| | | | |  | | By Ryan Lizza , Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels | | | With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross
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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema speaks during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee hearing on Sept. 14, 2022, on Capitol Hill. | Alex Brandon, File/AP Photo | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | BREAKING — Burgess Everett with a mega-scoop this morning: "Arizona Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA is changing her party affiliation to independent, delivering a jolt to Democrats' narrow majority and Washington along with it. "In a 45-minute interview, the first-term senator told POLITICO that she will not caucus with Republicans and suggested that she intends to vote the same way she has for four years in the Senate. 'Nothing will change about my values or my behavior,' she said. "Provided that Sinema sticks to that vow, Democrats will still have a workable Senate majority in the next Congress, though it will not exactly be the neat and tidy 51 seats they assumed. They're expected to also have the votes to control Senate committees. And Sinema's move means Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) — a pivotal swing vote in the 50-50 chamber the past two years — will hold onto some but not all of his outsized influence in the Democratic caucus." More details from the piece:
- On running for reelection in 2024: "Sinema wouldn't entertain discussions of pursuing a second Senate term: 'It's fair to say that I'm not talking about it right now.'"
- On the Dems' new majority: "'I don't anticipate that anything will change about the Senate structure,' Sinema said, adding that some of the exact mechanics of how her switch affects the chamber is 'a question for [Majority Leader] CHUCK SCHUMER.'"
- One difference between her and the other independents: "Unlike independent Sens. BERNIE SANDERS (Vt.) and ANGUS KING (Maine), Sinema won't attend weekly Democratic Caucus meetings, but she rarely does that now. She isn't sure whether her desk will remain on the Democratic side of the Senate floor."
- What she's doing this morning: "[Sinema said] she'll go for a 'hard run' after her announcement becomes public, 'because that's mostly what I do Friday mornings.'"
IS THIS WHY SHE'S LEAVING? — Before the explosive news, a person familiar told Holly Otterbein that Rep. RUBEN GALLEGO (D-Ariz.) had taken a concrete step toward a primary challenge against Sinema: He is interviewing paid media firms for 2024. Gallego, who did not return a message seeking comment, has been fiercely critical of Sinema's policy positions , which narrowed President JOE BIDEN's legislative agenda, and he has more recently accused her of failing to support her party in the midterms. In a post-election MSNBC interview , Gallego said Sinema was "nowhere to be found" as Democrats rallied around Sen. MARK KELLY and Gov.-elect KATIE HOBBS. Needless to say, this morning's news completely upends the 2024 Senate landscape in Arizona and will prompt plenty of other Democrats to consider their options.
|  LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 19: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition annual leadership meeting on November 19, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The meeting comes on the heels of former President Donald Trump becoming the first candidate to declare his intention to seek the GOP nomination in the 2024 presidential race. | Scott Olson/Getty Images | THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: CHRIS SUNUNU — On Wednesday, we headed up to Concord, N.H., to chat with Gov. Chris Sununu, who was recently reelected to his fourth term in office. The Republican governor has been positioning himself for the 2024 presidential primaries for a while now. Before Election Day there were a lot of reasons to be skeptical about his chances. He's a New England moderate in the party of MAGA. He endorsed DONALD TRUMP twice, but he's also been a stinging critic. Last year, he made headlines for a joke at the Gridiron dinner about how Trump was "fucking crazy." Probably a bad thing in a GOP primary, right? He's also pro-choice, which might be seen as a non-starter in a GOP primary. But suddenly, the case for Sununu isn't so crazy. Trump's recent decline has emboldened his potential competitors. The underwhelming results for Republicans in the 2022 midterms have led to an outbreak of interest on the right in electability. "Let's stop supporting crazy, unelectable candidates in our primaries and start getting behind winners that can close the deal in November," Sununu said at the Republican Jewish Coalition's big event in Las Vegas last month . Now Sununu is trying to define himself against not just Trump, but many of the right's obsessions that he sees as political losers. He told me he wants the next generation of Republicans to know "we're not a party that is defined by HUNTER BIDEN's laptop." (Though he also said that he still thinks it should be investigated.) Even the politics of abortion have become more complicated. Maybe the backlash against the Dobbs decision has made Sununu's pro-choice record a potential asset. He's also from New Hampshire, which holds the first GOP presidential primary. Being a Sununu in New Hampshire is a little like being a Kennedy in Massachusetts. — Chris's father, JOHN H. SUNUNU, was the governor of New Hampshire in the 1980s. He helped GEORGE H. W. BUSH win the New Hampshire primary in 1988 and then he became Bush's famously imperious White House chief of staff. (Chris watched his father's controversial White House career play out on the front pages as a high school student in Northern Virginia.) — Chris's brother, JOHN E. SUNUNU, was a member of the House and then a U.S. senator from New Hampshire until 2009. In our 70-minute interview at the statehouse, Sununu was keen to discuss 2024 presidential primary politics in a way that he hasn't recently. You can listen to the conversation on this week's Playbook Deep Dive Podcast. Here are some key excerpts:
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Throughout the U.S., we help people invest for retirement, offer greater access to markets with low-cost investment options, and help communities thrive. BlackRock is invested in the future of Americans. Learn more. | | | On his political future: "I haven't ruled anything in or out. I haven't ruled out a fifth term. I haven't ruled out running for higher office." On the DNC making South Carolina its first primary state: "They're bringing their first-in-the-nation primary to South Carolina, where the voter turnout stinks [and] is dictated by party bosses. It's a joke. It's just personal. I mean, it's really a disservice to America by doing that." On why and how he thinks PETE BUTTIGIEG should primary Joe Biden: "What I would do is I'd come to New Hampshire, because he did very well here and he would do very well here again, there's no doubt about it. Why would he miss that opportunity? Who cares about the delegates on his side? He should just come here, get the free press, be the guy, and drive forward." On whether by running for president he would reduce the relevancy of the New Hampshire primary because it could encourage Republican candidates to skip the state: "No. If I, if we got to that point, I'd have to earn it like anybody else. … Are people going to stay away from South Carolina because NIKKI HALEY and TIM SCOTT run? Are they going to stay away from Florida because Trump, [Sens. MARCO] RUBIO, [RICK] SCOTT and [Gov. RON] DeSANTIS all might run, you know? No, no, no, no, no, no. You still got to go earn it state to state, regardless of who's in the race."
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Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo | On how he'll make a decision about 2024: "I've had a lot of people ask, and I've had a lot of people offer to raise money and all this kind of stuff — like real money, like, unbelievable amounts of money. And that's all very flattering. I think New Hampshire has an incredible model. I think this model has to be and should be shared throughout the country. Our model of local control. Our model of empowering individuals. Not just being about political stunts, but actually managing getting stuff done. Because when you do it, there's all this amazing opportunity that comes, and that's exactly what America is itching for." On the impact of the Dobbs decision: "It has this indirect effect. 'Are you telling me I can't do something? Are you limiting my individual rights and freedoms,' and all that sort of thing. … Republicans as a whole got blamed for trying to change the rules and people deemed that as not being fair and therefore being extreme." On Nikki Haley reversing herself on whether she would challenge Trump: "I think it leaves a lot of questions in folks' mind." On Arkansas Gov. ASA HUTCHINSON's recent joke that if DeSantis runs against Trump, it would be the first father and son primary matchup: "It's a good joke because it kind of hits home. It kind of hits the truth a little bit, right? They're very obviously very similar individuals. I go back to DeSantis' commercial when he was running for governor, where he's like teaching his kids about Trump and all that, the whole thing." On former New Jersey Gov. CHRIS CHRISTIE: "I don't think Chris is going to run. I may be wrong. He's selling books and all that." On candidates whose moment has passed: "[Christie] and [Sens. TED] CRUZ and Rubio and RAND PAUL and all that, I just kind of think they had their shot. But they might run again. I'm not saying they shouldn't; I'm not saying that at all." On whether many potential 2024 GOP presidential candidates are tainted by their association with Trump: "Without a doubt. That's kind of the trouble with [former VP MIKE] PENCE, right? He's kind of painted as being very anti-Trump now. But he was also part of the Trump administration. And so I'm very curious, because he's a smart guy, how he paints his path to victory." On DeSantis potentially being the SCOTT WALKER of the race: "I will just say you got to earn it at the end of the day. There's a lot of hype and a lot of headlines and all that. And I'm not hitting on [DeSantis]. I'm just saying the reality of anyone in that situation is, he who leads first doesn't always lead last."
| | | | A message from BlackRock:   BlackRock is proud to support U.S. roads and infrastructure, with over $20 billion invested on behalf of our clients. Learn more. | | | Happy Friday. Thanks for reading Playbook. Drop us a line if you work for Sinema and tell us what you think of her leaving the Democratic Party: Rachael Bade , Eugene Daniels , Ryan Lizza . TALKER — Michael Schaffer's latest Capital City column: "The Crypto Scandal Is Missing a Secret Ingredient" WHAT McCARTHY IS READING — Last night, seven members of the House Freedom Caucus circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter dictating their requirements for any candidate for speaker in yet the latest sign that House GOP Leader KEVIN McCARTHY has some serious negotiating to do before he wins the gavel. The letter from HFC Chair SCOTT PERRY (R-Pa.), Republican Reps. CHIP ROY (Texas), DAN BISHOP (N.C.), ANDREW CLYDE (Ga.), PAUL GOSAR (Ariz.) and Reps.-Elect ELI CRANE (Ariz.) and ANDY OGLES (Tenn.) makes several demands of any would-be Republican speaker, including that they:
- Reinstate the "motion to vacate" — basically, allowing any member of the House to force a vote to oust the sitting speaker. The letter notes that the rule was "in place for a reason from 1801 to 2018";
- Provide the House with 72 hours of notice on every bill and grant members the ability to amend legislative text;
- Promise that Republican leadership and associated outside entities (like the McCarthy-aligned Congressional Leader Fund) will not wade into primaries;
- Give conservatives more representation on so-called "A" committees, including the House Rules panel;
- Use must-pass bills to try to secure a number of policy wins, including: (1) leveraging the annual defense authorization to reinstate service members who were dismissed due to their refusal to get the Covid vaccine, (2) forcing any debt ceiling increase to be accompanied by spending cuts, and (3) requiring the farm bill to include cuts to food stamps.
A reminder: The seven members on the letter are completely separate from the five other conservatives who have voiced their intention to vote against McCarthy regardless of what assurances he makes. Read the full letter here
| | BIDEN'S FRIDAY: The president will receive the President's Daily Brief at 9 a.m.
Press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE will brief 1 p.m.
VP KAMALA HARRIS' FRIDAY: The VP has nothing on her public schedule.
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Brittney Griner is welcomed home on a large screen during an NBA basketball game between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers, on Thursday, Dec. 8, in Miami. | Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | ALL POLITICS WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE? — "Private RNC member emails reveal anger to Trump, frustration with McDaniel's response to him," by Meridith McGraw: "In a series of private email threads obtained by POLITICO, a handful of Republican National Committee members denounced former President DONALD TRUMP, with one pushing for fellow members and RNC Chair RONNA McDANIEL to forcefully condemn his decision to host a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with antisemites. "'I am flabbergasted at the lack of outrage from Ronna about this,' wrote OSCAR BROCK, a national committeeman from Tennessee. 'I tweeted to her yesterday, asking her to condemn this. We must, as a party, oppose all racism and prejudice, and condemn those who accept and endorse it, which includes inviting neo-nazi's [sic] to dinner.' "The emails, which were sent to all 168 committee members' email addresses, offer a rare glimpse at the agitation that is roiling among some in the Republican National Committee at a moment of intense scrutiny of the institution and the party it represents. It also brings to the surface tensions over whether or not McDaniel can or should lead the RNC in this current political climate." STRUGGLING TO RECAPTURE THE MONEY MAGIC — "Trump cash haul spiked after 2024 launch — but not as high as in the past," by Jessica Piper TOP-ED — Former DNC Chair HOWARD DEAN writes for POLITICO Magazine: "I Ran for President as an Insurgent. I Support the DNC's New Primary Calendar." THE WHITE HOUSE THE BIDEN BUILDOUT — "Biden earned political capital this fall. He's quietly spending it," by Christopher Cadelago, Jonathan Lemire, Eli Stokols and Sam Stein: "Biden aides have been working with outside advisers to help sketch out components of a reelection ramp up, including Obama alum JIM MESSINA, with whom the president has discussed polling in recent weeks, according to two people familiar with his involvement. Messina did not return calls for comment. "They are also reengaging donors and zeroing in on key staff roles and hires to fortify a unit that could operate outside the close-knit group that runs operations at the White House. They're further along on finalizing a headquarters for the campaign, too, with Wilmington, Del., the likely destination, although Philadelphia has not been ruled out." CONGRESS THE IRA'S LONG TAIL — "America's allies are furious over trade rules. Democrats don't care," by Gavin Bade and Steven Overly NDAA CLEARS THE HOUSE — "House passes defense bill with more Taiwan, Ukraine security aid," by Defense News' Bryant Harris: "The House on Thursday passed 350-80 the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act after making several concessions to the Senate, which did not pass its own version of the bill for the second straight year in a row." HOUSE GOP PLAYS 'NOSE GOES' — "House GOP's help-wanted sign: One border funding chief," by Sarah Ferris: "The House GOP is still searching for a senior lawmaker willing to head the politically combustible panel that oversees funding for the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies for the next Congress, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions. While the perch has major perks, including sway over high-profile border and immigration issues, Republican lawmakers say interested colleagues are hesitating given the history of gridlock in the job — particularly in a bitterly divided chamber with a slim GOP majority." CHECKING AND BALANCING — "House hearing airs ethics allegations against Supreme Court," by Josh Gerstein TRUMP CARDS NOT-SO-SPECIAL ANYMORE — "Trump's push for a special master in Mar-a-Lago docs case comes to an end," by Josh Gerstein MAR-A-LAGO LATEST — "Justice Department asks judge to hold Trump team in contempt over Mar-a-Lago case," by WaPo's Spencer Hsu, Josh Dawsey, Jacqueline Alemany, Devlin Barrett and Rosalind Helderman THE GEORGIA INVESTIGATION — "Michael Flynn appears before Atlanta grand jury probe into Trump's election subversion," by CNN's Jason Morris and Eric Fiegel JAN. 6 AND ITS AFTERMATH WHAT THE COMMITTEE IS UP TO — "Jan. 6 panel plans weekend meeting to consider criminal referrals," by Kyle Cheney MORE DEETS ON THE REFERRALS — "January 6 committee considers criminal referrals for at least 4 others besides Trump," by CNN's Annie Grayer, Zachary Cohen and Pamela Brown: "The panel is weighing criminal referrals for former White House chief of staff MARK MEADOWS, right wing lawyer JOHN EASTMAN, former Justice Department official JEFFREY CLARK and Trump's former lawyer RUDY GIULIANI, the sources said."
| | | | A message from BlackRock:   Invested in the future of education. Learn more about BlackRock. | | | POLICY CORNER FUN FACT — "For the First Time, Two Women Will Have Their Signatures on U.S. Currency," by WSJ's Eric Morath AMERICA AND THE WORLD GRINER GETS FREED — "Inside Biden's agonizing decision to take a deal that freed Brittney Griner but left Paul Whelan in Russia," by CNN's Kevin Liptak and Phil Mattingly — "Trump turned down Viktor Bout-for-Paul Whelan prisoner swap, John Bolton says," by NY Post's Caitlin Doornbos COMING SOON — "U.S. to Levy Human-Rights Sanctions on Russia, China," by WSJ's Vivian Salama and Ian Talley THE LATEST ON IRAN — "The U.S. wants Iran off a U.N. panel. Other countries are wary," by Nahal Toosi and Ryan Heath: "An ouster would further humiliate Iran's clerical leaders at a time of already widespread condemnation of their treatment of women and deadly response to protests. The effort could also help boost the Biden administration's standing among the Iranian people, despite the relatively limited tools it has to pressure the regime." — "Iran executes first known prisoner arrested in protests," by AP's Jon Gambrell NATO'S NEW NAMES — "Biden's Hopes for Sweden and Finland in NATO Are Stuck on Erdogan's Demands," by NYT's Michael Crowley FOR THOSE KEEPING TRACK — "American Anne Sacoolas avoids jail in case of crash that killed U.K. teen," by WaPo's William Booth and Karla Adam TV TONIGHT — PBS' "Washington Week": Laura Barrón-López, Josh Gerstein, Maya King and Marianna Sotomayor. SUNDAY SO FAR … ABC "This Week": Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) … Vanessa Wyche. Panel: Cecilia Vega, Rachel Scott, Chris Christie and Heidi Heitkamp. CBS "Face the Nation": Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) … Fiona Hill … Jamie Dimon. FOX "Fox News Sunday": Mike Pompeo. Panel: James Gagliano and Ted Williams. Panel: Marc Short, Francesca Chambers and Juan Williams. CNN "Inside Politics": Panel: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Phil Mattingly and Sarah Longwell NBC "Meet the Press": Panel: Cornell Belcher, Sara Fagen, Garrett Haake and Kristen Welker.
| | | | POLITICO AT CES 2023 : We are bringing a special edition of our Digital Future Daily newsletter to Las Vegas to cover CES 2023. The newsletter will take you inside the largest and most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the event. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of CES 2023. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Maxwell Frost was denied a D.C. apartment rental. Ruben Gallego got a new name courtesy of the House captioning system . Will Hurd got engaged . Tracy Flick — er, Reese Witherspoon — is making a political comeback . Trevor Noah signed off as host of "The Daily Show." TRANSITIONS — Jason Grumet will step down as president and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center in January, at which point he will join the American Clean Power Association as president. … Tim Cummings is now chief of staff for Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.). He was previously chief of staff for Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.). … … Tyler Levinson is now digital communications manager for the University of Richmond School of Law. He previously was comms director for Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio). … Jamaica Gayle is now senior manager of sustainability at the Corn Refiners Association. She previously was executive director of the National Foreign Trade Council's Global Innovation Forum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) … Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin … Wendell Primus of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office … POLITICO's Kaitlyn Olvera … The Boston Globe's James Pindell … Brian McGuire of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck … Tamara Cofman Wittes … Shoshana Weissmann … Brunswick Group's Neal Wolin … ABC's Terry Moran … Veronique Rodman … Google's Cris Turner … Aniela Butler … Megan Devlin of Deloitte … Karen Harbert of the American Gas Association … FGS Global's Eric Wachter … K&L Gates' Darrell Conner … Andrew Ricci of Riccon Strategic Communications … Emily Kopp … Tricia Enright of the Senate Commerce Committee … John E. Smith … Scott Schloegel of the Motorcycle Industry Council … former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle … former Reps. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas) and Pete Olson (R-Texas) (6-0) … Laena Fallon … Richard Allen Smith … Eric Garcia … Jessica Furst Johnson … Anne Bradbury … Department of the Navy's Andrea Goldstein … Alexandra DeSanctis Marr … Dave Boundy … Kelsey Gorman of WPA Intelligence 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 DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine.
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