| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sneak Peek | | By Alayna Treene, Hans Nichols and Zachary Basu · Oct 04, 2022 | | Welcome back to Sneak. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,103 words ... 4 minutes. ⚡ Situational awareness: Former President Trump has asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the legal battle over a special master's review of classified documents the FBI seized from Mar-a-Lago. | | | | | | 1 big thing: Obama, Trump outfly Biden |  Data: Brendan J. Doherty and Mark Knoller, Axios research; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals President Biden has trimmed his own wings, flying less for domestic political purposes — and hosting fewer out-of-town fundraisers — than his two most recent predecessors in corresponding midterm cycles, according to data analyzed by Axios' Hans Nichols and Sophia Cai. Why it matters: Air Force One can confer unrivaled advantages for sitting presidents looking to take center stage, drive local news coverage and raise money for their parties or targeted candidates all at once. - Biden's tour schedule has been hobbled by his own COVID-19 double-bout and underwater job ratings, which arguably made him as much a liability as an asset to Democratic candidates in some battleground races.
By the numbers: In the first nine months of 2010, then-President Obama visited 78 cities, holding fundraisers in 16 of them, according to data compiled by Brendan Doherty, a U.S. Naval Academy professor and author of "The Rise of the President's Permanent Campaign." - In the first three quarters of 2018, then-President Trump hit 57 cities and squeezed in some 27 fundraisers.
- Through Sept. 30 this year, Biden has traveled to 47 cities, where he's held 11 fundraisers, according to data gathered by Mark Knoller, a former CBS radio correspondent.
Zoom in: Many of Biden's trips have been to friendly coastal cities, like Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia. He's also visited swing states including Michigan and Ohio, where he's been eager to tout his manufacturing message. - Biden's stops in red states like Alabama, meanwhile, have been few and far between.
- Some vulnerable Democrats in tight races have hinted at the downsides to joint appearances. In Ohio, Rep. Tim Ryan, the Democratic nominee for the open Senate seat, told Fox News: "I want to be the face of this campaign. I don't want any distractions."
What they're saying: "The president has made historic investments in the different [Democratic fundraising] committees ... to make sure we keep the Senate and House," White House director of political strategy and outreach Emmy Ruiz told Axios, pointing also to Biden's virtual efforts. - "We are out there and the president is front and center and we'll see in a few weeks, the pace is going to pick up."
The bottom line: Despite racking up miles in the last six weeks of the campaign season, both Obama and Trump saw their parties lose control of the House in the midterms. Share this graphic. |     | | | | | | 2. 💣 The Herschel Walker time bomb |  | | | Photo: Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images | | | | Public attacks from Herschel Walker's son have drawn fresh attention to fears about his troubled past that many Republicans have privately shared since the beginning of his candidacy for U.S. Senate in Georgia, Axios' Alayna Treene and Emma Hurt report. - "You have no idea what me and my mom have survived," Christian Walker, a 23-year-old conservative influencer, posted in a viral video today. "We could have ended this on Day One."
What's happening: National Republicans rallied to Herschel Walker's defense after a Daily Beast report alleged the Republican nominee paid for his then-girlfriend to have an abortion in 2009 — a contention he vehemently denies. - "When the Democrats are losing, as they are right now, they lie and cheat and smear their opponents. That's what's happening right now," Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), chair of Senate Republicans' campaign arm, said in a statement.
- What Scott and other top Republican groups failed to address are the new attacks from Christian Walker, whose popular social media feeds are otherwise littered with praise for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and criticism of "leftists."
What they're saying: "I stayed silent as the atrocities committed against my mom were downplayed. I stayed silent when it came out that my father, Herschel Walker, had all these random kids across the country, none of whom he raised," Christian Walker said in his video. - "And you know my favorite issue to talk about is father absence. Surprise! Because it affected me. That's why I talk about it all the time," Walker continued, excoriating supporters of his father for preaching "family values."
- "All of this has been a lie and you've known it. You've known."
Between the lines: Top GOP operatives have been monitoring Christian Walker's videos for months now, nervously hoping that his generalized pleas for men to be good fathers wouldn't turn into specific comments about his own absent and allegedly menacing father. - Georgia-based conservative commentator Erick Erickson told Axios: "Republicans can dismiss the Daily Beast as a liberal publication. They can't dismiss Christian Walker as easily, particularly because Christian had been perceived as supporting both Trump and his dad, and now clearly doesn't."
Keep reading. | | | | | | | | 3. 🔮 What we're watching | | Above: A note of caution on the yet-unknown political fallout from the Herschel Walker saga, via FiveThirtyEight senior elections analyst Geoffrey Skelley. - Cook Political Report's Amy Walter concurs, adding: "If all the other liabilities and baggage hasn't sunk him, why do we think the latest revelation will? But, in 50/50 state, even small movement among undecideds can tip this race."
👀 Meanwhile: Cook moved its rating for the Pennsylvania Senate race from "lean Democrat" back to "toss-up," citing a surge of Republican spending in support of Mehmet Oz to paint Democratic nominee John Fetterman as soft on crime. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Subscribe to Axios Communicators | | |  | | | | Get the latest topics and trends impacting the way leaders, organizations and employers communicate. Why it matters: Axios Communicators will help inform your strategy and offer insight into the rapidly evolving world of sharing and receiving information. Subscribe for free | | | | | | 4. 👀 Former Biden official says he shouldn't run in 2024 |  | | | Photo: Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Images | | | | Max Rose, a Democrat running to reclaim the New York congressional seat he lost to Republican Nicole Malliotakis in 2020, told Fox 5 New York he does not believe President Biden should run for re-election in 2024. - "I'm sick and tired of that generation being in power," Rose said, also noting he doesn't believe former President Trump should run in 2024. "We've got to move on."
Why it matters: Biden told Rev. Al Sharpton last month that he was running again, NBC News reported — frustrating some Democrats who believe the president was elected as a "bridge" to the next generation. Between the lines: Rose, who is running in a district Cook Political Report rates as "likely Republican," served in the Biden administration for six months as a senior COVID-19 adviser at the Pentagon. | | | | | | | | 5. ⛽ Chyron du jour | | Screenshot: Fox News Responding to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-Ga.) claim this weekend that he was trying to "emasculate the way we drive" by promoting electric vehicles, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told Fox News: "I literally don't even understand what that means." - "My sense of manhood is not connected to whether my vehicle is fueled by gasoline or whether it's fueled by electricity."
| | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Subscribe to Axios Communicators | | | | | | | | Get the latest topics and trends impacting the way leaders, organizations and employers communicate. Why it matters: Axios Communicators will help inform your strategy and offer insight into the rapidly evolving world of sharing and receiving information. Subscribe for free | | | | 📬 Thanks for reading tonight. This newsletter was edited by Zachary Basu and copy edited by Kathie Bozanich. |  | | 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.
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