Primary Battles Brew Over Progressive Democrats’ Stances on Israel
Bidens, Harris and Emhoff embrace heavy causes, from cancer to antisemitism
As second gentleman Doug Emhoff spoke to a group of Jewish leaders gathered at the White House in the wake of Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Israel, his voice shook with emotion.
Emhoff, who is Jewish, slammed his first on the lectern as he described his outrage over the “mass murder of innocent civilians.”
Days later, Emhoff met with survivors of the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue massacre, in which 11 people were killed in an antisemitic attack in Pittsburgh.
Emhoff’s urgent efforts to address antisemitism are reflective of how the first and second families have taken on heavy causes with deeply personal meaning since the beginning of the Biden administration.
Like Emhoff, the other top principals lean into their own “point of personal privilege,” as President Biden often says, citing a Senate phrase that allows for members to discuss the topics they want.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden have taken on fighting cancer following the death of their son Beau from brain cancer. The first lady also leads an initiative to help military families.
Vice President Harris has spearheaded the administration’s work to fight for voting rights and reproductive rights in the wake of Roe v. Wade — all issues that will uniquely be a part of this administration’s legacy.
Advocating for a cause they are passionate about is historically the role of first ladies, but all four principals at the White House have chosen to work on emotional issues, which experts say marks a shift.
“We live in a more transparent society, where people are more apt to share their feelings and their concerns. We are also a society that has a more heightened appreciation of one’s identity. So, I think in this era, it is less surprising if members of the executive branch, if they share concerns that are more personal to them,” said Tim Naftali, presidential expert at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
It’s not uncommon for members of the first or second family to focus on areas they are passionate about. Michelle Obama led efforts to address childhood obesity through exercise and healthy eating. Laura Bush, a former public school teacher, launched a reading program. And Karen Pence, also a longtime school teacher and mother in a military family, focused her efforts on art therapy to assist military members.
But for the Bidens, Harris and Emhoff, the causes they’ve championed carry particularly emotional weight. They are connected to the deaths of loved ones, the erosion of rights, a rise in attacks on Jews.
In addition to meeting with Jewish leaders and community members related to specific attacks, Emhoff helped launch the administration’s strategy to combat antisemitism domestically. He also visited Poland and Germany to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day earlier this year.
Harris’s policy portfolio has overlapped with issues she is passionate about, and in some cases she has sought out that work. The vice president asked to take the lead on pushing for voting rights legislation, an effort that ran into roadblocks in the narrowly divided Senate before Republicans retook the majority in the House.
Harris, as the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, has been the administration’s most visible official in speaking about reproductive rights and abortion access in the aftermath of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade.
And while Biden is occupied with myriad crises and issues, both domestic and foreign, he has still found time to focus on a cause that is deeply personal: finding a cure for cancer. Along with son Beau, Biden has lost Senate colleagues including John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) to cancer.
Biden has relaunched the Cancer Moonshot and has spoken about cancer research as an area of bipartisan concern, hosting lawmakers from both parties at the White House to discuss the issue and addressing it in his State of the Union addresses.
“As president, a lot of your time can be diverted to managing challenges that were unforeseeable or unpreventable. But you also get the opportunity to put your stamp on issues that you care about,” said Eric Schultz, a former deputy press secretary in the Obama White House.
“The issues that this administration’s principals have chosen to champion are windows into what they each care most about,” Schultz said. “The slow, hard work of making progress can be much more manageable when you’re tackling issues that are deeply personal. In this case, they’re also authentic to who they are as people.”
Biden reignited the cancer moonshot project in 2022, with a focus on reducing the death rate by 50 percent in 25 years. This personal initiative for Biden has led to calls from the administration for cancer screening, early detection and ensuring equitable access to screenings.
The president also considers as a major victory the legislation that expands benefits for millions of veterans who were exposed to toxins during service; he brought in his own family’s struggle when pushing for the burn pits legislation.
Biden speaks frequently about how Beau — who served in the Delaware National Guard — was exposed to burn pits in Iraq, and suggests that could have been the cause of the glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, that led to his death.
“It’s not unique to me and my family,” the president said in December, relating to the struggle of military families dealing with the aftermath of exposure to burn pits.
That personal spin on policy choices is a staple of the Biden White House, as the president, first lady, Harris and Emhoff tend to lean into it when they can.
“The concept of authenticity. What might have been considered oversharing a generation ago is obviously expected,” Naftali said. “Now people would say, ‘Why are they not feeling this? Are they machines?’”
Go to Source: Administration News | The Hill
Lindsey Graham says Turkey becoming ‘The Squad’ of NATO after President Erdogan called Israel a ‘war criminal’
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Turkey is becoming “The Squad” of NATO after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Israel a war criminal in its fight against Hamas terrorists.
The GOP senator made the comment Saturday in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Seems that Turkey, particularly senior leadership, is setting itself up to be ‘The Squad’ of NATO,” Graham wrote. “Very disappointing and destabilizing.”
“The Squad” refers to the informal name of a group of progressive Democrat U.S. House members, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamal Bowman of New York, Cori Bush of Missouri and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.
NATO ALLY PRAISES HAMAS AS ‘FREEDOM FIGHTERS,’ CONDEMNS ISRAEL AS A ‘WAR CRIMINAL’
Some of these “Squad” members have been openly critical of Israel’s government since Hamas launched its surprise attack on the Jewish State on Oct. 7.
“As long as our country provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government, this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue,” Tlaib, who has a well-documented history of anti-Israel comments, said in a statement the day after Hamas’ attack began.
Tlaib also continues to doubt the Israeli and U.S. governments’ findings that an airstrike at a hospital in Gaza was the result of a misfired rocket launched from Gaza by the Hamas ally Islamic Jihad that was targeting Israel.
GROUND FIGHTING BEGINS ALONG GAZA BORDER AHEAD OF OFFICIAL ISRAELI INVASION
The congresswoman further attempted to discredit the findings, which also determined the explosion was mostly in the parking lot of the hospital and that the death toll is estimated to be much lower than the several hundred Hamas first alleged, because she says the Israeli and U.S. governments have a well-documented history of misleading the public about war crimes.
Graham’s post linked to a Fox News Digital report about the recent comments from Erdogan condemning Israel as a war criminal for its retaliation against Hamas.
“Israel has been openly committing war crimes for 22 days, but the Western leaders cannot even call on Israel for a ceasefire, let alone react to it,” Erdogan told a crowd in Istanbul.
“We will tell the whole world that Israel is a war criminal. We are making preparations for this. We will declare Israel a war criminal,” the Turkish president added.
Following Erdogan’s comments, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen said Israel is recalling its diplomats from Turkey so that it can conduct a reevaluation of Israel-Turkey relations.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Turkey had denounced the violence in Israel and condemned the deaths caused by Hamas shortly after the terrorist group began its attack earlier this month. But after Israel’s response, Erdogan shifted his support and started to refer to Hamas terrorists as “freedom fighters.”
More than 8,700 people have been killed in Gaza and Israel since Hamas launched its largest attack against Israel in decades on Oct. 7, leading to retaliatory action from Israeli forces. Thousands more have been wounded, and many others have been taken hostage by Hamas and raped, tortured and murdered.
Go to Source: Latest Political News on Fox News
Chinese official who praised CCP, denied Uyghur genocide meets with business leaders, Dem lawmakers in PA
A Chinese official recently made the rounds in a Pennsylvania meeting with a local economic development council, scholars at the University of Pennsylvania, and two Democratic state senators despite growing concerns about China’s economic presence in the U.S. and controversial comments the official made praising the Chinese Communist Party.
Huang Ping, who’s been the consul general of China’s New York Consulate since 2018 and previously touted the CCP as a “great party,” was in Philadelphia on Oct. 19 meeting with a pair of Pennsylvania Democratic State Senators, according to a post from the Chinese Consulate in New York. Sharif Street is the chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee while Nikil Saval serves on the appropriations committee and is the minority chair of the urban affairs and housing committee.
“Huang Ping spoke highly of their contribution to the development of China-US relations and mutually beneficial cooperation of Pennsylvania with China,” the consulate posted online. “They agreed that a stable and healthy China-US relationship benefits both countries and peoples.”
The pair of state Pennsylvania state senators had been invited by a constituent to meet with Ping as he was traveling through Philadelphia, a spokesperson for Street’s office told Fox News Digital, adding that the meeting did not imply agreement with the CCP.
“This meeting does not represent their support for the policies of the Chinese government,” the spokesperson said.
A day after the Philadelphia meeting, Ping was in Chester County, Pennsylvania along with Deputy Consul General Qian Jin meeting with the local the Economic Development Council in conversation where the Chinese government said members “all expressed their willingness to continue playing a positive role in promoting China-US relations, and contribute to bilateral economic and trade cooperation.”
Xinhua News Agency, the official state-run press agency of Beijing, published a report after Ping met with Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) showing Ping present gifts to CCEDC’s president Michael Grigalonis and Pennsylvania Global Business Advisors president F. William Bogle. The article also quoted Grigalonis saying the council and Pennsylvania were “very committed” to China.
“We were very committed. Prior to the (COVID-19) pandemic, one of our real priorities was our relationship with China, (especially) developing economic ties,” Grigalonis said. “And of course, as you say, that pandemic hit, and we got on to other priorities, but there’re still some successes that are in place, and things that we can build on in the future.”
And of course, as you say, that pandemic hit, and we got on to other priorities, but there’re still some successes that are in place, and things that we can build on in the future.”
That same day, Ping stopped by the Center for the Study of Contemporary China of University of Pennsylvania for “talks with Jacques deLisle and scholars.”
In addition to the Pennsylvania stops, Ping made appearances earlier this year at Barclays Center, the Nasdaq MarketSite, and the Empire State Building, rubbing elbows with prominent American business leaders at each stop.
Ping made those appearances despite previously denying that China was committing genocide against Muslim Uyghurs.
“There are lots of lies here, fabricated by some people with their own political agenda,” Huang said in an August 2021 interview, denying the existence of genocide and internment camps targeting Uyghurs. “As I said, there’s no genocide, not a single evidence to prove that there’s a genocide or something there. It’s just a slandering.”
“It’s a party of mission and responsibility. It represents the overall interest of the Chinese people. The mission of this party is quite clear,” Huang continued, referring to the CCP. “Three things: Number one was to deliver a better life for the Chinese people, number two is striving for the rejuvenation of China as a nation, and number three is striving for the common good of the world.”
CHINA ESCAPES UNSCATHED FOLLOWING WORLD LEADERS UN SUMMIT: ‘EXHAUSTION HAS SET IN’
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the State Department under both the Trump and Biden administrations have assessed China is committing genocide against the Uyghurs. Since 2017, the Chinese government has reportedly imprisoned more than a million Uyghurs in concentration camps, where according to leaked documents from inside China detainees are subjected to rape, torture, forced labor, brainwashing, and forced sterilization.
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department to inquire about their position on a Chinese official with a history of controversial remarks meeting with lawmakers and speaking at events on the East Coast. While a spokesperson was “deeply concerned” about the Uyghur remarks, the spokesperson would not weigh in on his “Visa records,” saying they were “confidential under U.S. law.”
“Despite increased global attention and strong calls for accountability, the PRC government continues to deny ongoing atrocities against Uyghur people,” a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “We are deeply concerned by the PRC’s failure to stop its senseless campaign, release those unjustly detained, and transparently address the chorus of concerns raised by the international community.”
Concerns have also been growing in the United States over China buying up U.S. farmland which has prompted both Republicans and Democrats to work together to curtail those efforts.
Ping’s office told Fox News Digital that the “recent visit to Pennsylvania is just a regular consular job. We visited high schools, universities and companies, had talks with state senators, entrepreneurs and scholars, to enhance sub-national cooperation and friendly communication between China and the US.”
The CCEDC did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Aaron Kliegman contributed to this report
Go to Source: Latest Political News on Fox News
In wake of Hamas attack, western protests, Republicans increase focus on legal immigration limits
In the wake of the Hamas terror attack against Israel, and anti-Israel protests erupting across the country, some Republicans are shifting their attention on immigration away from the border and onto stopping foreign nationals who express anti-Israel or pro-Hamas views from getting into the U.S. legally as well.
The Hamas terror attacks immediately drew attention from conservatives and Republicans to the southern border, and the risk of terrorists getting in through past Border Patrol.
However, both the attacks and protests that emerged in college campuses and cities throughout the U.S. also raised new questions about potential restrictions on legal immigration — including in the refugee process.
2024 presidential candidates and GOP lawmakers have called for the U.S. to no longer accept refugees from Gaza. Reps. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., and Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., introduced legislation that would block anyone from Gaza being admitted as a refugee, while multiple 2024 candidates have promised to do the same.
GOP LAWMAKERS CALL FOR PRO-HAMAS STUDENT VISA HOLDERS TO BE DEPORTED: ‘NOT WELCOME HERE’
“I don’t know what Biden’s going to do, but we cannot accept people from Gaza into this country as refugees,” presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said during an event. “If you look at how they behave, not all of them are Hamas, but they are all antisemitic. None of them believe in Israel’s right to exist.”
“We aren’t bringing in anyone from Gaza,” former President Donald Trump said recently.
Separately, multiple lawmakers and 2024 candidates have come out in favor of revoking visas of foreign nationals who are seen to have celebrated Hamas at student protests and elsewhere. That echoes similar moves in Europe, where there have also been calls to yank visas from foreigners spouting pro-Hamas rhetoric.
In the U.S., Reps. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., have written to the administration calling for Hamas supporters to be deported. In the Senate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has introduced legislation to cancel visas for foreign nationals who “endorse or espouse terrorist activity.”
HOUSE GOP MEMBERS INTRODUCE BILL TO BLOCK PALESTINIAN REFUGEES FROM ENTERING US
“America is the most generous nation on earth, but we cannot allow foreign nationals who support terrorist groups like Hamas and march in our streets calling for ‘intifada’ to enter or stay in our country,” Rubio said in a press release.
It marks an emphasis shift of immigration priorities that have, for most Republicans, focused predominantly on illegal immigration and the southern border since the eruption of the migrant crisis in 2021. But legal immigration restrictions were a key part of the Trump administration — including the travel ban against predominantly Muslim countries, a slashing of refugee caps down to 18,000 a year, and efforts to implement additional screening of immigrants. Many of those efforts have been reversed by the Biden administration, with the refugee cap now at 125,000 a year.
Trump has promised a number of overhauls to legal immigration if re-elected, including the expansion of the travel bans for mainly majority-Muslim countries and a ramping up of ideological screening for all those coming into the U.S.
Stephen Miller, the former Trump White House advisor who played a central role in those restrictions during the Trump administration, told Fox News Digital that he welcomed the increased attention on legal immigration from fellow Republicans, but wants to see more.
DOZENS OF PRO-PALESTINIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENT CHAPTERS CELEBRATE ATTACK ON ISRAEL: ‘NOT UNPROVOKED’
“I think there is now a tragically long overdue realization that we have made it far too easy in this country for people to get student visas, green cards, work visas, tourist visas, etc., who not only don’t support the value system of our country, but actively reject it — so hazardous is that is passed on to second and third generation immigrants and so it becomes a multi-generational problem.“
Miller, who is supporting President Trump for re-election in 2024, said he doesn’t believe the calls from Republicans for limits on refugees from Gaza go far enough.
“We got to where we are already in our current state over a period of many decades by accepting refugees from all over the world,” he said. “So this is not just a one country or a two country or a three country problem. This is a global problem.”
Miller wants to see a complete suspension of the refugee program and “the aggressive denial of visas to people in every country who fail to support our way of thinking in America.”
“The correct number of immigrants to bring into our country who hate America, hate Jews or hate the West is zero,” he said.
Go to Source: Latest Political News on Fox News
After Pence ends 2024 bid, GOP insiders predict more to follow: ‘Consolidation is inevitable’
Former Vice President Mike Pence is out of the running.
“I came here to say it’s become clear to me this is not my time,” the former vice president said in his surprise announcement at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership meeting, which this year attracted all the major GOP White House contenders.
“So after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today,” Pence said.
The big question going forward is which contenders will follow Pence’s lead in suspending their campaigns for the 2024 Republican nomination in a race dominated by former President Donald Trump.
WHY MIKE PENCE DECIDED TO END HIS 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
While four lesser-known candidates had already called it quits, Pence became the first of the major contenders to suspend his 2024 campaign.
One thing’s for sure: More will follow
“There’s no question others will follow suit. The question is one of timing,” RJC chief executive officer Matt Brooks told Fox News.
Veteran Republican consultant and media strategist Ari Fleischer, a Fox News contributor, highlighted that “consolidation is inevitable. It happens in every cycle… this field will shrink.”
Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel, a veteran of numerous presidential and Iowa based campaigns, said that “this is the beginning of the winnowing of the field.”
The former vice president launched his 2024 campaign in early June. While he spent plenty of time over the summer and into the autumn on the campaign trail in the crucial early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, his White House bid never took off.
Pence stood in the mid to low single digits in the latest surveys and his fundraising was meager. The former vice president struggled — but ultimately succeeded to reach the polling and donor thresholds to qualify for the first two Republican presidential nomination debates. But as of Saturday, he still remained short of hitting the criteria to make the stage at next month’s third debate.
Sources in Pence’s political orbit tell Fox News the final decision to drop out of the race came just in the past day or two, after recent fundraising didn’t alleviate concerns about reaching the donor threshold to qualify for the Nov. 8 debate in Miami.
PENCE TAKES AIM AT TRUMP AND OTHER GOP ‘IMMITATORS’ FOR WALKING AWAY FROM CONSERVATISM
Failure to make the stage at the next debate could lead others to drop out.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have spotlighted that they’ve reached the polling and donor thresholds required by the Republican National Committee to qualify for the debate. And on Saturday, as first reported by Fox News, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina also said he’d hit the criteria.
But North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson — who failed to make the stage at the second debate — have yet to qualify.
“There will be more candidates who don’t get on the debate stage who fall off — whether formally or literally,” longtime New Hampshire based national Republican consultant Dave Carney told Fox News. “I think you’ll see more consolidation.”
But Carney, who’s worked on presidential campaigns for more than three decades, said that “the money and the ego” will keep some of the other candidates in the race.
Carney predicts four or five candidates will still in the race at the beginning of next year, ahead of the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, the first two contests in the 2024 GOP nominating calendar.
“Iowa and New Hampshire will do the real weed whacking,” he said.
Kochel concurred, saying most of “the attrition is going to take place between Iowa and New Hampshire.”
Pence has long been a champion to social conservative voters, and was trying to make inroads with Iowa’s evangelicals, who play an outsized role in Hawkeye State GOP politics.
“When someone exits the race, that’s the natural question. Where do those supporters go?” said Nicole Schlinger, a long time Iowa based conservative strategist who’s well-connected with evangelical groups.
“If you are Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis or Tim Scott, your team is trying to figure out how to appeal to Iowa voters who were leaning in Mike Pence’s direction,” she told Fox News.
Schlinger, pointing to Scott’s push for social conservatives, said “Tim Scott has the most natural appeal with voters who were leaning towards Pence.” But said that DeSantis also has “a solid record on life.”
Go to Source: Latest Political News on Fox News
Rise of the rank-and-file: How Johnson’s speakership empowers non-leadership, conservative wing of GOP
The weeks-long fight that finally gave Republican Rep. Mike Johnson the speaker’s gavel saw the rank-and-file members of the party buck the top members of House GOP leadership.
The House selected Johnson — the then-vice chairman of the House GOP conference — as speaker nominee Wednesday three weeks after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted from the position.
Johnson’s election to the speakership appears to have both empowered the rank-and-file members of the House GOP and showed they have the muscle to back it up.
Though Johnson held a leadership role before running for the speakership, higher-ranking Republicans were rejected after failing to win enough support from the party.
Three top House Republicans made their bids for speaker — House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, and Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio — and all three bids failed with rank-and-file opposition, paving the path for Johnson’s election.
The larger conservative wing of the party also gained some steam with Johnson’s ascension to the gavel, as the new speaker is from among their numbers.
Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson, a Republican, told Fox News Digital that he sees Johnson’s speakership as both empowering the members and uniting them behind the House GOP agenda.
“Restoring unity in our GOP conference was not solely about the person, it was about having a shared mission,” Davidson said.
“Speaker Mike Johnson won on the first ballot with unanimous Republican consent, and I see this as empowering every member around our agenda,” he continued.
Additionally, the election of Johnson — a noted Christian conservative and former Republican Study Committee (RSC) chair — to the speakership could also be seen as the zenith of the Tea Party Revolution.
Florida Rep. Scott Franklin, a Republican, told Fox News Digital it’s “not hard to see why Speaker Johnson was elected unanimously by the conference.”
“If his record is any indication, he’ll bring people together to get things done without compromising principle—and we’ll always know where he stands,” Franklin said.
“That inspires trust and respect within the conference, something the past three weeks has proven exceedingly difficult to do,” the Florida congressman continued. “He’s exactly who we need to unite us and move forward.”
Franklin added that with “a looming government funding deadline, a crisis on our southern border and the Middle East on the brink of an all-out war, it’s crucial the House gets back to work delivering on the promises we made to Americans.”
Another House Republican lawmaker told Fox News Digital that Johnson’s speakership creates “more of a member-driven house.”
“It’s refreshing,” the lawmaker said.
“Speaker Johnson taking the gavel is the culmination of the GOP’s shift that started with the Tea Party revolution 13 years ago,” a House GOP aide told Fox News Digital.
“Leadership is catching up to the conference,” the aide continued.
SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON DEFENDS STANCE ON SOCIAL ISSUES: ‘GO PICK UP A BIBLE, THAT’S MY WORLDVIEW’
The new speaker is inheriting a packed plate of issues he’ll have to take up that includes funding the government, aid for Israel and Ukraine amid their wars, and combating rising antisemitism in America.
Additionally, Johnson will have to balance the interests of the conservative wing with those of the House GOP moderates amid a slim four-seat majority.
The Louisiana Republican’s first bill as speaker was passing a House resolution in support of Israel in its war against the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas.
The newly-minted speaker told Fox News in his first television interview since gaining the gavel that the U.S. stands firmly behind Israel. But at home, lawmakers and the Biden administration alike must find common ground and acknowledge “God is not done” with America yet, Johnson said.
Johnson told “Hannity” the House is primed to proffer a $14.5 billion support bill for Israel, slightly more than what the Louisiana Republican said Israel – via the White House – has asked for.
In terms of potential U.S. military involvement in Israel’s fight for survival against Iran-backed Hamas, Johnson said he is hopeful to avert a boots-on-the-ground situation, but added that during a White House meeting Thursday he reminded President Biden’s staff that they have limited ability to directly respond without congressional approval.
Johnson added that he has met previously with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and agreed that while Americans talk of “existential threats” stateside, Israel faces one or more daily.
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed reporting.
Go to Source: Latest Political News on Fox News
Will ‘Iowa Silver’ give Trump a run for his money in the primary? Could Trump win a general?
Former President Trump’s commanding lead in polls can make him seem like the inevitable Republican nominee. Voters could also be forgiven for thinking a general election race with the same candidates will lead to the same outcome.
Still, there are a few real pathways for another Republican to take advantage of the primary calendar and give Trump a run for his money.
And while it’s possible Joe Biden will win another close general election, Democrats have good reason to be nervous about 2024, even if Trump is the nominee.
Our advice for a shrewd bettor: Take the odds and bet on the horse named “Iowa Silver,” and don’t believe the conventional wisdom that makes Trump a “sure loser.”
Iowa Republicans are about 12 weeks away from their caucus, which is still the first stop on the road to the nomination.
The most recent Fox poll in that state has Trump at 46%, with a 31-point buffer between him and any of his rivals. If the caucus were held today, Trump would almost certainly win the most delegates.
But let’s state the obvious: Someone will finish second in Iowa. Yes, they say in the Olympics “silver may be silver, but it is still second.” But it could easily give that individual momentum to attract Republicans who are not sold on a third Trump nomination and are looking for a candidate to consolidate the field.
That person — “Iowa Silver” — then heads into an early primary calendar that might give the candidate an opportunity to turn the race into a challenge for the frontrunner.
Yes, “Iowa Silver” is likely to be a distant second. That might matter, but on the other hand, New Hampshire voters have a history of giving the second-place Iowa finisher a solid look. In 1984, Senator Gary Hart came in second in Iowa with only 16.5% of Iowa caucus support, a distant second to former Vice President Walter Mondale, who got 49% of caucus attenders. Eight days later, Hart humiliated Mondale in the New Hampshire primary by almost 10 points.
If these factors play out, the leading alternative candidate will get more delegates than current polling suggests, and the overall race will be more competitive than the polling suggests.
CHRISTIE PLEDGES TO CONFRONT TRUMP ‘FACE-TO-FACE’ AS GOP PRESIDENTIAL LONG SHOT TARGETS FRONTRUNNER
Still, once we reach Super Tuesday, the shape of the race will morph again, likely benefiting Trump. Many states that night award all delegates to the majority vote winner and/or require candidates to reach a high threshold to win any delegates. That makes it harder for a challenger to take down the frontrunner.
So, for the overall race to become competitive, a leading alternative would need to emerge after Iowa (Jan. 15) and by Super Tuesday (March 4).
Today, polling points to Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley as the second-place candidate. Support for DeSantis has fallen, but he remains in second place in national — and Iowa — polls.
Haley is making gains, especially in New Hampshire, but also in Iowa.
Haley benefits more from the primary calendar since South Carolina is also an early state. She gets 18% there in the latest Fox survey, which is the most support of any non-Trump candidate in any recent national or state poll. It’s still an uphill climb because South Carolina is also a winner-take-all state, but she does have a hometown advantage.
Scott is also “all in” on the state.
This is just one scenario. Trump has a commanding polling lead. The most likely outcome is that he will win the nomination.
But keep your eye on the calendar and on whether “Iowa Silver” can take advantage of second place.
If there is a rematch between Biden and Trump, it won’t necessarily lead to the same outcome as the 2020 election.
Biden eked out a victory in that race. The average margin in the three closest states — Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin — was about 14,000 votes. Had he lost all three, there would have been a tie in the electoral college, and a loss in those same states today would have meant losing the election outright (thanks to electoral college reapportionment).
This gives the incumbent very little wiggle room in 2024.
Head-to-head polling averages put support for Trump and Biden at about 45 points each. That is mostly a base party vote. In other words, voters who will always support the Democratic or Republican candidate.
JOE BIDEN BLUNTLY ASKED ‘ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO RUN AGAIN’ IN ‘60 MINUTES’ INTERVIEW
That leaves roughly 10 points of undecided vote. Where those voters go will depend on the issues, many of which are unique to 2024. Some examples:
Dem fears:
GOP fears:
A non-Trump nomination would be a game changer. It would likely reduce turnout for both parties. It could also put more moderate voters in play for the GOP.
There are many other unknowns. The threat of war, impact of the Trump trials or a Biden health scare are top of mind.
All of this could add up to a vastly different outcome in 2024, ranging from a comfortable Biden victory to a highly competitive race that Trump wins.
There are three nascent third-party efforts. Based on polling and their messaging, we have some idea of who these candidates appeal to:
Go to Source: Latest Political News on Fox News
Mike Johnson to Republican Jewish Coalition: ‘We Are Going to Stand Like a Rock’ with Israel
Go to Source: Breitbart News