuse Prevention & Control Bureau … Lenh Voong, legislative Director for Assemblymember Gregg Hart … Diana Vu, legislative advocate at the Association of California School Administrators … Sakshi Walia, former chief of staff to state Sen. Steve Glazer … Lina Yabuta, account executive at Focuscom Inc. … Justin Yamamura, legislative assistant to Rep. Young Kim
STATE CAPITOL
SHOW POSTPONED — This year's ticket wars were brought to an abrupt end Friday as the Assembly appropriations committee kicked both bills aiming to rework the events market to next year. Proponents of AB 1349, a suite of rules that would have been applied to resellers such as StubHub and SeatGeek, vented their frustration with the decision while a competing faction highly critical of the country's dominant primary seller, Ticketmaster, celebrated.
'The Assembly was right to delay the bill and focus on real, equitable solutions for consumers,' wrote Empower Fans CA, a coalition that was fighting to impose new rules on Ticketmaster that ultimately saw the rival bill it was supporting watered down and then pushed to next year.
The fall of the bills again demonstrated the difficulty of reaching consensus on ticketing issues in California, where the Legislature has for several years in a row been unable to agree on how to balance concerns about Ticketmaster's dominance in the market and third-party sellers' profiting from reselling tickets to popular events at a significant markup.
Reps for Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, meanwhile said the delay in legislating would let 'scalpers off the hook,' alluding to provisions meant to limit software used by scalpers who sell tickets on competing sites.
'Stalling AB1349 lets scalpers off the hook,' said a statement from Live Nation. 'Astroturf groups have tried to fear monger about this bill because they don't want to see bans on deceptive practices like speculative ticketing and fake URLs.'
CLIMATE AND ENERGY
THE RACE TO REBUILD — Los Angeles is caught between going fast and going far when it comes to rebuilding from January's destructive fires. Former state Sen. Fran Pavley — best known for writing AB 32, the landmark 2006 law that established California's first binding climate targets — will be central to the debate. She's vice chair of the county's 'blue-ribbon commission on climate action and fire-safe recovery.' Read Friday's edition of California Climate for an interview with Pavley about the panel's recommendations.
TOP TALKERS
STRIKING OIL — Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is pivoting toward the oil industry in his run for California governor. So far, his campaign has accepted $176,000 in contributions from people with ties to the industry, the LA Times reports.
Villaraigosa's coziness with fossil-fuel companies comes as a shock to some climate advocates who viewed him as an ally in the past. 'I'm honestly shocked at just how bad it is,' said RL Miller, president of Climate Hawks Vote and chair of the state party's environmental caucus.
ICYMI: SUSPENSE RESULTS — The state Assembly and Senate Appropriations committees decided the fate of hundreds of bills last week, including shelving the proposals to regulate the state's ticket market.
But they advanced bills to increase wages for incarcerated firefighters, safeguard schools from immigration enforcement and require social media safety warnings. Read more from our colleague Lindsey Holden in Friday's edition of California Playbook PM.
AROUND THE STATE
— An 11-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway connecting Los Angeles to Malibu has reopened. But repairing the iconic seaside highway has become a costly, never-ending endeavor for Caltrans. (Los Angeles Times)
— Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer announced that the state revoked his city's 'prohousing designation' after it failed to adopt multiple policies to streamline construction in time for a fall 2024 deadline. (Fresnoland)
— Multiple investigations into financial mismanagement have recently enveloped San Francisco's Parks Alliance. The nonprofit's troubles have been festering for many years, however. (Mission Local)
— Lake Oroville, the state's second-largest reservoir, has filled to capacity for a third year in a row following a moderately wet winter. Just four years ago, drought plunged the reservoir to its lowest level since 1968. (San Francisco Chronicle)
PLAYBOOKERS
IN MEMORIAM — John Briscoe, a longtime member of the Ocean View School District Board of Trustees, died on May 16 due to complications from open heart surgery. As the Daily Pilot reports, Briscoe served on the board for over 16 years, and he also ran for Congress and the state Legislature on a platform focused on his passion for education. Briscoe was 72.
PEOPLE MOVES — Baillee Brown is now head of government and external affairs at Inclusive Abundance. She previously was chief of staff for Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.).
BIRTHDAYS — former Obama adviser David Plouffe … former Sen. Chris Dodd … rapper André 3000 …
BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Monday): POLITICO's Rebecca Haase, vice president and general manager states (NY-based) … Amnon Shashua at Mobileye … Mia Shaw … Amir Salehzadeh at Kinetic Strategies … Jared Ficker at Axiom Advisors
(was Sunday): former DNC Secretary Alice Travis Germond … (was Saturday): Jodi Hicks at Planned Parenthood Affiliates of CA … Giulia DiGuglielmo in the office of Rep. Darrell Issa
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