Latest news with #SenateMajority
Politico
25-05-2025
- Business
- Politico
Playbook: The new normal
Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Bethany Irvine Good morning. This is Zack Stanton in the driver's seat this Sunday. Get in touch. Speaking of the driver's seat … our Adam Wren writes in with a SPOTTED from the Indianapolis 500: Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.); Indiana Gov. Mike Braun; Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso doing a fundraiser with Roger Penske and Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio); Lachlan Murdoch. DRIVING THE DAY President Donald Trump has a quiet day ahead (famous last words, I know). He'll be at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, until 5 p.m., when he departs en route to the White House, where he's due to arrive at 6:30. But even while the relative calm of a three-day weekend may afford a moment's pause, his political project steamrolls ahead, remaking government in his MAGA movement's image and — key to that goal — doing so while attempting to reset everyone's expectations. The new normal in personal enrichment: NYT's Peter Baker has a smart read this morning on the extent that the Trump family has financially profited from the presidency. They are, he noted, 'hardly the first presidential family to profit from their time in power, but they have done more to monetize the presidency than anyone who has ever occupied the White House. The scale and the scope of the presidential mercantilism has been breathtaking,' including at least $320 million in crypto fees, billions in foreign real estate deals (read also: NYT's Damien Cave on one such project in Vietnam), and even an exclusive new club in D.C. that charges $500,000 a head to join. And yet … 'a mark of how much Mr. Trump has transformed Washington since his return to power is the normalization of moneymaking schemes that once would have generated endless political blowback, televised hearings, official investigations and damage control,' Baker writes. 'The death of outrage in the Trump era, or at least the dearth of outrage, exemplifies how far the president has moved the lines of accepted behavior in Washington.' The new normal in the economy: 'Companies are struggling with unstable tariff rates, bond-market swings, canceled federal contracts, rising import costs, and visa challenges,' The Atlantic's Annie Lowrey writes this morning. 'They're unsure about the economic outlook. They're unsure about tax rates. They're unsure about borrowing costs. Last week, Moody's downgraded American debt, meaning it has less confidence in the country's growth and capacity to manage its deficits.' And yet … 'This is a year of chaos, so dramatic in its upheaval that it sometimes obscures how weird things have been, and for how long. Over the past half decade, businesses have contended with a pandemic, a recession, an inflationary spiral, and a trade war. They have negotiated swift changes in consumer behavior and input prices and interest rates, as well as significant shifts in policy more broadly, from Joe Biden's New Deal Lite to Donald Trump's autarkic austerity. John Lettieri, the president of the Economic Innovation Group, a Washington-based think tank, calls it 'the era of thrash.'' The new normal in the judiciary: 'Amid rising tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary, some federal judges are beginning to discuss the idea of managing their own armed security force,' WSJ's Katherine Long, James Fanelli and C. Ryan Barber scooped. While Supreme Court justices are protected by their own dedicated police force, 'other federal judges are protected by the U.S. Marshals Service, which reports to Attorney General Pam Bondi,' and some judges are 'worried that Trump could order the marshals to stand down in retaliation for a decision that didn't go his way.' For its part, the White House has condemned attacks against the judiciary. 'Attacks against public officials, including judges, have no place in our society,' White House spox Harrison Fields told the Journal in a statement. 'President Trump knows all too well the impact of callous attacks, having faced two assassination attempts.' And yet … After Trump's public tone toward judges changed in mid-March — when he said U.S. District Judge James Boasberg 'should be IMPEACHED' for ruling that the administration couldn't summarily deport Venezuelan migrants — it precipitated a wave of threats to judges nationwide. 'Starting in April, some judges and their relatives received unsolicited pizza deliveries in the name of Daniel Anderl, the deceased son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas. Anderl was shot dead in 2020 at his parents' home by a disgruntled litigant.' Companion reading: 'How Trump's clash with the courts is brewing into an 'all-out war,'' by USA Today's Zac Anderson The new normal in speaking to servicemembers: Yesterday, in his commencement speech at West Point, the president wore his signature red MAGA campaign hat to address the Army cadets in an unusual speech for the setting. He boasted of 'liberat[ing] our troops from divisive and demeaning political trainings,' a nod to his war on policies that promote diversity and inclusion. He repeated his frequent campaign rally chestnut that he was investigated more than mobster Al Capone. He spoke of 'trophy wives.' (Douglas MacArthur's May 1962 'Duty, Honor, Country' address this was not.) The new normal at the State Department: POLITICO's Nahal Toosi has a new column that's a must-read for folks in Foggy Bottom, looking at the Ben Franklin Fellowship, a 'not-so-secret society whose members run State.' Its ranks include 'Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau, top officials in bureaus such as consular affairs, and even an acting undersecretary or two.' The group 'emphasizes goals such as border security; opposes typical diversity, equity and inclusion practices; and advocates for the careful use of U.S. resources abroad,' she writes — which is not altogether surprising or unusual. But what is distinct is 'its heavy focus on reforming the State Department itself,' and the way that it's doing that 'could affect U.S. foreign policy decades into the future.' Companion reading: 'The fellowship: how Trump loyalists are taking over the US state department,' by FT's Guy Chazan SUNDAY BEST … — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on the spending cuts in the reconciliation bill, on 'Fox News Sunday': 'I support spending cuts. I think the cuts currently in the bill are wimpy and anemic, but I still would support the bill, even with wimpy and anemic cuts, if they weren't going to explode the debt. The problem is the math doesn't add up. They're going to explore the debt.' He continued: 'Somebody has to stand up and yell, 'the emperor has no clothes.' Everybody is falling in lockstep on this, 'Pass the big, beautiful bill. Don't question anything.' Well, conservatives do need to stand up and have their voices heard.' — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on how many senators agree with his critiques of House Republicans 'big, beautiful bill,' on CNN's 'State of the Union': 'I think we have enough to stop the process until the president gets serious about spending reduction and reducing the deficit.' — Speaker Mike Johnson on his advice to Ron Johnson and other GOP senators who take issue with his chamber's bill, on 'State of the Union': 'I have a very delicate balance here, a very delicate equilibrium that we have reached over a long period of time, and it's best not to meddle with it too much. … We've got to deal within the realm of what's possible.' More from POLITICO's Gregory Svirnovskiy TOP-EDS: A roundup of the week's must-read opinion pieces. 9 THINGS FOR YOUR RADAR 1. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: POLITICO's Danny Nguyen and Jessie Blaeser dig into a Trump administration project intended to revisit thousands of federal agreements that is 'starting to sink a vast ecosystem of contractors that deploy jobs across the Washington economy.' The 'chainsaw-wielding approach' has produced claims of big savings, including several multimillion-dollar contracts. 'At least 2,775 out of more than 20,000 contracts for consulting and investment advice under review have been cut as of May 11, worth $3.1 billion in claimed savings, according to an analysis of DOGE's list of terminations and government data obtained by POLITICO.' The knock-on effect: 'But the reach of the review — looking back at contracts that have already gone through a competitive bidding process overseen by career civil servants — is nonetheless unprecedented. It has frozen hiring, triggered layoffs and sparked chaos across the consulting industry, a vast shadow workforce across Virginia, Washington and Maryland that often weathers broader economic slumps.' 2. RUSSIA-UKRAINE LATEST: Russia and Ukraine 'swapped hundreds more prisoners on Sunday, the third and last part of a major exchange that reflected a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the more than three years of war,' AP's Samya Kullab and Oleksii Yeroshenko report from Kyiv. 'Hours earlier, the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and other regions came under a massive Russian drone-and-missile attack that killed at least 12 people and injured dozens. Ukrainian officials described it as the largest aerial assault since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the silence of America and other world leaders 'only encourages' Russian President Vladimir Putin. 3. DISPATCH FROM THE WILDERNESS: The NYT is launching an 'occasional' series to drill down on the Democratic Party and the key questions it faces: 'how it got so dire, what comes next and who could lead the way,' NYT's Shane Goldmacher writes in the first installment. 'The first challenge is that it is not just Republicans and independents who have soured on the Democratic Party. It is also Democrats themselves. The Democratic base is aghast at the speed with which Mr. Trump is undermining institutions and reversing progressive accomplishments — and at the lack of resistance from congressional leaders.' Painting quite the picture: Longtime Dem researcher Anat Shenker-Osorio has conducted about 250 focus groups with swing voters asking them to compare the two parties to animals. This is the pattern: 'Republicans are seen as 'apex predators,' like lions, tigers and sharks — beasts that take what they want when they want it. Democrats are typically tagged as tortoises, slugs or sloths: slow, plodding, passive.' 4. THE LOAN LURCH: 'Millions of Americans hit with bad credit after missed student loan payments,' by WaPo's Abha Bhattarai: 'Credit scores dipped by more than 100 points for 2.2 million delinquent student loan borrowers, and 150 points or more for more than 1 million in the first three months of 2025, according to an analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. It's the kind of credit score drop that follows a personal bankruptcy filing. Roughly 2.4 million of those Americans previously had favorable credit scores and would have qualified for cars loans, mortgages or credit cards before these delinquencies were reported, researchers said.' 5. MUDDY IN THE MIDDLE EAST: 'Trump's Warming Toward Syria Complicates Israel's Military Strategy,' by NYT's Michael Shear: 'Trump's surprise embrace of [Ahmed] al-Shara not only offered the new Syrian leader an unexpected lifeline, it also appears to have undercut efforts by the hard-line Israeli government to seize on the instability in Syria and the weakness of the new government to prevent the rise of another anti-Israel neighbor. … Before Mr. Trump's declaration of confidence in the new Syrian leader, [Israeli PM Benjamin] Netanyahu and his top aides in Israel had been determined to deny Mr. al-Shara and his nascent government access to the vast array of heavy weaponry amassed by the Assad regime over its decades in power.' 6. GOING TO CALIFORNIA: Trump's immigration agenda will have a particularly acute impact on California, which counts on immigrants to boost the economy, WSJ's Jim Carlton and Paul Overberg write. 'The state's population rose 0.6% in 2024, reaching 39.43 million by adding almost a quarter-million people, according to Census Bureau estimates. … Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, often seen as a potential presidential contender, is publicly touting the population bump. … Yet California's growth is tenuous. Without immigration, it would have shrunk significantly in the past year. Net immigration rebounded to more than 300,000 people in 2024, after plunging to as few as 44,000 in the worst year of the pandemic.' 7. RECRUITMENT REPORT CARD: 'US military spent $6 billion in the past 3 years to recruit and retain troops,' by AP's Lolita Baldor: 'Coupled with an array of new programs, an increased number of recruiters and adjustments to enlistment requirements, the additional incentives have helped the services bounce back from the shortfalls. All but the Navy met their recruiting targets last year and all are expected to do so this year. … Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeatedly point to Trump's election as a reason for the recruiting rebound. But the enlistment increases began long before last November, and officials have tied them more directly to the widespread overhauls that the services have done.' 8. ON THE SCENE: 'They gathered to turn 'pain into purpose.' Then gunfire shattered their peace,' by WaPo's Michael Laris and Karina Elwood: 'This account of Wednesday's tragedy — how an evening suffused with aspirations for peace suddenly dissolved, in the span of a muzzle flash, into unspeakable violence that echoed around the globe — is based on numerous interviews, statements by police and government officials, and publicly available court records.' 9. AMERICAN EXPORT: 'Scientists have lost their jobs or grants in US cuts. Foreign universities want to hire them,' by AP's Christina Larson and colleagues: 'The 'Canada Leads' program, launched in April, hopes to foster the next generation of innovators by bringing early-career biomedical researchers north of the border. Aix-Marseille University in France started the 'Safe Place for Science' program in March — pledging to 'welcome' U.S.-based scientists who 'may feel threatened or hindered in their research.' Australia's 'Global Talent Attraction Program,' announced in April, promises competitive salaries and relocation packages.' TALK OF THE TOWN Kamala Harris spoke at a real estate conference in Australia and urged listeners to 'remember the 1930s.' Jack Schlossberg has completed his journey from Camelot to Cameo: the Kennedy scion is shilling videos for rates starting at $75. THE SHOW MUST GO ON — 'Broadway shows keep the Kennedy Center going. But will they stay away?' by WaPo's Naveen Kumar: 'The gamble is that nonunion tours could net the center more money. Deals between producers and presenting houses vary, but lower production costs mean higher potential profit margins from box office sales split between the parties. But that very likely won't be enough to make up for the center's significant reduction in theater programming.' TRANSITION — Steve Herman is joining Ole Miss as executive director of the Jordan Center for Journalism Advocacy and Innovation. He is retiring from Voice of America, where he most recently was chief national correspondent. The announcement WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Kelly Cohen, Arlington Public Schools occupational therapist, and Josh Cohen, director of comms at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and a State Department, Pentagon and Hill alum, welcomed Abby on Thursday. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) … David Sacks … former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan … Greg Bluestein of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution … Laurie Rubiner … Megan Van Etten of PhRMA … Peyton Vogel … Savannah Haeger of FedEx … Kate Ackley Zeller of Bloomberg Government … CBS' Stefan Becket … Anna Palmer … POLITICO's Catherine Kim and Diana Hernandez … Annie Clark of Rokk Solutions … Alliance for Justice's Carolyn Bobb … former Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) … former Reps. Steve Russell (R-Okla.) and Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) … Matt Lakin … Natalie Ihrman of USDA … ABC's Jay O'Brien … Haleah Lewis of the Washington Speakers Bureau … Alexandra Sanchez Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
GOP Senator Tells Fox News Viewers Biden's Cancer Timing ‘Doesn't Make Sense'
Florida Senator Rick Scott used a Fox News interview Monday to speculate about the timing of Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis. The 82-year-old former president's office announced Sunday that he has been diagnosed with a 'more aggressive form' of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. The timing of the diagnosis—which comes amid intense scrutiny around Biden's cognitive decline while in office—has itself been the subject of frenzied discussion, with some prominent figures already stoking claims of a cover-up. Sen. Scott was asked for his views on the diagnosis during an appearance on Fox & Friends Monday morning. The failed Republican pick for Senate Majority Leader claimed the timing of Biden's announcement 'doesn't make sense.' Stand-in host Charles Hurt asked Scott if he was 'curious' about the timing. Scott responded: 'Well, first off, you know, I hope he gets over this, but it doesn't make sense.' Scott brought up tests for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein that is often elevated in the blood of prostate cancer patients, according to the American Cancer Society. 'We all get, you know, PSA tests and so it's hard to believe that this...I hope he gets better,' Scott said. 'It doesn't seem to make much sense that they wouldn't know it.' Some commentators have claimed without evidence that Biden and the Democratic Party had long been aware of the cancer diagnosis but chose to cover it up in a bid to remain in power. Others have pushed the idea that the announcement of the diagnosis was timed to draw attention away from a forthcoming book that dives into the decline of Biden's health. Original Sin, a book by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson, revealed that his aides were at one point so concerned by the deterioration of his spine that they considered putting him in a wheelchair—but knew it was politically untenable. The Daily Beast has contacted Scott's office about his Fox & Friends appearance. Biden, meanwhile, has focussed on the 'love and support.' 'Cancer touches us all,' Biden wrote in a post on X on Monday morning which included a photo of him sitting alongside his wife, former First Lady Jill Biden. 'Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,' he added. 'Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Released Palestinian student helps launch immigrant legal aid initiative in Vermont
A Palestinian student arrested during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship helped launch a $1 million fundraising campaign to strengthen the legal safety net for immigrants in Vermont on Thursday, a week after a federal judge freed him from custody. Mohsen Mahdawi, 34, who led protests against Israel's war in Gaza at Columbia University, spent 16 days in a state prison before a judge ordered him released on April 30. The Trump administration has said Mahdawi should be deported because his activism threatens its foreign policy goals, but the judge ruled that he has raised a 'substantial claim' that the government arrested him to stifle speech with which it disagrees. Immigration authorities have detained college students from around the country since the first days of the Trump administration. Many of them participated in campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war. Mahdawi was among the first to win his freedom after challenging his arrest. 'This is a message of hope and light, that our humanity is much larger than what divides us. Our humanity is much larger than unjust laws,' he said at a Statehouse news conference. 'And this is also a message to the rest of the world. It starts from Vermont.' Mahdawi joined Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak, Senate Majority Leader Kesha Ram Hinsdale and community advocates to announce the Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund. The group, which also includes lawyers and philanthropists, says the fund will be used to expand the legal team at the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project, train pro bono attorneys and partner with community groups to support those facing deportation, detention and family separation. 'I am here with a large and diverse group of Vermonters to say: We protect and take care of our people, regardless of their national origin, regardless of their immigration status, regardless of the language they speak,' Ram Hinsdale said. 'We take care of our own against any and all threats.' Members of Vermont's congressional delegation have spoken up on Mahdawi's behalf, as have state politicians. Vermont's House and Senate passed resolutions condemning the circumstances of his detention and advocating for his release and due process rights. Republican Gov. Phil Scott has said there is no justification for the manner in which Mahdawi was arrested, at an immigration office in Colchester. 'Law enforcement officers in this country should not operate in the shadows or hide behind masks,' the governor said the next day. 'The power of the executive branch of the federal government is immense, but it is not infinite, and it is not absolute.' Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident, was born in a refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and moved to the United States in 2014. At Columbia, he organized campus protests and co-founded the Palestinian Student Union with Mahmoud Khalil, another Palestinian permanent resident of the U.S. and graduate student who was arrested in March. His release, which is being challenged by the government, allows him to travel outside of his home state of Vermont and attend his graduation from Columbia in New York later this month. On Thursday, he described sharing a prison cell with a farmer from Mexico who prayed every night. 'I think his prayers have been answered today by this initiative,' he said. 'This is what I call love and care. This is what I call humanity and justice. This is what I call the teachings of Jesus, who would feed the hungry, who would shelter the homeless and who would provide support to illegal immigrants.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nevada lawmakers tap education rainy day fund to help plug gap; teacher raises renewed
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Money for education is a hot topic again in Carson City as lawmakers made a $126.9 million withdrawal from schools' rainy day fund to help plug a gap created by a decrease in tourism. Additional steps might be necessary after the state per-pupil spending levels are finalized in a budget session scheduled for Thursday. Schools must address a $160 million gap between spending requests and tax revenue. Projected tax revenue has declined since budgets were drawn up at the start of the legislative session in early February. Gov. Joe Lombardo has recommended per-pupil spending of $9,416 in the 2026 fiscal year (July 1-June 30) and $9,486 in 2027. Critics point out that $9,416 is merely $2 more than spending this year. Some are suggesting the state go deeper into the rainy day fund for schools, which is projected to have $746.1 million remaining in July. Per-pupil funding going up $2 next year unless something changes in Nevada budget A final per-pupil funding figure is expected to be delivered by legislative staff on Thursday, taking into account decisions made in today's budget closing session of the Joint Subcommittee on K-12/Higher Education/CIP. Nevada made education funding a priority in the legislative session, but building on that will be difficult in today's economy. Lawmakers voted to continue raises put into place by the 2023 Legislature, but not without some finger-pointing. Republicans on the committee voted against continuing $250 million in spending to fund raises for teachers in the state's public school districts — but didn't have anything for charter school teachers yet. 'Charter schools are public schools,' Republican State Sen. Carrie Buck said. 'These teachers are public teachers. They deserve raises also, so I will be voting no today.' Democratic Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager reminded Republicans of discussions from the 2023 session and the commitments made then to teachers. He called a 'no' vote 'utterly irresponsible,' but five Republicans stood their ground. They didn't have enough votes to stop the existing raises. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro held out hope for charter school teachers. 'While I recognize that today is not the day that we'll be talking about charter school raises, I do think that that conversation should continue for the remainder of this session so that we can come to a good resolution on that,' Cannizzaro said. Lawmakers have been watching as more families leave public school districts to put their kids in charter schools. Lombardo based his budget on no enrollment growth, and during Thursday's hearing, lawmakers were told that student populations have increased in only three counties: Mineral, Nye and Pershing. But as a whole, charter school enrollment is on the rise. Transportation funding for charter schools — about $17 million over two years — was a sticking point in 2023. Today, the committee removed that funding from the per-pupil funding account, instead deciding the money should go to the Charter School Authority through a one-time appropriation from the state general fund. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kemp passes on Senate bid in Georgia
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced on Monday that he's forgoing a bid to challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) in Georgia next year, delivering a major blow to Republicans who sought to recruit him for the race. 'Over the last few weeks, I have had many conversations with friends, supporters, and leaders across the country who encouraged me to run for the US Senate in 2026. I greatly appreciate their support and prayers for our family,' the two-term GOP governor said in a post on the social platform X. 'After those discussions, I have decided that being on the ballot next year is not the right decision for me and my family,' he continued, adding that he had spoken with President Trump and Senate GOP leadership about the decision earlier that day, expressing his 'commitment to work alongside them to ensure we have a strong Republican nominee who can win next November.' The news is a blow for Republicans, who largely saw Kemp as their most formidable opponent to Ossoff, the first-term Georgia Democrat who narrowly ousted now-U.S. ambassador to China David Perdue in the 2020 cycle. Ossoff campaign manager Ellen Foster responded to the news in a statement saying, 'As we've said for the past few months, Senator Ossoff is well-prepared to defeat any challenger.' 'As Republicans scramble in the aftermath, our campaign will continue to build insurmountable momentum needed to win next November.' Kemp has also been seen as a potential 2028 contender and most believed that if he was considering running for president, he was unlikely to make a bid for the Senate in 2026. The Georgia Republican's announcement will almost certainty kick off a chaotic and spirited primary for the nomination to take on Ossoff, the only Senate Democrat running for reelection in a battleground state in 2026. Republicans who have said they would be interested in running if Kemp opted against it, or who could very well jump in, include Reps. Rich McCormick, Mike Collins, Buddy Carter and Marjorie Taylor Greene, in addition to Insurance Commissioner John King. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger could also launch a bid as well. Senate Republicans projected confidence that they had a strong chance of flipping the seat next year. 'While Jon Ossoff is running to impeach President Trump, Republicans have a number of strong candidates who can build a winning coalition to add this seat to President Trump's Senate Majority,' said Joanna Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the Senate Republicans' campaign arm. Other Republicans, however, were more candid. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters on Monday that they were 'disappointed' and said he 'would have been [a] great candidate.' Still, he maintained it would be competitive 'either way.' Meanwhile, Senate Democrats ridiculed Republicans over Kemp's announcement in their own statement. 'Brian Kemp's decision to not run for Senate in 2026 is yet another embarrassing Republican Senate recruitment failure as they face a building midterm backlash where every GOP candidate will be forced to answer for Trump's harmful agenda,' Maeve Coyle, a spokeswoman for the Senate Democrats' campaign arm, said. 'Senate Republicans' toxic agenda and recruitment failures put their majority at risk in 2026.' Ossoff's campaign did not immediately offer a comment about Kemp's retirement when asked. Public polling had shown that Kemp would keep the race competitive with Ossoff, aided by the fact that President Trump won the state in November by just over 2 points. Polling released by The Atlantic Journal-Constitution this month, which was conducted by University of Georgia's School of Public & International Affairs Survey Research Center showed Kemp with a strong approval rating of 60 percent, while it showed Ossoff with a 48 percent approval rating. When respondents were asked about a hypothetical matchup between Ossoff and Kemp, 49 percent said the GOP governor while 45.7 percent supported Ossoff, just outside of the poll's 3.1 point margin of error. In hypothetical matchups between Ossoff and several other Republicans – including King, Greene and Raffensberger – Ossoff beat each of them. Ossoff beat Raffensberger by close to 10 points in a head-to-head; he beat King by close to 13 points; and he beat Greene by 17 points. Even without Kemp in the race, Ossoff faces a challenging reelection. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) ran against Republican Herschel Walker, who was dogged by personal controversies, in 2022 and was forced into a runoff with him before ultimately winning. At the same time, Ossoff could benefit from a crowded and raucous GOP primary, which could leave to the Republican nominee bruised heading into the general election. Updated at 4:13 p.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
