The Presidential Parade on Steroids – “The Sunday Political Brunch” - June 4, 2023

Sunday, June 04, 2023

Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™

 

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Former President Donald Trump PHOTO: File

I thought last week looked more like a rush to the starting gate as if this were the Kentucky Derby and not the 2024 presidential campaign. Similarly, the Belmont Stakes is coming up on June 10th, and now the field of 2024 candidates are becoming more numerous than many anticipated. Let’s “brunch” on that this week!

 

“Chris Christie’s Christening” – Former Gov. Chris Christie (R) New Jersey announced this week he will be hopping in the race. Christie served two terms as New Jersey Governor, and in the middle of his second term launched a brief, unsuccessful bid for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Like many that year, Donald Trump crushed him, but Christie later became a Trump supporter and advisor. The biggest departure from his former boss was the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Christie is combative and controversial, and eminently quotable. He does not hold back, which at times can be an asset or a liability. He will make the campaign more colorful if nothing else.

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“Pence is Not Pensive” – Former Vice President Mike Pence was also a loyal Trump supporter, who also had a falling out over the handling of the January 6th riot. His best position is to say he stood up to his former boss and allowed the peaceful transition of power. Trump die-hards will hate that, especially since he essentially aligned himself with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) California, as they handled their joint Constitutional duties. But they did what they were mandated to do. Pence was elected two terms as Governor of Indiana and served a dozen years in the U.S. House. He has a sober, steady record of conservative leadership, which will have significant appeal in some quarters. But party-wide? We will see.

 

“North by, North Dakota” – At press time last week, associates of Gov. Doug Burgum (R) North Dakota, indicated he, too, would seek the GOP nomination for president in 2024. His background is fascinating. He is a North Dakota native, who spent his whole life there, except for his MBA studies at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Burgum was a tech entrepreneur who met former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in graduate school. Burgum started a company known as Great Plains Software which he later sold to Microsoft for $1.1 billion dollars. North Dakota has also had one of the best-performing state economies over the past decade. Keep an eye on this guy, as he seems like an impressive “sleeper” in this race. Voters like risk takers, job creators, and entrepreneurs.

 

“What Say the Polls?” – The latest and highly respected Quinnipiac University – The Hill Poll has Donald Trump with 56 percent of the vote among Republicans, to 25 percent for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) Florida. All the other candidates are in the weeds at two or three percent of the vote. But it is early, and a lot can happen in the next 12 to 18 months. I do not see this as a “done deal” for Trump, but he has had a healthy, consistent lead thus far.

 

“Senate Shenanigans!” – As we have said here for weeks, the West Virginia U.S. Senate race in 2024, is likely to decide which party controls the U.S. Senate in 2024. Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against James Justice III and 13 of the coal companies he runs. “Jay,” as he is known, is the son of Gov. Jim Justice (R) West Virginia, who is now running for the U.S. Senate. The elder Justice turned over control of his billion-dollar empire, to Jay and his sister Jill when he became governor in 2017. This week he accused the Democrat Biden Justice Department of trying to railroad his Senate campaign. "You've got to remember now, you know I have announced as a Republican, that I am running for the U.S. Senate. And the Biden Administration is aware of the fact that with a win for the U.S. Senate and everything, we could very well flip the Senate," said Gov. Jim Justice, (R) West Virginia.

 

“From the Justice Department” – The U.S. Justice Department alleges the Justice companies committed 130 federal law violations. It also says the Justice companies faced 50 cessation of activity orders for violations but ignored some of them. In all, the Justice Department is trying to collect $7.6 million dollars in fines and fees from the family of Governor Justice.

 

“Over the Moon with Mooney” – Before we even get to the 2024 general election for the U.S. Senate, we will have a “Titanic” Republican primary in West Virginia. Five-term Rep. Alex Mooney (R) West Virginia will be taking on Gov. Jim Justice in the primary. It is already projected to be the most expensive, combative primary race in the nation. In a press release Wednesday, Mooney said, “Liberal Jim Justice has not only been a longtime supporter of the Biden Administration's reckless spending, but he even went as far as supporting the $1.9 trillion stimulus package in 2021, which every Republican in Congress voted against.” Justice argues in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis; states needed to take every federal dollar they could get.

 

“Debt Ceiling Blues” – It is not really a surprise as Congress and the White House came to a deal to raise the national debt ceiling. Configurations of both parties have collectively done this 69 times now since 1960. The vote was bipartisan in the House with 341 yes and 117 no. The deal is for two years, so it is essentially off the table as a 2024 campaign issue, although it may be a factor in some tight races. The country will pay its bills, and march on, while the big kids will leave more debt to their children and grandchildren.

 

“The Side Deal Passes” – The Debt Ceiling Bill had a side deal for so-called permitting reform to speed up energy infrastructure projects, such as the Mountain Valley Pipeline, as 300-mile natural gas pipeline though West Virginia, Virginia and perhaps North Carolina. It failed to make the Inflation Reduction Act, even though Sen. Joe Machin was its sponsor and a key swing “yes” vote. This time the deal was approved. "I am thrilled that Republicans and Democrats came together to complete the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and shore up American energy security. West Virginia is truly America's energy MVP," said Sen. Joe Manchin, (D) West Virginia. But critics thought the two measures were completely unrelated. "I think it's frankly an outrageous giveaway, that is unjustified," said Sen. Tim Kaine, (D) Virginia. But that’s DC politics!

Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is Chief Political Reporter for the seven Nexstar Media TV stations serving West Virginia, its five neighboring states and the entire Washington, DC media market. He is also a MINDSETTER™ contributing political writer and analyst for www.GoLocalProv.com and its affiliates.


 

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