🏙️ The next AOC

Plus: Primaries test election denial | Wednesday, August 03, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By American Energy Action   Axios Sneak Peek By Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Zachary Basu · Aug 03, 2022 Welcome back to Sneak. Smart Brevity™ count: 918 words ... 3.5 minutes. 🇺🇸 Situational awareness: Flags at the White House and U.S. Capitol are flying at half-staff to mourn Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), who died in a tragic car accident this afternoon.     1 big thing: The next AOC Debate between Maloney, Nadler and Patel Tuesday night. Screenshot: Spectrum News NY1 Three of the House's highest-ranking Democrats — Reps. Jerry Nadler, Carolyn Maloney, and Sean Patrick Maloney of New York — are fending off progressive insurgents hoping to force the generational change that party leadership has promised. Why it matters: The 2022 midterms could become the third cycle in a row that a powerful party elder in New York is upset by a younger challenger running to their left. In 2018 it was Rep. Joe Crowley, then-chair of the House Democratic Caucus, who lost to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a bartender and community organizer who's now a national progressive star. Two years later, former House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Eliot Engel was caught flatfooted by Jamaal Bowman, an educator and close ally of Ocasio-Cortez. Driving the news: Suraj Patel, a 38-year-old lawyer and self-described "Obama Democrat," is hoping to take out not one, but two incumbents whose districts were combined into New York's 12th: Nadler, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House Oversight Committee. Patel came within four points of beating Rep. Maloney in 2020, which was a significant improvement from the first time he challenged her in 2018. In New York's 17th district, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney — chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee — is up against state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, 36, who won her current seat by taking out an incumbent. The intrigue: At a debate Tuesday night, Patel was the only candidate to say President Biden should run for re-election. Nadler dismissed the question as a distraction, while Carolyn Maloney said she didn't believe Biden would run in 2024. Maloney later cleaned up her comments on Twitter, saying she would "absolutely" support Biden if he runs. What they're saying: "This generational change moment isn't about age; it's about urgency," Patel told Axios. "Voters tell me all they time they want someone to acknowledge the challenges we're facing." Between the lines: Although these long-shot challengers are running to the left of the incumbents, don't expect Patel or Biaggi to align themselves exclusively with the Squad. "I would describe myself as a progressive with an independent spirit," said Biaggi, who's earned support from Ocasio-Cortez and activist groups like the Sunrise Movement and Working Families Party. The other side: Nadler and Carolyn Maloney told Axios they don't see Patel as a threat. Sean Maloney also argued the forces that boosted Ocasio-Cortez and Bowman were "cresting" by 2020, and now "it's pretty clear the energy on the socialist left has been decreasing, not growing." Share this story.     2. 🗳️ Primaries test election denial Via Facebook A growing number of Republican candidates this cycle are refusing to concede elections they indisputably lost, promoting conspiracy theories about the results and engaging in local battles over certification, Axios' Andrew Solender reports. Why it matters: The undercurrent of election denialism pervading the 2022 midterms is bubbling to the surface as more Trump-inspired candidates are tested in primaries. In Michigan, Ryan Kelley, a gubernatorial candidate who was arrested by the FBI in June in connection with the Capitol riot, is refusing to concede and called his fourth-place finish in the GOP primary a "predetermined outcome." In Arizona, right-wing commentators also resurrected a baseless conspiracy theory in Arizona that claimed election officials were using Sharpies to invalidate ballots. In Colorado, indicted county clerk Tina Peters paid more than $250,000 last week for a recount of the Republican primary for secretary of state. She lost by 14 points a month earlier but claimed there was "cheating." In Nevada, gubernatorial candidate Joey Gilbert also refused to concede and paid for a recount in June after losing by 11 points to Trump-endorsed Joe Lombardo. Keep reading.     3. 🧀 RNC eyes Milwaukee Then-candidate Trump with his family at the 2016 RNC in Cleveland. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call   The 2024 Republican National Convention is poised to take place in Milwaukee, drawing GOP candidates, operatives and a flood of attention to a state former President Trump lost just two years ago, Alexi writes. The RNC is expected to rubber-stamp Milwaukee as the official location on Aug. 5, after Nashville city council members voted yesterday to reject a draft agreement to host the convention. Why it matters: Republicans are laser-focused on flipping Wisconsin red after Joe Biden eked out a 20,000-vote victory in a key battleground state that had helped propel Trump to the presidency in 2016. Between the lines: Milwaukee would be in the unusual position of hosting national conventions for rival parties in consecutive presidential elections. Share this story.     A message from American Energy Action Clean energy is the way forward     Investing in renewable energy reduces our reliance on foreign oil and boosts our nation's energy independence. What you're missing: It also provides lower, more consistent costs for consumers and sets our country on a path toward decarbonization. Reach out to Congress to support clean energy.     4. 📈 Charted: Dems' social media gains Data: U.S. House of Representatives. Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and three members of the Jan. 6 committee added the most social media followers across four platforms in July, according to a tally by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). Why it matters: The thirteenth annual "Member Online All-Star Competition" reveals how Democratic leadership is prioritizing social media messaging as a way to communicate achievements ahead of the midterms, Axios' Sophia Cai writes. Share this graphic.     5. 🇫🇮🇸🇪 Parting shot Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP   Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) poses with Paivi Nevala (L), minister counselor of the Finnish Embassy, and Karin Olofsdotter (R), Sweden's ambassador to the U.S., hours before the Senate ratified the two Nordic countries' applications to join NATO. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) was the sole senator to vote against the historic bids, which were precipitated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.     A message from American Energy Action Urge Congress to commit to a clean energy future     Producing clean energy in the U.S. helps us: Reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Create more jobs. Keep consumer energy costs low. Eliminate carbon emissions. Get involved: Tell Congress to take action to guarantee our clean energy future. Reach out today.   📬 Thanks for reading! Send us tips or feedback by hitting reply to this newsletter. Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. 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