POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Mass Dems descend on Chicago

 PRIMARY ELECTIONS ARE KNOWN FOR POOR VOTER TURNOUT! 

LET'S WORK TO MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD!

MAKE INFORMED VOTES!

By Kelly Garrity Presented by  CHI-TOWN CATTLE CALL — Today marks the official kick off of the Democratic National Convention, but Massachusetts Democrats got the party started yesterday. Gov. Maura Healey barely made it off the tarmac yesterday after touching down in the Windy City before local TV crews caught up with her about the week ahead. Not long after, she and Democrats from across the region gathered for a New England delegate welcome party (with many from Massachusetts sporting their matching Comma-La custom Converse), hosted by California Congressman (and regular New Hampshire campaigner) Ro Khanna. Democrats are heading into the week still riding high on the rush of energy Vice President Kamala Harris has brought to a campaign that until last month was expected to be a somewhat sleepy redux of the 2020 cycle. But beyond the good vibes the campaign is trying to extend, there’s plenty worth watching this week. Here’s three things Massachusetts Democratic strategists and delegates are looking out for this week: PARTY PROBLEMS: Democrats across the political spectrum have been uncharacteristically in array since Harris replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket, and this week’s festivities should help extend the sugar high the new ticket has been riding. But protests over Israel’s war in Gaza (there’s at least six major ones planned targeting the convention) could disrupt the sense of solidarity. “I'm going to be looking for any signs of disunity in the party. I have not spotted any thus far, but I think the party is remarkably united, and I'm hoping that the divisions within the party around Israel and Gaza won't become a big problem for us,” former MassDems Chair Phil Johnston told Playbook. “I'm looking ahead 90 days — when you think globally, that could be a big problem if it were to blow up.” David Seaton, one of the youngest members of the Massachusetts delegation to the DNC, is watching Harris’ speech to see “how she plans to differ her policies from the policies of Joe Biden,” he said. “One thing that our generation of delegates and people across the country have been calling for is some form of change in our party and in policy from the administration, particularly around the war in Gaza,” Seaton said. Disruptions and protests already began last night in Chicago, and in Boston, activists took to Boston Common to protest from afar. MASSACHUSETTS MATTERS: Deep-blue Massachusetts may not draw many campaign rallies, but many Democratic campaigns are built on the Bay State’s political talent and policy proposals. So are Democratic presidential administrations. “Presumably there's a lot of people there having discussions about a potential Harris administration, and what potential roles everybody and their brother and sister from Massachusetts will be filling in that administration, as we always do,” longtime Democratic strategist Scott Ferson said. And one policy area that could make it from Massachusetts into the national conversation: child care, Revere City Councilor Juan Jaramillo told Playbook. “The thing that we’re leading on currently is child care,” Jaramillo, who’s serving as a DNC delegate, said, pointing to the investments in the state’s FY25 budget. “Massachusetts leadership on the issue can really be an example for the rest of the country, and of course, the convention being that opportunity to highlight that.” THE BIG SPEECHES: Only a few weeks in, the Harris campaign has run more on vibes than promises. The convention stage — vice presidential pick Tim Walz will speak Wednesday and Harris will speak Thursday, as is custom for the nominees — will give them a chance to further define themselves and the campaign. “I’m watching Walz’s speech and how he defines himself beyond the ‘everybody's dad,’ pitbull attack on JD Vance. Does he really talk about his values in a way that doesn't allow him to be painted as the most liberal governor in the country?” Ferson said. GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Send your tips, scoops and Malort reviews my way: kgarrity@politico.com. And keep scrolling for more on what to expect this week at the DNC. TODAY — Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll chairs an emergency shelter commission meeting at 1 p.m. in Boston. CONVENTION ZONE WHAT TO WATCH (AND WHEN) — DNC organizers are keeping the speaker schedule for this week’s primetime programming at the United Center close to the vest, but you’ll be able to find tonight’s rundown later this morning on POLITICO’s liveblog (where you can also follow the latest from CNN-POLITICO Grill ). Here's what we know so far: — Tonight’s headliners: President Joe Biden is expected to get a hero’s send off during his speech tonight. Dr. Jill Biden will also take the stage, as will former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . Former First Lady Michelle Obama , former President Barack Obama , and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will take the stage Tuesday, as will Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker . VP nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is up Wednesday with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi , former President Bill Clinton and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg . Harris takes the stage Thursday. At least one Republican, former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, is also on the list for Thursday, CNN reported . — Where to catch Massachusetts pols: At least one Bay Stater will take the stage at the United Center: Gov. Maura Healey . She has a speaking slot Thursday night, according to a person familiar with the planning. Healey has a packed week; today she’ll be on a LGBTQ+ Caucus panel with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis , and is set to attend meetings with the labor council, small business, climate crisis and environmental caucuses. And she’ll be a part of the panel with the seven other Democratic women governors hosted by “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus Wednesday. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is set to speak at the Vermont Democrats breakfast this morning at the Palmer House hotel, and is scheduled to cohost the MassDems breakfast Wednesday. She’s also joining the Democratic Mayors Association as part of the AANHPI Mayors and Leaders reception Tuesday, and is expected to speak at an affordable housing event with other mayors this week. — Who’s coming to breakfast: If you can rally for the 7:30 a.m. (CT) start of the MassDems daily breakfast program, you’ll be able to hear top Democrats from Massachusetts and around the country. Healey , Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Attorney General Andrea Campbell , Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey , Reps. Katherine Clark and Lori Trahan , Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg , Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro , Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy and Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin are all on the list to address the delegation over what’ll likely be copious amounts of coffee at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk. — The daily convention themes : “For the People,” is up first. SPOTTED — at the New England delegate welcome party in Chicago: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (rocking the Massachusetts delegation's custom Converse and taking pictures with delegates); Secretary of State Bill Galvin (wearing sneakers, but not the Chucks); MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan (wearing the Chucks), state Rep. Kate Donaghue; state Sen. Marc Pacheco; Tara Healey, Sam Gebru, and Joe Caiazzo; and from New Hampshire, Democratic strategist Jim Demers and state Sen. Donna Soucy.   A message from Uber: Massachusetts Uber and Lyft drivers will now earn at least $32.50 while working on the app, making them some of the highest paid drivers in the country. This new rate sets a high standard for driver pay across the nation. Go deeper.   DATELINE BEACON HILL — “Mass. Lottery looks to other states for path forward online,” by Rebeca Pereira, GBH News. *****STEWARD****** — “State plans to temporarily take over St. Elizabeth's as most Steward hospitals go to new owners,” by Katie Lannan, GBH News: “Gov. Maura Healey intends to take control of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton through an eminent domain process to keep it open and transition the facility to a new owner, she announced Friday. St. Elizabeth’s is one of five Massachusetts hospitals up for sale by its bankrupt owner, Steward Health Care. Healey said agreements have been reached — but not yet finalized — to transfer the other four hospitals to new owners. … Under the deals that Healey said will be finalized ‘in short order,’ Boston Medical Center will eventually take over both St. Elizabeth’s and Brockton’s Good Samaritan Hospital. Lawrence General Hospital will purchase the Haverhill and Methuen campuses of Holy Family Hospital, and Lifespan will assume operations at Morton Hospital in Taunton and St. Anne’s in Fall River.” Several Boston-area politicians still aren’t fully satisfied with the plan. Members of the Boston City Council were quick to call on the state to take similar action to keep open Carney Hospital in Dorchester, and in a joint statement over the weekend Democratic Reps. Stephen Lynch and Ayanna Pressley released a joint statement calling on the state to “move with the same level of urgency to keep Carney Hospital in Dorchester open as well.” Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal’s Jonathan Weil digs into how Steward CEO Ralph de la Torre made his millions as his company crashed. PAYWALL MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS — “Reprieves continue for many migrant families facing ouster from overflow shelter system,” by Laura Crimaldi, Helena Getahun-Hawkins, Natalie La Roche Pietri and Camilo Fonseca, The Boston Globe. — “Immigrant advocates call for end of ICE contract with Plymouth jail,” by Sean Cotter, The Boston Globe: “The Plymouth County Correctional Facility has remained the only detention center in the state to hold federal immigration detainees, in spite of allegations of inhumane conditions there. If anything, the immigration detention unit has grown in recent years, even as others have closed. But now, as federal authorities are negotiating a possible contract extension with the facility, immigrant-rights advocates have fired off a new series of concerns of unsanitary conditions and abuse toward the detainees, and have called for the unit’s closure.” — “New Bedford credit union removes roadblock for immigrants,” by Gerardo Beltran Salinas, The New Bedford Light: “The South Coast Federal Credit Union in New Bedford is making it easier for immigrants to open accounts by eliminating the requirement that customers have a social security number." BUMPY BUS BUDGET — Stoughton is facing a school bus shortage thanks to budget constraints, leaving 150 students to find another way to get to class, the Boston Herald’s Matthew Medsger reports. While new families have moved into emergency shelter space in the town, Stoughton Superintendent Joseph Baeta assured parents in a letter that the expected gap in service isn’t directly impacted by the bus service the state is funding for the students housed there. “The district has two buses for students living in hotels/shelters … We are utilizing funding the state provides to the district to bus the students living in hotels/shelters,” Baeta wrote . “The funding for these two buses does not come from our operational budget. It is inaccurate to suggest that these children receiving busing is the reason yours did not. If we were not receiving the funding from the state for the students living in hotels/shelters, we would not be able to have these two additional buses.” But “an increase in PreK-12 enrollment, including in our migrant student population, and unprecedented pressures in special education, transportation, and services for English Learners,” are among the financial pressures impacting the overall budget, Baeta said in a letter in March .   A message from Uber:     YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS MUST READ! LOTS OF VAGUE ATTACKS, DISINFORMATION & MAGA LIES!  HOW COME REPUBLICANS LIE? NOTICE THE LACK OF SPECIFICS! CRYPTO SCAMMER CARPETBAGGER JOHN DEATON VOTED 3 TIMES IN 20 YEARS...CHINA BANNED CRYPTO! JOHN DEATON IS SO UNINFORMED...HOW ABOUT CFPB? DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT ELIZABETH WARREN HAS ACCOMPLISHED! CARPETBAGGER JOHN DEATON STOOD AT ONE OF THE  CAPE COD BRDIGES (THE SAGEMORE) AND BLAMED ELIZABETH WARREN FOR THE FAILURE TO REPLACE THE BRIDGE....IN FACT, IT WAS tRUMP WHO SLASHED FUNDING FOR THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, THE OWNER OF BOTH BRIDGES....THEN THE ORANGE TURD URGED THE MAGA MORONS TO DEFEAT THE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL....MOST COMPLIED! VOTES ARE PUBLIC RECORD THAT WERE PRVIOUSLY POSTED... SOMEONE TELL JOHN DEATON TO LOOK UP FACTS!  JOHN DEATON IS JUST ANOTHER LIAR!  CARPETBAGGER HAS NO TIES TO MASSACHUSETTS, NEVER PAID ATTENTION TO ISSUES...CLEARLY NEVER ATTENDED ANY PUBLIC HEARINGS... THE VOLUME OF CAPE TRAFFIC GRIDLOCKS THE REGION. THE REPLACEMENT SAGAMORE BRIDGE NEEDS TO BE RE-ROUTED WHILE THE OLD BRIDGE REMAINS IN USE...JOHN DEATON LIES WITHOUT ANY COMPREHENSION! THE OTHER CANDIDATES ARE NO BETTER!  "R" VOTERS NEED TO INFORM THEMSELVES! — “Massachusetts GOP Senate candidates differ on Trump, border and how they'll take on Elizabeth Warren,” by Jon Keller, CBS Boston: “The three Republicans competing for the right to take on Sen. Elizabeth Warren in a fight for Massachusetts's U.S. Senate seat debated which of them was a ‘real’ Republican rather than a ‘RINO’ - Republican In Name Only.” — “Boston sends out early voting flyers with wrong dates, prompting complaint from candidate,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald. PAYWALL! BOSTON HERALD RAG NOT WORTH THE PRICE! SO DESPERATE, THEY KEPT CALLING US TO SUBSCRIBE! — “3 seek open Middlesex North register of deeds seat on Democratic primary ticket,” by Peter Currier, The Lowell Sun: “For the first time in nearly three decades, the seat for Middlesex North register of deeds is truly up for grabs after Richard Howe announced last year that he would not seek reelection, and three candidates are competing in the Sept. 3 Democratic primary to be his successor." — “Few decisions on Sept. 3 primary ballot, ” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “With mail-in ballots already out to voters and early in-person voting to commence across the state on Saturday, Aug. 24, most voters throughout Hampshire County, southern Franklin County and Holyoke, unless participating in the GOP state primary, will not have any electoral decisions to make.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters has endorsed state Rep. Bill Driscoll in the race for the open Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol District state Senate seat, as well as Tony King, who’s running for the 7th Norfolk District House seat Driscoll is vacating. — The Massachusetts and Northern New England Laborers' District Council is endorsing former Methuen City Councilor Eunice Zeigler for Governor's Council in District 5. IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN — “Nantucket Select Board no fan of federal wind farm regulator,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Beacon: “The Nantucket Select Board has released what might be described as a dispatch from the front lines of offshore wind development, a hot take on what it’s like to be a municipality trying to co-exist with the nation’s first industrial-scale wind farm.” THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Central Mass. firefighters join crew battling wildfires in Idaho,” by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette.   A message from Uber: Massachusetts Uber and Lyft drivers will soon receive comprehensive benefits alongside their new pay rate. Benefits include health insurance stipends for those working over 15 hours a week, paid sick leave, and occupational accident insurance. These enhancements provide vital support and security for drivers, ensuring they have access to essential healthcare and financial protection. These new benefits mark a significant improvement in the quality of life for rideshare drivers. Go deeper.   WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING MUST READ! EXPLOITING INMATES FOR PROFIT! — “Some Mass. county jails have millions in profits off inmates sitting in accounts,” by Hadley Barndollar, MassLive: “An inmate canteen fund is financed by the often double-digit percentage markups placed on commissary goods, such as snacks, drinks, postage or clothing, that inmates purchase from what are essentially convenience stores inside correctional facilities. … A review by MassLive of fiscal year 2023 data shows out of the state’s 13 county jails overseen by sheriff’s departments, five counties — Bristol, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Worcester — had canteen accounts over $1 million. Two of them had funds over $2 million.” — “Springfield minister to head national voting initiative,” by Dave Canton, The Springfield Republican. HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH SPOTTED —  At the Hewins Street Block Party: hosts state Rep. Chris Worrell and Boston City Councilor Brian Worrell; Sen. Ed Markey , Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, Councilors John FitzGerald and Erin Murphy, Newton City Councilor Martha Bixby, former Boston City Councilor Frank Baker and New England Patriots Foundation President Josh Kraft. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Trey McNinch, Winslow Eliot and John Sasso.  Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .   Follow us on Twitter Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters Follow us

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POLITICO Nightly: The agony of failing to make the GOP debate stage

BY CATHERINE KIM AND CALDER MCHUGH Miami Mayor Francis Suarez speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa's 2023 Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines on July 28. | Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images SHUT OUT — To see the global soccer star Lionel Messi debut for his new team — Inter Miami — in late July, fans paid up to $3,500 per ticket. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez asked for just a $1 donation to his campaign for the privilege. The gambit — donate to Suarez’s longshot presidential campaign via Venmo and get entered in a rally for tickets to see Messi play — was part of the mayor’s desperate and ultimately unsuccessful push to get on the Republican debate stage Wednesday night. Suarez wasn’t alone. Multiple candidates went to similarly extreme — and creative — lengths to meet the polling and donor requirements to make the debate stage on Wednesday; as with Suarez, it was all for naught. Between the candidates who will be denied an opportunity on the debate stage and those who will fall flat in their performance, it won’t be long before we see the first campaign casualty of the 2024 GOP primary season. The RNC set the fairly high bar for qualification in order to keep the debate stage manageable; in the end, eight candidates were officially invited to participate: Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum and Asa Hutchinson. Donald Trump — the frontrunner for the nomination — followed through on his promise to skip the debate . To guarantee a place In the nationally televised showdown, every GOP contender had to meet the donor threshold of 40,000 individual contributors — at least 200 each from 20 states — and a polling threshold of one percent in three national polls, or two national polls plus one state poll. They also had to pledge to support the party’s eventual nominee. For the big name candidates, reaching these goals was a breeze: former President Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott and Vivek Ramaswamy made the cut from the moment the requirements were announced . But for others, the qualifications were daunting — especially those with meager national profiles. Nearly everyone agreed that an appearance on the debate stage in Milwaukee was essential to being viewed as a serious candidate, and to build any momentum: tens of millions of people watched the 2016 Republican primary debates. Among other reasons, clips from the debates have a much higher chance of going viral than a simple campaign stop, putting a candidate’s face in front of millions of people who may not otherwise have been paying attention. The first debate looms so large, in fact, that earlier this month, Suarez himself argued that candidates who don’t make the first debate should drop out of the race. Burgum, the North Dakota governor who had little name recognition outside of his home state, dipped into his own substantial wealth to fund his campaign. A former software executive, Burgum last month announced a giveaway of a $20 gift card for a $1 donation: “Doug knows people are hurting because of Bidenflation and giving Biden Economic Relief Gift Cards is a way to help 50,000 people until Doug is elected President to fix this crazy economy for everyone,” his spokesperson Lance Trover said . The campaign wasn’t being coy about the fact that this was a ploy to get the governor on stage: “It also allows us to secure a spot on the debate stage while avoiding paying more advertising fees to social media platforms who have owners that are hostile to conservatives,” Trover said. The viral marketing resulting from his gift card scheme not only spread Burgum’s name, it helped him secure the 40,000 donors he needed. The governor qualified on July 25, a little over two weeks after announcing his gift card scheme. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, another successful debate qualifier, paid hundreds of college students $20 a pop for every family member, friend or acquaintance they could persuade to donate $1 to his campaign. Businessman Perry Johnson — who had been disqualified from running for governor of Michigan in 2022 over fraudulent ballot signatures — tried a host of $1 ploys to meet the donor threshold. When Tucker Carlson was fired from Fox News, he sold a t-shirt on Facebook for $1 reading “I stand with Tucker.” In July, he offered donors a $10 gas gift card for $1. And he sold his book, “Two Cents to Save America” for, you guessed it, $1. Then there’s Suarez, who in addition to the Messi raffle went to increasingly great lengths to qualify. The super PAC that supports the mayor promised to pay a year’s worth of college tuition to one lucky winner who donated $1 to Suarez’s campaign. Later on, he took a page from Burgum’s book and offered to send out $20 gift cards to those donating $1. Suarez and Johnson’s efforts paid off with donors — both reached that threshold. But even though they also claimed they had met the polling threshold, the RNC disagreed . Neither made the stage, which could effectively end their longshot campaigns. Johnson lashed out, arguing about his exclusion from the stage , “Simply put, this is a flawed decision of a poorly run process of a corrupt organization.” Another excluded candidate who insisted he met the thresholds, radio show host Larry Elder, said today he’s suing the RNC in an effort to halt the debate entirely. Suarez, meanwhile, has said he “respect[s] the rules and process set forth by the RNC .” He now has to contemplate whether he’ll follow his own advice and drop out. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s authors at ckim@politico.com and cmchugh@politico.com or on Twitter at @ck_525 and @calder_mchugh . PROGRAMMING NOTE: Nightly will not be publishing from Aug. 28 through Sept. 4. We’ll be back to our normal schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 5.   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO APP: Stay in the know with the POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS  – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID .     WHAT'D I MISS? — Trump attorneys guided false electors in Georgia, GOP chair says: Former Georgia Republican Party Chair David Shafer said attorneys for former President Donald Trump, his campaign and the local GOP were responsible for urging him to assemble a slate of false presidential electors that are now at the heart of a sprawling racketeering case. Shafer is among the 18 defendants indicted in Fulton County, Georgia, alongside Trump as part of a conspiracy to subvert the 2020 election. — Biden pushes new student loan repayment plan as bills loom for tens of millions: President Joe Biden today launched a promotional blitz for his new program that helps student loan borrowers repay their debt, just weeks before millions of Americans are set to receive a loan bill for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. The Biden administration is mobilizing to convince borrowers across the country to sign up for the new income-driven repayment program — dubbed the “SAVE plan” — which caps interest accrual and lowers the monthly payment amount for many borrowers. RICK SCOTT:  Rick Scott 'oversaw the largest Medicare fraud' in U.S. history, Florida Democratic Party says LINK Rick Scott's Connection to Massive Medicare Fraud Scandal Resurfaces  LINK — Former Democratic Rep. jumps into Florida Senate race: Former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) will challenge incumbent GOP Sen. Rick Scott in a race that could prove pivotal in attempts by Democrats to retain control of the U.S. Senate. Mucarsel-Powell, who immigrated from Ecuador at the age of 14, is a Spanish-speaking Hispanic candidate from Miami-Dade who gives Democrats an opportunity to reassert themselves in one of the most crucial counties in the state. NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 NO APOLOGIES — Chris Christie’s current presidential bid is the most interesting candidacy in the Republican primary, and the most important, reports POLITICO. Not because he’s polling near the top of the lot. He’s not. If the contest, though, at this point is Trump and everybody else, and the nominee somehow ultimately comes from that batch of others, there’s nobody else in that everybody else remotely like Christopher James Christie . The about-to-turn-61-year-old former governor of New Jersey was Trump before Trump — charismatic, combative, politically incorrect — and he was, for that matter, Ron DeSantis before Ron DeSantis — winning reelection in a landslide not just in an erstwhile swing state but in an outright blue state. And now he’s an ex-prosecutor prosecuting a case, and it’s a case that makes so much sense it sometimes can beggar belief that he’s the only one in the field who’s qualified for the first two debates who’s so vociferously making it. The case? Maybe it’s not a great idea to once again back a man who had four years already as president and failed at least as much as he didn’t and lost in 2020 and contributed to GOP losses in 2018 and 2022 and has been indicted four times in the last four months and therefore might spend as much time next year in a courtroom as on the campaign trail. VIVEK’S CLEANUP — Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was caught in a blunder after he claimed The Atlantic misquoted him floating the idea that the federal government was perhaps involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, writes POLITICO. During a CNN appearance on Monday night, anchor Kaitlan Collins questioned him about the comments, to which Ramaswamy responded that they were actually about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He made a similar comment suggesting he was misquoted to Semafor. But this afternoon, The Atlantic published interview audio that verified the original quote about 9/11 was correct. Ramaswamy has previously questioned the government’s reports on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Earlier this month, he said he did not believe the government had told the complete truth. CRUNCH TIME — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday warned hundreds gathered at a beachside restaurant of the existential crisis facing America if he is not elected president in 2024. For the once-rising Republican superstar, however, his moment of truth may be now , POLITICO writes. The Florida governor’s visit was put together by Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting DeSantis, as his struggling campaign has been through several reboots. And now, attention is turning to whether he will shine or shrink when the bright lights of the first Republican debate are turned on. With Trump vowing to skip FOX’s televised event — reportedly for his own prime time interview with Tucker Carlson — the debate stage in Milwaukee could serve as the backdrop for DeSantis’ much-needed campaign reset. The two-hour, Trump-free setup offers DeSantis an opportunity to improve his diminishing performance in the polls, but presents him with a challenge: How to convince Republican primary voters to embrace him without attacking Trump, who is far ahead in every major public-opinion survey. A leaked memo outlining a preferred debate strategy — drafted by the firm running the PAC that is all-but running the DeSantis campaign — advised the governor to defend Trump. DeSantis later said he was unaware of the contents of the strategy document. AROUND THE WORLD Spanish right-wing opposition party Partido Popular (PP) leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo looks on during a campaign meeting in Barcelona on July 17. | Pau Barrena/AFP via Getty Images TRYING AND FAILING — Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative Popular Party, has been given the first shot at forming a new Spanish government, writes Paul Dallison. Spain’s king, Felipe VI, decided today that Feijóo, whose party won the most votes in last month’s inconclusive national election, should try and form a coalition. But Feijóo’s efforts will surely be doomed . The PP failed to secure the number of seats in parliament needed to govern, and even with the backing of the far-right Vox party, Feijóo won’t be able to overcome the opposition of a majority of Spain’s MPs. Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is in a better position to remain in post. Sánchez and his left-wing allies control 171 of the 350 seats in the parliament, which means that in order to form a government he would need to persuade several MPs belonging to the Catalan separatist Junts party to vote for him. However, last week Sánchez received a boost when Junts gave its votes to Francina Armengol, the Socialist candidate for the presidency of the parliament’s bureau, the powerful body which approves the creation of parliamentary groups, authorizes investigative commissions and ultimately determines which bills are taken up by MPs.   Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of the first episodes in September – click here .     NIGHTLY NUMBER $48 Billion The amount of money that New York state consumers will pay to fund the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources over the next two decades. Some upstate New York electric customers are already paying 10 percent of their utility bill to support the state’s effort to move off fossil fuels and into renewable energy, and the high price is causing some New York politicians to worry about the political risk of the transition. RADAR SWEEP CLOUD COVERAGE — If you’ve ever seen a photograph of Neptune, you’d likely notice a blue planet with some white clouds covering the surface. But now, recent photographs taken of the planet are showing a dispersal of the clouds . It’s a strange phenomenon. And even though Neptune is the outermost planet in our solar system, it’s plausible the sun — and its UV rays — are responsible, writes Will Sullivan for Smithsonian Magazine. Relying partly on the work of a paper from scientists in the journal Icarus, Sullivan investigates what’s going on with Neptune and why it looks so different right now. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 1991: New York City Mayor David Dinkins (second left) and Police Commissioner Lee Brown (third left) listen to a man during a meeting with about 50 black youths at P.S. 167 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Crown Heights experienced three days of riots from Aug. 19 to 21 after two children were struck by a car driven by a Hasidic man running a red light. One of the children died and the other was seriously injured, leading to attacks on Jews in Crown Heights in the ensuing days. | David Burns/AP Photo 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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