| | | | |  | | By Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
|  For former President Donald Trump, the risk in Georgia's gubernatorial race is not simply that his favored candidate could lose. It's that a defeat here could further erase the sense of him as an untouchable GOP kingmaker. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | TALK OF THIS TOWN — N.Y. Mag's Gabe Debenedetti is out with a new feature this morning on the Democrats' 2024 plans. Inside the White House, it's a done deal that President JOE BIDEN will go for another term. Everywhere else in the party, though, there's less certainty, and any number of Democrats putting themselves in position just in case. Notable on Biden's perspective: "'If Trump is alive,' one veteran adviser said, 'Biden is running.' But in recent weeks, Florida governor RON DESANTIS — widely regarded as the second favorite in the 2024 GOP field — has risen in Biden's pantheon of disgust, and some of the president's aides have been thinking about whether it makes sense to intensify the politically spicy fights they've begun picking with him." REALITY CHECK — KELLYANNE CONWAY acknowledges that former President DONALD TRUMP lost the 2020 election in her new memoir, "Here's the Deal," Meridith McGraw reports in a story that just posted. Writes Conway: "The team had failed on November 3, and they failed again afterward. By not confronting the candidate with the grim reality of his situation, that the proof had not surfaced to support the claims, they denied him the evidence he sought and the respect he was due," she says of the people around Trump. "Instead, supplicant after sycophant after showman genuflected in front of the Resolute Desk and promised the president goods they could not deliver." PRIMARY DAY — Another Tuesday, another massive set of primaries that will test Trump's grip on the GOP. Today's most-watched state: Georgia. For the former president, the stakes could not be higher. In the gubernatorial primary, Gov. BRIAN KEMP faces former Sen. DAVID PERDUE . Trump — who partly blames Kemp for his loss of the state in 2020 — has bet bigly on Perdue. He recruited him to run and sunk $2.5 million of his own campaign cash into Perdue's effort. And yet, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, Kemp leads Perdue by an average of 22 points. "The Republican base is poised to take a turn delivering Trump a stinging rebuke in a state where, during his presidency, the GOP lost two Senate seats, two House seats and the state's Electoral College votes for the first time since the mid-1990s," Steve Shepard writes in his curtain-raiser this morning. For Trump, the risk is not simply that his favored candidate could lose. It's that a defeat here could further erase the sense of him as an untouchable GOP kingmaker. If Perdue goes down, it'll be the third time this year that a Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate has been defeated in a GOP primary. (The first two came in Nebraska and Idaho.) An array of big-name GOP figures have flocked to the Peach State to support Kemp — including former New Jersey Gov. CHRIS CHRISTIE, sitting Arizona Gov. DOUG DUCEY and, most recently, former VP MIKE PENCE, who appeared with Kemp at a rally Monday evening. And yet, even as their appearances on behalf of Kemp may give hope to anti-Trump Republicans, the reality is most of these politicians are betting on a horse that's been ahead for a while, which undercuts their muscle flexing. They're also clearly touting Trump's agenda, showing the former president's grip on the party even among those who might defy his endorsements. On Monday night, "Pence praised much of the Trump administration's agenda, and even Kemp praised Trump," WaPo's Josh Dawsey, Annie Linskey and Mariana Alfaro write in their final dispatch from the primary. Kemp said that he "had a great relationship" with Trump. "I've never said anything bad about him. I don't plan on doing that," he said. "I'm not mad at him. I think he's just mad at me. And that's something that I can't control." The big picture, via WaPo: "That no one criticized Trump explicitly reflects that he still remains the most influential Republican in the country and holds significant sway over his party's base, political strategists said." Worth noting: Neither Trump nor Perdue toned down their rhetoric Monday. — Trump, appearing in a tele-town hall, said that Perdue "is the only candidate who can beat STACEY ABRAMS, because I don't believe Kemp can do it. He's got too many people in the Republican Party that will refuse to vote." — Perdue, asked whether he'd accept the results of the election: "Depends on if there's fraud or not," he told reporters, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Greg Bluestein. What it all adds up to for the Georgia GOP: Some in the bitterly divided party "are already wondering how to heal the divisions fast enough to maintain GOP dominance in November — or whether they can be healed at all," reports Brittany Gibson this morning. It's not just the Trump factor; there are questions swirling about state party chair DAVID SHAFER, who's alienated some in the party by backing challenges to incumbents. Among those Shafer has repeatedly disparaged: GOP Secretary of State BRAD RAFFENSPERGER. As with Kemp, Trump has blamed Raffensperger for not overturning the election and recruited a primary candidate against him (in this case, Rep. JODY HICE ) who has parroted false and disproven claims about the election. But unlike the Kemp-Perdue matchup, the "limited polling suggests a close race," Steve writes. And "with two other Republicans on the ballot, the two men could be headed for a June runoff if neither wins a majority on Tuesday night." Also in Georgia primaries today: Abrams, Sen. RAPHAEL WARNOCK, and Trump-endorsed football legend HERSCHEL WALKER. All three are expected to easily walk away with their respective party's nomination. — QUITE THE HEADLINE: "David Perdue makes racist remarks about Stacey Abrams as he ends a lackluster campaign," via NYT's Reid Epstein. Perdue's comment: "When she told Black farmers, 'You don't need to be on the farm,' and she told Black workers in hospitality and all this, 'You don't need to be,' she is demeaning her own race when it comes to that."
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Learn more about our work ahead. | | | Good Tuesday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels , Ryan Lizza. OTHER RACES TO WATCH: — In Texas, another major 2022 storyline will be on display today, as Rep. HENRY CUELLAR, a conservative Democrat, faces off against progressive challenger JESSICA CISNEROS. It's the third time in two years that the pair has battled it out for the nomination. Related read: "Texas runoff tests Democratic divisions over abortion, immigration," by WaPo's Dave Weigel — A.G. KEN PAXTON is in a runoff for the renomination as the GOP candidate against Texas Land Commissioner GEORGE P. BUSH. Related read: "End of the Bush era? Democratic men in trouble? 5 things to watch during Texas' primary runoffs," by Texas Tribune's Patrick Svitek — In Alabama, the GOP Senate primary has tightened in recent weeks. Rep. MO BROOKS, whom Trump initially endorsed before dumping him after Brooks slid to third place in polls, has regained ground against KATIE BRITT and MIKE DURANT. "Britt and her allies have spent the spring savaging Durant, who is backsliding in polls — most of which now show Brooks edging past him for second place and a spot in the runoff against Britt," writes Steve. — In Arkansas, Sen. JOHN BOOZMAN is fighting off a spirited challenge from former NFL player JAKE BEQUETTE, with millions being spent between the two candidates. Separately, SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS is set to clinch the GOP's gubernatorial nomination today. — In Minnesota, voters will pick nominees in a special election to succeed GOP Rep. JIM HAGEDORN, who died in February. Polls close (all times Eastern) in Georgia at 7 p.m., Alabama at 8 p.m., Arkansas at 8:30 p.m. and Texas and Minnesota at 9 p.m. (Texas spans multiple time zones, so polls close in the bulk of the state at 8 p.m. Eastern.)
| | | | A message from Facebook:   | | | BIDEN'S TUESDAY — In Japan, the president has already taken part in a Quad Leaders' Summit, had bilateral meetings with Indian PM NARENDRA MODI and Australian PM ANTHONY ALBANESE, and met with staff of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Now he's in the middle of the long trip back to D.C., stopping in Anchorage, Alaska, at 8:15 a.m. before making it to the White House at 8:40 p.m. VP KAMALA HARRIS' TUESDAY: — 2:50 p.m.: The VP will swear in ALINA ROMANOWSKI as U.S. ambassador to Iraq. — 3:15 p.m.: Harris will swear in DEBORAH LIPSTADT as special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. — 7:20 p.m.: Harris will speak at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies' annual awards gala at the Renaissance Hotel in D.C. THE SENATE will meet at 10 a.m. to take up DARA LINDENBAUM's FEC nomination, with a cloture vote at 2:30 p.m. along with a vote on STEPHANIE DAVIS' judicial nomination. The chamber will recess from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. for weekly conference meetings. THE HOUSE is out.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | PHOTO OF THE DAY
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Australian PM Anthony Albanese, President Joe Biden and Indian PM Narendra Modi are greeted by Japanese PM Kishida Fumio, right, during his arrival to the Quad leaders summit at Kantei Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday, May 24. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | ALL POLITICS KEYSTONE STATE LATEST — DAVID MCCORMICK's Pennsylvania GOP Senate campaign filed suit Monday to try to force the state to count undated absentee and mail-in ballots in the very tight primary between him and MEHMET OZ. (Oz's lead is down to fewer than 1,000 votes.) More from the Philly Inquirer … The lawsuit — NYT's Maggie Haberman adds: "The RNC and PAGOP are intervening against McCormick in his suit over undated ballots, per GOP sources." — As Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. JOHN FETTERMAN recovers from his stroke and preps a return to the Senate campaign trail, his campaign hasn't provided detailed information from his doctors. "And specialists in stroke, heart disease and electrophysiology said that some of the campaign's public statements do not offer a sufficient explanation for Mr. Fetterman's described diagnosis or the treatment they say he has received," NYT's Gina Kolata and Katie Glueck report. SIREN IN MICHIGAN — The Michigan Bureau of Elections said Monday that half of the 10 Republicans running for governor "didn't submit enough valid petition signatures to make the ballot," reports The Detroit News' Craig Mauger — including frontrunner JAMES CRAIG and wealthy businessman PERRY JOHNSON. Next, the matter will go to the Board of State Canvassers, and potentially to court. Earlier in the day, the DEVOS family threw its weight behind TUDOR DIXON. MORE NEW YORK CHAOS — DCCC Chair SEAN PATRICK MALONEY dodged a bullet when Rep. MONDAIRE JONES decided not to run in the same district as him under New York's new congressional map. But the fury Maloney incited among progressives hasn't abated — and now has new life in the form of ALESSANDRA BIAGGI, a rising star state senator who NYT's Nick Fandos reports will primary Maloney. She's already pulling some support from the New York delegation, but it could be an uphill battle: Biaggi doesn't live in the district, and "Mr. Maloney, 55, will enter the race with far more money, name recognition and institutional party support." — As veteran Reps. CAROLYN MALONEY and JERRY NADLER gear up to take on each other, Maloney is painting herself as a more effective lawmaker while Nadler leans on his record and makes appeals to Jewish voters, Erin Durkin, Sally Goldenberg and Deanna Garcia report. SIGN OF THE TIMES — Sen. MICHAEL BENNET (D-Colo.) is warning his party not to take his reelection for granted even in a state Biden won by 13 points, a sign of how tough an environment Dems are facing, Burgess Everett reports this morning. "He is livid that Democrats aren't talking more about their work with Biden to make big investments in infrastructure and the economy or the last-gasp effort at passing more big legislation." THE WHITE HOUSE BIDEN CLEANS UP TAIWAN COMMENTS — Posted just after 4 a.m., from WSJ's Andrew Restuccia in Tokyo : "President Biden said he would maintain longstanding U.S. policy toward Taiwan, a day after triggering global confusion when he said the U.S. would respond militarily to any effort by China to take the island by force." What he said: "'My policy has not changed at all. I stated that when I made my statement yesterday,' he told reporters here when asked whether he would send U.S. troops to Taiwan if China invaded." The stepback: As NYT's Peter Baker reports from Seoul, this is actually the third time Biden has suggested that the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China attacked — and in each instance, as on other issues, his off-script commentary has prompted a staff scramble to clean it up. Our China reporter Phelim Kine goes further, writing that the comment "may actually pave the way to conflict in the Taiwan Strait."
| | | | A message from Facebook:   | | | JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH COMMITTEE LATEST — In its legal effort to gain access to RNC records, the House Jan. 6 committee had perhaps the worst luck possible: Its case was randomly assigned Monday to the appeals court's only three Trump appointees, Kyle Cheney reports, writing that any setback "could prevent it from obtaining the RNC's data in time." THE ECONOMY PAIN AT THE PUMP — The White House is weighing the possibility of tapping a stockpile of diesel reserves to try to drive down prices, CNN's Matt Egan scoops . Using an emergency declaration, Biden could dip into the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve. But "[t]he impact from such a release would be limited by the relatively small size of the reserve, which only contains 1 million barrels of diesel — equal to about a day's worth of supply in the region." — The White House is also considering suspending some environmental rules that are meant to limit smog in the summer, Reuters' Jarrett Renshaw and Stephanie Kelly report. THE PANDEMIC MONKEYPOX LATEST — The U.S. is releasing some vaccines from a stockpile for high-risk contacts of some of the early monkeypox cases, officials said Monday. More from CNN AMERICA AND THE WORLD PAGING JARED KUSHNER — Under the radar, the U.S. is working to land a deal involving Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel that could start to pave the way for the Saudis and Israelis to normalize relations with each other, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. "If an arrangement is reached, it would be a significant foreign policy achievement for the Biden administration in the Middle East." BRETT MCGURK is taking the lead for the U.S. in mediations, which center on two small islands in the Red Sea between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. ABORTION FALLOUT WHAT THE DCCC IS READING — Half a dozen top Republican candidates in swing House districts are taking a new tack on abortion — not moderating their stances but leaning into support for abortion restrictions, reports The Daily Beast's Sam Brodey. In Colorado, TIM REICHERT said "it's an opportunity to become the party of compassion in a way that we have not been perceived for a long time."
| | | | HAPPENING WEDNESDAY—A WOMEN RULE TALK ON THE MIDTERMS : Join POLITICO'S Women Rule for a conversation with the women running the midterm campaigns and how they are shaping messaging and strategy for their candidates. The program will look into what a win for either party could mean for access to reproductive health care, economic advancement of women, and how the final stages of the Covid-19 pandemic are managed. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Donald Trump was extremely worried about getting pied in the face, according to Michael Cohen. Greta Van Susteren is joining Newsmax, where she'll host the 6 p.m. hour that previously belonged to Sean Spicer, per Variety. "A Utah hunting guide was charged for illegally baiting during a 2018 bear hunt paid for by Donald Trump Jr.," reports the Daily Mail. "The longtime outdoors professional allegedly used oil, grain and even pastries to lure in the animal, which Trump Jr. later shot and killed." The NYT included D.C. in its list of "7 Great Biking Cities." They recommend the Capital Crescent Trail. The Washington Commanders have bought 200 acres in Woodbridge, Va., "that could be the home of their new stadium project, a $3 billion 'mini-city,'" per the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The Time 100 list was released Monday, highlighting 2022's most influential people in the world. Among the inclusions: Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Kevin McCarthy, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Ron DeSantis, Kyrsten Sinema, Joe Rogan, David Zaslav, Tish James, Sam Bankman-Fried and Frances Haugen. OUT AND ABOUT — The German Marshall Fund celebrated its 50th anniversary Monday night with a cocktail reception at The Reach at the Kennedy Center. SPOTTED: Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova, German Ambassador Emily Haber, Heather Conley, David Ignatius, Steve Clemons, Howard Altman, Sophie Arts, Kevin Baron, Amanda Bennett, Steven Bosacker, Karen Donfried, Jennifer Hansler, Viola Gienger, Jonathan Guyer, Jonathan Katz, Andrew Kolb, Karen Kornbluh, Bonnie Glaser, Irvin McCullough, Courtney Subramanian, Abigail Williams and Margaret Carlson. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Jennifer Holdsworth Karp and MichaelAaron Flicker are launching Z/Axis Strategies, a political consulting firm focused on reducing polarization. Holdsworth previously owned JC Strategies, was a senior adviser at XenoPsi and is a Pete Buttigieg alum, while Flicker will continue as CEO of XenoPsi. David Grant will be a senior strategist. TRANSITIONS — Jeff O'Neil will be a director of government affairs at Planet. He previously was deputy chief of staff for policy for Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.). … Gavin Wilde is now a senior fellow in the technology and international affairs program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He previously was a managing consultant at Krebs Stamos Group, is a nonresident fellow at Defense Priorities, and is an NSC, NSA and FBI alum. … Claudia Flores is joining Bitwise Industries as a senior external affairs manager. She previously was a senior campaign manager at the Center for American Progress. … … John Galer has been named chief of government relations at the Aerospace Corporation. He previously was assistant VP for national security space at the Aerospace Industries Association. … Tania Mercado is now senior manager of public affairs and corporate comms at Intuit. She most recently was a VP at Fenton Communications, and is an SKDK, Xavier Becerra and Kamala Harris alum. … Danny Strauss is the new managing director at Grayling. He most recently was SVP at Teneo, and is a Ketchum alum. ENGAGED — Amanda Valerio, an associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and Brai Odion-Esene, founder of SW4 Insights, recently got engaged. He proposed during dinner at Trattoria Alberto in Barracks Row, while "fervently hoping" the other diners would not notice (he succeeded). The couple met via a dating app in 2020. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Lacy Crawford Jr., interim director of comms at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Latisha Crawford, transportation planner at WSP Global Inc., welcomed Layla Ayira Crawford on Saturday. Pic — Kevin Callaghan, Newark philanthropic liaison, and Erin Sweeney, executive director of Schools That Can - Newark and a new Rutgers law grad who'll start an Equal Justice Works Fellowship in the fall, recently welcomed Grace Rian Callaghan. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) … Kasie Hunt ... former Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) ... Rory Cooper of Purple Strategies … Eric Schwerin … NPR's Tom Bowman ... Mark Bescher of Mondelēz International ... Signal Group's Chelsea Koski ... Craig Singleton … National Endowment for Democracy's Damon Wilson … Bob Franken … former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland … Meredith Ritchie … Jason Wallace … Fred DuVal ... Bloomberg's Alisa Parenti ... Tom Maher ... Rana Abtar … Ryan Dukeman Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine. Correction: Monday's Playbook listed the wrong day for Donald Trump's Casper, Wyo., rally for Harriet Hageman. It will be Saturday.
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