POLITICO Nightly; The 2023 local elections are fully nationalized

 

BY ADAM WREN Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett delivers a speech in April 2021 during a vigil to mourn eight murdered FedEx Ground employees in Indianapolis. | Jon Cherry/Getty Images FORGET ABOUT POTHOLES — If you didn’t know any better, you might have thought Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett was running for federal office. There he was, campaigning on Saturday with a Democratic congressman from a state over 600 miles away, railing against the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol. It came at the back end of a campaign where Hogsett has been laser-focused on abortion rights in a red state that became the first to enact tighter restrictions in the wake of the fall of Roe v. Wade—even though there’s little the mayor can do on the matter. His opponent, Republican Jefferson Shreve, meanwhile, has assailed Hogsett on the war in Israel, questioning why the two-term mayor allowed a pro-Palestine group to protest at Indianapolis’ war memorials. It’s not exactly potholes and police, the traditional staples of municipal campaigns. Yet it’s in keeping with an off-year election when state and local campaigns from coast to coast have been seemingly nationalized to an unprecedented degree. It’s as if one of the old dictums of politics — all politics is local — has been thrown out the window. As he rallied the party faithful this weekend, accompanied by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who chaired the Jan. 6 committee, Hogsett took issue with Shreve’s record of donating to election deniers — something he also hit Shreve on in an attack ad in recent weeks. “Honoring the right to vote? My opponent has given contributions to support the role of election deniers,” Hogsett said to boos at Kountry Kitchen, a famous soul food restaurant that provided the backdrop for a get-out-the-vote rally. The mayor was referencing Shreve’s donations to Reps. Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise, as well as Sen. Ron Johnson. (Shreve told POLITICO he condemns what happened on Jan. 6.) Indianapolis, which is amid the most expensive mayoral campaign in its history at more than $20 million — a total that surpasses the amount spent on the state’s U.S. Senate race last year — is not unique with its nationalized debate. In Philadelphia’s city council races, abortion and the war in Israel have also been hot issues, for example, while national culture wars have defined New Jersey’s most competitive state house race . In Virginia’s state legislative elections, abortion has also been center stage. Head north from Indianapolis about 20 miles to the well-to-do suburb of Carmel, an increasingly purple suburb where the Democratic mayoral candidate is breaking fundraising records, and you’ll find the same thing. The Indiana Republican Party is carpet bombing the Democratic candidates for mayor and city council over their alleged affiliations with Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. “I wish we were able to focus on real policy, substantive, city-facing issues…instead of nationalizing over issues that are just B.S., characterizing me as having been on the Trump campaign. I was not, never — never contributed to his campaign,” said Shreve, whose presence as a delegate at the Republican National Convention in 2016 also became fodder for the Democrats earlier this year. “The nationalization of this campaign has been such a distraction, but it’s the only playbook that my opponent has.” Hogsett argues that what may seem like national issues have local consequences, and are therefore fair game. “Gun violence is a local issue,” he said in an interview Saturday before joining Thompson. “Access to guns and gun safety? That’s a really decidedly local issue. Women’s reproductive rights and healthcare? That’s profoundly local. That impacts real people. I understand why people think, ‘well, because the mayor is talking about abortion generally and gun violence and the implications of the Second Amendment, yeah that does have a certain national sense to it,’ but really what we’re focused on is how those issues affect the people of the city of Indianapolis, and they are profound.” In Indianapolis, the race has become so contentious that it drew off the sidelines former GOP Gov. Mitch Daniels, who broke an 11-year vow of political silence as the most recent former president of Purdue University to endorse Shreve. A former storage executive, Shreve is viewed as Republicans’ last best shot to flip a big-city mayoralty this year after the party lost mayoralties in Jacksonville, Florida, and Colorado Springs. He had his own surrogate, too: He invited Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, who flipped from a Democrat to a Republican earlier this year, as his national surrogate of choice for a crime-focused event. “We have been blessed with a great run of mayors, of both political parties,” Daniels, who began his political career as a staffer for the late Richard Lugar when he was Indianapolis mayor, wrote in an open letter mailed to 80,000 households, trying to re-center the race in local issues. “Collectively they built from what was once called ‘India-no-place’ a vibrant, safe, clean city, a good place for people of all kinds to live and work together. Now, escalating crime, crumbling streets, public vagrancy and other problems threaten to undo all those years of remarkable progress.” In an interview with Nightly, Daniels lamented the nationalization of politics. “I think it’s terrible,” Daniels said, chalking the trend up to the decline of local media and the rise of social media. “It may well work as a tactic, but these things have nothing to do with improving the lives of people and making this or any community a place that can flourish. One is tempted to say: If that’s what a candidate thinks the election is about, they must have a shortage of ideas about the things that really matter.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at awren@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @adamwren .   JOIN US ON 11/15 FOR A TALK ON OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: As the sustainability movement heats up, so have calls for a national standard for clean fuel. Join POLITICO on Nov. 15 in Washington D.C. as we convene leading officials from the administration, key congressional committees, states and other stakeholders to explore the role of EVs, biofuels, hydrogen and other options in the clean fuel sector and how evolving consumer behaviors are influencing sustainable energy practices. REGISTER HERE .     WHAT'D I MISS? — ‘I’m not a windmill person’: Trump takes the witness stand and doesn’t break character: Testimony by former President Donald Trump quickly descended into bitter sniping today as Trump’s discursive answers and outbursts prompted the judge to repeatedly admonish him. During his four hours on the witness stand, Trump repeatedly lost his temper and attacked the judge, railing against the person who will decide the fate of his business empire. “It’s a terrible thing you’ve done. You know nothing about me,” Trump said to Justice Arthur Engoron during one verbal strike from the witness stand. “You believe that political hack back there,” he added, looking toward New York Attorney General Tish James, who brought the $250 million civil fraud case against Trump, his adult sons and officers in the Trump Organization. Trump’s primary defense, which he has offered publicly since the start of the trial and which he repeated during his testimony, is that his financial statements contained “very, very powerful” disclaimers and therefore weren’t intended for use by banks or insurers. — U.S. diplomats slam Israel policy in leaked memo: State Department staffers offered a blistering critique of the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war in a dissent memo obtained by POLITICO, arguing that, among other things, the U.S. should be willing to publicly criticize the Israelis. The message suggests a growing loss of confidence among U.S. diplomats in President Joe Biden’s approach to the Middle East crisis. It reflects the sentiments of many U.S. diplomats, especially at mid-level and lower ranks, according to conversations with several department staffers as well as other reports. If such internal disagreements intensify, it could make it harder for the Biden administration to craft policy toward the region. The memo has two key requests: that the U.S. support a ceasefire, and that it balance its private and public messaging toward Israel, including airing criticisms of Israeli military tactics and treatment of Palestinians that the U.S. generally prefers to keep private. — Pro-impeachment ex-GOP congressman launches bid for Michigan Senate seat: Peter Meijer, the former Republican congressman who voted to impeach Donald Trump, launched his 2024 campaign for a Michigan Senate seat today . Meijer’s decision to join the increasingly crowded Senate candidate field comes after POLITICO reported last week that Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) told Republican senators that Meijer would launch a campaign. The National Republican Senatorial Committee, though, slammed his candidacy. “Peter Meijer isn’t viable in a primary election, and there’s worry that if Meijer were nominated, the base would not be enthused in the general election,” NRSC Executive Director Jason Thielman said in a statement to POLITICO. NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) speaks during a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the National Mall in Washington on Oct. 20. | Jose Luis Magana/AP MENACE TO BIDEN — Rashida Tlaib and Dean Phillips are not political allies. But in recent weeks the two Democratic lawmakers have emerged together as a pincer-like menace to President Joe Biden’s reelection, writes POLITICO. These two Gen X Midwesterners are not coordinating their activities. The convergence of their attacks on Biden is purely coincidental. Yet in another sense it is hardly happenstance that they are battering Biden in these terms and at this moment. Both represent versions of the Democratic Party’s Trump-era new guard: the radical progressive movement embodied by Tlaib and her fellow members of the Squad, and the anti-partisan, suburban Problem Solvers Caucus set of which Phillips is an outspoken member. DEMOCRATIC DISCONNECT — Black voters are more disconnected from the Democratic Party than they have been in decades , frustrated with what many see as inaction on their political priorities and unhappy with President Biden, a candidate they helped lift to the White House just three years ago. The New York Times writes that new polls found that 22 percent of Black voters in six of the most important battleground states said they would support former President Donald J. Trump in next year’s election, and 71 percent would back Mr. Biden. The drift in support is striking, given that Mr. Trump won just 8 percent of Black voters nationally in 2020 and 6 percent in 2016, according to the Pew Research Center. A Republican presidential candidate has not won more than 12 percent of the Black vote in nearly half a century. ACA MIA — One of the most revealing debates in the Republican Party is one that has disappeared from the campaign trail: the fight over repealing Obamacare , reports the Wall Street Journal. This presidential election marks the first in more than a decade in which no GOP candidates are pledging to eviscerate the landmark Affordable Care Act, ending a standoff between the parties over whether the government is responsible for providing access to healthcare. AROUND THE WORLD UNDER FIRE — Attacks on American troops dramatically ramped up over the weekend , the Pentagon said today, as the U.S. military sent ships and a submarine into the Middle East, writes POLITICO. U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked by rockets and drones 38 times since Oct. 17, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said today, an increase from 31 on Friday afternoon. Forty-six service members in total have now reported injuries from the attacks, which he called “harassing,” he said. Ryder did not specify the source of the attacks, but the Pentagon has recently blamed similar events on Iran-backed proxies. Sunday was a particularly violent day, with five rocket and one-way drone attacks near Al-Asad Airbase, Iraq, and in two locations in Syria, according to a Defense Department official, who was granted anonymity to give details on a sensitive topic. The U.S. military was able to thwart most of the attacks, the official said, adding that the majority of missiles and drones failed to reach their targets. The increase in attacks came as Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the region, including an unannounced trip to Iraq on Sunday. During the stop, Blinken received a briefing on threats to American troops in the region, and called the attacks “unacceptable.”   GET READY FOR POLITICO’S DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/14: Russia’s war on Ukraine … China’s threats to Taiwan … a war in Gaza. The U.S. is under increasing pressure to deter, defend and fight in more ways — but not everyone agrees how. Join POLITICO's 3rd Annual Defense Summit on November 14 for exclusive interviews and expert discussions on global security and the U.S.'s race to bolster alliances and stay ahead of adversaries. Explore critical topics, including international conflicts, advanced technology, spending priorities and political dynamics shaping global defense strategies. Don’t miss these timely and important discussions. REGISTER HERE .     NIGHTLY NUMBER Nearly 30,000 The number of active-duty military personnel who had their personal information collected, packaged and sold to overseas companies without any vetting , after researchers at Duke University posing as buyers in the U.S. and Singapore contacted multiple data-broker firms who listed datasets about active-duty servicemembers for sale. The report, from Duke researchers and funded by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, highlights a significant American security risk, according to military officials and lawmakers. RADAR SWEEP STRAWING CONCLUSIONS — Ditch the plastic straw, pick up the paper straw. The movement to use paper instead of plastic straws has brought a new attention to sustainability issues — but are paper straws actually helping the environment? From fossil fuels from the straws’ production to the dangerous PFAs found in the paper, the droopy paper straws may not have the environmental impact straw users think it does. BBC’s Ally Hirschlag dives into the complexity behind the straw problem, starting with her own experiences watching viral sea turtle videos to studies on the different types of straws and their environmental impacts today. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 2012: President Barack Obama wins re-election, waving as he walks on stage with first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha. | Carolyn Kaster/AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   FOLLOW US

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